The second Sarga describes Lord Brahma's visit to Valmiki's Ashram. After Narada left Valmiki accompanied by his disciple the Great Bharadwaja set out to wander in the forest. He reached the banks of the river Tahamasa which was close to The Ganges. Then Valmiki happened to witness a very moving and sad scene. He saw a Krauncha bird couple caressing each other on the branch of a tree. At that time a hunter passed by and shot down the male bird with his arrow. The female bursts out into weeping after seeing his mate killed so cruelly. Valmiki could not bear the sight and sent a curse on the hunter in the form of a verse.
It starts with 'Maa Nishaada' and the couplet curses the hunter not to have a long life. But some inner voice told Valmiki about a second meaning of the same verse. This is one beauty or specialty of the Sanskrit language. Here Nishaada means a hunter but taking Maanishaada as one word it would mean Lord Narayana. So this whole couplet in short could also mean that Lord Narayana kills the Rakshasa (Krauncha also meaning Rakshasa) who stole his wife. This is the story of Rama in short. Valmiki starts wondering and ponders on this and tells his disciple Bharadwaja to call this couplet a Shloka.
Valmiki sat for his prayers and meditation. His heart was full of happiness but he could not but brood on the tragic death of the Krauncha bird and the curse that he had pronounced.
At that time Lord Brahma came to his Ashram and blessed him. Valmiki was so pleased and he worshipped him. Lord Brahma asked him not to think about the killing of the bird and the curse he had pronounced because all that happened because of Brahma's will.
He asked Valmiki to start writing Rama's life (I do not want to use the word story) by expanding what was narrated to him by Narada.
He said that Valmiki should set it in beautiful poetry pleasing to the ears. And Lord Brahma also blessed Valmiki with the power of knowing all the happenings in the life of Rama and Sita including what was known and what was secret and also what was to happen in their future lives. He blessed that whatever Valmiki wrote would be the truth and nothing else. Lord Brahma also said that Valmiki's work would last as long as his creations, mountains, rivers, and seas would and would bring prosperity to those who read his work. After saying thus Brahma just disappeared. Valmiki was wonder-struck. He meditated more and more upon what all had happened and on the two lines that he had pronounced as a curse and which seemed to have described Rama's life.
The disciples also started repeating those two lines of the verse starting with Maanishaada... over and over again and even began to sing happily the two lines. The first time a mention of music occurs in Valmiki's work.
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