Lakshman was Raja Dashrath’s son, born to Queen Saumitra. Twin-brother to Shatrughan; step-brother both to Ram and Bharat and husband to Urmila, it was only with Ram that he had a bonding in body and spirit. Ram was his be-all and end-all. Says Rishi Balmiki –
Lakshman, one who augmented affluence, had from his childhood intense affection for Ram…
For Ram the splendour-endowed Lakshman was like a second life which walked outside of Him. The Man Supreme could not sleep when Lakshman was not around. If any delicacy was served to Ram, he did not eat it before sharing it with Lakshman.
-Balmiki Ramayan, Balkand, 18(xxix-xxx)
Was there anything atemporal in this extraordinary affinity between two brothers?
Sant Tulsidas gives us a clue –
Lachchhan dham Ram priya sakal jagat aadhaar
Guru Vashisht tehi Rakha Lachhiman naam udaar
He, abode of auspicious characteristics, beloved of Ram and supporter of the whole world, was named ‘Lakshman’ by Guru Vashisht.
-Ramcharitmanas, Balkand, 117
In this doha, Tulsidas alludes to the divine status of Ram and Lakshman. Ram was a Vishnu avtar and Lakshman, the incarnation of Sheshnag – the divine serpent on whose coiled body the Lord of the Universe reclines serenely. The two were inseparable.
Lakshman manifested in human form with two chief traits of Sheshnag: his absolute devotion to Ram and his occasional spurts of intense anger, which only Ram could hold in check.
With Ram through thick and thin
Sheshnag cushions Lord Vishnu in the Ksheersagar, as did Lakshman support Ram throughout their earthly existence. Ram went hunting on horseback; Lakshman followed him with a bow in his hand to protect him. Rishi Vishwamitra demanded of Raja Dashrath to send Ram with him to fight rakshasas; Lakshman made it a point to accompany his brother on the challenging mission. Together they faced Tadka who by her ferocious deeds had created terror in the jungle, and killed her. After the duo had made the place safe for the rishi-munis to perform yagyas, Rishi Vishwamitra took them to Mithila. Here, in a bower, Ram cast his eye over Princess Sita for the first time. It was to Lakshman that he confessed his fascination for her: “jasu biloki alaukik sobha/sahaj punit mor man chhobha….” – seeing whose transcendental beauty my generally pure mind has got agitated (ibid, 230(ii)). Participating in the Sita-swayamvara contest, Ram accidentally snapped the age-old Shiv’s bow. A fulminating Parshuram threatened him with dire consequences. While the host, Raja Janak, as also the whole assembly of royal contestants stood wordless, trembling in fear; young Lakshman dared the self-professed foe of rajas to prove his might with him. At that instant, he ignored even the intervention of Rishi Vishwamitra. In the end, Ram himself had to take the matter into his hands to quieten Lakshman and show the arrogant Brahmin warrior his place (ibid, 270-284).
The four Raghu brothers got married in Mithila – Ram and Lakshman to Raja Janak’s daughters, Sita and Urmila; and Bharat and Shatrughan to Sita’s cousins (daughters of Janak’s brother, Kushdhwaj), Mandvi and Shrutkirti. Raja Dashrath brought back the newly-weds to Ayodhya with great pomp and show. Time passed quickly in festive Ayodhya. Then, Queen Kaikeyi’s brother, Prince Yudhajit, who had come to participate in the wedding ceremonies, persuaded Raja Dashrath to allow his nephew Bharat to accompany him as his father, Raja Ashwapati of Kaikeya Desh (an ancient kingdom in what is now Pakistan), wanted to meet his grandson. Bharat took Shatrughan along with him.
Then came that life-changing event when Lakshman erupted like a volcano. Dashrath had publicly declared that Ram was to be anointed as the heir apparent. But one day before the ceremony was due, the raja had rescinded his decision to install Ram as the crown prince. Now Bharat was to hold that position and Ram was to spend a hermit’s life in the wilderness for 14 years. Lakshman swore dreadful measures against “our father (who) has turned our foe.” It took Ram all his evenness and tact to temper him down. (Balmiki Ramayan, Ayodhya Kand, 21). Yet, even Ram could not deter him from his determination to suffer the hardships of the vanvas with him. Deferring to Lakshman’s unwavering attachment, Ram allowed him to travel with him in the chariot till the end of their territory. He sent back the charioteer, Sumantra, to Ayodhya and crossed the Ganga along with Sita and Lakshman on a boat Here, they halted for a night at Prayag beneath an ancient tree. In the morning Ram tried again to persuade him to return to Ayodhya. Putting aside all the arguments of his elder brother, Lakshman said firmly –
“Intimidator of foes, Raghunath! Without you I do not wish to see today our revered father, brother Shatrughan, mother Sumitra, nor even the swargaloka.”
Ibid, 53(xxxii)
The heavy price of loyalty
Absolute devotion results in complete merger of the selfhood with the idol. Lakshman had the prowess of a warrior, the cultivation of a prince and the wisdom of Sheshnag himself. All these he willingly made subservient to Ram’s will. There is however at least one exception when Lakshman made use of his acuity while dealing with his brother. Ram had lost his composure when Sita went missing. Between bouts of crying and intense rage, he spoke of destroying the entire universe in reprisal. Pressing his feet, Lakshman soothed him for a while and then gave him a wake-up call –
“O best of men! Through your wisdom think of the essence – what should be done and what shouldn’t be done; what is appropriate and what is inappropriate – determine that; because only men of the wisdom know well what is good and what is not.”
Ibid, Aranyakand, 66(xvi)
Even so, it was the same Lakshman who prepared the pyre for Sita’s trial by fire. Ravan had been killed in the war and Vibhishan was Lanka’s new king. He respectfully presented the former captive Sita before Ram. Balmiki says that Ram humiliated Sita at that instant. Aghast at her unwelcome reception by Ram, Sita asked Lakshman to make preparations for her immolation as she preferred to die rather than live in shame. Lakshman looked at Ram with ‘amarsh’ – indignation – as he could not stomach Sita’s disgrace, and yet, at Ram’s signal, he made the preparation for Sita to jump into the fire. (ibid, Yudhkand, 116(xx-xxi).
Again, Lakshman meekly carried out Raja Ram’s severe command to escort a pregnant Sita to the forest and abandon her there. He could reveal his inner feelings to the woe-begone Sita only at the last moment –
“O daughter of Videh! My mind is tormented by the most vexatious barb that Raghunath-ji, in spite of his wisdom, has entrusted to me a task today that will bring me great infamy among the people.”
Ibid, Uttarkand, 47(iv)
Ironically, the apparent cause of Lakshman’s parting with Ram was his forced disobedience of the latter’s final command. Vishnu-incarnate Ram had completed the promised ‘eleven thousand years’ on earth. Now Kaal himself came to him to deliver a message from Lord Brahma that He was welcome to return to His eternal abode. While Raja Ram and Kaal were having a talk in the privacy of the royal chamber, Lakshman, who guarded the door, was to prevent any intrusion. But Lakshman’s fate appeared in the guise of Rishi Durvasa. He could not stop the mercurial rishi from going into the chamber. Lakshman’s failure meant either death at the hands of Raja Ram or his banishment. Ram, with a heavy heart, chose to impose the second one on him. Upon that, Lakshman could think of nothing else but going straight to the river Saryu, and through yoga, stop breathing. Indra, the lord of devas, took him bodily to the swarga (ibid, 113-116).
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