Valmiki (Sanskrit: ; In Diacritical Marks:Vlmki; during Lord r Rma's time) [1] is celebrated as the harbinger-poet in Sanskrit literature.
He is the author of the epic Rmyaa, based on the attribution in the text of the epic itself.[2] He is revered as the di Kavi, which translates to First Poet, for he discovered the first loka i.e. first verse, which set the base and defined the form to Sanskrit poetry. The Rmyaa, originally written by Vlmki, consists of 24,000 lokas[3] in seven cantos (some say six i.e. excluding the Uttara Rmyaa) (kas). The Rmyaa tells the story of a prince, Rma of Ayodhy, whose wife St is abducted by the Demon-King (Rkasa) of Lak, Rvaa. The Vlmki's Rmyaa is dated variously from 500 BC to 100 BC, or about co-eval with early versions of the Mahbhrata.[4] As with many traditional epics, it has gone through a long process of interpolations and redactions, making it impossible to date accurately. Notwithstanding the aforesaid, it is pertinent to note that Vlmki is also quoted to be the contemporary of r Rma. r Rma met Vlmki during his period of exile and had interacted with him. Vlmki had St in his hermitage where Kua and Lava were born to St. Vlmki taught Rmyaa to Kua and Lava, who later sang the divine story in Ayodhy during the Avamedha yaja congregation, to the pleasure of the audience, whereupon, King r Rma summoned them to his royal palace. Kua and Lava sang the story of r Rma there, and r Rma confirmed that whatever had been sung by these two children was entirely true Vlmki was going to the river Ganges for his daily ablutions. A disciple by the name Bharadvja was carrying his clothes. On the way, they came across the Tamasa Stream. Looking at the stream, Vlmki said to his disciple, "Look, how clear is this water, like the mind of a good man! I will bathe here today." When he was looking for a suitable place to step into the stream, he saw a Crane (bird) couple mating. Vlmki felt very pleased on seeing the happy birds. Suddenly, hit by an arrow; the male bird died on the spot. Filled by sorrow its mate screamed in agony and died of shock. Vlmki 's heart melted at this pitiful sight. He looked around to find out who had shot the bird. He saw a hunter with a bow and arrows, nearby. Vlmki became very angry. His lips opened and he uttered the following words Emerging spontaneously from his rage and grief, this was the first loka in Sanskrit literature. Later Vlmki Muni composed the entire Rmyaa with the blessings of Lord Brahm in the same meter that issued forth from him as the loka. Thus this loka is revered as the "first loka" in Hindu literature. Vlmki Muni is revered as the first poet, or di Kavi, and the Rmyaa, the first Kvya. His first disciples to whom he taught the Rmyaa were Kua and Lava, the sons of r Rma Valmiki was born in a family of hunters and was hunter himself in his youth,he would ruthlessly take the lives of animals in the forests and he has taken the lives of so many animals that he had earned the displeasure of the gods,one day a group of rishis were gathering in the forest to perform a yagna and then they witnessed valmiki kill a deer, being brahmins killing of animals or any living creature was forbidden and so they approached valmiki and told him that he has almost wiped all the animal species in the
forest and they told him that the gods will curse him and he will be shunned by all.Valmiki was shocked and so he asked the rishis for a way out of the gods' wrath.The rishis told him to sit under a sal tree with his eyes shut and keep on reciting the syllables "maraam" (if recited repeatedly it makes the sound "Rama") repeatedly until they return after finishing the yagna . And so they left valmiki there and finished their yagna and returned home without waking up valmiki ,months later narada saw valmiki who (still devotedly reciting "maraam" and was covered with anthills because he did not move at all he was so perfectly still.) woke up valmiki that he had earned a lot of merit and his bhakti had pleased Rama and was no less than a rishi.And from that day on he was devoted to rama for the rest of his life and came to be known as Rishi Valmiki.And was the first person to composed the entire Ramayana. Brahma once told Valmiki that "As long as mountains stand and as long as rivers flow,so long will your Ramayana be read by man
