Let us continue this divine exercise from where we left in the last post. It is my firm belief and also experience that whoever writes on this subject will become better, refined, elevated and upgraded. I feel I am immensely fortunate to take up this subject, writing on this and at the same time learning the epic. Just to give you an example of how powerful this epic is – during my engineering studies, I sang a song on Lord Rama – a beautiful Telugu song by the great SPB from the film Devullu – in a singing competition in front of a few judges. The song was divine but my attempt was pathetic and not up to the mark. I was low on confidence and don’t know why I attempted. But just this attempt on this divine subject gave me an experience which portrayed me as a better singer next time. Subsequently, I chose another song in a packed auditorium and got a big applause after the song with requests for ‘Once more’. I obliged and went on again. Everyone I knew was stunned by this. I very firmly believe, this good experience would not have happened if not for the earlier effort on the great subject in front of a few people. Just the opportunity to be in service to him will make you a better person.
We picked most of the essence from the first chapter of the Bala Kanda – which is the beginning of the Ramayana. To recap, there are a total of around 500 chapters divided into 7 kandas. Each chapter in turn has many verses and there are 24000 verses in the entire book. The complexity of the book lies in the fact that the story is portrayed in the form of poetic verses in Sanskrit language. Verses in Ramayana are written in a 32-syllable meter called anustubh. The epic was an important influence on later Sanskrit poetry, primarily through its establishment of the shloka meter. We live in an ocean of prose these days but the poetic narration of a great story in the form of shlokas is an ancient practice. The structure of these verses in the entire book had its foundation discussed in the second chapter when sage Valmiki gets the direction from Brahma.
After the Narada’s departure, Valmiki goes on to the banks of River Tamasa which flowed near River Ganga. As Valmiki is strolling through the natures manifold splendors, he notices a frolicking pair of Krauncha birds, oblivious of the world and blissfully reveling in each other. A hunter stalks them and kills the male bird with an arrow. Beholding her mate lying lifeless on the forest floor, the female bird crooned in great distress. Valmiki, who watched all of this, involuntarily burst into a poetic verse of versified curse on the hunter – “O Fowler! Thou hast so cruelly killed the male of a pair of Krauncha birds while they reveled. On that account you will be discredited forever. Just as you ended the bird's life before its time, so too shall wilt your life before its time”. The words have escaped him without conscious effort which are so arranged perfectly as to follow a meter and are viable for rendition in the form of a song, to the accompaniment of string instruments, hence let it be known as a 'sloka'.
Reflecting on the events and contemplating on the poetic words, Valmiki reached his hermitage. As he sat with his disciples engaged in the study of the holy texts, there appeared before him the most effulgent form of Brahma. The creator of the worlds and knower of the Vedas was endowed with four heads, whose four faces facilitated the chanting of the four Vedas. Controlling his joyous soaring mind bedazzled and awe struck at the glorious presence of the great Brahma, Valmiki bowed in reverential homage and performed all the traditional rituals, worshipped him. The omnipotent Brahma seating himself asked Valmiki also to be seated. Even as the sage sat, his mind was still lost to the thoughts of the death of the Krauncha bird. Unbidden, flowed thoughts of his own reaction to that tragedy and he softly hummed the sloka which escaped his lips.
Lord Brahma smilingly addressed Valmiki saying, "What you have composed is undoubtedly a sloka, and those words emanated from you, at my will. Compose the history of Rama, who is famed for righteousness, virtue wisdom and for his unshakable resolution, in the manner made known to you, from Narada. In the epic that you are about to compose there will be neither error nor falsehood. So, do embark on the story of Rama, Lakshmana, Sita, Bharata and the rakshasas; their deeds and thoughts will all be made known to you, by my grace. The story shall be composed in slokas of the same meter, which so haunt your mind. As long as the mountains and rivers remain on this earth, so long will the story of Rama, the Ramayana, endure. So long as the history of Rama lives on, that long will you abide in the higher regions, and as long as the Ramayana authored by you is remembered in this world”. The Lord Creator then vanished, leaving Valmiki and his disciples in a daze.
This couplet of four parts, each part consisting of an equal number of syllables, attained a greater glory, because of its repeated rendition. Valmiki, profoundly intelligent and capable of putting thoughts into action, resolved on the composition of the epic poem, Ramayana, entirely in the meter that had divinely occurred to him. He then composed hundreds of charming verses; each containing an equal number of syllables most excellently worded. Meaningful and according to meter, with melodious 'Sandhis' and sentences, composed of lucid meaningful phrases, tells the story of Rama and the slaying of the ten headed Ravana, the sound of which would delight the ear and the meaning of which would mesmerize the heart.
Thus concludes the second chapter where we learnt the background of the shloka or verse tone for the entire Ramayana. There will be an instrument through which great works are authored and the sage Valmiki is merely an instrument to write Ramayana since Brahma clearly stated that ordered words of versified curse came out through Valmiki at the will of Brahma. He gave the direction to author Ramayana to Valmiki where there will be no error nor falsehood. This laid the foundation and direction for this poetic epic. When the Paramapurusha, who is known through the Vedas, was born as Rama, the Vedas themselves took upon the form of Ramayana and were written by Valmiki Maharshi. Thus composed the 50000 poetic lines of Ramayana with lessons, morals in beautiful Sanskrit language, poetry, grammar. We will come to the learnings in the next chapters of Bala Kanda in subsequent posts.
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