Why Lakshmana is underrated AF

Lakshmana is why the Ramayana happened … did you know that? Here’s the tea.

Everyone celebrates Sri Ram as the ideal hero & rightly so.

But the real driver, the unshakable backbone who keeps Ram - and the story itself - moving forward, is his fiercely loyal younger brother.

On the very first night of their 14-year vanvas i.e. exile into the forest, when Ram cries for his lost home and questions whether to return, it’s Lakshmana who steadies him, refusing to let him waver from his duty.

When the devastating news of King Dasharatha’s death arrives, Ram collapses & faints under the weight of his grief.

It’s Lakshmana again who keeps him anchored, helping him process the pain and return to his path.

And when Sita is abducted by Ravana, Ram’s raging fire threatens to consume everything - even to the point of wanting to destroy the cosmos itself. Lakshmana is the one who brings him back from the edge, reminding him of his dharma, and grounding his resolve.

It’s believed that Lakshmana doesn’t sleep for the whole duration of the exile for Ram’s sake - literally standing guard every night, forsaking even basic comforts, driven by sheer devotion.

This also helps him as a loophole in the boon-powered defeating Indrajit/Meghnad in the final battle.

So it’s understandable that when he is injured during the first leg of this battle, Rama is so shattered that he declares life meaningless without him, calling Lakshmana his very soul.

This isn’t just sibling love - this is a model of supreme loyalty, self-effacement, and sacrifice, without which Rama’s journey and victory would’ve been impossible.

Yes, Hanuman, Sugriva, Bibhishan, and Sita play their own crucial roles, but Lakshmana is the silent engine that powers Rama’s resolve at every crisis.

So the next time you talk about Ramayana, remember: heroes may lead, but it’s the unwavering, unglamorous support of the Lakshmanas that make legends possible.