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Continued from yesterday’s instalment
 We have seen Lakshmana the silent participant of the Bala Kanda and Lakshmana the rebel of the Ayodhya Kanda. What we are going to see from this point onwards is a totally different Lakshmana. He is ever so diligent, vigilant, wakeful and highly supportive. His intellect is sharp and he reasons out many incidents logically. As Sri VVS Aiyar observes, "But whenever it is not a question of Kaikeyi or Bharata, Lakshmana's mind sees clear as crystal. He is in all other matters the wisest of the wise and the wariest of the wary.
His devotion to Rama and Sita gives him a power of insight which is denied to Rama
himself."
It is the power of devotion that works all wonders. Faith and devotion are the bulwarks of our very existence. Speaking of them, I am reminded of a beautiful parable of Sri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa. 'Someone had to cross the ocean from Lanka to the mainland. Vibishana gave him a small object wrapped in cloth. Keep this with you, he told that
person. Tie it up around your waist and you can just walk over the ocean.'
 The person did so and he could walk over the ocean. But half way through he was so curious about the object that Vibishana gave him. 'How come this thing enables me to walk over the waves?' he wondered and opened the wrapping. He found a Palmyra leaf with the name 'Ram' written on it. 'So, is it only this?' thought he and the next moment he could not remain on top of the waves any more! Faith moves mountains. Devotion gives you the strength to do so, says Ramakrishna and adds jokingly, 'and that is why Hanuman, imbued with devotion for Rama could fly across the ocean chanting the name of Rama, while Rama had to build a bridge to do so!'
Well, that shows the power of devotion. That anecdote of Ramakrishna brings out the essence of devotion. And the observation of Sri VVS Aiyar, "His devotion to Rama and Sita gives him a power of insight which is denied to Rama himself," emphasises the same point. It is the thing that has been responsible for the onward march of generations. There is nothing to surpass the power of the devotion and faith combine. And that is how Lakshmana could see a lot more than Rama himself on several occasions, for he was the child perched on the father's shoulders, who by the sheer advantage of the extra height, is able to see more than what the father can see. But who can deny that it is the father who gives that advantage of 'extra height' to the child thus enabling him to envision more!
 Right from the time of the arrival of Surpanakha, the role of Lakshmana gains the special place of importance. But it has to be remembered that by that time a little more than twelve years had passed from the commencement of the exile. Life was a smooth sail until then. There is not much to mention about their life for a long time that the Poet himself quickly crosses this period in just one line of a four-line verse!
'aindhum aindhum amaidhiyin aaNdu avaN maindhar theedhu ilar vaiginar.' They lived in peace and without any harm for years five and five (or ten years).
The story gains speed from this point of time and the events described in Aranya Kanda and the other three books happen within a short period of around three years. And now we see the emergence of Lakshmana as a splendid hero.
More follows...
Published on 10th March 2002
Hari Krishnan
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