Lakshmana (Epic Characters of Ramayana) (ePub)

Lakshmana was Dasharatha and Sumitra'a son, Rama's brother and an incarnation of Adisesha, the divine serpent. He mastered the Vedas and other subjects in quick time. He accompanied Rama when sage Vishwamitra wanted help in the conduct of a yajna which was being troubled by demons. After standing guard with Rama at the yajna and helping him kill several demons, he expressed no desire to return home. After Rama won Sita's hand, Lakshmana got married to Urmila. When he came to know Kaikeyi's evil demand, he was furious and was prepared to eliminate all obstacles, even if it meant killing his father. He gave up everything in order to be with Rama and Sita during their stay in the forest. He protected both of them as can be seen by the way he chopped off Shoorpanakha's nose and ears when the latter tried to attack Sita. After Sita's abduction, it was Lakshmana who instilled confidence in Rama whenever he lost it. He was highly duty conscious and expected others to be like him -Sugreeva got crowned as king of Lanka and promised to help Rama in searching for Sita but forgot about it. Lakshmana was furious and had to be calmed down by Rama. His support to Rama during the battle at Lanka was invaluable. After Rama was crowned, he desired Lakshmana to be the yuvaraja but he insisted that the honour must go to Bharatha. He was heartbroken when Rama asked him to leave Sita at Valmiki's hermitage because some people had doubted her fidelity. Caught between his duty to his brother and Durvasa, he chose to sacrifice himself. Thus he faced banishment and later entered swarga with his body and soul. It was no wonder that Sage Valmiki expressed that Lakshmana was the outer breath of Sri Rama.