Ayodhya airport named after Valmiki: 5 interesting facts about the poet-sage

1. He is known as the Adi Kavi

Valmiki is referred to as Adi Kavi, or the “first/original poet” in Sanskrit. This is because he is credited to having composed the Ramayana, believed to be the first epic poem in the Sanskrit literary tradition. “It is frequently described as the first consciously literary composition, the adi-kavya, a description not used for any other epic,” historian Romila Thapar wrote in Early India (2002).

However, literary analysis of the text indicates that Mahabharata, credited to the sage Vyasa, might actually have been older. “The language of the Ramayana is more polished and its concepts more related to later society, although it is traditionally believed to be the earlier of the two,” Thapar wrote. She dates the text to roughly mid-first century BCE, although scholars such as Robert Goldman do date it to as far back as the eighth century BCE.

2. Valmiki himself appears in the Bala and Uttara Kandas

Valmiki’s Ramayana is divided into 7 cantos or kandas, each telling a different part of Lord Ram’s story. Valmiki himself makes an appearance in the Bala and Uttara Kandas, the first and last chapters of the epic.

The Bala Kanda begins with Valmiki asking sage Narada if there is a righteous man still left in the world, to which Narada responds with the name Ram. Valmiki then begins his narration. In Uttara Kanda, after Lord Ram exiles his wife Sita, she finds refuge in Valmiki’s ashram. There she gives birth to twin boys Lava and Kusha, who then become his disciples. In Bala Kanda, the story of Ramayana is framed as a narration by Valmiki to Lava and Kusha.

Notably, both these chapters are likely later additions to the epic. “Given the language and tone of these first and last books, they clearly come from a later linguistic and, more importantly, a later theological period when Vishnu has become a deity,” Arshia Sattar wrote in Uttara: The Book of Answers (2017), a translation and commentary on the last canto.

“[They] are also the books in which it is explicitly stated that Rama is god, that Vishnu was persuaded by the other gods to take human form and kill Ravana. Rama’s story as god later becomes a central part of Vaishnava bhakti as versions of the Ramayana appear in different languages across the subcontinent and beyond,” she wrote.

3. Tulsidas’s Ramcharitmanas is far more popular

There are many versions of the Ramayana, from across India and beyond, each with its distinctive style and version of events. While most people recognise Valmiki as the original author of the story of Lord Ram, Tulsidas’s Ramcharitmanas is far more popularly known today.

A 16th century Bhakti poet, Tulsidas’s version is composed in the vernacular Awadhi rather than scriptural Sanskrit. This is key to its present-day popularity — while indeed an impressive work of literature, Valmiki’s Ramayana remains inaccessible to most people. The Ramcharitmanas made available the story of Ram to the common man, and is most associated with the tradition of Ramlila, a dramatic enactment of the text.

Some believe that Tulsidas was actually a reincarnation of Valmiki.

4. Debate surrounding Valmiki’s caste

There is a prevailing, highly contested debate surrounding the caste of Sage Valmiki. A number of scheduled castes, across the country, trace their lineage to the sage. At the same time, certain scriptural sources identify him as a Brahmin.

In 2016, the Karnataka government set up a 14-member committee to determine the caste of Valmiki, after a book titled Valmiki Yaru? (Who is Valmiki?) written by Kannada writer KS Narayanacharya kicked up a storm in the state. In the book, Narayanacharya claimed that Valmiki was a Brahmin, inviting heavy criticism from the Navik (boatmen) community, which believes that Valmiki was one of them.

Ultimately, there are numerous competing versions detailing Valmiki’s caste and origin. As author and social commentator Priyadarshan wrote for Forward Press in 2016: “When you set out to discover the caste of Valmiki, you won’t encounter historical facts but legends and myths.”

5. From robber to saint

One reason behind the contested caste identity of Valmiki is his popular origin story. Prior to becoming a sage, Valmiki was known as Ratnakar, and was a feared dacoit and hunter. While some versions of the story claim that he was actually born to a Brahmin before getting lost in the forest and adopted by a hunter couple, more subaltern versions of the story claim that he was born to a Bhil king. Either way, he would make a living by robbing villagers and travellers.

One day, he encountered Sage Narada, and his life changed. Unlike others, Narada did not appear to be scared of Ratnakar, and instead spoke to him gently, making him realise what he was doing was wrong and he must mend his ways. Ratnakar prayed to the saint to forgive him and help him atone for his misdeeds. Narada gave Ratnakar a simple mantra to recite — the name of Lord Ram.

Thus began Ratnakar’s transformation. He closed his eyes and entered and kept chanting. Slowly, he lost consciousness of his own existence. As time passed, an anthill (valmika) grew around him. Yet Ratnakar did not stop until Narada himself returned and awakened him from his penance. He was named Valmiki, after the anthill, which grew around him and given the honour of being a Maharishi or a great sage.