“Ma Nishad---etc”- e-ponderings of a novice

maa nishhaada pratiShThaamtva | magamaH shaashvatiiH samaaH |
yat krau~Ncha mithunaat eka | mavadhiiH kaama mohitam || 1-2-15

You will find no rest for the long years of Eternity

For you killed a bird in love and unsuspecting

Sage Valmiki was going to the river Ganga for his bath and prayers. His disciple Bhardvaja, was following him. On the way, they came across river Tamasa with pure flowing water. They saw a Kraunch (Crane) couple mating on the tree and felt pleased to see happy birds. Suddenly, struck by an arrow; the male bird fell down and died on the spot. Filled by sorrow its mate screamed in agony and died of shock. Valmiki’s was pained at this pitiable sight. He became very angry at the hunter, who killed the bird. Curse emerged spontaneously from his rage, compassion and grief, which was the First Verse (?) of Sanskrit Literature. All of us heard this episode in our childhood.

This celebrated First Verse of Sanskrit literature is 15^th shloka of second sarga (chapter) of first kanda (canto)-Bala kanda of Ramayana. It is preceded by events which later triggered writing up of the epic by Adikavi Valmiki. Ramayana has 24,000 shlokas and 7 kandas*. Valmiki first taught the Ramayana to Kusha and Lava, the sons of Shri Rama. Incidentally The First Verse of Ramayana is

tapaH svaadhyaaya nirataam tapasvii vaagvidaam varam |
naaradam paripapracCha vaalmiikiH muni puMgavam || 1-1-1

To a thoughtful-meditator, an eternally occupied with self-study, a sagacious thinker, and the most sublime enunciator Narada, the Sage-Poet Valmiki is enquiring about a man with outstanding qualities.

Surely vedas precede Ramayana (which is referred as Itihas & Kavya) and large portions of vedas are metrical. The verses (richas) of the vedas have a variety of different meters. They are divided by number of padas (feet=lines) in a verse, and by the number of syllables in a pada. Chandas^# the study of vedic meters, is one of the six Vedanga disciplines (organs of the vedas). Seven of main Chhandas are Gayatri, Ushnuk, Anushtubha, Brihati, Pankti, Trishtubh, Jagati.

Thus The First Sanskrit Verse should be first richa of first ashtaka of first mandala of Rig veda sanhita. It is in Gayatri Chhanda ‘seen’ by Madhuchchhanda Rishi descendant of Rishi Vishwamitra

a̱gnimī̍ḻe pu̱rohi̍taṁ ya̱jñasya̍ de̱vamṛ̱tvija̍m | hotā̍raṁ ratna̱dhāta̍mam || 1.001.01

a̱gniḥ pūrve̍bhi̱rṛṣi̍bhi̱rīḍyo̱ nūta̍nairu̱ta | sa de̱vā eha va̍kṣati || 1.001.02

Lot of research has been carried by vedic scholars on chronology of ‘composition’ of rigvedic mandalas. Recently Shrikant G. Talageri has analyzed the interrelationships among the ‘composers’, the references to composers within the hymns, the references to kings and risis, the family structure of the mandalas and the system of ascription of hymns in the mandalas and concluded the chronological order of the mandalas as: VI, III, VII, IV, II, V, VIII, IX, X (The upa-mandalas of mandala I covering the periods of mandalas IV, II, V, VIII). Thus the First Sanskrit Verse may be from sixth mandala of Rig veda in Trishtupa Chhanda assigned to Rishi Bhardwaja descendent of Brihaspati

tvaṁ hya̍gne pratha̱mo ma̱notā̱syā dhi̱yo abha̍vo dasma̱ hotā̍ |

tvaṁ sī̍ṁ vṛṣannakṛṇordu̱ṣṭarī̍tu̱ saho̱ viśva̍smai̱ saha̍se̱ saha̍dhyai || 6.001.01

Then what is the purport of Kraunch episode? We can’t say that Valkimi discovered the Anushtubha-Chhanda (Shloka metre), as this is one of the known vedic meters.

All the vedic literature is accepted as divine- richas seen by rishis in deep state of meditation, may be Valmiki’s verse was first coming from a human. Most vedic literature was associated to ‘yadnya’ and rituals, which required ‘shabda pramanya’ and hence has to be divine to be accepted universally without questions or doubts. Latter literature shifted the stress to bhakti, which accepted devotees composing poetry in praise of Gods and ‘bhava’ became more important than authority. The importance of vedic Gods seem to have waned during this transition. “Ma nishad—etc” was the first ever verse, without veda mantras & without vedic swara (tonal variations) composed by a human.

