Maharshi Valmiki Jayanti
Introduction
Maharshi Valmiki Jayanti (sometimes pronounced as Balmiki Jayanti) celebrates the birthday of famous poet Valmiki, Who is also known as Adi kavi or first poet as he discovered the first Sloka, Ie, the first verse which set the base of Sanskrit poetry. It falls on the full moon day (Purnima) in the month of Ashwin.
In 2010, Valmiki Jayanti will fall on 22nd October, Friday.This day is specially very popular in the Northern India and is known as “Pargat Diwas”.
Valmiki is the author of the famous Hindu epic Ramayana and one of the greatest saints of the ancient world. According to the Hindu Mythology it is believed that Valmiki gave shelter to Sita in his own ashram and Luv- Kush were also born and brought up here.
His complete life and teachings have always encouraged Humans to fight against the society injustice.
Valmiki Jayanti is celebrated with great enthusiasm. Maharshi Valmiki is worshipped and prayed on this day. Shobha yatras, meetings and distribution of free food is arranged in many places. Many devotees also take out processions in honor of Maharshi Valmiki, and offer prayers to his portrait.
There are many Valmiki temples in India, Which are beautifully decorated with flowers and prayers are offered in them, number of incense being lighted fill the atmosphere with purity and happiness. Many devotees go to Lord Rama temples and recite verses from Ramayana in memory of Maharshi Valmiki.
Maharshi Valmiki Jayanti is celebrated with immense joy and excitement in Madhya Pradesh. There are many temples in MP dedicated to Valmiki. Normally the celebration of Jayanti starts early in the morning as people from far and wide gather at the temples with flowers and other offerings for the sage.
Throughout the day people read verses from Ramayana and worship Valmiki along with Lord Rama.After the day long Pujas, evenings are full of cultural programs in honor of sage Valmiki.
One of the biggest contributions of sage Valmiki to Hindus is the historic epic of Ramayana. Originally Ramayana was written in Sanskrit, by Valmiki in form of slokas and is known as Valmiki Ramayana. It contained 24,000 verses The Valmiki Ramayana is dated variously from 500 BC to 100 BC, but, over years as there have been many interpolations and redactions it is nearly impossible to date its origin accurately.
There is also a religious movement called Valmikism that is solely based on Valmiki’s teachings and principles.
Maharishi Valmiki was born as Ratnakara to sage Prachetasa. At a very young age he went to the forest and got lost. A hunter that was passing by saw him and took him under his own care, over the years he forgot his original parents under the parenthood of his newly found parents. Later when he grew up, he was married to a girl from a hunter’s family.
Being bought up in a poor hunter’s family, he didn’t have any measures to feed his family, so he started to hunt in the forests. He robbed the people passing through the forests.
One day when saint Narada was passing by the forest, he was attacked by Ratnakar. While Narada was playing his Veena and praising Lord rama, he saw a transformation in Ratnakar. He then asked Ratnakar, If whether the family for which he was robbing others ,will share his sins also. Ratnakar went to his home and asked the same question to his family, to which he received a negative answer.
He immediately went back to Narada, Who taught him to meditate with chanting the name of Lord Rama, till he came back.
Ratnakar got so immersed in the mediation over years that when Narada returned, he saw that Ratnakar was totally covered by ant-hills. He immediately removed all the ant-hills from his body and told Ratnakar that his Tapasya has paid of and that the Lord was pleased with him. Ratnakara was bestowed with the honor of a Brahmarshi and given the name of Valmiki, since he was reborn from the Valmika (the ant-hill). Sage Valmiki founded his ashram at the banks of River Ganga.
One day when in the ashram of Valmiki, Narada narrated him the story of Lord Rama. After that Valmiki received a vision from Brahma in which the lord instructed him to write Ramayana in form of slokas, Which he obediently followed.
It is widely known that Valmiki composed the first ever sloka of Sanskrit literature. History dates that once Valmiki went near river Ganga for his daily chores, Also, a disciple named Bharadwaja was carrying his clothes. Passing through the Tamasa Stream, Valmiki remarked that “the water looks so clean like a good man’s mind; I want to bathe here today.”
