Valmiki Jayanti 2024: Know story of Ramayana's author Maharishi Valmiki

Valmiki Jayanti 2024: Valmiki Jayanti is a Hindu festival commemorating the birth anniversary of Maharishi Valmiki. He was a renowned poet known for writing the Hindu epic Ramayana. 

People often commemorate the day by chanting Ramayana verses at Valmiki temples around the country. The most prominent Valmiki temple is located at Thiruvanmiyur, Chennai. According to legends, this 1300-year-old temple was built where Valmiki slept after writing 24,000 shlokas and 7 cantos of the Ramayana.

When Lord Rama exiled Sita and people began to question her virtue, it was Valmiki who offered the pregnant Sita shelter at his place. Valmiki is also known as the Adi Kavi, or the earliest poet of the Sanskrit language.

Maharshi Valmiki's birth anniversary is observed every year on Ashwin Purnima, according to the Hindu lunar calendar. This year, Valmiki Jayanti is celebrated on October 17.

Story of Maharishi Valmiki

Valmiki was born as Ratnakar and was a dacoit who robbed and killed people. His encounter with Narada Muni changed his life, as he advised him to chant the word Rama. However, Ratnakar could not bring himself to chant the word despite repeated efforts, so Narada instructed him to utter 'Mara' instead, which is Rama spelt backwards in Hindi. 

The Mara eventually turned Rama, and his penance lasted several years, as anthills formed around him. Lord Brahma was pleased with Ratnakar's penance and blessed him, naming him Valmiki.

Along with numerous years of penance, he learnt scriptures from Narada and was later rechristened Maharshi Valmiki. As his new life began, Valmiki, moved by the sorrow of a female bird over the death of her companion, recited his first shloka, and thus his writing journey began. However, it wasn't until Lord Brahma gave him the responsibility of authoring the Ramayana that he realised his true purpose in life.

According to the Ramayana, Lord Rama met Valmiki during Vanvasa, his period of exile, and later provided Sita Mata shelter in his hermitage after Rama banished her. Lord Rama's twin sons, Kusha and Lava, were born in his hermitage, where he taught them both the Ramayana.