Lakshmana (Mahabharata)
{{Infobox character
| info-hdr = Information
| name = Lakshmana
| image =
| caption =
| family = Duryodhana (father)
Duryodhana's chief queen (mother)
Lakshmanā (sister)
| relatives = Dhritarashtra (grandfather)
Gandhari (grandmother)
Kauravas
Pandavas (half-uncles)
Dushala(aunt)
}}
{{about|the character of Mahabharata|the half-brother of Rama|Lakshmana|other uses|Lakshman (disambiguation)}}{{Short description|Son of Duryodhana in the Indian epic Mahabharata}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2016}}{{Use Indian English|date=January 2016}}
Lakshmana (Sanskrit: लक्ष्मण, romanized: Lakṣmaṇa) was a son of Duryodhana, a prominent figure in the Hindu epic Mahabharata. He is described as a valiant warrior and a skilled archer.{{Cite book |last=Mani |first=Vettam |url=https://www.google.co.in/books/edition/Puranic_Encyclopedia/mvXsDwAAQBAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&pg=PA1&printsec=frontcover |title=Puranic Encyclopedia: A Comprehensive Work with Special Reference to the Epic and Puranic Literature |date=2015-01-01 |publisher=Motilal Banarsidass |isbn=978-81-208-0597-2 |language=en}} During the Kurukshetra War, Lakshmana was slain on the thirteenth day of the Kurukshetra War by Abhimanyu, who decapitates him using an arrow.{{cite web|url=http://www.sacred-texts.com/hin/m07/m07043.htm |title=The Mahabharata, Book 7: Drona Parva: Abhimanyu-badha Parva: Section XLIV |publisher=Sacred-texts.com |access-date=2012-08-26}}
Role in the ''Mahabharata''
File:Abhimanyu Kilss Lakshmana.jpg
The Mahabharata gives sparse information about Lakshmana, other than his participation in the Kurukshetra War between two rival cousin group{{mdash}}Pandavas and Kauravas. Lakshmana fought from the Kaurava side, supporting his father Duryodhana, the leader of the Kauravas. On the second day of the Kurukshetra War, a furious melee ensued between Lakshmana and Abhimanyu, the son of Pandava Arjuna. When Abhimanyu was on the cusp of victory, Duryodhana rushed to his son's aid.{{Cite book |last=Mackenzie |first=Donald Alexander |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=1vT3DwAAQBAJ&dq=Lakshmana+son+of+Duryodhana&pg=PA254 |title=Indian Myth and Legend |date=2020-08-15 |publisher=BoD – Books on Demand |isbn=978-3-7524-4315-8 |pages=254 |language=en}}
On the twelfth day of the war, Lakshmana injured Kshatradeva, the son of warrior Shikhandi.{{Cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=RWQ-AAAAQBAJ&dq=kshatradeva+lakshmana&pg=PT60 |title=The Mahabharata: Volume 7 |date=2015-06-01 |publisher=Penguin UK |isbn=978-81-8475-944-0 |pages=60 |language=en}}
On the thirteenth day of the war, Lakshmana was stationed near his father, fighting his foes with great prowess. When Abhimanyu approached Lakshmana Kumara, the former was assailed with arrows on his arms and chest. Enraged, Abhimanyu employed a broad-headed arrow, which beheaded Lakshmana. In retaliation, Duryodhana rallied a number of powerful Kaurava warriors to attack Abhimanyu simultaneously, resulting in his death.{{Cite book |last=Bibek Debroy |url=http://archive.org/details/the-mahabharata-set-of-10-volumes-by-bibek-debroy-veda-vyasa-vyasa-veda-vyas-z-lib.org |title=The Mahabharata, 10 Volumes by B. Debroy |pages=3686}}
Following the conclusion of the war, the death of Lakshmana is mourned by his mother. When the sage Vyasa, through his yogic powers, facilitated a vision for Pandava and Kaurava matriarchs{{mdash}}Kunti and Gandhari respectively{{mdash}}to see the deceased warriors, Lakshmana was among those who appeared.
In adaptive works
= Sasirekha Parinayam =
In a folktale called the Sasirekha Parinayam, a tale about Lakshmana's life prior to Kurukshetra War is narrated. Duryodhana's teacher, Balarama, arranged the marriage of his daughter Sasirekha (also called Vatsala) with Lakshmana. However, Krishna, Balarama's younger brother, sought how to strengthen the ties of his own family and that of Arjuna. As part of a ploy, he invited his sister, Subhadra, and her son, Abhimanyu, to his house while the wedding preparations were underway. Abhimanyu and Sasirekha fell in love and subsequently eloped. This incident brought much shame to Balarama, and served to infuriate Duryodhana.{{Cite book |last=Vemsani |first=Lavanya |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=4fw2DAAAQBAJ&dq=Lakshmana+Duryodhana&pg=PA16 |title=Krishna in History, Thought, and Culture: An Encyclopedia of the Hindu Lord of Many Names: An Encyclopedia of the Hindu Lord of Many Names |date=2016-06-13 |publisher=ABC-CLIO |isbn=978-1-61069-211-3 |pages=16 |language=en}}
References
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