Ramayana's first sloka - Adi Kavi - Sage Valmiki

Source: Internet

The Inspiration for Ramayana:

One day, sage Valmiki was going to the river Tamasa for his morning bath. As he was walking along the river bank, he watched a pair of cranes (krauncha), sporting with joy on a tree nearby. Suddenly, the male bird fell down, killed by a hunter's arrow. The female bird, seeing its mate fallen to the ground, flapped its wings, and squawked piteously.

Valmiki's grief burst forth in a curse, "O cruel man, as you have killed one of these loving birds, you shall wander homeless all your life."

Ma nishada pratishtam tvam agama shasvati sama / Yat krauncha mithunat ekam avadhih kama mohitam

(Desist O hunter! May you not get stability or peace for endless years, since you killed one of the pair of cranes, in love with each other.)

Immediately, the sage recovered his composure. He wondered why he got so angry as to curse another person. Recalling the words of his curse, the rishi discovered that the curse had taken the form of a beautiful verse (sloka). He wondered "How mysterious is the play (lila) of God!" and sat down to meditate.

Then, Brahma appeared before him and said, "This incident happened only to inspire you to write the divine story of Sri Rama. From sorrow (shoka) was born verse (sloka). You shall sing the story of Ramayana in this very poetic metre for the welfare of mankind." This poetic metre is called Anushtub chandas.

It has 16 syllables per line and a total of 32 syllables for a couplet.

मा निषाद ! प्रतिष्ठां त्वम् गमः शाश्वतिः समाः

यत् क्रौञ्चनां मिथुनादेकंsवधि काममोहितं ||

Maa Nishada Pratistham Tvamagamahsāsvati Samaa

Yat Kraunchamithunaadekam Avadhi Kaamamohitam ||

Since the following verse was born of VaalmIki's grief - shoka -, it was called sloka, shokaarthasya pravrutto mae sloko bhavathu naanyatha or shoka: slokathvamaagatha and aka shokatavam shlokamayam.

Valmiki Maharshi did not even realize that in his sadness what he said became a poem. He was ashamed that by loosing his temper he had cursed the hunter with this sloka.

Now for the best part, Brahma deva appeared in front of him and told him its indeed a mangala slokam to start the Ramayanam epic...

Let's see how... 

Play of words

Ma - Maha lakshmi or Shree; ni+sad (stay) = nishaad = nishaada ( like Shreenivaasa) = one in whom lakshmi stays is Maanishaada, the same meaning as Sreenivaasa. In this meaning krauncha mithuna refers to Ravana and his wife Mandodari. Then "prathishtaam aagamaa:" becomes the benediction or mangala praarthana. So the meaning of the sloka addressed to Lord Sreenivaasa becomes:

 

He! Maanishaadaa or Shreenivaasa! Attain glory for all time to come since you killed the evil one of the krouncha pair. Actually Rama saved the world and attained fame by killing Ravana.