Maharishi Valmiki Jayanti 2019: The sage who authored Ramayana; all you need to know

Maharishi Valmiki Jayanti is the birth anniversary of the sage, Valmiki, the Sanskrit poet who wrote the epic Ramayana. This year, Valmiki Jayanti is celebrated on Sunday (13 October). The date of this event varies every year and is determined by the lunar calendar. The birth anniversary is celebrated when the full moon (Purnima) blooms of the month of Ashwin, in late September or early October. Who is Maharishi Valmiki? Valmiki, authored the epic Ramayana, was initially named Agni Sharma at birth and was renamed Valmiki later in his life. [caption id=“attachment_7490931” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  Poet Valmiki teaching Ramayana. wikimediacommons[/caption] According to folklore, he got into a heated debate with the divine sage Narada, son of Bhrama. Deeply affected by Narada’s words, Valmiki took to penance and started chanting the word ‘Mara’ (which means ‘kill’). He performed this penance for many years and eventually, in repetition, the word changed from ‘Mara’ to ‘Rama’, the name of the avatar of God Vishnu. Large anthills formed around Agni Sharma while he was chanting the word ‘Ram’ and thus he came to be known as Valmiki, which means the “one who is born out of ant hills”. He is called maharishi as he had learnt the sacred scriptures from Sage Narada and became the foremost of ascetics of his time. He is revered as adi kavi, the first poet and hence also referred to as ‘Maharishi Valmiki’. Valmiki also appears as one of the characters in the Ramayana, as a monk who received Lord Ram’s wife, Sita and her two sons Luv and Kush, into his hermitage during their exile period. How is it celebrated? On Maharishi Valmiki Jayanti, people from the Valmiki community, which is a sect formed on the sage’s teachings, celebrate the day by doing charity among the community and carrying out a procession, singing devotional songs. Temples of Valmiki are adorned with flowers while his followers sing ‘kirtans’ and ‘bhajans’ to honour the sage. In some parts of the country, processions or Shobha Yatras are organised. This day is mostly celebrated in the North Indian states like Himachal Pradesh, Punjab, and Madhya Pradesh.