The Meeting with Sage Narada

Once, when Narada, the sage of the gods, visited Maharshi Valmiki, the Maharshi asked him who among the world's heroes was the most virtuous and wise. Narada replied that this great hero was none other than Shri Rama, the king of Ayodhya and a scion of the Solar dynasty. He briefly recounted Rama’s story.

Deep in contemplation of this great hero’s tale, Valmiki later walked to the banks of the Tamasa river, where he observed two cranes playfully engaged with one another. Suddenly, a hunter shot an arrow, killing the male bird. The female, overwhelmed with grief, began to cry bitterly over the loss of her mate. Moved by compassion for the birds, Maharshi Valmiki cursed the hunter.

Soon after, he began to regret his actions. “What right did I have to curse the hunter? Why was I overcome by emotion?” he reflected.

As he voiced his remorse, a beautiful shloka filled with deep meaning spontaneously emerged from him. Lord Brahma then appeared and advised Valmiki to compose the story of the Ramayana in that very poetic meter. He also granted Valmiki divine vision, enabling him to witness the events of the Ramayana. Thus, Maharshi Valmiki began the composition of the great epic.