The Ramayana Blog – I (Lakshmana’s ego – the root cause)

We all heard stories about Rama’s exile to the forest. Fourteen long years, they say, passed by in a quick kaleidoscope of events. While Rama should have spent this time in peace with nature and soaked in the essence of life – he was compelled to spend the time finding his abducted wife.

We even hear jokes where people say that Rama was unable to protect his wife from being abducted – how will he save his billion disciples. And I dare say there is an element of truth in this. Perhaps this is the reason why we have more Krishna temples than Rama … but that’s a story for some other blog. For now, we know that Rama could neither refuse his wife’s craving to own a certain musk deer and his inability to protect her from getting abducted once he started running after the deer. But is that really all that the Ramayana is about?

The truths/myths/stories of both Mahabharata and Ramayana are about teaching people lessons. In today’s context it matters less where or whether Rama (or his temple) existed. What matters is the lessons that we learnt and continue to learn from the teachings of this epic saga. The true temple is always inside the mind and it’s very personal. But I think I should stop digressing and return to the topic.

I try to analyse one aspect of the Ramayana – how immaturity leads to tragedy, and the learning that comes forth. My villain, for this blog, is Lakshmana. It is true that history is written by the winners – for in the versions of Ramayana that we know, Lakshmana was this dutiful brother who was willing to lay down his life for the sake of his elder brother. Well that is also true – because in reality there are no villains and heroes. There is only choice. Small choices of how we use our powers shapes the destinies that we are subjected to endure. The choice of which bend of the road we take decides the destination where the road takes us.

Ravana was arguably as great or greater King than Rama himself. While Rama was in the forest, he was just a king in exile and Ravana was still a king. Soorpanakha, the sister of Ravana, was a princess in her own rights. While sauntering in the forest, her gaze fell on Lakshmana – a handsome lad with a princely demeanour. Soorpanakha, the princess, so used to getting what she demanded, now desired Lakshmana himself – and went on to profess her feelings for him. As things turned out, our Lakshmana was not impressed by her and he refused. Being sister of the greatest king of the era – Soorpanakha was not used to hearing no, and she persisted in her attempt to woo Lakshmana.

Lakshmana has many choices then. To marry her and befriend a kingdom, or to politely but firmly refuse her advances. Maybe that would have been that. Maybe Lakshmana could even have run away. But no!! Our immature Lakshmana chooses to take out his bow and arrow and cut off Soorpanakha’s nose and ears!! For a young lady of marriageable age of that era, this meant she would never find a suitable groom. In the entire Ramayana, after that incident, Soorpanakha is seldom mentioned or seen. She must have ceased to even feel like a princess and therefore faded away into obscurity. Lakshmana’s foolish and immature decision had laid the foundation stone of the Ramayana as we know it today.

Which brother can hear of someone chopping off his sister’s nose and ears, and remain unmoved - and Ravana was king and one of the most learned names of that era. He had to make Lakshmana repay. Whether he abducted Sita thinking that Sita was Lakshmana’s consort or out of sheer rage is not known. But this is for sure that he would not have bothered with Rama or Sita had Soorpanakha’s nose and ears not been chopped.

Love has been spurned many times in history, and it is not necessary that every love professed must meet with an equal positive response. There are cases of obsession and punishment – but probably no reaction as violent as what Lakshmana had meted out to Soorpanakha.

• ·         That was an immature act showing total disdain for the fact that Soorpanakha was a lady
• ·         The act was foolish. Lakshmana chose to react without ever trying to find out who he was getting up against.
• ·         That was an impulsive action because Lakshmana had many other ways to prove his manhood and superiority.

History, and the popular version of the Ramayana, may choose to bypass or ignore this key turning point of the Ramayana – however, in the temple in our heads, many shall continue to think and form their own conclusions … as I have made mine. Life has never been black and white – there are many shades of grey – and then there is colour which makes everything so beautiful. Lakshmana, immature as he was, chose black. Can we credit (or discredit) much of the Ramayana saga to Lakshmana, just we can credit (or discredit) Draupadi for igniting the Mahabharata? (The Kurukshetra Trigger)