Chapter 1 Bala Kanda
Before we go into the story of the Ramayana, let us listen to the story of the sage Valmiki, who was the author. It is said that he was born of Brahmin parents, who abandoned him in the forest, at birth. He was found and brought up by a hunter and thus became a hunter and a robber by profession. He was known as Ratnakar. He was a wild and savage man and knew nothing of culture or civilisation. All those who went into the forest, had to go in fear of their lives, for he was known to be ruthless. He lived with his wife and brood of children in the depths of the forest and had never gone near a town.
One day he saw a man approaching him. With the ferocity of a wild animal, he pounced on him with a view to kill and rob him of his money. He was surprised to find that the man did not show any signs of fear but stood absolutely still. He was quite intrigued by this strange behaviour. He had only seen two types of animals before, in his life – those who turned tail and ran away as soon as they saw him and those who bared their teeth and pounced on him. It was the first time that he saw a creature who looked at him fearlessly, with eyes filled with compassion. Love and compassion were emotions to which he was an utter stranger, and for a minute he faltered in his tracks, his upraised arm holding a brutal knife freezing in the air.
Slowly he brought the hand down and asked the man, “Who are you, who shows no signs of fear? Everyone I know runs away as soon as they see me and I catch them easily. Why don’t you run”?
“I am Narada, the heavenly sage and I do not run because I am not afraid of you”.
“Why aren’t you afraid of me”? asked the hunter. “Don’t you know that I can kill you”?
“Then, why didn’t you kill me”? asked the sage curiously. “Because I saw something in your eyes which is bothering me”. “What did you see”?
“I don’t know. I’ve never seen it before in any other eyes but it’s very pleasant”.
“I’ll tell you”, said the sage. “What you saw was love and compassion”.
“Why should you feel love for me”? asked the savage, surprised, for he had never seen that look before, not even in the eyes of his wife. “Because I love everybody and everything”. “Why should you do that”? asked Ratnakar.
“Because everything and everyone is the form of that Supreme Being whom I worship. Now let me ask you, something”, said the sage, “don’t you know that by killing all these creatures and people, you are incurring great sin”?
“Yes, I suppose I know it”, said the hunter doubtfully. “Then why do you do it”? asked the sage. “Because I have to support my family”, said the hunter.
“Will they share at least part of the sin which will accrue to you by these acts”? questioned the sage. “I am sure they will”, said the hunter.
“Why don’t you go and ask them”? asked Narada, “and I’ll wait for you till you come”.
The hunter ran back and asked his wife and children if they would take their share of his sins as they were taking more than their fair share of ill-gotten goods. They were quite surprised at this question and asked him what he meant by this. He explained to them that since he was committing so many crimes for their sake, it was only fair that they should also share his sins. They were quite horrified by this request.
The woman said that it was the duty of a husband to look after his wife and the children said that it was the duty of a father to look after his progeny. As for his sins, naturally they were the outcome of his own acts and he would have to bear the consequences himself. The hunter did not wait to hear any more. He ran back to the sage who was quite sure of his return and was waiting with a smile on his lips. “Well, what did they say”? he asked. “Were they not eager to share your sins, as they were eager to share your spoils”?
Ratnakar hung his head and admitted that no one was willing to share his burdens. Then Narada gave him a discourse on the law of karma and told him that he alone would have to bear the consequences of his actions. To commit sinful acts for the sake of another was quite foolish.
The hunter looked lost and unhappy and asked the sage, “Now what should I do”?
“Meditate on the Supreme Being”, he said, “only then will you be able to attain salvation. He alone is your relation. He alone your friend. I will give you a mantra by using which, you will be able to do tapas”, “I am your servant, please guide me”, said the hunter and knelt before the celestial sage.
Narada whispered the glorious mantra “Rama” into his right ear but the poor savage was so untutored that he was unable to repeat it. Then Narada asked, “Can you repeat the word, “mara” “Of course, I can”, he said, since the word “mara” means “tree” and that was a thing he was always cutting down.
So Narada blessed him and told him how to sit in a meditation pose and to repeat the word constantly. The word “mara” when repeated fast becomes “Rama” and thus without knowing, the hunter started repeating the word “Rama” instead of “mara”. Due to his past samskaras, he went into deep meditation for many years, till he was covered by a hillock of mud brought by ants.
Many years later, Narada returned and found the ant-hill in the exact place where he had left the hunter. He broke open the mud cage and woke up the person seated within.
“Arise 0 sage”! he said. “Do you remember who you are”? “Yes, Your Holiness”, he answered, “I am the poor hunter, whom you took pity on and advised to repeat the glorious mantra, “Rama”. “Now you are no longer a hunter but a sage and from now on you will be known as Valmiki since you have emerged from this ant-hill or “valmeekam’
“Why have you woken me up, 0 divine sage”~ asked Valmiki. “I would prefer to meditate for another few years”.