Valmiki Ramayana 2.31.21: Ayodhya Kanda, Sarga 31, Shloka 21
लक्ष्मणस्य वनानुगमन-प्रतिज्ञा तथा आयुध-संग्रहः
Lakshmana’s Vow to Follow Rama and the Retrieval of Divine Weapons
Spoken by Lakṣmaṇa to RamaSetting: AyodhyāFinal assurances about household maintenance before exile
तदात्मभरणे चैव मम मातुस्तथैव च ।
पर्याप्ता मद्विधानां च भरणाय यशस्विनी ॥२१॥
tad ātmabharaṇe caiva mama mātuḥ tathaiva ca |
paryāptā madvidhānāṃ ca bharaṇāya yaśasvinī ||21||
वो अपना ख्याल रख सकती हैं, और मेरी माँ का भी। मेरे जैसों को भी संभाल सकती हैं, इतनी बड़ी हैं वो।
Sandhi Notes
- tad+ātmabharaṇe→tad ātmabharaṇe
- ca+eva→caiva
- mātus+tathā→mātus tathā
- tatha+eva→tathaiva
Illustrious Kausalya is competent enough to support herself, my mother and men like me.
The teaching
When higher duty calls, ensure care continues through capable guardianship—dharma is continuity of protection, not mere presence.
Duties in tension
- Lakṣmaṇa’s duty to accompany and protect Rāma
- Duty to care for his mother Sumitrā and household responsibilities
- Ethical theme
- Family duty; responsibility ethics
- How it resolves
- Delegation/trust in Kausalyā’s capacity and household resources
For your practice
Supports the sādhaka’s balance of renunciation and responsibility: proceed on one’s path while ensuring dependents are protected.
Mood and themes
- Rasa
- Shanta (peace), with Karuna (compassion)
- Mood
- Protective, sober, comforting
Themes
- Dharma
- Ethics
- Family-duty
- Seva
- Renunciation
Care for others as karma-yoga—action offered without clinging; social duty as purification rather than bondage.
Echo of the गृहस्थ ideal: sustaining self and others as part of ordered life (ṛta/dharma), before higher renunciation.
- Lakshmana and Sumitra
- Son acknowledging mother’s welfare in his absence (concerned, respect)
- Lakshmana and Kausalya
- Assurance that Kausalyā can support Sumitrā too (trusting, respect)
- Lakshmana and Rama
- Reassuring elder that mothers will be cared for (supportive)
Vālmīki Rāmāyaṇa 2.31.20-22 (cluster of assurances about mothers); Vālmīki Rāmāyaṇa 2.40-2.42 (queens’ distress and mutual support)
Rāmacaritamānasa: queens’ mutual dependence and Bharata’s service (Ayodhyākāṇḍa)
Ayodhyākāṇḍa: Lakṣmaṇa’s repeated framing of practical dharma alongside emotional loyalty
Anuṣṭup (śloka)
Reassuring
Gentle descent on assurances; soft emphasis on ‘पर्याप्ता’ conveying sufficiency
FAQs
Responsible renunciation: Lakṣmaṇa removes objections grounded in household dependency, asserting that elders’ welfare is safeguarded, enabling him to pursue service-dharma.
Lakṣmaṇa continues persuading Rāma that leaving for the forest with him will not cause neglect of maternal responsibilities.
Sevā-niṣṭhā (steadfastness in service) joined with foresight—he anticipates concerns and answers them with practical assurance.
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