A sage in Hindu mythology who is considered the first poet and is often credited with writing the Ramayana, the first of the two major Sanskrit epics.
Valmiki was a bandit in his youth, according to folklore.
One of his victims inquires about his family's willingness
to share the crimes he is doing, and when Valmiki learns that they will not, he
has a change of heart.
He sits down in a lonely location and starts japa
(recitation), but his crimes have darkened his heart to the point that the only
words he can utter are "mara mara" ("death, death").
After a long time, the syllables become reversed, and he
expiates his previous transgressions by chanting "Rama Rama." This
recital is so lengthy that a colony of white ants (called "valmika"
in Sanskrit) constructs a mound over him, and he is given the name Valmiki when
he emerges.
Valmiki establishes an ashram on the banks of the Tamasa
River and lives a tranquil life after his emergence.
He shelters Sita when her husband, Rama, exiles her from
Ayodhya, and also looks after her boys, Lava and Kusha.
Valmiki is wandering by the Tamasa River one day when he
watches a hunter kill a pair of courting Krauncha birds, and in his rage, he
rebukes the shooter in rhyme; tradition has it that this is the first poem ever
written.
The deity Brahma arrives after this initial poem production,
and Valmiki composes the Ramayana with Brahma's help.
