Composition of the Ramayan

Once, when Narad, the rishi of the gods, visited Maharshi Valmeeki, the Maharshi asked him who among the world's heroes was the most virtuous and wise. Narad replied that this great hero was none other than Shri Ram, the king of Ayodhya and a scion of the Solar dynasty. He briefly recounted Ram’s story.

Deep in contemplation of this great hero’s tale, Valmeeki later walked to the banks of the Tamasa river, where he observed two cranes playfully engaged with one another. Suddenly, a hunter shot an arrow, killing the male bird. The female, overwhelmed with grief, began to cry bitterly over the loss of her mate. Moved by compassion for the birds, Maharshi Valmeeki cursed the hunter.

Soon after, he began to regret his actions. “What right did I have to curse the hunter? Why was I overcome by emotion?” he reflected.

As he voiced his remorse, a beautiful sloka filled with deep meaning spontaneously emerged from him. Lord Brahma then appeared and advised Valmeeki to compose the story of the Ramayan in that very poetic meter. He also granted Valmeeki divine vision, enabling him to witness the events of the Ramayan. Thus, Maharshi Valmeeki began the composition of the great epic.

The Bal Kand is the first chapter of the Ramayan, dealing with Ram's childhood.

Contents

1. The Divine Lineage: Dasharath's Sacred Yagya

2. The Promise of Vishnu's Incarnation

3. The Divine Prasad and the Four Princes

4. The Compassionate Guru

5. The Princes' Return and Vishwamitra's Call

6. Sabala: The Wish-Fulfilling Cow

7. Vishwamitra's Futile Attack

8. Trishanku's Curse and the Rishi's Compassion

9. From Pride to Penance: Vishwamitra's Path to Brahmarshi

10. Vishwamitra's Request to Dasharath

11. The Forest Cleansed: Ram Vanquishes Tataka and Subahu

12. Ahalya's Liberation

13. Seeds of Destiny: The Discovery of Seeta

14. The Curse of Sagar's Sons

15. The Divine Descent of Ganga

Source

151 ರಾಮಾಯಣದ ಕಥೆಗಳು by Vasantha Prakashana