Just at that point he heard two birds chirping merrily, He felt very serene at the glance of a happy and joyous couple. Suddenly, one of them fell down; hit by an arrow, a Hunter had shot the bird for his food. The bird left alive was crying with agony, Valmiki felt terrible grief at the sight and plight of that bird, and uttered the following words:
mAnishAda pratishTAtum samagah ssAshvatIssamAh
yat krouncha mithunAdEkam sokam avadhIm kAma mOhitam
"Oh! Ill-fated Hunter, by which reason you have killed one male bird of the couple, When it is in its lustful passion,
thereby you will get an ever-lasting reputation for ages to come...
This was the first Sloka of Sanskrit literature.
A Valmiki temple is called Ashram, Which means a monastery, Which means a communal house for Valmiki’s. Each such Ashram is dedicated to attracting devotees’ concentration and to spread the teachings of Ramayana.
Maharshi Valmiki Jayanti (sometimes pronounced as Balmiki Jayanti) celebrates the birthday of famous poet Valmiki, Who is also known as Adi kavi or first poet as he discovered the first Sloka, Ie, the first verse which set the base of Sanskrit poetry. It falls on the full moon day (Purnima) in the month of Ashwin.
In 2010, Valmiki Jayanti will fall on 22nd October, Friday.This day is specially very popular in the Northern India and is known as “Pargat Diwas”.
Valmiki is the author of the famous Hindu epic Ramayana and one of the greatest saints of the ancient world. According to the Hindu Mythology it is believed that Valmiki gave shelter to Sita in his own ashram and Luv- Kush were also born and brought up here.
His complete life and teachings have always encouraged Humans to fight against the society injustice.
Celebrations
Valmiki Jayanti is celebrated with great enthusiasm. Maharshi Valmiki is worshipped and prayed on this day. Shobha yatras, meetings and distribution of free food is arranged in many places. Many devotees also take out processions in honor of Maharshi Valmiki, and offer prayers to his portrait.
There are many Valmiki temples in India, Which are beautifully decorated with flowers and prayers are offered in them, number of incense being lighted fill the atmosphere with purity and happiness. Many devotees go to Lord Rama temples and recite verses from Ramayana in memory of Maharshi Valmiki.
Jayanti celebration in Madhya Pradesh:
Maharshi Valmiki Jayanti is celebrated with immense joy and excitement in Madhya Pradesh. There are many temples in MP dedicated to Valmiki. Normally the celebration of Jayanti starts early in the morning as people from far and wide gather at the temples with flowers and other offerings for the sage.
Throughout the day people read verses from Ramayana and worship Valmiki along with Lord Rama.After the day long Pujas, evenings are full of cultural programs in honor of sage Valmiki.
Valmiki
One of the biggest contributions of sage Valmiki to Hindus is the historic epic of Ramayana. Originally Ramayana was written in Sanskrit, by Valmiki in form of slokas and is known as Valmiki Ramayana. It contained 24,000 verses The Valmiki Ramayana is dated variously from 500 BC to 100 BC, but, over years as there have been many interpolations and redactions it is nearly impossible to date its origin accurately.
There is also a religious movement called Valmikism that is solely based on Valmiki’s teachings and principles.
His early life:
Maharishi Valmiki was born as Ratnakara to sage Prachetasa. At a very young age he went to the forest and got lost. A hunter that was passing by saw him and took him under his own care, over the years he forgot his original parents under the parenthood of his newly found parents. Later when he grew up, he was married to a girl from a hunter’s family.
Turning into a robber:
Being bought up in a poor hunter’s family, he didn’t have any measures to feed his family, so he started to hunt in the forests. He robbed the people passing through the forests.
Meeting Narada:
One day when saint Narada was passing by the forest, he was attacked by Ratnakar. While Narada was playing his Veena and praising Lord rama, he saw a transformation in Ratnakar. He then asked Ratnakar, If whether the family for which he was robbing others ,will share his sins also. Ratnakar went to his home and asked the same question to his family, to which he received a negative answer.
