Lakshmana ( sa, लक्ष्मण, lit=the fortunate one, translit=Lakṣmaṇa), also spelled as Laxmana, is the younger brother of
Rama and his loyalist in the
Hindu epic Mahākāvya (lit. great kāvya, court epic), also known as ''sargabandha'', is a genre of Indian epic poetry in Classical Sanskrit. The genre is characterised by ornate and elaborate descriptions of scenery, love, battles and so on — in short, ev ...
''
Ramayana''. He bears the epithets of Saumitra () and Ramanuja (). He is the twin of
Shatrughna.
Legend
Birth and marriage
King
Dasharatha of
Ayodhya had three wives:
Kausalya,
Kaikeyi, and
Sumitra. He performed a
sacrifice to beget sons and as a result, his queens became pregnant. Lakshmana and his brother
Shatrughna were born to Sumitra, while
Rama and
Bharata were born to Kausalya and Kaikeyi.
In the
Puranas, Lakshmana is described as an incarnation of
Shesha
Shesha ( Sanskrit: शेष; ) , also known as Sheshanaga ( Sanskrit: शेषनाग; ) or Adishesha (), is a serpentine demigod (Naga) and Nagaraja (King of all serpents), as well as a primordial being of creation in Hinduism. In the ...
, the multiple-headed
naga
Naga or NAGA may refer to:
Mythology
* Nāga, a serpentine deity or race in Hindu, Buddhist and Jain traditions
* Naga Kingdom, in the epic ''Mahabharata''
* Phaya Naga, mythical creatures believed to live in the Laotian stretch of the Mekong Ri ...
(serpent) upon whom rests the preserver deity
Vishnu
Vishnu ( ; , ), also known as Narayana and Hari, is one of the principal deities of Hinduism. He is the supreme being within Vaishnavism, one of the major traditions within contemporary Hinduism.
Vishnu is known as "The Preserver" withi ...
, whose
avatar Rama is considered to be.
When sage
Vishvamitra asked Rama to kill the demons in the forest, Lakshmana accompanied them and went to
Mithila with them. Lakshmana was especially attached to Rama. When Rama married
Sita
Sita (; ) also called as Janaki and Vaidehi is a Hindu goddess and the female protagonist of the Hindu epic, ''Ramayana''. She is the consort of Rama, the avatar of the god Vishnu, and is regarded as a form of Vishnu's consort, Lakshmi. She ...
, Lakshmana married Sita's younger sister,
Urmila
Urmila () is a princess featured in the Ramayana. She is the younger sister of Sita, and the wife of Lakshmana, the younger brother of Rama.
Legend
Urmila is the daughter of King Janaka of Mithila and Queen Sunayana, and the younger siste ...
. They had two sons:
Angada and
Chandraketu.
Later, when Rama was exiled for fourteen years on the insistence of Kaikeyi, Lakshmana left his wife Urmila and joined Rama and Sita in exile.
Rama's exile
Lakshmana served Rama and Sita reverently during the exile. In Panchavati, Lakshmana also built a hut for Rama and Sita to live in. Lakshmana cut off
Ravana
Ravana (; , , ) is a rakshasa king of the island of Lanka, and the chief antagonist of the Hindu epic '' Ramayana'' and its adaptations.
In the ''Ramayana'', Ravana is described to be the eldest son of sage Vishrava and rakshasi Kaikesi. He ...
's sister
Surpanakha
Shurpanakha (Sanskrit: शूर्पणखा, , ), also known as Meenakshi, is a '' rakshasi'' (demoness) in Hindu Mythology. Her legends are mainly narrated in the epic ''Ramayana'' and its other versions. She was the sister of Lanka's kin ...
's nose in anger when she tried to seduce Rama and insulted Sita. He played an important role in the war with
Ravana
Ravana (; , , ) is a rakshasa king of the island of Lanka, and the chief antagonist of the Hindu epic '' Ramayana'' and its adaptations.
In the ''Ramayana'', Ravana is described to be the eldest son of sage Vishrava and rakshasi Kaikesi. He ...
and slew Ravana's sons
Indrajita and
Atikaya.
When Sita asked Rama to fetch a magical golden hind for her, Rama asked Lakshmana to stand guard as he sensed danger and evil. The golden hind was in fact the demon
Maricha, who distracted Rama. When Rama killed Maricha, he cried out in his own voice for help. Although Lakshmana knew that Rama was invincible and beyond any danger, Sita panicked and frantically ordered Lakshmana to go to Rama's aid immediately. Unable to disobey Sita, Lakshmana drew a perimeter line (
Lakshmana Rekha
Lakshmana Rekha (), in some later versions of the Hindu epic ''Ramayana'', is a line in the soil drawn by Lakshmana. This line is drawn around the dwelling in the forest that he shared with his elder brother, Rama, and Rama's wife, Sita. The li ...
or Lakshmana's line), which Sita must not cross and went in search of Rama. Sita, however, out of compulsion of religious duty and compassion for Ravana, who was disguised as a poor
Brahmin
Brahmin (; sa, ब्राह्मण, brāhmaṇa) is a varna as well as a caste within Hindu society. The Brahmins are designated as the priestly class as they serve as priests ( purohit, pandit, or pujari) and religious teachers ( ...
