Lakshmana Rekha

Hindu mythology has many stories within each other which relates to our day to day living if we look at it with a perspective which can change many perceptions. I started my blogs with a view to share my perspective about many relatable topics which makes us wonder, Oh! Can this be thought like this too? Here is another topic which all Hindus relate to Sita and Ramayana. Lakshmana, Lord Rama’s brother drew a protection line around the hut where he asked Sita to stay within so that he can go to see if Lord Rama was in any trouble and help him get back home safely. That line which Lakshmana drew to safeguard Sita is called “Lakshmana Rekha”. Ravana was unable to cross this to abduct Sita and hence he tricked her to cross that and come out of the line. Lakshmana Rekha is a one-way protection. No one with bad intention can cross that but one who is within that can cross and come out which is what Sita did. She crossed the Lakshmana Rekha and came out of her protection to serve the disguised saint and fell into the trap of Ravana which led to the entire battle between Lord Rama and Ravana. This Lakshmana Rekha is what we have in all our lives which I call “Freedom within Boundaries”.

Every individual should learn to have boundaries for their freedom and every parent should teach their kids the importance of this Lakshmana Rekha which can be easily crossed by us but when we stay within this it becomes difficult for evil to reach us.

My manager once told me, you draw a boundary around yourself and only people whom you want can get in and not everyone. I smiled at his observation and imagination. Current time we don’t have Lakshmana in our lives, so our mythology has taught us that we have to draw our own Lakshmana Rekha to keep evil out of our reach. Until we become adults our parents do this for us but as we grow, we start ignoring and disrespecting that boundary. It is important to teach our kids to draw their own Lakshmana Rekha around them, so they respect the decision which their parents once took for them. Teach them right and wrong so they are capable to decide where to draw that line within which they can call it as freedom and beyond which they can call it as danger.

Lakshmana wanted to protect Sita because Lord Rama had told him to do so. This is how we function. Parents want to protect their kids, husband wants to protect his wife, elder brother wants to protect his younger siblings and the list goes on. But as time changes, we have to change our perception of protection. If Sita was made aware of the danger and the power of the boundary drawn around her, maybe she could have gauged the danger which could not come closer to her crossing that boundary. Our mythology teaches us a very valuable lesson which will protect us and our future generations from the evil coming towards us. Explain the reason of the boundary you want to draw for your kids, spouse, siblings and sometimes even parents and enable the path which visualizes them to see what you are trying to protect them from. Help your loved ones to identify the importance of what stays within the boundary and what stays outside.

Our prayers and the divine power of God has given every individual to draw the Lakshmana Rekha around them and their loved ones. We fail to see it as our protection shield and think it as a barrier to our freedom. When we understand the value of this Lakshmana Rekha and realize the importance of freedom within boundaries, we can avoid the pain which comes when we forcibly cross that and walk towards something which can harm our existence and give pain to ourselves and our loved ones.

My daughter came home from school one day and told me, her bench mate threw the cap of her pen and now she can’t find it. She was a bit upset about the incident but another friend of her told it is no big deal to lose the cap. I have lost many, now her sad mind was given a bit of solace because she was not the only one who lost the cap. This is how the power of that Lakshman Rekha reduces and we see kids drifting away from our values and start believing that it is okay for things to go wrong because I am not alone. Instead of teaching the right way of showing empathy we are building a world where we make kids feel okay to do wrong because not everyone is doing right. Just because I lost something, it doesn’t make right for my friend also to lose something. This thought is very important to retain the power of that Lakshmana Rekha which initially we draw and later help the kids to embrace it and respect it.

When we respect what we have, we stay within the Lakshmana Rekha.
When we love what we get, we respect the Lakshmana Rekha.
When we value what we have, we enjoy the Lakshmana Rekha.

Freedom within boundaries is what makes us human. Respect that boundary because it is not always a fence, it is not always a prison, it is not always a restriction. When valued in the right spirit, Freedom within Boundaries is what makes our life worth living and helps us see what otherwise can go unnoticed within the time frame where it has to be valued.

Lakshmana Rekha has still retained the same power what it had then to protect Sita but today it is advanced because not everyone has a Lakshmana in their life, but everyone needs one. So, we are all empowered to draw our own Lakshmana Rekha to protect the Sita(goodness) within us. God always bless his children and gives them what they need and prepares them to take care and also be taken care of by his divine power.

Freedom is the joy we enjoy when we know the value it adds to our life.
Boundary is the limit we decide to enrich the joy of Freedom which values what we have.
When Freedom is enjoyed within the boundaries, we learn to value every bit of what we have.
Give the world what we have to make the world what we want.