From sinner to sage

Revered today as the author of Ramayan, Maharishi Valmiki's early life stands in sharp contrast to his later spiritual attainments. Valmiki, born as Ratnakar, grew up in a forest where survival depended on hunting and theft. He became a highway robber who robbed travellers to support his family.

Ratnakar's life dramatically changed when he encountered sage Narad, who asked him a simple yet profound question: whether his family would share the sins of his crimes. When Ratnakar asked his family, they flatly refused to accept responsibility for his sinful actions. This realisation shook him profoundly.

Filled with remorse, Ratnakar returned to Narad in whom he had full faith. Narad then advised him to chant the divine name 'Ram' for self-purification and emancipation. Since Ratnakar was uneducated, he started chanting 'mara, mara', the reverse of mantra 'Ram'. However, the mantric effect remained intact because 'mara' if continuously repeated sounds like 'Ram'. Ratnakar meditated so intensely that ants built an anthill around his body, earning him the name 'Valmiki', derived from valmik, meaning anthill.


This story highlights the power of the Divine name in transforming a robber into a sage and epic- writer. Ramayan is a timeless epic that upholds the ideals of righteousness, truthfulness, justice, devotion and duty. The journey of Valmiki - from a feared robber to an enlightened sage - proves that the spiritual path is open to all.