Valmiki
Valmiki is celebrated as the harbinger-poet in Sanskrit literature. The epic Ramayana, dated variously from the 5th century BCE to first century BCE, is attributed to him, based on the attribution in the text itself. He is revered as Ādi Kavi, the first poet, author of Ramayana, the first epic poem.
The Ramayana, originally written by Valmiki, consists of 24,000 shlokas and seven cantos (kaṇḍas). The Ramayana is composed of about 480,002 words, being a quarter of the length of the full text of the Mahabharata or about four times the length of the Iliad. The Ramayana tells the story of a prince, Rama of the city of Ayodhya in the Kingdom of Kosala, whose wife Sita is abducted by Ravana, the demon-king (Asura) of Lanka. Valmiki's Ramayana is dated variously from 500 BCE to 100 BCE or about co-eval with early versions of the Mahabharata. As with many traditional epics, it has gone through a process of interpolations and redactions, making it impossible to date accurately.
British satirist Aubrey Menen says that Valmiki was "recognized as a literary genius," and thus was considered, "an outlaw," presumably because of his "philosophic scepticism," as part of an "Indian Enlightenment" period. Valmiki is also quoted as being the contemporary of Rama. Menen claims Valmiki is "the first author in all history to bring himself into his own composition."
Books by Valmiki
The Ramayan
Rāmāyana is one of the two major Sanskrit epics of ancient India, the other being the Mahābhārata. Along with the Mahābhārata, it forms the Hindu Itihasa. The epic, traditionally ascribed to the Maharishi Valmiki, narrates the life of Rama, a legenda...
Ramayan, Book 1
The Ramayana is an ancient Sanskrit epic attributed to the Hindu sage Valmiki. It tells the story of Rama, a prince who is exiled from his kingdom and must battle the demon king Ravana to rescue his wife, Sita. The Ramayana is one of the most importa...
Ramayan, Book 2
The Ramayana is a foundational text in Hindu literature, detailing the adventures of Rama, an avatar of Vishnu, as he faces trials and tribulations on his quest to rescue his beloved wife Sita from the clutches of the demon king Ravana. The epic inte...
Ramayan, Book 3
The Ramayana, a timeless epic attributed to the sage Valmiki, recounts the captivating tale of Rama, an ideal prince, and his unwavering devotion to his wife, Sita. The narrative unfolds as Ravana, the demon king, abducts Sita, plunging Rama into a p...
Ramayan, Book 4
The Ramayana is an ancient Sanskrit epic attributed to the sage Valmiki and forms a core part of the Hindu canon. This epic narrates the journey of Rama, an ideal king, as he embarks on a quest to rescue his beloved wife Sita from the clutches of the...
Ramayan, Book 5
The Ramayan is an ancient Sanskrit epic. It is attributed to the Hindu sage Valmiki and forms an important part of the Hindu canon (smṛti). The Ramayana is one of the two great epics of India, the other being Mahabharata. It is the story of Rama, who...
Ramayan, Book 6
The Ramayana, an ancient Sanskrit epic, is one of the most important works of Hindu literature. It tells the story of Rama, a prince who embarks on an epic journey to rescue his wife, Sita, from the demon king Ravana. Along the way, Rama faces many c...
Rāmāyana, Volume 1: Bālakāndam
The Bālakāṇḍa, or the Book of Childhood, is the first book of the ancient Indian epic, the Rāmāyaṇa. It narrates the early life of Rama, the protagonist of the epic, from his birth to his marriage to Sita. The Bālakāṇḍa is a significant part of the R...