Editing Valmiki (section)

== Early life ==
[[File:Narada visits Valmiki.jpg|thumb|250px|The youthful sage [[Narada]] at the white-bearded Valmiki's hermitage]]
According to scriptures, Valmiki has a mythological origin, according to which he is the tenth son of the god [[Varuna]], born after Varuna's seed fell into a termite hill, which earned him the name of "Valmiki".<ref>Puranic Encyclopedia: a comprehensive dictionary with special reference to the epic and Puranic literature, Vettam Mani, Motilal Banarsidass, Delhi, 1975, p. [https://archive.org/stream/puranicencyclopa00maniuoft#page/822/mode/2up 822].</ref> In his youth, Valmiki once met the great sage [[Narada]] and had a discourse with him on his duties. Moved by Narada's words, Valmiki began to perform penance and chanted the word "Mara" which meant "die". As he performed his penance for several years, the word became "Rama",{{efn|"mara" repeated several times is -maramaramaramaramaramaramara- which may be read - as well as pronounced - as ramaramaramaramaramaramarama.}} a name of the god Vishnu. 

There also exist some legends about Valmiki having been a thief before turning into a rishi. The Nagara Khanda of the [[Skanda Purana]] in its section on the creation of Mukhara Tirtha mentions that Valmiki was born a [[Brahmin]], with the name of Lohajangha and was a devoted son to his parents. He had a beautiful wife and both of them were faithful to each other. Once, when there was no rain in the region of [[Anarta]], for twelve long years, Lohajangha, for the sake of his hungry family, started robbing people that he found in the forest. In the course of this life he met the seven sages or the [[Saptarishi]] and tried to rob them as well. But the learned sages felt pity on him and showed him the folly of his ways. One of them, [[Pulaha]] gave him a Mantra to meditate upon and the Brahmin turned thief got so engrossed in its recitation that ant-hills came up around his body. When the sages returned and heard the sound of the mantra coming from the ant-hill, they blessed him and said, "Since you achieved great Siddhi seated within a Valmīka (an anthill), you will become well-known in the world as Vālmīki."<ref>{{cite web|title=The Skanda Purana, Nagara Khanda, Chapter 124, Creation of Mukhara Tirtha|url=https://cloudup.com/cYfWSvnuieF|access-date=8 May 2020|archive-date=15 March 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210315224838/https://cloudup.com/cYfWSvnuieF|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|title=The Skanda Purana, Part 17, (Ancient Indian Tradition and Mythology Series, Vol. LXV)|url=https://www.abebooks.fr/Skanda-Purana-Part-Ancient-Indian-Tradition/7588930100/bd|publisher=Motilal Banarsidass Publishers Pvt. Ltd.|year=2002|page=506|access-date=8 May 2020|archive-date=30 October 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201030215237/https://www.abebooks.fr/Skanda-Purana-Part-Ancient-Indian-Tradition/7588930100/bd|url-status=live}}</ref>