The sage got the moniker Valmiki, meaning born from an ant mound, after ants created anthills around him while he was absorbed in his meditation
A portrait of Maharishi Valmiki. News18
Every year, the birth anniversary of Sage Valmiki, who wrote the Hindu epic Ramayana, is celebrated as Valmiki Jayanti. This year, Valmiki Jayanti will be celebrated today, 20 October.
Also known as Adi Kavi or the first poet, Valmiki also appeared as a hermit in Ramayana. It is he who takes Sita into his ashram. It is believed that Valmiki nurtured Sita and her kids, Luv and Kush during their exile. Sage Valmiki was born on Purnima in the Hindu month of Ashwin. Every year, during this time, various religious events are held throughout the country.
Date and time of Puja
This year, Valmiki Jayanti, also known as Pargat Diwas in some places, will be observed on 20 October. The Purnima Tithi timing begins at 7.03 pm on 19 October and ends at 8.26 pm on 20 October.
History:
According to legend, Maharishi Valmiki was born to Brahmin Prachetasa and his wife, Charshani. He met Lord Rama during his exile, rescued Sita after she was banished from the kingdom of Ayodhya and provided shelter to her. Also known as the first poet of Sanskrit Literature, Valmiki is credited with having written the first shloka and his works are recited by Hindu devotees till date.
According to mythology, Valmiki was born as Ratnakar and was a dacoit at one point in time. He would rob and kill people until one day, he met Narada Muni and under his influence, Valmiki got transformed into an ardent devotee of Lord Rama. Valmiki’s meditation continued for years and was so profound that ants had created mounds around him during his meditation. From here, he got the title of ‘Valmiki’, which means, born from an ant mound.
Later on, Valmiki wrote the story of Lord Rama, which came to be known as Ramayana. Ramayana has 24,000 verses and seven cantos (kandas). It is 480,002 words long, a quarter of the complete text of Mahabharata, the Hindu epic.
It is believed that Valmiki learned the tale of Lord Rama from his guru Narada Muni. Parades, Shobha Yatras and devotional hymns are sung by the Valmiki sect on Valmiki Jayanti.