Shloka 1.18.28

पुत्रजन्मोत्सवः — Birth of the Princes and Viśvāmitra’s Arrival (Bālakāṇḍa 18)

Devanagari script

सर्वप्रियकरस्तस्य रामस्यापि शरीरत:।।।।लक्ष्मणो लक्ष्मिसम्पन्नो बहि:प्राण इवापर:।

Transliteration

sarvapriyakaraḥ tasya rāmasyāpi śarīrataḥ ||

lakṣmaṇo lakṣmisaṁpanno bahiḥprāṇa ivāparaḥ ||

Translation

Lakṣmaṇa—endowed with auspicious fortune—did everything dear to Rāma, even more than one would for one’s own body; he was like another life-breath moving outside him.

Context

Lakshmana, possessed of fortune, was the dearest to his brother than his own body. As though he was his life without.

Characters & Entities

• Lakṣmaṇa
• Rāma
• prāṇa (life-breath)

FAQs

What is the core ethical principle (Dharma) in this verse?

Selfless service: dharma can be expressed as placing another’s righteous good above one’s own comfort, without envy or calculation.

What is the narrative situation?

The narrator intensifies the description of Lakṣmaṇa’s closeness to Rāma, using the metaphor of an ‘outer life-breath’.

Which character virtue is emphasized?

Self-effacing devotion and protective companionship.