लक्ष्मण
[laksmana] IAST: LAKṢMAṆA
Son born to दशरथ of सुमित्रा .
दशरथ , King of अयोध्या had three wives, कौसल्या , कैकेयी and सुमित्रा . To obtain children दशरथ performed a sacrifice named पुत्रकामेष्टि requesting the great sage ऋष्यशृङ्ग 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. कौसल्या gave birth to श्री राम , कैकेयी to भरत and सुमित्रा to लक्ष्मण and शत्रुघ्न . लक्ष्मण was an incarnation of अनन्त and so राम and लक्ष्मण had more attachment to each other.
विश्वामित्र once took राम and लक्ष्मण to the forests to give protection to the sages against the demons who gave them trouble. In the course of that विश्वामित्र took them to the स्वयंवर held at the court of जनक and श्री राम married सीता and लक्ष्मण married ऊर्मिला . When the coronation of श्री राम was about to take place, कैकेयी demanded of दशरथ , on the strength of the two boons granted to her on a previous occasion, to send श्री राम to the forests for fourteen years and crown भरत her son as King. दशरथ was compelled to accede to her request and so श्री राम went to the forests. सीता and लक्ष्मण accompanied him. लक्ष्मण during the fourteen years of their exile followed his brother राम like a shadow. लक्ष्मण cut off the breasts and nose of शूर्पणखा , the demoness who made amorous overtures to them. लक्ष्मण acted promptly and bravely when the notorious trio, खर, दूषण and त्रिशिरस् attacked them and he was responsible for the slaughter of the three. रावण , coming to know of that, carried away सीता to लङ्का .
Grief-stricken, राम and लक्ष्मण roamed about in the forests searching for सीता . At last they came to सुग्रीव with whom they made an alliance. राम and लक्ष्मण got back for सुग्रीव his kingdom of किष्किन्धा and सुग्रीव in return helped राम and लक्ष्मण to fight रावण . Accompanied by an army led by सुग्रीव राम and लक्ष्मण went to लङ्का and defeating रावण took back सीता to अयोध्या . श्री राम was crowned King and लक्ष्मण helped his brother in his duties. When there arose a scandal about सीता from the people, श्री राम asked लक्ष्मण to take सीता away to the forest and leave her there. In the अश्वमेध conducted by श्री राम , लक्ष्मण led the sacrificial horse and the horse was blocked and captured by लव and कुश and लक्ष्मण fought against them.
When the purpose of the incarnation of राम was over, god of Death in the garb of a sage approached श्री राम for a private talk. राम and the sage were closeted in a room and लक्ष्मण was asked to keep watch over the door with instructions not to allow anybody inside. After some time sage दुर्वासस् came there and लक्ष्मण entered the room to give his brother the information of his arrival. राम was angry and abandoned लक्ष्मण and, feeling repentant later, श्री राम jumped into the river and drowned himself before a huge crowd of weeping subjects. लक्ष्मण immediately ended his life by drowning himself at the same place where his brother did so.
Birth
Mark Title as "empty".
लक्ष्मण was born on the day of आश्लेषा in the lagna of कर्कटक . (Śloka 15, Chapter 18, Bāla Kāṇḍa, Vālmīki Rāmāyaṇa) .
A very brave son of दुर्योधन . He was a great archer. The महाभारत gives the following information about him.
In the great battle अभिमन्यु defeated this लक्ष्मण . [mh-6-73-32 ] .
लक्ष्मण fought against क्षत्रदेव . [mh-7-14-49 ] .
अभिमन्यु killed him in the battle-field. [mh-7-46-17 ] .
After the great war when once, at the request of कुन्ती and गान्धारी , व्यास by his yogic powers arrayed the dead warriors for कुन्ती and गान्धारी to see, this लक्ष्मण was also among them. [mh-15-32-11 ] .
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