उपशृण्वन्तु मे सर्वे साक्षिभूता वनेचराः।
न्यायवादी यथान्यायमुक्तोऽहं परुषं त्वया॥
upaśṛṇvantu me sarve sākṣi-bhūtā vanecarāḥ
nyāya-vādī yathānyāyam ukto ’haṁ paruṣaṁ tvayā
upaśṛṇvantu = may hear; me = My; sarve = all; sākṣi-bhūtāḥ = become witnesses [and]; vanecarāḥ = the forest deities; nyāya-vādī = a righteous speaker; yathā = how; anyāyam = unrighteously; uktaḥ = has been spoken to; aham = I; paruṣam = and harshly; tvayā = by you.
May all the forest deities become My witnesses [and] hear how I, a righteous speaker, has been spoken to unrighteously and harshly by you.1
1 A commentator has alleged that Lakṣmaṇa forgot the instruction of Rāmacandra at this moment, thus implying that Lakṣmaṇa was wrong in obeying Mother Sītā. But He wasn’t wrong in doing so, for He had to obey Rāmacandra and Sītā-devī. Before Rāma set out to the forest, He allowed Sītā-devī to accompany Him. Lakṣmaṇa was allowed to join in only after He begged Rāmacandra, in the presence of Sītā-devī, to allow Him to accompany and serve them in the forest. So there was absolutely no question of Lakṣmaṇa ever disobeying Sītā-devī. Consequently, when she ordered Him to leave her and go to be with Śrī Rāma, He was duty bound to do so. No, Lakṣmaṇa didn’t ever forget Rāma’s instruction to Him. Rather, He was forced by Sītā-devī, who was also His authority, to disobey Lord Rāma’s instruction.