"Oh Brother"

[Guest guest]

Srimate SrivanSatakopa Sri Vedanta Desika Yatindra Mahadesikaya Nama:

 

Oh Brother!

 

Human beings are social animals. They thrive on

relationships. Without one's relatives, man finds himself lost in this wild

jungle of samsara. These relationships are of many types-some are natural and

some are acquired. While some are permanent, some are temporary. Some people are

with us throughout our lives, while some others enter it late and leave it

early. Some depend on us, while we depend on some others. There are

relationships characterised by depth and sanctified by sincerity, while there

are others, which are just not worth the name.

 

Though relationships there are many, that subsisting between brothers is

something exceptional and unparalleled. It is one of the associations we are

blessed with at birth. Brothers grow up together, sharing the excitements of

juvenile exploration and discovery, sharing the pangs of growth, often sharing

food and fun. They share fights too and the bittersweet reconciliation that

follows. Fortunate indeed are those blessed with brothers. We have this on the

authority of no less a person than Sri Raghunandana, who says that marital

relationships could be found aplenty and we could always cultivate other

associations too, but the bonds of brotherhood are rare and difficult to

acquire-

 

"dEsE dEsE cha kaLathrANi dEsE dEsE cha bAndhavA:

tamtu dEsam na pasyAmi yatra bhrAthA sahOdara:"

 

Though there have been many illustrious brotherhoods (like Sri Krishna and Sri

Balarama, the PAndavA brothers, the asurAs HiranyAksha and Hiranyakasipu, etc.)

characterised by love and affection, that between Sri Rama and Sri Lakshmana is

something unique and unparalleled in the history of mankind. The depth of

emotion and love they display towards each other, their sticking together in the

face of overwhelming adversity, their complementary nature in everything, their

identity of thought, word and deed-all these are exceptional and serve as a role

model to mankind till today.

 

No one would dispute the profundity of the relationship between any husband and

wife, and more so the Divine Couple. It is a testimony to the bonds of Sri

Rama's brotherhood with Sri Soumithri, that even Sri Sita feels compelled to

remark, much in the fashion of an ordinary, jealous spouse, that Sri Lakshmana

is dearer to Sri Raghava than Herself-

 

"mattha: priyatarO nityam bhrAthA RAmasya Lakshmana:"

 

There are indeed valid reasons for Sri Janaki's jealousy-

 

1.While Sri Lakshmana had been enjoying Sri Rama's company right from childhood

("BalyAt prabhruti susnigdha:"), it only after Her marriage that Sri VaidEhi

comes into contact with Sri Dasarati. The memory of all those years of lost

bliss keeps rankling in Her mind.

 

2.Sri Valmiki too makes a subtle distinction between the standing of the Divine

Consort and Sri Lakshmana, vis a vis Sri Raghunandana. While Sri Mythily is only

likened to His life ("nityam prANa samA satI"), Sri Lakshmana is said to be

verily Sri Rama's life ("Bahi: prANa ivApara:").

 

3.Additionally, though Piratti is supposed to be an inseparable adjunct of the

Lord ("agalakillEn irayum endru alarmEl magai urai mArba!"), in Ramavatara, She

had to endure long spells of separation from Sri Dasarati, first when Ravana

abducted and imprisoned Her in Asokavanam, and again when She went into exile

while being pregnant, ostensibly due to the idle gossip of an ignorant washer

man. In contrast, Sri Lakshmana never leaves his brother's side, whether in

Ayodhya or in the inhospitable jungle.

 

4. Sri Rama's own words prove Sri Mythili's apprehensions (about Sri Lakshmana

being dearer to Sri Rama than Herself) to be true. When He witnesses Soumitri

prostrate and unconscious, bound by Indrajit's nAgapAsa, Sri Raghava is beside

Himself with grief and blames Himself for having got His dear brother into a

war, all on account of Sita. He laments," Of what earthly use would it be to me,

if I were to retrieve Sita at the cost of Lakshmana's life? Any number of Sitas

may be found on this earth, but not a brother of the calibre of Lakshmana. If

the unthinkable happens and Lakshmana never wakes up from his slumber, these

VAnarAs would surely witness me taking my own life!"-

 

"Kinnu mE SItayA kAryam kim kAryam jIvitEna vA

sayAnam yOtha pasyAmi bhrAtaram yudhi nichitam

 

sakyA SitA samA nArI martyalOkE vichinvatA

na Lakshmana samO bhrAtA sachiva: sAmparAyika:

 

parithyakshyAmyaham prANAn vAnarANAm tu pasyatAm

yadi panchatvam Apanna: SumitrAnanda vardhana:"

 

5. Sri Rama makes such a song and dance about taking Sri Vaidehi along for the

vanavAsa, trying to frighten Her with vivid descriptions of the terrors of the

jungle. It is only after She hurls a barb at Him about His being afraid of

taking Her along and incapable of protecting Her, that He relents.

 

Comparatively, Lakshmana is easily able to convince his brother to take him

along, adding one more reason for Sri Sita's justifiable jealousy.

 

Sri Lakshmana is admittedly the younger of the brothers. However, we find him

displaying maturity beyond his years, especially when Sri Rama is overcome with

emotions, and nursing Him back to normalcy with soothing words of wisdom. In an

apparent reversal of role, Sri Lakshmana often acts as the elder brother.

Acknowledging this, Sri Sita tells Maruti that Lakshmana takes such good care of

his brother that the latter never feels the absence of His dead father, whenever

Lakshmana is around-

 

"Yam drishtvA RAghavO naiva vrittham Aryam anusmarEt"

 

Sri Rama too admits that Lakshmana takes the place of His father by his

exemplary conduct, so much so that Dasarati never longs for His father, with

Lakshmana compensating more than adequately--

"BhAvagyEna kritagyEna dharmagyEna cha Lakshmana!

TvayA putrENa dharmAtmA na samvritta: pita mama"

 

The Shastras lay down that the elder brother is to be adored and respected as

one's father himself-"JyEshtta bhrAtA pitru sama:" Sri Lakshmana adhered to this

dictum in letter and spirit. His mother too, while wishing him well on his

departure to the jungle in Rama's company, tells him to behave towards Rama as

he would towards Dasarata, and to consider Sita verily as his mother-

 

"RAmam Dasaratam viddhi, mAm viddhi JanakAtmajAm".

 

Sri Sita is all praise for Lakshmana carrying out this injunction faithfully,

while acknowledging that Lakshmana regards them (Rama and Sita) verily as his

parents-

 

"Pitruvat vartatE RAmE mAtruvat mAm samAcharan".

 

Sri Lakshmana's devotion to his sister-in-law and his absolutely blemishless

conduct towards Her is brought out in the Kishkindha Kanda, when bidden by Rama

to identify the jewels cast off by Sri Janaki while being carried away by

Ravana. Sri Lakshmana pleads his inability to identify any of the ornaments worn

on any part of Sri Sita's tirumeni, except those adorning Her feet. This is

because while in Her presence, he never lifts his eyes from her tiruvadi

 

"nAham jAnAmi kEyUrE nAham jAnAmi kundalE

nUpurE tu abhijAnAmi nityam pAdAbhivandanAt"

 

Since he worships Her tiruvadi, Sri Lakshmana is conversant with the noopuram

adorning Her feet, but not with any other ornament, since his rectitude doesn't

permit him to lift his eyes upwards.

 

More of the brother later.

 

Srimate Sri LakshmINrsimha divya paduka sevaka SrivanSatakopa Sri Narayana

Yatindra Mahadesikaya nama:

 

Dasan, Sadagopan.