Lakshmana

Lakshmana was the son of Dasaratha, King of Ayodhya and Sumitra. He had a brother named Shatrughna who killed Lavnasur and was the younger brother of Rama. He is said to be the incarnation of Sheshanaga or the thousand-headed Naga upon whom reclines Lord Vishnu in the primordial ocean of milk. The Lord of Serpents, Sheshanaga was incarnated to the earth in the form of Lakshmana and during the Dwapar Yuga, he incarnated as Balrama. He married the younger sister of Sita, wife of Rama, named Urmila.

Related Topics:
Dasaratha - Ayodhya - Shatrughna - Rama - Sheshanaga - Lakshmana - Dwapar Yuga - Sita - Urmila

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Lakshmana personifies brotherly love and self-effacement. When Sri Rama, in fulfillment of father Dasharatha's promise to queen Kaikeyi, set out for the forest with Sita, Lakshmana followed him. When Sri Rama had to wage war against Ravana to rescue Sita, Lakshmana whole-heartedly collaborated in the venture. His devotion to his elder brother and to Sita, whom he looked upon as his mother, has made him unique; and his spirit of sacrifice is esteemed as of the highest kind.

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Lakshmana is the ideal brother in Hinduism and was known for serving his brother for 14 years in exile, after leaving his wealth and his wife. He killed many sons of Ravana, the King of Lanka, the most prominent of them being the strong Indrajit. Along with Indrajit, he also killed Prahast and Atikay, who were very powerful and had defeated the King of Gods.

Related Topics:
Hinduism - Ravana - Lanka - Indrajit - Atikay

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(When Vishnu incarnated on earth as Rama, his entourage also accompanied and were born as his brothers. Thus, Lakshmana is the incarnation of Sesha (also known as Adisesha or Sheshanaga) while Bharata is the incarnation of Vishnu's conch (snail). Satrughna, another brother of Rama, is the incarnation of Vishnu's Chakra (discus).

Related Topics:
Sesha - Adisesha - Sheshanaga - Bharata - Conch - Satrughna - Chakra

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