Since the four-faced Brahma wished that Valmiki should describe the life story of Rama through meters based on letters, a verse composed in quartets sprang from his throat. With this, kavyas came to be composed in metrical form. The Ramayana was the first kavya and Valmiki laid the path for poets to follow. (1.2.8 to 10, 1.2.13 to 18)
Brahma arriving of his own accord here shows the greatness of the sage Valmiki and the fruitfulness of the spiritual power acquired by him through austerities. The fact that Brahma asked Valmiki to occupy the seat shows Valmiki’s excellence among all sages. Brahma himself had already composed the kavya. And now Brahma arranges the Goddess of Speech to emerge from his mouth and help Valmiki compose the kavya. This suggests that Valmiki was an incarnation of Brahma himself. Although Rama was adorned with innumerable qualities, only four are mentioned here to indicate the collectiveness of the four mouths of Brahma. All the defects of a bad kavya are expelled from the Ramayana and by stating that the narrative is based on truth, the status of a Smriti is also conferred on it. The kavya is good not only because it is faultless but also because it brings merit both to the speaker and the listener. Verse 36 suggests that the narrative on a righteous hero composed by a righteous poet is bound to last long as a kavya.
‘Dashashirovadha’ was the original title for this kavya. (Verse 43)
Sarga-2
Since the four-faced Brahma wished that Valmiki should describe the life story of Rama through meters based on letters, a verse composed in quartets sprang from his throat. With this, kavyas came to be composed in metrical form. The Ramayana was the first kavya and Valmiki laid the path for poets to follow. (1.2.8 to 10, 1.2.13 to 18)
Brahma arriving of his own accord here shows the greatness of the sage Valmiki and the fruitfulness of the spiritual power acquired by him through austerities. The fact that Brahma asked Valmiki to occupy the seat shows Valmiki’s excellence among all sages. Brahma himself had already composed the kavya. And now Brahma arranges the Goddess of Speech to emerge from his mouth and help Valmiki compose the kavya. This suggests that Valmiki was an incarnation of Brahma himself. Although Rama was adorned with innumerable qualities, only four are mentioned here to indicate the collectiveness of the four mouths of Brahma. All the defects of a bad kavya are expelled from the Ramayana and by stating that the narrative is based on truth, the status of a Smriti is also conferred on it. The kavya is good not only because it is faultless but also because it brings merit both to the speaker and the listener. Verse 36 suggests that the narrative on a righteous hero composed by a righteous poet is bound to last long as a kavya.
‘Dashashirovadha’ was the original title for this kavya. (Verse 43)