His powerful emotions found an equally powerful medium for their manifestation. It was a spontaneous outburst of his inner voice motivated by divine will. When he returned to his hermitage, Brahma (the fourfaced God, the creator), appeared
to him and commanded him to compose an epic poem on the story of Ram as he had heard it from the great sage Narada, in his newly discovered meter. He also gave him the boon of the visions of all the incidents and the revelation of all the
secrets connected with the story. Accordingly, Valmiki composed the epic, named it The Ramayana – the way or the conduct or the life story of Ram – the story of Ram’s march in search of truth and righteousness. A contemporary of the heroes
of the Ramayana, Maharshi Valmiki gives very little information about himself since he was a sage who had completely dedicated his life to contemplation on God and service to humanity. History has no account of his life except that he
figures briefly and modestly on two occasions in the course of the epic he wrote.
Valmiki’s Cameo in Ramayana
He is one of the first sages whose hermitage Ram visits along with his wife and brother on his way to Chitrakoot after leaving Ayodhya. Valmiki welcomes them with love, affection, and reverence and utters just one-word ‘asyatam’ (be
seated). He feels honored when Ram accepts his request and sits a while. The other occasion is when Ram banishes Sita, it is Valmiki that shelters her and rears up her twin sons Luv and Kush. When they recite the epic poem in his royal
court, Ram invites Valmiki and requests him to bring Sita along so she can prove her chastity before the elders and sages. Valmiki is offended yet keeps his composure and says Sita would comply with Ram’s wishes for he is her husband. While
presenting Sita in the Mandapa (prayer hall) Valmiki utters words that highlight the penance and perseverance which Valmiki practiced his entire life.
In His Own Words
“I am the tenth son of the sage Prachetas. You belong to the great dynasty of Raghu. I do not remember to have uttered any lie so far in my life. I say that these two boys are your sons. I performed penance for thousands of years. I shall
not accept the fruit of all my penance if there is any blemish in Maithili (Sita). I never entertained any ignoble thought, I never wronged any person, and I never spoke any vulgar word – I shall derive the benefit thereof only if Maithili
is void of sin.”
A True Sage
Valmiki was truly a Maharshi. I Javvadi Lakshmana Rao describes Valmiki in these words: “He was purity, penance, benevolence, and meditation personified and the sole object of his dedication and contemplation was Man, a man leaves his
selfish existence and lives for others identifying himself with the composite culture of the cosmic creation.” The only work available of the great sage-poet, The Ramayana, has established the poet’s timeless fame.
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