Valmiki Ramayana 2.40.3: Ayodhya Kanda, Sarga 40, Shloka 3
प्रयाणवर्णनम्
Departure from Ayodhya; Civic Lament and the Chariot’s Urgency
Setting: Ayodhyā palace (queen-mothers’ quarters)Places named: AyodhyāPre-exile leave-taking; paying respects before departure
अअन्वक्षं लक्ष्मणो भ्रातुः कौशल्यामभ्यवादयत् ।
अथ मातु स्सुमित्राया जग्राह चरणौ पुनः ॥३॥
ānvakṣaṃ lakṣmaṇo bhrātuḥ kauśalyām abhyavādayat |
atha mātuḥ sumitrāyā jagrāha caraṇau punaḥ ||3||
وعقب أخيه مباشرةً، انحنى لكشمانا بخشوعٍ أمام كوشاليا؛ ثم عاد فأمسك بقدمي أمه سوميترَا إجلالاً.
Sandhi Notes
- aanvakṣaṅ → anvakṣam
- kauśalyāmabhyavādayat → kauśalyām abhyavādayat
- mātu ssumitrāyā → mātuḥ sumitrāyāḥ
Immediately following Rama, his brother, Lakshmana also paid obeisance to Kausalya and, thereafter, held the feet of his own mother Sumitra.
The teaching
Before undertaking hardship, one should honor elders and receive blessings; humility and propriety steady the mind for duty.
- Ethical theme
- Ācāra-dharma (conduct), filial piety
For your practice
Models vinaya and guru/elder-vandana as daily practice; reinforces saṃskāra of respect before major undertakings.
Mood and themes
- Rasa
- Shanta (peace), with Karuna (compassion)
- Mood
- Reverent, dutiful, quietly poignant
Themes
- Dharma
- Satya
- Mātṛ-pitṛ-vandana (reverence to elders)
- Bhrātṛbhakti
- Maryādā (propriety)
Humility (vinaya) as inner purification; honoring elders as a form of karma-yoga that reduces ego.
Taittirīya-style ethic: reverence to mother/elders as a foundational dharma (mātṛ-devo bhava resonance, as later smṛti-like ethic).
- Lakshmana and Rama
- Younger brother serving elder; anujānurāga (reverent)
- Lakshmana and Kausalya
- Daughter-in-law-like reverence to elder (brother’s mother) (reverent)
- Lakshmana and Sumitra
- Son to mother; filial piety (devotional)
- Kausalya and Rama
- Mother-son (implied through Lakṣmaṇa’s sequence) (tender)
- Sumitra and Rama
- Stepmother to prince; supportive elder (implied) (supportive)
Mahābhārata: repeated motif of touching elders’ feet before departure to forest/exile; Rāmacaritamānasa: Lakṣmaṇa’s reverence to mothers and resolve to accompany Rāma
Gṛhya/Smṛti etiquette of abhivādana and caraṇa-sparśa to elders
Ayodhyākāṇḍa: leave-taking rituals—Rāma and Lakṣmaṇa seeking blessings from mothers before exile
Anuṣṭup (śloka)
Solemn
Steady madhyama pace; clear cadences at pāda ends
FAQs
Dharma is maryādā—proper conduct toward elders: even at a moment of departure and crisis, Lakṣmaṇa prioritizes respectful salutations and seeks blessings.
Preparing to accompany Rāma, Lakṣmaṇa follows the ritual and emotional protocol of taking leave—first honoring Kauśalyā, then his own mother Sumitrā.
Lakṣmaṇa’s humility and discipline—reverence that remains steady even under intense pressure.
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