Clasical shloka meter evolving from Anushtubha Chhanda which dominated latter sanskrit literature including Kavya/Itihas-Ramayana, Mahabharata, Puranas, classical epics, etc in contrast to Gayatri Chhanda dominating vedic⁺ literature.

Gayatri chhanda has 3 padas of 8 syllables totaling to 24 syllables in each stanza, whereas Anushtubha has 4 padas of 8 syllables totaling to 32 syllables in each stanza/verse. Vedic anushtubha had early free form, with very few restrictions, next, a mildly trochaic (periodic variation of stress) development in the opening of each pada and finally the development of the "epic anushtubha" prefiguring the classical shloka form. The epic anushtubha/shloka is treated as a couplet had more restrictions regarding syllables and matras. Each half of 16 syllables can take either a normal form or one of several extended forms. May be Valmiki spontaneously uttered a shloka rich in grammar and modified metre and metrical rules and grammar defined much later. 

Memorizing and reciting vedic metrical richas, sama songs and rhythmical yajus mantras needed  meticulous training, long practice and intricate pathas (Samhita, Pada, Krama, Jata, Maalaa, Sikha, Rekha, Dhwaja, Danda, Rathaa, Ghana), which could be afforded only by professional priests or yogis.  Simplicity for memorizing and singing (Ramayana was sung by Kusha and Lava) for common householder was necessity, which appeared in Valmiki’s spontaneous utterance. Prose is liable to be forgotten, difficult to commit to memory. Poetry is easy to remember as it is bound by metre and can be endowed with brevity. That is why in early days, most literary creations were expressed in verse. When printing was invented, it became unnecessary to retain everything in one's memory, as they could well be recorded in books and so the prose form developed. But poetry remains vehicle of expression: more picturesque, vigorous, touching and beautiful.

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* Kaanda, is usually meant to depict the internode point of sugarcane, and in ancient Sanskrit, was used to depict an interlude within a story.

Some experts feel that Ramayana has 6 kandas (last Uttara kanda as later addition) or 5 kandas (First Bala kanda also as later addition).

Writing up of Ramayana sometimes between 500 to 100 BC.

Location of Valmiki Ashram: Present day Sitamarhi about 50 km from Allahabad. Sitamarhi is a historical place of immense significance and is being visited by large number of pilgrims with great faith and devotion. It is one of the five ‘Teerths’ (holy places) in Poorvanchal which are Prayagraj, Sitamarhi, Sarnath, Vindhyavasini & Kashiraj.

River Tamasa is now called the River Madhar (some confuse with Tons which starts flowing from the Garwhal Himalayas?).  River Tamasa is located before three rivers - Vedasruti, Gomati, Syandika when travelling South from Ayodhya. This is the river on which Rama spent his first night during the 14 years of forest exile. Rama left people sleeping and continued the journey further.  Also Sita was exiled here. The Ashrama of sage Valmiki was situated at the bank’s of Tamasa river. When Sita was exiled by Rama, on the bank of Tamasa river some 15 km away from the city, where she met Valmiki. Sita lived in his ashrama and here her twin sons Lava and Kusha were born and educated by Valmiki. Also on the banks of river Tamsa was the ashram of Bharadwaj, mentioned in the Valmiki Ramayana; it is here that on seeing the plight a bird couple, Valmiki created his first verse- shloka. (OR Bithoor near Kanpur OR Kanpur OR Valmiki Nagar on bank of river Gandaki on Indo-Nepal Border)

#Chhandas often becomes synonymous with Rig veda and at times with vedic Sanskrit

+Gayatri Chhanda was revered so much in vedic literature that lord Krishna in Shrimad Bhagavadgita composed in Anushtubha chhanda says “ I am Gayatri amongst chhandas”

bR^ihatsAma tathA sAmnA.n gAyatrI ChandasAmaham.h .

mAsAnAM mArgashIrSho.ahamR^itUnA.n kusumAkaraH .. 10\-35..

But primordial pranava (omkar) remains first single syllable mantra and chhanda most sacred and revered and lord emphasizes

pitAhamasya jagato mAtA dhAtA pitAmahaH .

vedyaM pavitramo.nkAra R^iksAma yajureva cha .. 9\-17..

and again

maharShINAM bhR^igurahaM girAmasmyekamakSharam.h .

yaGYAnA.n japayaGYo.asmi sthAvarANA.n himAlayaH .. 10\-25..