Laxman and Urmila's unheard love tale

Swapna

Laxman and Urmila's unheard love tale

Everyone who has read the Ramayana is aware of the misery of Rama and Sita's separation, but only a few are aware of the agony of another couple, Laxman and Urmila. Their love tale may be underrated, but it contains some deeper meanings and love lessons. Bounded by each other's duties and responsibilities, how did they live without each other for fourteen years?

The unknown love story of Laxman and Urmila, Image source- BadTime Stories - WordPress.com

Urmila was born to the King of Mithila, Maharaja Janaka, and Queen Sunaina. She had four sisters, of which she was the closest to Sita. They formed a strong bond and grew up together. On the other hand, Laxman was the son of King Dasaratha and Queen Sumitra. He shared a similar close bond with his elder brother, Rama.

Over time, four of them grew into adults, and the date of their marriages drew closer by the day. Maharaja Janaka organized a grand swayamvara for them. When Dasaratha got to know about this, he sent his sons to take part in the swayamvara. It was the first time Urmila saw Laxman, and the two of them fell in love. Rama won the swayamvara and married Sita, while Laxman won Urmila as a result of their fate.

They quickly developed an ardent bond of love for each other, and their lives sparkled. However, when Rama decided to depart for Vanvas, the brother within Laxman overshadowed the lover inside him. He decided to come with him. Laxman's decision was difficult for her to accept, and she was deeply hurt. She immediately proposed accompanying them on the journey. Laxman, being deeply in love with her, never wanted Urmila to live a tragic and painful life in the forest. He consoled his sobbing wife, telling her to stay back in the palace and look after the royal matters.

She looked at Laxman’s eyes with fear and pain. The tears rolling down her eyes were proof of the agony inside her heart, melting down in the physical form. The unfortunate days and sleepless nights after their separation haunted Urmila every hour. Laxman wiped her tears and gave her confidence. He explained how her tears would not let him do his duties to his elder brother. She needs to bid him adieu with a smiling face. Urmila managed a fake smile, holding back her tears with great difficulty.

Urmila's sacrifice for everyone is underrated but vital. Laxman and Urmila taught future generations that love is synonymous with sacrifice, and that some sacrifices are more than worth it. Even though their love story is not widely known, those who are familiar with it have a great deal of admiration and respect for their sacrifice.

Their separation had shattered two hearts. Their chaotic days end with each other's memories and heavy hearts. The anguish they faced was known to the moon, the stars, and the eyes that had not slept for days. One was awake for his duties towards his brother and sister-in-law, whereas the other stayed awake in the suffering. On one such heart-piercing night, Nidra devi (God of sleep) came to visit Laxman and asked him to untie himself from the self-imposed commitments and consider sleeping. But Laxman was adamant, as his duties were much above any pleasure or comfort.

He very politely denied Nidra Devi’s proposal and continued his commitment. Seeing this, Nidra was pleased with his dedication and love for her brother, and so he offered him a boon. He told him that she would remove all of his fatigue and sleep, but only if someone else agreed to compensate for the imbalance. Laxman did not think twice before suggesting Urmila’s name. She on the other hand was so happy to have contributed to her husband’s responsibilities. After this, Urmila slept for fourteen years continuously, and Laxman stayed awake for fourteen years.

Fortunately, Urmila's sacrifice did not go into vain. Laxman killed Meghnath, Ravana’s son, who had received a boon to be killed only in the hands of someone who had won over sleep. As a result of his victory over sleep, Laxman became the only one who could kill him. However, the sole credit for this cannot be given to Laxman, as the equal contribution came from his wife, Urmila.