A Jain Take On Lakshman's Death

Published on 2nd August, 2020, in Mid-day. In the Jain Ramayana, Ram is considered to be a baladev. He is non-violent. Lakshman, on the other hand, is considered a vasudev. It is Lakshman who kills Ravan using a magic wheel, while Ram maintains the Jain ideal of non-violence. Many years later, Lakshman dies. When he dies, Ram is unable to accept his death. He carries Lakshman's corpse in his arms and wanders in his palace. Very much like Shiva, wandering the earth, after Sati's death, holding her charred remains. The Jain manuscripts, such as the Padma Purana, describe how Ram tries to bathe Lakshman's corpse. ..