He immediately went back to Narada, Who taught him to meditate with chanting the name of Lord Rama, till he came back.
Ratnakar got so immersed in the mediation over years that when Narada returned, he saw that Ratnakar was totally covered by ant-hills. He immediately removed all the ant-hills from his body and told Ratnakar that his Tapasya has paid of and that the Lord was pleased with him. Ratnakara was bestowed with the honor of a Brahmarshi and given the name of Valmiki, since he was reborn from the Valmika (the ant-hill). Sage Valmiki founded his ashram at the banks of River Ganga.
Writing Ramayana:
One day when in the ashram of Valmiki, Narada narrated him the story of Lord Rama. After that Valmiki received a vision from Brahma in which the lord instructed him to write Ramayana in form of slokas, Which he obediently followed.
First Sloka
It is widely known that Valmiki composed the first ever sloka of Sanskrit literature. History dates that once Valmiki went near river Ganga for his daily chores, Also, a disciple named Bharadwaja was carrying his clothes. Passing through the Tamasa Stream, Valmiki remarked that “the water looks so clean like a good man’s mind; I want to bathe here today.”
Just at that point he heard two birds chirping merrily, He felt very serene at the glance of a happy and joyous couple. Suddenly, one of them fell down; hit by an arrow, a Hunter had shot the bird for his food. The bird left alive was crying with agony, Valmiki felt terrible grief at the sight and plight of that bird, and uttered the following words:
mAnishAda pratishTAtum samagah ssAshvatIssamAh
yat krouncha mithunAdEkam sokam avadhIm kAma mOhitam
"Oh! Ill-fated Hunter, by which reason you have killed one male bird of the couple, When it is in its lustful passion,
thereby you will get an ever-lasting reputation for ages to come...
This was the first Sloka of Sanskrit literature.
Valmiki Ashram
A Valmiki temple is called Ashram, Which means a monastery, Which means a communal house for Valmiki’s. Each such Ashram is dedicated to attracting devotees’ concentration and to spread the teachings of Ramayana.
- All Valmiki ashrams have a special flag called a Nishan Sahib that is places outside like any other place of worship.
- The Bow and arrow depict the disciples of Valmiki, namely-Luv and Kush. Many devotees are suggested that when the distance of ashram seems unreachable to them, they can simply have a copy of Ramayana placed in their houses.
- All Valmiki Ashram's have common features. For instance, the place of worship is always in a special room and there are number of other rooms’ set-aside for special purposes.
- There is a Langar hall where all the devotees congregate for a meal, the community kitchen where devotees help to prepare food for the Langer.
- A classroom and library where the Ramayana is stocked for study and is used for teaching young children.
- A music room where musical instruments such as the Tabla are taught and hymns are practiced for worship.
- Finally, there is a special area for shoes and washing.
- All Valmikis follow certain rules of conduct and before entering the worship room everyone is expected to remove their shoes as a sign of respect but also for general cleanliness.
- Everyone sits on the floor to show that everyone is equal in the eyes of God, regardless of whether they come from a rich or poor background.
- However, It is usually found that men and women sit separately. The women tend to sit on the left side of the room whilst the men sit on the right.
Valmiki Ashrams In India:
- Valmiki Tirath, Amritsar.
- Bhagwan Valmik Ashram, Chitrakut.
- Bhagwan Valmiki Ashram, Bithur.
- Bhagwan Valmiki Ashram, panchkuiyaa-Delhi.
- Bhagwan Valmiki Ashram, Uttar Pradesh.
- Bhagwan Valmiki Ashram, Kurukshetra.
- Bhagwan Valmiki Ashram, Kankhal-Haridwar.
- Bhagwan Valmiki Ashram, chandigarh.
- Bhagwan Valmiki chowk, Fatehbad-Hariyana.
- Bhagwan Valmiki chowk, hissar-Hariyana.
- Bhagwan Valmiki Bhawan, Sannor, patiala
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