Introduction
Even Sita had to follow the Lakshman Rekha. Who are you to defy? A very common line I have heard while growing up. Girls and women around me would often hear this line from parents and relatives. And it always makes me wonder, what is a Lakshman Rekha? And why is it supposed to be followed?
Lakshmana Rekha is a line in the soil drawn by Lakshmana. This line is drawn around the dwelling in the forest that he shared with his elder brother, Rama, and Rama’s wife, Sita. The line is meant to protect Sita, while he was away searching for Rama. In the story, Rama goes chasing a golden deer (rakshasa Maricha in disguise), and does not return for a long time. When Rama kills the deer, he comes to his Maricha form and shouts in Rama’s voice “Lakshmana, save me”. Sita gets impatient hearing the cry, and demands Lakshmana to depart in search of his brother. Lakshman, who could not bear to see Sita cry in grief, reluctantly decides to go and search for Rama. However, this is subject to his condition that Sita does not cross the protective line that he draws around the dwelling. According to this legend, anybody other than Rama, Sita, and himself who attempted to cross the line would be burnt. Once Lakshmana leaves in search of Rama, the rakshasa king, Ravana, arrives on the site in the form of a beggar, and asks Sita for alms. Not suspecting the ploy, she unsuspectingly crosses the Lakshmana Rekha to provide alms to him. Ravana promptly kidnaps her and flies her to Lanka upon his Pushpaka Vimana.
Lakshmana Rekha, in modern Indian parlance, refers to a strict convention or a rule, never to be broken. It often refers to the ethical limits of an action, traversing which may lead to undesirable consequences. However, it is also often used to instruct a girl to follow the limits.
This story makes me wonder a few things. Janaka, Sita’s father, had taught her all the warfare and politics that a male heir would be taught. Ramayana is not new to the concept of women warriors. Sita was a physically vigorous character. She was the one who picked up the Pinaka (Shiva Dhanush) when she was a kid. Kaikeyi, the princess of Kekeya Kingdom and the third consort of King Dasharatha, is saved to have saved life Dashratha in a war. She was bestowed with two boons (which Kaikeyi didn’t use in the meantime) by the King, as result of this act only. Then why did Lakshmana had to draw a line, to protect Sita?
Where does it start?
I started to go through various versions of Ramayana to find the answer. The first thins I had to do was to turn pages of Valmiki Ramayana. In the Aranya Kanda of Valmiki Ramayana, I found these lines.
ताम् आर्त रूपाम् विमना रुदन्तीम्
सौमित्रिः आलोक्य विशाल नेत्राम् |
आश्वासयामास न चैव भर्तुः
तम् भ्रातरम् किंचित् उवाच सीता || ३-४५-३९
ततः तु सीताम् अभिवाद्य लक्ष्मणः
कृत अन्जलिः किंचिद् अभिप्रणम्य |
अवेक्षमाणो बहुशः स मैथिलीम्
जगाम रामस्य समीपम् आत्मवान् || ३-४५-४०
The translation of the Shlokas would be “Observing the agonised aspect of Seetha that cheerless Saumitri started to cheer her up by repeatedly informing that her husband Rama will come soon. Even then Seetha has not spoken in the least to the brother of her husband, and maintained a silence of antipathy. [3-45-39]. But then, holding Seetha in usual reverence that self-respectful Lakshmana briefly came to her fore making a reverential palm-fold that briefly, and then he proceeded to the proximity of Rama, while repeatedly looking back at that lonely lady in the thick of forest. [3-45-40].”
So, in Valmiki Ramayana, Lakshmana did not draw any line to protect Sita. He just swiftly left. Probably having the confidence that Sita is competent enough to protect herself. The most commonly referred Ramayana in country today, the Ramcharitmanas, written in 16th century by Tulsidas, also has these lines.
