Story of Lakṣmaṇa

Son born to Daśaratha of Sumitrā. 1) Short history. Since details about Lakṣmaṇa are included in the story under 'Rāma' only a short description is given below:

Daśaratha, King of Ayodhyā had three wives, Kausalyā, Kaikeyī and Sumitrā. To obtain children Daśaratha performed a sacrifice named Putrakāmeṣṭi requesting the great sage Ṛṣyaśṛṅga to officiate at the ceremony. At the close of the ceremony a divine person rose up from the sacrificial fire with a pot of pudding and all the three wives became pregnant by eating the same. Kausalyā gave birth to Śrī Rāma, Kaikeyī to Bharata and Sumitrā to Lakṣmaṇa and Śatrughna. Lakṣmaṇa was an incarnation of Ananta and so Rāma and Lakṣmaṇa had more attachment to each other.

Viśvāmitra once took Rāma and Lakṣmaṇa to the forests to give protection to the sages against the demons who gave them trouble. In the course of that Viśvāmitra took them to the Svayaṃvara held at the court of Janaka and Śrī Rāma married Sītā and Lakṣmaṇa married Ūrmilā. When the coronation of Śrī Rāma was about to take place, Kaikeyī demanded of Daśaratha, on the strength of the two boons granted to her on a previous occasion, to send Śrī Rāma to the forests for fourteen years and crown Bharata her son as King. Daśaratha was compelled to accede to her request and so Śrī Rāma went to the forests. Sītā and Lakṣmaṇa accompanied him. Lakṣmaṇa during the fourteen years of their exile followed his brother Rāma like a shadow. Lakṣmaṇa cut off the breasts and nose of Śūrpaṇakhā, the demoness who made amorous overtures to them. Lakṣmaṇa acted promptly and bravely when the notorious trio, Khara, Dūṣaṇa and Triśiras attacked them and he was responsible for the slaughter of the three. Rāvaṇa, coming to know of that, carried away Sītā to Laṅkā.

Grief-stricken, Rāma and Lakṣmaṇa roamed about in the forests searching for Sītā. At last they came to Sugrīva with whom they made an alliance. Rāma and Lakṣmaṇa got back for Sugrīva his kingdom of Kiṣkindhā and Sugrīva in return helped Rāma and Lakṣmaṇa to fight Rāvaṇa. Accompanied by an army led by Sugrīva Rāma and Lakṣmaṇa went to Laṅkā and defeating Rāvaṇa took back Sītā to Ayodhyā. Śrī Rāma was crowned King and Lakṣmaṇa helped his brother in his duties. When there arose a scandal about Sītā from the people, Śrī Rāma asked Lakṣmaṇa to take Sītā away to the forest and leave her there. In the Aśvamedha conducted by Śrī Rāma, Lakṣmaṇa led the sacrificial horse and the horse was blocked and captured by Lava and Kuśa and Lakṣmaṇa fought against them.

When the purpose of the incarnation of Rāma was over, god of Death in the garb of a sage approached Śrī Rāma for a private talk. Rāma and the sage were closeted in a room and Lakṣmaṇa was asked to keep watch over the door with instructions not to allow anybody inside. After some time sage Durvāsas came there and Lakṣmaṇa entered the room to give his brother the information of his arrival. Rāma was angry and abandoned Lakṣmaṇa and, feeling repentant later, Śrī Rāma jumped into the river and drowned himself before a huge crowd of weeping subjects. Lakṣmaṇa immediately ended his life by drowning himself at the same place where his brother did so.

Birth.

Lakṣmaṇa was born on the day of Āśleṣā in the lagna of Karkaṭaka. (Śloka 15, Chapter 18, Bāla Kāṇḍa, Vālmīki Rāmāyaṇa).