Lakshmana, twin brother of Shatrughna, is born to Ayodhya’s King Dasharatha and Queen Sumitra. As the youngest of four princes, he shares an unbreakable bond with his elder half-brother Rama, voluntarily joining his 14-year exile alongside Sita. Renouncing royal comforts, Lakshmana embodies selfless loyalty, prioritizing Rama’s safety and dignity above all. In the Panchavati forest, he builds a shelter for Rama and Sita, guarding them ceaselessly. He forgoes sleep entirely during exile, aided by a divine pact transferring his share of rest to his wife, Urmila. This sacrifice epitomizes his devotion. When the demoness Surpanakha threatens Sita, Lakshmana disarms her aggression by severing her nose—an act provoking Ravana’s vengeance and Sita’s abduction, igniting the epic’s central conflict. Beyond physical guardianship, Lakshmana stabilizes Rama emotionally. He tempers Rama’s grief-fueled rage after Sita’s kidnapping, dissuading him from deploying a destructive celestial weapon by advocating reason. Though disciplined, Lakshmana displays strategic assertiveness, confronting the negligent monkey-king Sugriva to expedite the search for Sita. In battle, he wields divine arms bestowed by sages, surviving a lethal strike from Ravana’s son Indrajit only through Hanuman’s swift retrieval of healing herbs. Lakshmana ultimately slays Indrajit using the Aindrastra, invoking Rama’s virtue as justification. Post-war, he rejects Rama’s offer of kingship, upholding Bharata’s seniority. His loyalty culminates when he breaches Rama’s private council with Yama to avert Durvasa’s curse on Ayodhya, accepting self-exile as punishment. He voluntarily enters the Sarayu River, ascending to heaven alive per divine will. Though married to Urmila and father to Angada and Chandraketu, Lakshmana’s devotion to Rama eclipses domestic ties. His strict adherence to dharma—manifest in vigilance, self-restraint, and refusal to glimpse Sita beyond her feet—cements his legacy as an icon of duty and sacrifice.