Who is the writer of Ramayana ?
Ramayana, originally written by Valmiki, consists of 24,000shlokasand 7cantos(kaṇḍas) includingUttara Kanda.[citation needed]Ramayanais composed of about 480,002 words, being a quarter of the length of the full text of theMahabharataor about four times the length of theIliad. TheRamayanatells the story of a prince,Ramaof the city ofAyodhyain theKingdom of Kosala, whose wifeSitais abducted byRavana, the demon-king (Rakshasa) ofLanka. The ValmikiRamayanais dated variously from500 BCE to 100 BCE[5]or about co-eval with early versions of theMahabharata.[6]As with many traditional epics, it has gone through a process of interpolations and redactions, making it impossible to date accurately.British satiristAubrey Menensays that Valmiki was, "recognized as aliterary genius," and thus was considered, "an outlaw," presumably because of his, "philosophic scepticism,"[7]as partof an "Indian Enlightenment" period.[8]Valmiki is also quoted to be the contemporary of Rama. Menen claims Valmiki is, "the firstauthor in all history to bring himself into his own composition."[9]Rama met Valmiki during his period of exile and interacted with him. Valmiki gave shelter toSitain his hermitage when Rama banished her.KushaandLava, the twin sons of Shri Rama were born to Sita in this hermitage. Valmiki taught Ramayana to Kusha and Lava, who later sang the divine story in Ayodhya duringthe Ashwamedha yajna congregation, to the pleasure of the audience, whereupon, King Rama questioned who they were and later visited Valmiki's hermitage to confirm if Sita, the two children claimed as their mother was in fact his wife in exile. Later, he summoned them to his royal palace. Kusha and Lava sang the story of Rama there and Rama confirmed that whatever had been sung by these two children was entirely true.Early lifeValmiki was born as Agni Sharma to a Brahmin named Pracheta (also known as Sumali) ofBhrigugotra,[10][11][12]According to legend he once met the great sageNaradaand had a discourse with him on his duties. Moved by Narada's words, Agni Sharma began to perform penance and chanted the word "Mara" which meant "kill". As he performed his penance for several years, the word became "Rama", the name of Lord Vishnu. Huge anthills formed around Agni Sharma and this earned him the name of Valmiki. Agni Sharma, rechristened as Valmiki, learnt the scriptures from Narada and became the foremost of ascetics, revered by everyone.The first shlokaThe youthful sageNaradaat the white-bearded Valmiki's hermitageValmiki was going to the river Ganges for his daily ablutions. A disciple by the nameBharadwajawas carrying his clothes. On the way, they came across theTamasaStream. Looking at the stream, Valmiki said to his disciple, "Look, how clear is this water, like the mind of a good man! I will bathe here today." When he was looking for a suitable place to step into the stream, he saw acranecouple mating. Valmiki felt very pleased on seeing the happy birds. Suddenly, hit by an arrow, the male bird died on the spot. Filled by sorrow, its mate screamed in agony and died of shock. Valmiki'sheart melted at this pitiful sight. He looked around to find out who had shot the bird. He saw a hunter with a bow and arrows, nearby. Valmiki became very angry. His lipsopened and he cried out,मां निषाद प्रतिष्ठां त्वमगमः शाश्वतीः समाः।यत्क्रौंचमिथुनादेकम् अवधीः काममोहितम्॥'mā niṣāda pratiṣṭhā tvamagamaḥ śāśvatīḥ samāḥyat krauñcamithunādekam avadhīḥ kāmamohitam[13]You will find no rest for the longyears of EternityFor you killed a bird in love and unsuspecting[14]Emerging spontaneously from Valmiki's rage and grief, this is considered to be the first shloka inSanskrit literature. Valmiki later composed the entire Ramayana with the blessings of LordBrahmain the same meter that issued forth from him as the shloka. Thusthis shloka is revered as the first shloka inHinduliterature. Valmikiis revered as the first poet orAdi Kaviand Ramayana, the firstkavya(poem).His first disciples to whom he taught theRamayanawereKushaandLava, the sons of Rama:प्रचेत्सोऽहं दशमः पुत्रो राघवनंन्दन |न स्मराम्यनृतं वाक्यमिमौ तु तव पुत्रकौ || 96:16In another verse, it is also stated that he is from the lineage of the sage Bhargava:संनिबद्धं हि श्लोकानां चतुर्विंशत्सहस्रकम्|उपाख्यानशतं चैव भार्गवेण तपस्विना || 94:24IncarnationSita in Valmiki hermitageVishnudharmottara Puranasays that Valmiki was born in theTreta Yugaas a form ofBramhawho composed Ramayana and that people desirious of earning knowledge should worship Valmiki.[15]He was later reincarnated asTulsidas, who theRamcharitamanas, which was theAwadhi-Hindiversion of theRamayana.TemplesRamawithSitaon the throne, their childrenLavaandKushaon their laps. Behind the throne,Lakshmana, Bharata andShatrughnastand.Hanumanbows to Rama before the throne. Valmiki to the left.An area inChennai,Tiruvanmiyuris believed to derive its name from Sage Valmiki, Thiru-Valmiki-Oor. There is a temple for Valmiki located in this place, which is believed to be 1300 years old.[16][17]Also:*.Shree Valmiki Mata Maha Samsthana inRajanahalli,KarnatakaIn popular cultureIn 1963,Valmiki, a Kannada movie, was made, starringDr Rajkumar.