Monday 17 September 2012

The Source Of Indian Civilization The First Poet Of Bhagwan Valmeki



This article  read in the  All India Seminar on the Teachings and Philosophy of Maharishi Valmeki Organised by Government of Punjab
Art Gallery,Chandigarh
11 Aug-12 Aug 1995.
The Source Of Indian Civilization
The First Poet Of Bhagwan Valmeki
Dr. Dev Singh Assur "Assur"





Valmeki Ramayana is an ideal book to depict and describe the Indian civilization. Indian Civilization has been thoroughly described init. The word civilization means best creation implies endeavours of the man through which he tries to achieve peace of mind and satisfaction in the worldly matters in next life ,social, spiritualistic, economic and political fields. These endeavors can be called for him the basic civilized endeavours. Otherwise the endeavours about the body also come within the perimeter of these endeavours but in these the superior endeavours come under the definition of best creations. Civilization is the souls of a country or nation. The  culture of a country or nation comes to be know through the civilization of that country or nation. Through the norms of the culture that nation builds the ideals and principles of the social and community life. The civilization depicts the qualities of the nation though which the specific style and system of that particular nation though which the specific style and system of that particular nation come to be known and which are stressed non uniformly. Valmeki  Ramayana paints a detailed and wholesome picture of the contemporary society. All the shlokas of Valmeki Ramayana bring before us the complete picture of the Indian Civilization.
    
Thus for the peace, happiness and peaceful development of the human society “the rare” saying “mm nishad pratishthan ” took place in this world. The first poet who was moved by the sorrowful pain of the female crane, the great reverable soul full of compassion, guiding the whole humanity in religion and tradition , the great grand of the Indian civilization being revered the rich and poor is the source of our civilization. He is a visionar- a visionary poet. He is neither the doer nor the subject nor the object he is only observer. It means whatever is happening he is  totally not involved in it. But it does not men that what is happening  he is totally oblivious to it. But he is know more and beyond. Because a person who is involved he knows only to the limits he knows the totally. He is almighty. All knowing and all seeing in the unlimited ocean of poetry, the poet is almighty. He is true depicted because he sees the truth.
    
Why the Indian epics which were recorded on the bark of  the trees, pieces of leather or leaves or barked bricks thousands of years ago is considered important even today. Because thee epics not only present those incidents in poetic form they are not only of historic importance they don’t depict only the human beings but this epics visualize unlimited horizons. To indicate all that is the duty of the poet. The epic is the mirror of life and the picture of the mirror in its clarity depends upon the vision and the greatness of the poet. Bhagwan Valmeki has visualized an ideal human society in his epic “Ramayana”.
    
The credit of building a spirit of unity of the whole Indian Nation and its undivided civilization goes to Bhagwan Valmeki ji, because in the great epic the importance to study of civilization has not been limited to its values from the angle of principles or reductions. This forms the base of the India’s Culture and Civilization. This depicts those fine feelings which involve out family life, which has unified in one string the whole Indian humanity form Kailash to Kanya Kumari and from the Western Sea to the Eastern Ocean.
    
There is no language of the world ,whose poets have not bowed reverently to Bhagwan Valmeki Ji the creator of this Epic. The story of Valmeki Ramayana has gone deep into the hearts of the human beings crossing all the barriers of language, country, caste, creed and time.
    
Its impact on national level can be felt even today. As regards the Indian literature, Valmeki Ramayana has been its generator from the very beginning. For the Sanskrit it Literature has been inexhaustible source throughout. The poets Kalidasa, Bhavbhooti, Dinnang Kshmnder, Murari, Ashavghosh, Bhash and Rajeshwar etc. have got inspiration and ready material from this epic. Besides the writers of Mahabharta and Puranas the poets , dramatists and writers of Indian Language have been getting inspiration from this Great Epic from the very early days and have been creating their literary works. Even Baudhas and Jains have not remains untouched of the impact of the civilization depicted in the Ramayana. In Dashratha Jatka we can see the Baudha from the Ramayana story. In Padmacharya the story of Ramayana have been narrated. On the order of the Mughal King Akbar, Ramayana was translated into Persian language. In the regional language we find Duped Ramayan in Malayalam Daytime Ramayana in Kannada we see Terse Ramayana by Narwhale in Gujarat it is Ram Vilas Chirr, in Rajasthani Raghunatha  Ruprugito ro in Bangla it is Kritivas Ramayana by Kritivas Ojha, In kashmiri it is R Ram Avtar Chirr by Prakash Bhatt, In assamese it MadhavakndliRamayana in oriya it is vilanka Ramayana by Saraladas,in Marathi it is Bhavartha Ramayana by Eknath, in Hindia it ramchritmanas by Tusidas. Besides these  it we study the numerous compositions based on this epic in Tibet, Sinhalses, Thailand. Indichina Mayamar and Indonesia and other countries we would unhesitatingly  say that immortal epic of Ramayana by the first poet has become an important part of the culture and civilization not only of India but of the Asian Countries.
    
