The religion of the sweepers has been described at length by
Mr. Greeven and Mr. Crooke. It centres round the worship of two saints,
Lalbeg or Bale Shah and Balnek or Balmik, who is really the huntsman
Valmiki, the reputed author of the Ramayana. Balmik was originally a
low-caste hunter called Ratnakar, and when he could not get game he was
accustomed to rob and kill travellers. But one day he met Brahma and
wished to kill him; but he could not raise his club against Brahma,
and the god spoke and convinced him of his sins, directing him to
repeat the name of Rama until he should be purified of them. But the
hunter's heart was so evil that he could not pronounce the divine name,
and instead he repeated '_Mara, Mara_' (_struck, struck_), but in the
end by repetition this came to the same thing. Mr. Greeven's account
continues: "As a small spark of fire burneth up a heap of cotton, so
the word Rama cleaneth a man of all his sins. So the words 'Ram, Ram,'
were taught unto Ratnakar who ever repeated them for sixty thousand
years at the self-same spot with a heart sincere. All his skin was
eaten up by the white ants. Only the skeleton remained. Mud had been
heaped over the body and grass had grown up, yet within the mound
of mud the saint was still repeating the name of Rama. After sixty
thousand years Brahma returned. No man could he see, yet he heard the
voice of Ram, Ram, rising from the mound of mud. Then Brahma bethought
him that the saint was beneath. He besought Indra to pour down rain
and to wash away the mud. Indra complied with his request and the
rain washed away the mud. The saint came forth. Nought save bones
remained. Brahma called aloud to the saint. When the saint beheld
him he prostrated himself and spake: 'Thou hast taught me the words
"Ram, Ram," which have cleansed away all my sins.' Then spake Brahma:
'Hitherto thou wast Ratnakar. From to-day thy name shall be Valmiki
(from _valmik_, an ant-hill). Now do thou compose a Ramayana in seven
parts, containing the deeds and exploits of Rama.'" Valmiki had been
or afterwards became a sweeper and was known as 'cooker of dog's food'
(Swapach), a name applied to sweepers [237], who have adopted him as
their eponymous ancestor and patron saint.