Sage Valmiki is the author of the Ramayana Grantha. It is still one of the most popular Hindu epics. Ramayana is popular not only in India but also around the world. There are about 300 versions of the Ramayana. In this article, you will read why, how, and when Sage Valmiki wrote the Ramayana and the names of all those who wrote different versions.
Who Was Valmiki?
The original name of Sage Valmiki was Agni Sharma, who was born into a Brahmin family. He was a happily married family person. But once, there was a 12-year-long drought which turned him into a thief.
He used to rob and kill people traveling alone in the jungle. It is said that he had a huge pot filled with small stones, where one stone represented one murder. Once, Sage Narada was traveling through the same jungle when Agni Sharma confronted and threatened to kill him. Sage Narada told him that he would be happy to die by his hands if he answered his questions. Agni Sharma agreed to it.
Narada asked him why he was robbing and killing people. Valmiki replied that he was doing it for his wife and children. Narada said, “Just go home and ask your family if they would also accept a share of your sins?”
When Agni Sharma asked his family about sharing his sins, they denied it. Agni Sharma understood his mistake and returned to Sage Narada. He asked for a way of atonement for his sins. Sage Narada asked him to do penance by chanting “Rama”.
But Agni Sharma was such a big sinner that he could not pronounce the holy name “Rama”. Therefore, Narada asked him to chant “Mara,” which means “die”. Therefore, Agni Sharma started chanting “Mara, Mara…”. He performed the penance for several years. Huge anthills formed around him, giving him the name Valmiki (which means ant-hill in Sanskrit).
What Inspired Sage Valmiki to Write Ramayana?
After Valmiki became a sage, Narada visited him. Valmiki asked him whether a single person in the world possessed the most illustrious qualities. Narada told him that although it was impossible to have all good qualities in a person, the king of Ayodhya, Lord Rama, possessed all the good qualities at that time. He also told him the life story of Lord Rama in brief.
Once, while going to a river to bathe, Sage Valmiki saw a crane couple mating. He was delighted watching the birds. Suddenly, an arrow hurled by a hunter killed the male bird. Because of the shock of the death of its partner, the female bird also died on the spot.
The event wrenched his heart. Furiously, he looked around, hoping to see who had committed that grave sin. He saw a hunter with a bow and arrow. Valmiki cursed the hunter, and his curse became the first shloka of the Ramayana.
“मा निषाद प्रतिष्ठां त्वमगमः शाश्वतीः समाः। यत्क्रौञ्चमिथुनादेकमवधीः काममोहितम्॥”
Meaning:
“You will find no rest for the long years of Eternity
For you killed a bird in love and unsuspecting.”
Sage Valmiki is known as Adi Kavi (the first poet), and the Ramayana is revered as Adi Kavya (the first poem).
How Did Valmiki Write the Ramayana?
When Sage Valmiki returned to his hermitage in despair, Lord Brahma visited him. He informed him that it was he who made him utter those sentences at the river and blessed him with the ability to tell the story of the life of Lord Rama in poetic meter.
He gave Valmiki the boon that he would know the entire life of Lord Rama, and everything he would write would be accurate.
When Lord Brahma disappeared, Sage Valmiki started meditating and saw the entire life of Lord Rama and his parents. He also saw the future of Lord Rama.
By the time he finished writing the Ramayana, Goddess Sita had come to his hermitage after being exiled from Ayodhya. He taught the Ramayana to her sons, Lava and Kusha, afterward.
Is Hanuman the First Author of the Ramayana?
According to a legend, it was not Valmiki who first wrote the Ramayana, but Lord Hanuman. The Ramayana, written by Hanumana, is known as Hanumad Ramayana.
Hanuman wrote down the life story of Lord Rama on some clay tablets and brought those to Lord Rama.
Rama humbly said to Hanumana, “I have not done anything great to be recorded this laboriously… I have done my righteous duty…that’s all…” Then, Hanumana was upset. Discouraged by the slighting away of ‘his great deeds as simple acts of duty’ by Rama, Hanuman brought those clay tablets to the seashore, recited each verse, broke each tablet on his knee, and threw them into the sea.
Because Lord Maruti threw his writing into the sea, this work is not available from that time. But one tablet was found by Saint Poet Kalidas. As the tablet was broken, it contained only a foot of the stanza.
“Oh! Ravana, those your ten heads, on which you lifted of Mt. Kailasa, the abode of Shiva, are now bumped on the battlefield by the claws of crows and eagles, know what has happened to your high-headed Decahedral pride, at the hands of virtue…”.
Who Wrote Uttar Ramayana?
Uttar Kanda in the Ramayana is called Uttara Ramayana. It is the last section of the Valmiki Ramayana. Many Hindus believe it was not written by Sage Valmiki and was added afterward. However, the stories in the Uttar Kanda are also found in many Puranas. Therefore, it is more likely that Sage Valmiki wrote it.
Who Wrote Ramcharitmanas?
Sant Tulsidas is the author of Ramcharitmanas. It is an epic poem which also describes the journey of Lord Rama. It is written in the Awadhi language, which is a dialect of the Hindi language. According to the Bhavishya Purana, Sant Tulsidas was a reincarnation of Sage Valmiki.
Different Versions of Ramayana and Their Authors:
There are about 300 versions of the Ramayana in the world. Ramayana is also popular outside of India in many Asian countries.
| Version | State/Country | Author |
| Valmiki Ramayana | India | Sage Valmiki |
| Bhavartha Ramayana | Maharashtra | Sant Eknath |
| Kannassa Ramayanam | Kerala | Niranam Rama Panicker |
| Ramcharitmanas | Uttar Pradesh | Sant Tulsidas |
| Adhyathmaramayanam Kilippattu | Kerala | Thunchaththu Ramanujan Ezhuthachan |
| Mappila Ramayan | Kerala | Piranthan Hassankutty |
| Hanumad Ramayana | India | Lord Hanuman |
| The Ramavataram | Tamilnadu | Kambar |
| Ranganatha Ramayana | Andhra Pradesh | Ranganatha |
| Reamker | Combodia | Three Unknown Authors |
| Kakawin Ramayana | Indonesia | Unknown |
| Phra Lak Phra Ram | Laos | Unknown |
| Yama Zatdaw | Burma | Unknown |
| Saptakanda Ramayana | Unknown | |
| Ramacharitam | Kerala | Cheeraman |
| Dasaratha Jataka | India | Unknown (Buddhist Version) |
| Paumchariya | India | Vimalasuri (Jain Version) |
| Gond Ramayani | Madhya Pradesh | Unknown (Gond Version) |
| Ramakien | Thailand | Unknown |
When Did Sage Valmiki Write the Ramayana?
Scholars have different opinions about the date of the Ramayana. The date ranges from 4 BCE to 500 BCE.