Valmiki the Thief

Valmiki was a robber, a dacoit [bandit] who lived in the forest. He got his money by looting and then killing all the travelers who passed near his house. 

One day he held up a sadhu who was passing through the forest. The sadhu asked him, “Why are you committing sins like this? You are murdering people and stealing their money. If you live your life like this, you will eventually go to hell. Is that what you want?”

Valmiki replied, “What else can I do? I have a wife and two sons who are dependent on me for their support. I have no other means of earning a livelihood. This is my ancestral profession. My father was a thief, my grandfather was a thief, and so was his father.”

“You are committing sins just to feed these people. You share all your profits with your wife and family. Are they willing to share all the sins with you? Are they willing to accompany you when you go to hell?”

“Of course,” said Valmiki. “Wherever I go, they will follow me.”

“But have you ever asked them if they want to go to hell with you? Why don’t you  go and check first? Maybe they will not be willing to go with you.”

“You are just trying to escape,” said Valmiki. “You want me to go home so that you will have a chance to escape.”

“No, I’m serious,” said the sadhu. “You can tie me to a tree while you go and come. I will not leave. I am interested to know what your wife’s answer will be.”

Valmiki tied him to a tree, went home and asked his wife if she would be willing to accompany him to hell when he died. “Of course not!” she exclaimed. “These are your sins, not mine. Why should I suffer on account of them? You must take responsibility for your own actions.”

Valmiki went back to the sadhu, untied him and apologised. “I am giving up my life as a dacoit,” he said. “My wife is not willing to share the consequences of my sins with me, so I no longer have any desire to support her. Please help me.”

The sadhu told him that if he repeated the name of Ram he would be freed from the consequences of all his sins. 

Valmiki sat down on that spot and began to do japa of the name. Years and years passed but Valmiki remained in the same spot, absorbed in the name of Ram. Over time some ants built a huge anthill over his body until he was completely covered. Valmiki actually means ‘anthill. That’s how he got his name. 

As a result of his intense tapas and his one-pointed absorption in the name of Ram, Valmiki became a great sage and acquired many powers. He foresaw the future and wrote the whole of the Ramayana before Ram had even been born. 

Things like this can happen if you have intense devotion to the name of God.