The most merciful Vālmīki desired to elaborately describe the activities of Lord Rāma that had been briefly stated, for this is the practice of the learned: iṣṭaṁ hi viduṣāṁ loke samāsa-vyāsa-dhāraṇam. In order to attract the attention of learned readers, the sage desired to reveal the extraordinary characteristics of the author of this work, the extraordinary characteristics of the mode of composition of this work and the extraordinary characteristics of this work itself. In this second chapter, he describes the extraordinary characteristics of the author.

An author is extraordinary when he is supremely trustworthy. A person who perceives reality as it is and conveys all that he perceives as it is is trustworthy. Śrī Vālmīki is supremely trustworthy for he received benedictions to this effect from the grandfather of the universe, Lord Brahmā. He now reveals the events that led to Lord Brahmā’s blessing him.

The word tu indicates that Nārada Muni was unlike others; as the knower of the three worlds (tri-loka-jña), his words were distinct from others’ words, both literally and semantically [1]. Those words had summarized the pastimes of Lord Rāma in the form of an answer to Vālmīki’s questions and were filled with fully meaningful sentences.

Śrī Vālmīki was vākya-viśāradaḥ, learned in presenting such words [2]. Actually, he was a specialist in the usage of words. Dharmātmā indicates that his intelligence was fixed on Vedic dharma or that his very nature was dhārmika. In this context, it indicates that he was aware of the dharma of being obedient to one’s spiritual master. Mahā-muniḥ, “great sage,” indicates that Vālmīki was the best of sages for he had attained the treasure of the conclusions of Upaniṣadic teachings. He honored the words of Nārada Muni, as indicated by the expression vākya-viśāradaḥ.

In some manuscripts of Rāmāyaṇa, mahā-munim appears instead of mahā-muniḥ indicating that Nārada Muni was a great sage.