Canto 2 -
Ayodhyā-kāṇḍa
Chapter 97: Rāma Instructs Lakṣmaṇa
Text 2.97.19

तथोक्तो धर्मशीलेन भ्रात्रा तस्य हिते रतः।
लक्ष्मणः प्रविवेशेव स्वानि गात्राणि लज्जया॥

tathokto dharma-śīlena bhrātrā tasya hite rataḥ
lakṣmaṇaḥ praviveśeva svāni gātrāṇi lajjayā

tathā uktaḥ = Lakṣmaṇa was thus spoken to; dharma-śīlena = of dhārmika disposition; bhrātrā = by His brother; tasya hite rataḥ = who was absorbed in His brother Rāma’s welfare; lakṣmaṇaḥ = Lakṣmaṇa; praviveśa iva = appeared to shrink; svāni gātrāṇi = into His body; lajjayā = out of great shame.

When Lakṣmaṇa was thus spoken to by His brother of dhārmika disposition, Lakṣmaṇa who was absorbed in His brother Rāma’s welfare appeared to shrink into His body out of great shame.1

Lakṣmaṇa was not selfish; He was focused on doing good to Rāma. We can therefore infer from this that Lakṣmaṇa was only craving for Rāma’s welfare. [However], Lakṣmaṇa had become unnecessarily frightened and [therefore] He spoke those words.

1 “Shrink into His body” is an idiomatic expression indicating that Lakṣmaṇa was no longer energetically critical of Bharata. He cooled down, as we would say in the modern world.