Valmiki Jayanti 2019 Amazing Facts
Maharishi Valmiki’s first name was Ratnakar. He was born in a sound family but due to his closeness to dacoits, he started plundering people and killing them. Anyone who crossed his path was robbed by him. After Lord Narada’s intervention, he stopped killing and looting people. Let’s know some unknown facts about Maharishi Valmiki’s life.
Valmiki, also known as Maharshi Valmiki, was a great sage and author of epic Ramayana which consists of 24,000 shlokas and 7 cantos (kandas) including the Uttara Kanda. He is considered as the Adi Kavi, the first poet of Sanskrit language. His birth anniversary is celebrated as Valmiki Jayanti. It is believed that when Rama banished Sita, Valmiki provided her shelter and care. In Valmiki’s heritage, Luv and Kush were born. The exact era of his birth is difficult to define as it is said that during Rama’s exile period Valmiki made him his contemporary. Lord Rama’s birth anniversary is itself a topic of debate.
First Sanskrit Shloka drafted by Maharishi Valmiki
It is also believed that it was Maharishi Valmiki who drafted the first Sanskrit Shloka. He himself wrote about the inspiration of the poetry composition he drafted. Once Maharishi Valmiki was watching a couple of bird. The bird couple was busy in love making, then suddenly a hunter shot one of the bird down with an arrow. The bird died immediately. The sight infuriated Maharishi to great extent. Amid this pain and anger against the hunter, Maharishi uttered a Shloka, which is considered as the first Sanskrit Shloka ever. The Shloka is given below.
The creator of Ramayana, Maharishi Valmiki was a dacoit before he wrote the Hindu epic. After meeting Narada, he transformed himself into a learned sage. This incident of Maharishi Valmiki’s life give us a meaningful life lesson; leave your past behind and thrive to create a better future for yourself. This is what we all should do.
Valmiki performed penance for several years in Ratnakar forest. According to the legends, he stood at one place for such a long time that ants started building their nest on his body. Even under those circumstances, he didn’t let his morale down. We should get inspired from his penance and dedication to repair his own ill-deeds.
Valmiki Jayanti marks the birth anniversary of Sage Valmiki. As per the Hindu lunar calendar, Valmiki Jayanti is celebrated on the full moon day in the Hindu month of Ashvin, which as per the Gregorian calendar corresponds to the months of September or October. The day is also referred to as Pragat Divas. In 2018, Valmiki Jayanti falls on October 24. Here are 7 things to know about Maharshi Valmiki:
There is a community called Balmiki community who worship Valmiki as their ancestor and god. The community is found in Gujarat, Punjab, and Rajasthan.
He is the only person in ancient India who is a scholar in both Sanskrit and Tamil. Luv and Kush were his first disciples. He taught them Ramayana. He is also known as Adi Kavi as he is the first poet in the Sanskrit language.
While India is home to several Valmiki temples, the most prominent one is in Chennai. The Maharishi Valmiki temple in Thiruvanmiyur in Chennai is believed to be around 1300 years old. It stands on the East Coast Road in named Valmiki Nagar. The temples witnesses large scale celebrations on Pargat Diwas as devotees gather in huge numbers to offer prayers.
On Pargat Diwas, people worship Maharishi Valmiki and observes the day with grant. processions, shobha yatras and meetings. Devotees also offer free food to each other on this day.
People decorate Maharishi Valmiki's temples with flowers and light the temple.
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