Religion is the realbase of Indian culture and civilization. Religion being wholly truthful in such an ideal which is followed by all beings with good character blissfully. Powerful tribes like Yavana,Shakya  and Hons came to India from time to time. And their existence melted away in the oblivion with the passage of time. But on the basis of sacred civilization of Valmeki Ramayana the religions is still alive here. Bhagwan Valmeki has maintained religion as the main aim of the life. By religion he meant :
  Ahua : satyan hei parmal
Dharma dharamvido jana :
                                              (2/14-3) 
O enlightened ones truth is the prime religion In this world truth is god. The religion survives on the basis of truth. Truth is the root of everything. There is no other prime status except truth
  “Sataya meweshvro lokay”.
To obey the command of the parents is the religion o f the son.
  “eish dharashya sushronei”.
Bhagwan Valmeki ji say that according to religion for a good person elder brother is like father.
 
“pita hei bhavati jayshto”
What gets wealth and comfort with the religion. One gets everything in religion. In this world the religion is the essence
  “dharamadarth prabhvati”.
In the first epic Valmeki Ramayana in the family religion has been described the duties of the son towards the parents, the ideal relations amongst the brothers how the husband and wife should behave towards each other and besides all this the character of Sita has been depicted as lofty ideal. Bhagwan Valmeki ji through the medium of sita’s character has depicted the qualities of purity, goodness ,devotion  and faithfulness to the husband in very impressive way. Swami Vivekananda said that Have I describe the Indian Civilization in two words then I would say Sita. Bhagwan Valmeki made daughter of King janaka sita a symbo of ideal Indian woman to say that it is the husband who lends support to the woman in this as well as in the  next world. Her father, son , mother , her  friends and even her own body they are not her true helpers.
  “na pitanatmjovatma na mata na sakhi jana”.
Raghunandan if you are proceeding to the difficult forest even today then I will lead precede you walking on the prickly grass and thorns. I will live in the forest comfortably as I used to live in the house of my father. I will consider the comforts of all thethree world as nothing and will continuously serve you thinking it my duty as religion of a wife.

          “such vane nivatsyami yatharva bhavene pitu”.
There I will not give you any trouble shall remain by your side and shall depend upon fruits an roots etc. there is not an iota of doubt in my these words.
“natnatri vadyate veena”.
As a veena cannot produce a sound without a string , a vehicle cannot move without wheels similarly a wife can not be happy without her husband even if she may be the mother to a hundred sons. Father , brother and son can give comfort only to a certain limit but it is the husband who gives her unlimited comfort. In his service in lies her betterment in this and also the next world.
    
How a woman has to give up the whole motherly love and the love for all her near and dear ones life of sita has become a beacon of truth and purity since time immemorial. This has given a new direction to the Indian culture and civilization. The first epic Valmeki Ramayana has kept the whole Indian society unified in a single string. This story of self-denial, chivalry and love of husband-wife has circulated in the world on such a scale which has no parallel. Ramayana is such a treasure from which the whole world can enrich and benefit itself. The originator of the India's culture the first poet Bhagwan Valmeki ji felt the myths of the nature from its beginning to the end and he had achieved the supreme state. That a why that the creator of the great epic Ramayana , Maharishi Valmeki ji has been called Bhagwan by the great scholars in their works.
Bhagwan How :-
     It is mentioned in Vishnu Purana that six elements ; Glory ,Religion  Fame , Fortune, Knowledge and Asceticism in are called ‘Bhag’ and a person who attains all these six elements he is Bhagwan in real sense.
  “Aishwarye, samgrasye,
dharmasye, yashsasheshrye /
Gyan    viragyeyo  shichava 
shashna  bhag  itirna //”
The word Bhagwan has been formed by combining Bhag + Wan. The meaning of Bhag is the main gift of the nature meaning one who nurtures the source of every body one who ends and creates and the meaning of wan is the owner of the nature.
  
