ādikavi's ādikāvya

World's First Poem

As Mahārishi Vālmiki and his shishya Rishi Bhāradwāja approached the edge of  the Tamasā River, He was attracted by an area that was beautiful and mud-free clear water. Taking his kalasha and valkala vastra (bark garments) from his shishya, Valmiki enters the beautiful water of the Tamasā River. As he was entering the waters admiring the beauty and sounds of the birds, he sees two beautiful krauncha birds lost in union (kāmamohitam). At that moment, as though to destroy the serenity of the scene, a nishāda (hunter) shoots an arrow and kills the male bird to the lament of its partner.

Looking at the lamenting kraunchi, Maharishi Valmiki says something to the nishāda, This utterance of sorrow (śoka) that spontaneously fell into metrical form became the first śloka (verse) of Sanskrit poetry:


मा निषाद प्रतिष्ठां त्वमगमः शाश्वतीः समाः |

यत् क्रौञ्चमिथुनादेकमवधीः काममोहितम् || १-२-१५


mā niṣāda pratiṣṭhāṁ tvamagamaḥ śāśvatīḥ samāḥ |
yat krauñca-mithunād ekam avadhīḥ kāma-mohitam ||

“O hunter, because you killed one of the pair of krauncha birds who was infatuated with love, you shall never attain stability or lasting fame for endless years.”


The Meter

Each śloka has two lines (pādas).

Each pāda has 8 syllables (akṣaras) → total 32 syllables (Anuṣṭubh Chandas)

1st line (pāda 1 & 2):

मा नि षा द | प्र ति ष्ठां | त्व म ग मः | शा श्व तीः स माः

= 8 + 8


2nd line (pāda 3 & 4):

य त्क्रौ ञ्च मि | थु ना दे | क म व धीः | का म मो हि तम्

= 8 + 8

This shloka follows early anuṣṭubh chandas. Scholars believe that the more stringent requirements of various ganas/ laghu and guru placement evolved much later. Those interested in a deeper dive can explore Pingala's Chandasutram, or  Kedarabhatta's VrttaRatnakara.



The Significance

As Valmiki continued to be overcome with thoughts on how the shloka spontaneously emerged from his lips, Brahmā appeared and told him that it was he who made him express his grief in perfect meter. He then blessed Vālmīki with divine vision commanding him to compose Rāma’s life in this very meter. Thus, the moment of anguish transformed into poetry, and the Rāmāyaṇa—24,000 verses in anuṣṭubh meter—was born.

On this Valmiki Jayanti, let us remember the world's first poet and the worlds first metrical poem which gave rise to the writing of the entire Ramayana. A shloka that has deep meaning and nuanced understanding of dharma. 


October 07, 2025





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