Lakshmaṇa Joins Rāma in the Forest

When Bhagavān Rāma accepted his exile in the forest, Lakshmaṇa at once decided to go with him. Sītā had also decided to go, and the two choices together show the loyalty that shapes the forest part of the Rāmāyaṇa. Lakshmaṇa would not stay in Ayodhyā. His mother Sumitrā gave him a remarkable blessing, and he left with Rāma, ready to guard him through all the years in the forest.

Lakshmaṇa refuses to stay

Lakshmaṇa had been present through the whole painful meeting with Kaikeyī, and he could barely hold back his anger. When Rāma accepted the exile and began to get ready to leave, Lakshmaṇa at once said that he would go with him. He would not stay in Ayodhyā. His one purpose was to serve Rāma, to walk in front of him and clear his path, and to guard Rāma and Sītā against every danger of the forest.

His words were direct and full of feeling. They were very different from Sītā’s deep and thoughtful words. He spoke from the strength of his love and his sense of purpose. Without Rāma, Ayodhyā meant nothing to him. The kingdom and its comforts meant nothing without the one he served. He said he was ready to face any hardship and any enemy, as long as he could do it in Rāma’s service.

He also spoke bluntly about the wrong that had been done. But he put that feeling second to his main purpose, which was to be with Rāma. (Vālmīki Rāmāyaṇa, Ayodhyā Kāṇḍa, Chapters 28 to 30)

Sumitrā’s counsel

Lakshmaṇa went to his mother Sumitrā to ask her blessing before he left. Her farewell was remarkable. She did not weep or try to hold him back. She gave him wise and loving advice:

• See Rāma as Daśaratha, as your father and king, the one who stands for the highest dharma.
• See the forest as Ayodhyā. Wherever you go in Rāma’s company is the royal city for you.
• See Sītā as myself, as your own mother, who deserves your protection and respect.
• See everything that stands against Rāma’s welfare as the enemy.

Sumitrā told him that going to the forest in Rāma’s service was not a loss. It was the fulfilment of his dharma. Her words turned the parting from a loss into a calling. Lakshmaṇa took her blessing with joy and went to join Rāma and Sītā. (Vālmīki Rāmāyaṇa, Ayodhyā Kāṇḍa, Chapter 31)

Lakshmaṇa in the forest

In the forest years told in the Ayodhyā Kāṇḍa, Lakshmaṇa served Rāma with no thought of himself. He built the parṇaśālā (leaf hut) at Citrakūṭa with his own hands. He kept watch while Rāma and Sītā slept. He walked ahead on the forest paths.

He was anuja-sevā itself, the service of a devoted younger brother whose whole being is turned to the good of his elder. His presence gave Rāma and Sītā the safety and support that made the forest exile bearable. (Vālmīki Rāmāyaṇa, Ayodhyā Kāṇḍa, Chapters 36 to 56)

Sources

• Vālmīki Rāmāyaṇa, Ayodhyā Kāṇḍa, Chapters 28 to 31
• Vālmīki Rāmāyaṇa, Ayodhyā Kāṇḍa, Chapters 36 to 56