Valmiki Ramayana 2.21.17: Ayodhya Kanda, Sarga 21, Shloka 17
अयोध्याकाण्डे एकविंशः सर्गः · Lakṣmaṇa’s militant counsel and Rāma’s dharma
based persuasion of Kausalyā
Spoken by Lakṣmaṇa to KausalyaSetting: Ayodhyā (royal quarters/palace precincts)Places named: araṇya (wilderness)
दीप्तमग्निमरण्यं वा यदि रामः प्रवेक्ष्यति ।
प्रविष्टं तत्र मां देवि त्वं पूर्वमवधारय ॥१७॥
dīptam agnim araṇyaṃ vā yadi rāmaḥ pravekṣyati |
praviṣṭaṃ tatra māṃ devi tvaṃ pūrvam avadhāraya ||17||
Oh madre, ten por seguro esto de antemano: si Rama entra en un fuego abrasador o en el desierto, yo habré entrado allí primero.
Sandhi Notes
- dīptamagnimaraṇyaṃ = dīptam + agnim + araṇyam
- māṃ = mām (anusvāra before consonant)
- pūrvamavadhāraya = pūrvam + avadhāraya
O mother! rest assured should Rama enter a blazing fire or a forest I must have already entered it.
The teaching
True kinship-dharma expresses itself as protective self-offering: one goes first into danger for the righteous.
Duties in tension
- Obedience to royal command vs fraternal duty to accompany/protect Rāma
- Personal safety vs kṣatriya-like courage in service
- Ethical theme
- Family duty (bandhu-dharma) and courage
- How it resolves
- Prioritizing sevā-dharma (protective accompaniment) as higher loyalty
For your practice
Model for dāsya-bhāva: placing oneself before the beloved duty, cultivating fearlessness and service.
Mood and themes
- Rasa
- Vira (heroism), with Karuna (compassion)
- Mood
- Self-sacrificing, resolute, protective
Themes
- Dharma
- Bhakti (devotion)
- Fraternal service
- Maryada
- Satya
The jīva’s surrender of self-interest to the higher principle (īśvara-dharma) mirrors Lakṣmaṇa’s effacement before Rāma’s path.
Echo of self-offering and fearlessness before peril (abhaya) as a mark of inner resolve (cf. ‘abhayaṃ vai janaka prāpto’si’ motif).
- Lakshmana and Rama
- Younger brother devoted protector (protective devotion)
- Lakshmana and Kausalya
- Daughter-in-law-like reverence toward elder (mother of brother) (reassuring filial respect)
- Kausalya and Rama
- Mother-son (anxious attachment (implied))
Vālmīki Rāmāyaṇa 2.20 (Lakṣmaṇa’s vows to accompany/protect Rāma); Vālmīki Rāmāyaṇa 2.31-2.33 (Lakṣmaṇa’s steadfast service in exile)
Mahābhārata: brotherly protection motifs (e.g., Bhīma toward Yudhiṣṭhira)
Ayodhyākāṇḍa: repeated ‘anugamana’ (following) vows by Lakṣmaṇa
Anuṣṭup (śloka)
Commanding
Udātta-prāya (firm, elevated cadence)
FAQs
It emphasizes seva (service) and solidarity as dharma: standing with the righteous person in hardship, not merely in comfort.
Lakṣmaṇa declares he will accompany Rāma into any danger, including exile into the forest.
Self-sacrificing loyalty and courage—choosing companionship in suffering as a moral duty.
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