Bhagwan Valmeki had achieved the supreme state of yoga therefore he had attained the supreme glory. Such a blessed glory is not available to any worldly being. The kings to whom the public bows they bow before Mahamuni Kamleshwar Bhagwan Valmeki ji. As Bhagwan Valmeki ji had attained the bhag in the shape of blissful glory that is why the scholarly people call Jagadguru Valmeki Ji Bhagwan.
    
The rules of the code which can be adopted are called religion. Bhagwan Valmeki ji have given in the holy Ramayana such adoptable rules for the common man in the shape of inspiring gospels and religious persons after pondering over them have written. The first poet Bhagwan Valmeki ji as Bhagwan because Bhagwan Valmeki Ji had attained the Bhag in the shape of religion.
    
Bhagwan Valmeki Ji is supreme in Knowledge. His three lakh followers studied in his holy ashram. Therefore on seeing Bhag of knowledge that he possessed the learned men have called Prabhu Valmeki Ji as Bhagwan.
    
The fame of Bhagwan Valmeki had spread the world over his education and his Ramayana brought him such renown which has no parallel so  far. Therefore the men of knowledge seeing this bhag in the shame of fame the called him Bhagwan.
    
In the worldly parlance glory is called wealth. The worldly people have unstable glory called wealth. On the other hand the spiritualistic people have the  stable wealth i.e. glory. That is why the first poet Valmeki Ji who had attained Glory is called Bhagwan.
    
Asceticism means to remain aloof… Bhagwan Valmeki Ji remained aloof from the worldly entanglements as a lily flower remains aloof from the mud from which grows. The people who understand asceticism who discovered bhag in the shape of  asceticism they joyfully called out O Bhagwan Valmeki Ji you are Bhagwan we bow our heads to you.
      
As Bhagwan Valmeki ji had attained  all the six bhags in the shape of bliss ,religion,glory,knowledge , fame and asceticism has was enlightened with his renown therefore in the ancient Indian Literature Bhagwan Valmeki ji has been addressed as Bhagwan innumerous times :-
1.      Bhagwan Valmeki
                                                                                       - Mahakavi Bhavbhooti (UttarRamchritr) P 91
          2.      Nanu Bhagwan Valmeki
                                                          -Ding nag(Kundmala)p.155
   3.      Adikaviye Bhagvate
                                              -Halayudkosh p.214
4.      Bhagwan Valmeki
                                                -Padampurana
The first poet Valmeki in his creation First Epic Ramayana has depicted the traditions of contemporary social life on such a grand canvas that it romanticizes the reader. This is the fact that thousand years old happening touches the hearts of unlimited number of people in the world.
    
Dr. Shanti Kumar Nanuram Vyas writes like this :- “Valmeki Ramayana through the living descriptions of traditions, ideals, concerns, desires and feelings of the olden times has become a valuable treasure of Indian culture and Civilization. It can be compared to a mountain from the top of which we can visualize clearly the social, economic, political and artistic activities of the ancient Indian Society on the whole. The epic of the first Poet Valmeki depicts some unknown aspects of the contemporary Indian Society so vividly which is not available from any other source. Maharishi Valmeki is the great grandfather of our national ideals. The eternal seeds of culture, civilization ,religion and truth sown by the first poet are still blooming”
     
In an issue of Dinmaan weekly it has been mentioned :- If independent India continues to give priority to the human religion as inspired by Valmeki Ramayana her future will continue to be bright.
    
Seeing this impact of the Valmeki Ramayana this saying of Mr. A.A.Macdonnel seems to be true:-
“No product of Sanskrit Literature
has enjoyed a greater
popularity down to the present
day than the Ramayan”
M.Winternitz has written in his book in the praise of Valmeki Ramayan :-
  “As perhaps no other poem in the
entire world literature has
influenced the whole thinking and
 writing of the folk through all the Centuries”
He writes further :-
“As long as the mountais stand,
 As long as the rivers are on the earth
So long will in this world
The song of Ramayana continue to live”
Similarly Manmath Nath Dutt M.A has written :-
  “No other piece of literature except the bible
has such a universal impact.
There is no doubt that the first epic
Valmeki Ramayana is
valued in the field of literature like the
world famous gem koh-e-noor”
With the research on the Valmeki Ramayana we come to know about the great qualities and achievements and attainments of Bhagwan Valmeki Ji that he was a personification of yoga,knowledge,poetry and the founder of the great traditions of truth and justice and religion. In reality he was the source of India Culture.
  Dr. Dev Singh Assur "Assur"
Valmeki Research Centre.
Sangrur- 148001 (PB), India

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