Lakshmana (

Sanskrit Sanskrit (; stem form ; nominal singular , ,) is a classical language belonging to the Indo-Aryan languages, Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European languages. It arose in northwest South Asia after its predecessor languages had Trans-cultural ...

: लक्ष्मण, romanized: ''Lakṣmaṇa'') was a son of

Duryodhana Duryodhana (, Help:IPA/Sanskrit, ̪ʊɾjoːd̪ʱən̪ᵊ ), also known as Suyodhana, is the primary antagonist in the Hindu epic ''Mahabharata.'' He is the eldest of the Kaurava, Kauravas, the hundred sons of King Dhritarashtra and Queen Gan ...

, a prominent figure in the Hindu epic ''

Mahabharata The ''Mahābhārata'' ( ; , , ) is one of the two major Sanskrit Indian epic poetry, epics of ancient India revered as Smriti texts in Hinduism, the other being the ''Ramayana, Rāmāyaṇa''. It narrates the events and aftermath of the Kuru ...

''. He is described as a valiant warrior and a skilled archer. During the

Kurukshetra War The Kurukshetra War (), also called the Mahabharata War, is a war described in the Hindu Indian epic poetry, epic poem ''Mahabharata'', arising from a dynastic struggle between two groups of cousins, the Kauravas and the Pandavas, for the thr ...

, Lakshmana was slain on the thirteenth day of the

Abhimanyu Abhimanyu (, ) is a character in the ancient Hindu epic ''Mahābhārata''. He was a young and valiant warrior of the Kuru lineage, born to Arjuna—the third Pandava brother—and Subhadra—a Yadava princess. He was also one of the few indivi ...

, who decapitates him using an arrow.

Role in the ''Mahabharata''

The ''

'' gives sparse information about Lakshmana, other than his participation in the

between two rival cousin group

Pandavas The Pandavas (Sanskrit: पाण्डव, aɳɖɐʋᵊ IAST: Pāṇḍava) is a group name referring to the five legendary brothers, Yudhishtira, Bhima, Arjuna, Nakula, and Sahadeva, who are central figures of the Hindu epic ''Mahabhara ...

and

Kauravas ''Kaurava'' is a Sanskrit term which refers to descendants of Kuru, a legendary king of India who is the ancestor of many of the characters of the epic ''Mahabharata''. Usually, the term is used for the 100 sons of King Dhritarashtra and his ...

. Lakshmana fought from the Kaurava side, supporting his father

, the leader of the Kauravas. On the second day of the Kurukshetra War, a furious melee ensued between Lakshmana and

, the son of Pandava

Arjuna Arjuna (, , Help:IPA/Sanskrit, �ɾd͡ʒun̪ə is one of the central characters of the ancient Hindu epic ''Mahabharata''. He is the third of the five Pandava brothers, and is widely regarded as the most important and renowned among them. ...

. When Abhimanyu was on the cusp of victory, Duryodhana rushed to his son's aid. On the twelfth day of the war, Lakshmana injured Kshatradeva, the son of warrior

Shikhandi Shikhandi () is a character in the Hindu epic Mahabharata. Born as the daughter of Drupada, the King of Panchala, Shikhandi becomes male after agreeing to a sex exchange with a yaksha. He is the brother of Draupadi, the female protagonist of th ...

. On the thirteenth day of the war, Lakshmana was stationed near his father, fighting his foes with great prowess. When Abhimanyu approached Lakshmana Kumara, the former was assailed with arrows on his arms and chest. Enraged, Abhimanyu employed a broad-headed arrow, which beheaded Lakshmana. In retaliation, Duryodhana rallied a number of powerful

Kaurava ''Kaurava'' is a Sanskrit term which refers to descendants of Kuru, a legendary king of India who is the ancestor of many of the characters of the epic ''Mahabharata''. Usually, the term is used for the 100 sons of King Dhritarashtra and his ...

warriors to attack Abhimanyu simultaneously, resulting in his death. Following the conclusion of the war, the death of Lakshmana is mourned by his

mother A mother is the female parent of a child. A woman may be considered a mother by virtue of having given birth, by raising a child who may or may not be her biological offspring, or by supplying her ovum for fertilisation in the case of ges ...

. When the sage

Vyasa Vyasa (; , ) or Veda Vyasa (, ), also known as Krishna Dvaipayana Veda Vyasa (, ''Vedavyāsa''), is a ''rishi'' (sage) with a prominent role in most Hindu traditions. He is traditionally regarded as the author of the epic Mahabharata, Mah� ...

, through his yogic powers, facilitated a vision for Pandava and Kaurava matriarchs

Kunti Kunti (, un̪t̪iː ), also known as Pritha (, ">r̩t̪ʰaː/nowiki>, ), is a prominent female character in the ancient Hindu epic '' Mahabharata''. She is chiefly recognised as the mother of the central characters—the five Pandavas—h ...

and

Gandhari Gandhari (, ) is a prominent female character in the ancient Hindu epic ''Mahabharata''. She is the daughter of King List of characters in the Mahabharata#Subala, Subala, the ruler of Gandhara kingdom, Gandhara, and becomes the wife of Dhritar ...

respectivelyto see the deceased warriors, Lakshmana was among those who appeared.

In adaptive works

Sasirekha Parinayam

In a folktale called the

Sasirekha Parinayam Sasirekha Parinayam is an Indian Telugu folktale based on oral traditions popular in Telugu States. While it uses characters who appear in the ''Mahabharata'', the story is not present in the epic. The plot concerns the marriage of Sasirekha, ...

, a tale about Lakshmana's life prior to Kurukshetra War is narrated. Duryodhana's teacher,

Balarama Balarama (, ) is a Hindu god, and the elder brother of Krishna. He is particularly significant in the Jagannath tradition, as one of the triad deities. He is also known as Haladhara, Halayudha, Baladeva, Balabhadra, and Sankarshana. The fir ...

, arranged the marriage of his daughter Sasirekha (also called Vatsala) with Lakshmana. However, Krishna, Balarama's younger brother, sought how to strengthen the ties of his own family and that of Arjuna. As part of a ploy, he invited his sister,

Subhadra Subhadra (, ) is a character in the ancient Hindu epic ''Mahabharata''. She is a princess from the Yadava clan and the sister of Krishna and Balarama. Subhadra married Arjuna, one of the Pandava brothers and had a son named Abhimanyu. Sub ...

, and her son, Abhimanyu, to his house while the wedding preparations were underway. Abhimanyu and Sasirekha fell in love and subsequently eloped. This incident brought much shame to Balarama, and served to infuriate Duryodhana.

Role in the ''Mahabharata''

In adaptive works

Sasirekha Parinayam

References

See also