Lakshmana: Difference between revisions

| caption = Lakshmana at [[Srivaikuntanathan Perumal temple]]

| deity_of = Valiant brother of lord [[Rama]]

| dynasty = [[Raghuvaṃśa dynasty|Raghuvamsa]], [[Suryavamsa]]

| affiliation = [[Avatar]] of [[Shesha]]

| birth_place = Ayodha

| death_place = Ayodha suryu river

}}

==Birth and marriage==

[[File: Four Sons of Dasaratha.jpg|thumb|250px|Birth of Four Sons of Dasharatha]]

King [[Dasharatha]] of [[Ayodhya]] had three wives: [[Kausalya]], [[Kaikeyi]] and [[Sumitra]]. He performed a [[yajna|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 (Ramayana)|Bharata]] were born to Kausalya and Kaikeyi.<ref name="Mani">{{cite book|author = Mani, Vettam|title = Puranic Encyclopaedia: A Comprehensive Dictionary With Special Reference to the Epic and Puranic Literature|url = https://archive.org/details/puranicencyclopa00maniuoft|publisher = Motilal Banarsidass|year = 1975|location = Delhi|isbn = 978-0-8426-0822-0|author-link =Vettam Mani|pp=[https://archive.org/details/puranicencyclopa00maniuoft/page/448 448]-9}}</ref>

In the [[Puranas]], Lakshmana is described as an incarnation of [[Shesha]], the multiple-headed [[nāga]] (serpent) upon whom rests the god [[Vishnu]], whose [[avatar]] Rama is considered.  

When sage [[Vishwamitra]] asked Rama to kill the demons in the forest, Lakshmana accompanied them and went to [[Mithila (ancient)|Mithila]] with them. Lakshmana was especially attached to Rama. When Rama married [[Sita]], Lakshmana married Sita's younger sister, [[Urmila]]. They had two sons: [[Angada (Lakshmana's son)|Angada]] and [[Chandraketu]].  

==Rama's exile==

Lakshmana served Rama and Sita reverently during the exile. In Panchvati, Lakshmana also built a hut for Rama and Sita to live in. Lakshmana cut off [[Ravana]]'s sister [[Surpanakha]]'s nose in anger when she tried to seduce Rama and insulted Sita. He played an important role in the war with [[Ravana]] and slew Ravana's sons [[Indrajit]] and [[Atikaya]].

When Sita asked Rama to fetch a magical golden deer for her, Rama asked Lakshmana to stand guard as he sensed danger and evil. The golden deer 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]] 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]], crossed the line to give him alms, following which she was abducted. Lakshmana Rekha has become a metaphor in situations where a certain limit must not be transgressed by human beings in any circumstance whatsoever.

During the war between [[Rama]] and [[Ravana]], Lakshmana killed [[Indrajit]] and [[Atikaya]], who were the sons of Ravana. Before he killed Indrajit, Lakhshmana and [[Rama]] were twice defeated by [[Indrajit]], and on both occasions, [[Hanuman]]'s intervention saved them from certain death.<ref name="Ramayana">{{cite book | url=https://books.google.com/?id=4Wzg6wFJ5xwC | title=Ramayana | publisher=University of California Press | author=B. A van Nooten William | year=2000 | isbn=978-0-520-22703-3}}</ref> After the war, when Rama asked Sita to give a test of her purity, Lakshmana for the first time got angry with Rama and opposed him.

<gallery widths="200px" heights="200px">

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

 

 

[[File: Rama, Lakshman and Sita at the Kalaram Temple, Nashik..jpg|thumb|Rama is often worshiped with Lakshmana (left) and Sita on his sides; [[Kalaram Temple]], [[Nashik]].]]

 

After the end of the Lanka war, Rama was crowned king of Ayodhya, and Bharata became the crown prince. Rama had offered to make Lakshmana the crown prince, but he refused, saying Bharata was elder than 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. {{Citation needed|date=July 2020}}

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 (Ramayana)|Lava]] and [[Kusha (Ramayana)|Kusha]] later on. {{Citation needed|date=July 2020}}

===Abandonment of life===

Sage [[Durvasa]] 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 <ref>{{Cite web|date=2020-04-02|title=When Sri Rama gives death penalty to Laxman|url=https://english.newstracklive.com/news/ram-and-laxman-katha-in-hindi-ramayan-ram-laxman-and-parshuram-story-sc93-nu612-1081526-1.html|access-date=2020-06-17|website=News Track|language=en}}</ref>

==Legacy==

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.

Military officers given the rank equivalent of [[admiral]]s in navies in the Malay Archipelago, including Malaysia and Indonesia, are titled "Lakshmana" ([[Jawi script]]: {{rtl-lang|ms|لقسامان}}) after the figure.

 

The community members of an [[empire|imperial dynasty]] of [[Gurjara-Pratihara dynasty|Gurjara-Pratiharas]] claimed that they were called Pratihara as their ancestor, who Lakshmana served as a door-keeper to his elder brother [[Rama]]. They ruled much of Northern India from the mid 7th to the 11th century. The first Pratihara inscription to discuss the origin of the Pratihara dynasty was the Jodhpur inscription of Bauka Pratihara 837 CE, It also gave its name to the dynasty, as the ancestors from [[Lakshmana]], who worked as a gatekeeper for his brother [[Ramachandra]]. <ref>  K.M. Munshi Diamond Volume, II, p. 11 </ref> <ref>Epigraphia Indica, XVIII, pp. 87 </ref> Laxman's son [[Angad]], who was the ruler of Karpath (Rajasthan and Punjab), mention King Shri Harichandra Pratihara in the 126th generation of this dynasty (590 AD).

==Jain version==

== In popular culture ==

|Ankur Verma / Arun Mandola

==Notes==

* {{Commonscat-inline|Lakshmana}}

[[Category: Characters in the Ramayana]]

[[Category: Hindu gods]]

[[Category: Raghuvamsa]]

[[Category: Salakapurusa]]

[[Category:Descendants of Ikshvaku]]