Canto 2 -
Ayodhyā-kāṇḍa
Chapter 58: Sumantra Conveys the Message of Rāma and Lakṣmaṇa
Text 2.58.31
अहं तावन्महाराजे पितृत्वं नोपलक्षये।
भ्राता भर्ता च बन्धुश्च पिता च मम राघवः॥
ahaṁ tāvan mahā-rāje pitṛtvaṁ nopalakṣaye
bhrātā bhartā ca bandhuś ca pitā ca mama rāghavaḥ
aham = I; tāvat = in fact; mahā-rāje = the Mahārāja; pitṛtvam = My father; na = don’t; upalakṣaye = consider; bhrātā = brother; bhartā ca = master; bandhuḥ ca = relative; pitā = father; ca = and; mama = My; rāghavaḥ = is Rāma, the descendant of Raghu.
“In fact, I don’t consider the Mahārāja My father. My brother, master, relative and father is Rāma, the descendant of Raghu.
1 That is, how could Lakṣmaṇa give up His real father to follow His brother whom He accepts as His father?
Lakṣmaṇa speaks this verse on the basis of this scriptural injunction:
guror apy avaliptasya kāryākāryam ajānataḥ
utpatha-pratipannasya parityāgo vidhīyate
“Scriptures prescribe that one should even abandon a guru who has become too proud, not aware of what is to be done and what is not to be done, and who has gone beyond the boundary of Vedic dharma.” (Mahābhārata Śānti 57.7)
Therefore He has condemned His father.
Of course, Lakṣmaṇa’s brother is Rāghava. By dint of the scriptural statement—jyeṣṭho bhrātā pitṛ-samaḥ: “One’s elder brother is equal to his father.” He is also Lakṣmaṇa’s master. Moreover, Lakṣmaṇa’s friend and relative is Rāma alone.
From this it is to be understood that those who are absolutely dedicated [to the Supreme Personality of Godhead] should abandon their material fathers and so on, [for] the Supreme Personality of Godhead is the only unconditional father, master and friend [of everyone].
But how could Lakṣmaṇa give up His primary father to follow His secondary father?1 That is answered in the next verse.