, crossed the line to give him alms, following which she was abducted.
During the war between
Rama and
Ravana
Ravana (; , , ) is a rakshasa king of the island of Lanka, and the chief antagonist of the Hindu epic '' Ramayana'' and its adaptations.
In the ''Ramayana'', Ravana is described to be the eldest son of sage Vishrava and rakshasi Kaikesi. He ...
, Lakshmana killed
Indrajita and
Atikaya, who were the sons of Ravana. Before he killed Indrajita, Lakhshmana and
Rama were twice defeated by
Indrajita, and on both occasions,
Hanuman's intervention saved them from certain death.
After exile
After the end of the Lanka war, Rama was crowned King of Kosala, and Bharata became the crown prince. Rama had offered to make Lakshmana the crown prince, but he refused, saying Bharata was elder to him and more deserving of the title. Rama, hearing this, was very pleased and said "O Lakshmana, in this birth, you served me so well and did your duties as a younger brother, so I will do the same in my next birth as your younger brother". Thus, in the next birth, Rama became Krishna and Lakshmana became Balarama, Krishna's elder brother.
Lakshmana was the one who left Sita in the forests near sage
Valmiki's ashram after she expressed her desire to leave the kingdom. Lakshmana remained loyal to his brother and fought against Rama's sons
Lava and
Kusha later on.
According to the Uttara Kanda, Lakshmana had ruled over Karupada; which was inherited by his elder son, Angada; whilst Lakshmana's younger son, Chandraketu had inherited
Mallya, with its capital Chandrakanti being commissioned by Rama.
Renunciation of life
Sage
Durvasa
In Hindu scriptures, Durvasa ( sa, दुर्वासा, ) also known as Durvasas ( Sanskrit: दुर्वासस्), is a legendary rishi (sage). He is the son of Anasuya and Atri. According to some Puranas, Durvasa is a partial avat ...
appeared at Rama's doorstep, and seeing Lakshmana guarding the door, demanded an audience with Rama. At the time, Rama was having a private conversation with
Yama. Before the conversation began, Yama gave Rama strict instructions that their dialogue was to remain confidential, and anyone who entered the room was to be relieved of their life. Rama agreed and entrusted Lakshmana with the duty of guarding his door. When Durvasa made his demand, Lakshmana politely refused. The sage grew angry and threatened to curse all of Ayodhya if Lakshmana did not immediately inform Rama of his arrival. Lakshmana, in a dilemma, decided it would be better that he alone die to save all of Ayodhya from falling under Durvasa's curse and so interrupted Rama's meeting to inform him of the sage's arrival. Durvasa cursed him that he should go to heaven alive. Rama quickly concluded his meeting with Yama and received the sage with due courtesy. In order to fulfil his brother's promise, Lakshmana went to the banks of the river
Sarayu, resolved on giving up the world by drowning himself in the
Sarayu. From there, Indra removed Lakshmana from the water and took him alive to heaven.
In popular culture
Lakshmana was depicted by the
Ramayana as a man with unwavering loyalty, love and commitment to his elder brother, through times of joy and adversity alike.
Bandhavgarh Fort
The Bandhavgarh Fort is situated in Bandhavgarh in Umaria district of Madhya Pradesh, India. It is located on the Bandhavgarh hill, rising 811 meters above sea level at the centre of the Bandhavgarh National Park
Bandhavgarh National Park is ...
at
Madhya Pradesh (''bandhav'' as brother, ''garh'' as fort) was said to have been given by Rama to his brother Lakshmana to keep watch on
Lanka.
Military officers given the rank equivalent of
admirals in navies in the Malay Archipelago, including Malaysia and Indonesia, are titled "Lakshmana" (
Jawi script
Jawi (; ace, Jawoë; Kelantan-Pattani: ''Yawi''; ) is a writing system used for writing several languages of Southeast Asia, such as Acehnese, Banjarese, Kerinci, Maguindanaon, Malay, Minangkabau, Tausūg, and Ternate. Jawi is bas ...
: ) after the figure.
Jainism
Lakshmana is referred to as Vasudeva in the Jain Ramayana. According to the Jain Ramayana, it was Lakshmana who killed
Ravana
Ravana (; , , ) is a rakshasa king of the island of Lanka, and the chief antagonist of the Hindu epic '' Ramayana'' and its adaptations.
In the ''Ramayana'', Ravana is described to be the eldest son of sage Vishrava and rakshasi Kaikesi. He ...
, not
Rama.
Gallery
File:Rama_in_forest.jpg, Rama portrayed as a vanavasi (forest dweller) in the forest with his wife Sita and brother Lakshmana
File: Lakshamana cuts Surpanaka's nose.jpg, Lakshamana cut Surpanakha's nose
File: Killing of Indrajit Painting by Balasaheb Pant Pratinidhi.jpg, Killing of Indrajit by Lakshmana
References
External links
*
{{Authority control
Characters in the Ramayana
Hindu gods
Salakapurusa
Solar dynasty