Lakshman played an important role in the Indian epic the Ramayana. He was the son of king
Dasaratha and brother of
Lord Ram.
Bharat and
Shatrughna were his other brothers. Lakshman was an inseperable companion as well as follower of Ram. He considered Ram and his consort Sita as deities.
When Rama and Sita were exiled to the forest for 14 years, Lakshman too accompanied them, leaving his young wife behind in the palace. They had to undergo several hardships and obstacles in the forest. One day while in the forest, Surpanakha, the sister of Asura King Ravana, was captivated by the beauty of Ram and asked him to marry her. But Ram refused it and told her that he was already married. In the ensuing quarrel, Lakshman cut off her nose, a breast and one ear. Surpanakha then sought for help of Ravana by portraying the beauty of Sita. Ravana cunningly carried off Sita to his kingdom of Lanka.
A war was held between Ram and Ravana. With the help of monkey warriors, Ram and Lakshman killed all of the
rakshasa generals. Lakshman killed
Indrajit, son of Ravana. Finally Sita was rescued. Thus Lakshman proved that he is a synonym of self-sacrifice.