मरम बचन जब सीता बोला। हरि प्रेरित लछिमन मन डोला॥
बन दिसि देव सौंपि सब काहू। चले जहाँ रावन ससि राहू॥3॥
Translating to : Sita ji then spoke harsh words, and by the will of Lord Ram, Lakshman ji had a change of heart. Realizing that the Almighty Lord Ram cannot be harmed by anyone, he still acknowledged Sita ji’s worry. Handing over Sita ji to the presiding deities of the forest and all the ten directions, He went to where Shri Ram, who was for Ravan what Rahu is for the Moon (Lord Ram was set to eliminate Ravan like planet Rahu devours the Moon).
In Ramacharitmanas too, Lakshmana did not draw a line, but just requested the presiding deities of forest and directions (Digpalas), he left in search of Rama. So where does the concept of Lakshman Rekha come from?
Depending on the methods of counting, as many as three hundred versions of the Indian Hindu epic poem, the Ramayana, are known to exist. The oldest version is generally recognized to be the Sanskrit version attributed to the sage Narada, the Mula Ramayana. Narada passed on the knowledge to Valmiki, who authored Valmiki Ramayana, the present oldest available version of Ramayana. The original Valmiki version has been adapted or translated into various regional languages, which have often been marked more or less by plot twists and thematic adaptations. Some of the important adaptations of the classic tale include the 12th-century Tamil language Ramavataram, 12th-century Kannada Ramachandra Charitapurana or Pampa Ramayana by Nagachandra, 13th-century Telugu language Sri Ranganatha Ramayanam, 16th-century Awadhi language Ramcharitmanas, 17th-century Malayalam language Adhyathmaramayanam Kilippattu, the Khmer Reamker, the Old Javanese Kakawin Ramayana, and the Thai Ramakien, the Lao Phra Lak Phra Lam, and the Burmese Yama Zatdaw.
With the help of some researchers, who have studies all these versions and written comparative reviews and articles, I tried to find the origin of the Lakshman Rekha story. The researches have traced it to two resgional versions, namely , the Bengali Krittivasa Ramayana and the Telugu Ranganatha Ramayana. Krittivasa Ramayana is composed by the fifteenth-century Bengali poet Krittibas Ojha, and Ranganatha Ramayana was written by the poet Ranganatha—also known as Gona Budda Reddy—between 1300 and 1310 CE.
Why was it included?
If we understand the chronology of these writings, we can very easily understand the reason behind including the story in Ramayana. Valmiki Ramayana was composed almost 2000 years ago. The scholars’ estimates for the earliest stage of the Valmiki Ramayna ranging from the 7th to 4th centuries BCE, and later stages extending up to the 3rd century CE, although original date of composition is unknown. This was the era when the land was ruled by powerful and peaceful kingdoms. But when the text was translated in regional languages in later era, the geo-political settings had changed. Mahmud of Ghazni, Sultan of the Ghaznavid Empire, invaded vast parts of Punjab and Gujarat during the 11th century. In 1202, Bakhtiyar Khalji led the Muslim conquest of Bengal, marking the easternmost expansion of Islam at the time. In the 14th century, the Khalji dynasty under Alauddin Khalji, extended Muslim rule southwards to Gujarat, Rajasthan, and the Deccan. The successor Tughlaq dynasty temporarily expanded its territorial reach to Tamil Nadu.
During these invasions and wars, the atrocities were not limited to the battlefield alone. A lot of atrocities were taking place in the villages, cities and palaces. The invaders would murder men and rape women. In such scenario, the society at the time may have thought it better and safer for women to stay indoors. And maybe that’s why, the poets devised the story of a line that women are not expected to cross.
Significance Today
The religious tales have always been the most prominent tool to teach various rules. And so, the poets may have preferred to include the rule in the story of Sita and Rama, in order to embark that in the mind of the women and men equally. The geo-political settings changed again. With British era, and later day Independent India, many women came forwards in various fields of business, research, art, politics and civics. However, the notion of Lakshman Rekha could not be wiped out from minds of those who followed Rama’s story from Ayodhya to Ayodhya via Panchavati and Lanka. Now is the time to throw away that notion, and welcome the contributions of women in making the world a better and more prosperous. Let’s celebrate the journey from survival to success, on this Women’s Day…!!!