Rama - The story of a history
A legend that lived then
Valmiki was curious to know from Narada the name and the life of that person who was most ideal, living at that time. ‘In the present time,’ is what he qualifies his opening remark with, before going into the details of the nature of the person that he wants to know.
ko nv asmin sampratam loke gunavan kas ca viryavan
dharmajnas ca krtajnas ca satyavakyo drdhavratah
(Valmiki Ramayana, Bala Kanda, Canto 1, Sloka 2)
“Who can possibly be full of virtues in this world at present? Nay, who is possessed of prowess and knows what is right? Who is conscious of services done, truthful of speech and firm of resolve?”
The word ‘samprata’
is defined as ‘belonging to the present time; not past or future.’ Therefore, when he sought information on the person possessed of the most ideal qualities, he also specified that that person should belong to the present, who belongs to his time, who is living, who is not someone who lived in the past. That makes it very clear that Rama had not yet ascended His abode at that time. Moreover, the narration of sage Narada flows out in the past tense from the birth of Rama, until the story reaches the point of Rama regaining his kingdom, taking it back from Bharata who stays in the
Nandigrama.
nandigrame jatam hitva bhratrbhih sahito 'naghah
ramah sitam anuprapya rajyam punar avaptavan
(Ibid, Sloka 89)
“Having disentangled his matted hair at Nandigrama along with his (three) brothers and got back Sita, the sinless Rama regained his kingdom (too).”
From this point onwards, the narrative is in the future.
“(During the reign of Sri Rama) people will be positively much delighted and cheerful, contented and well-fed, exceedingly pious, free from mental agony and bodily ailments and rid of (the scourge of) famine and fear (of theft, etc.). Nowhere will any men witness the death of their son or daughter, women will never be widows and will be ever devoted to their husband. There will be no fear from fire nor will living beings drowned in water. There will be no fear from wind nor any fear of fever. Nor will there be fear of starvation in his kingdom nor that of thieves. Nay, cities and states will be full of riches and foodgrains. All will be ever extremely happy as in Satyayuga. Having propitiated the Lord through hundreds of horse-sacrifices and (other) sacrifices involving the use of abundant gold, (nay) bestowed with due ceremony a billion cows on the learned and given away untold riches to the Brahmanas, the highly renowned Rama will establish royal dynasties a hundred times more prosperous than before (by not only recognising and confirming their sovereignty but even by liberally subsidising them). Nay, he will direct the people belonging to (all) the four grades of society to follow their respective duties on this terrestrial plane. Having served his kingdom for eleven-thousand years, Sri Rama will ascend to Brahmaloka (the highest heaven).” (Ibid, Sloka 90 – 97)
And, therefore, one can say with certainty that Sri Rama had ascended the throne of Ayodhya when Valmiki heard this story from Narada and the series of events that are to follow were yet to be seen; heard and recorded. That gives us a clue as to how the Uttara Kanda might have been added later, by the poet himself, and, of course, expanded by bards, down the years.
Therefore,
Valmiki, playing a part in his own drama is no wonder. The poem gives out all the clues. The short narrative at the beginning of the epic, told by Valmiki in his own words describes all the important events and milestones in the epic in full, till the day Kusa and Lava sang the poem in the presence of Sri Rama. This narrative – as is obvious – could only have been composed after the epic was almost completed and added at the beginning, as otherwise the statement, “The sage uttered twenty-four thousand verses and made (out of them) six Kandas, consisting of five hundred (and odd) cantos and an Uttara Kanda (the epilogue),” (Ibid, Canto 4, Sloka 2) could not have been made at the beginning. After all, the ‘Foreword’ of any book is written only at the time of its publication, though it precedes the work! The epic was still in the process of being completed, even as Kusa and Lava sang it to an enthralled audience and Sri Rama who was in tears. That probably is one of the reasons why the scene dealing with the recalling of Sita from Valmiki’s hermitage and her subsequent disappearance into Mother Earth, does not find a place in this short recital, at the beginning of the epic.
With this, we shall now move into the study of one of the grandest of all characters that the literature of the world has known, Sri Rama.
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