“Let me come with you, Lakshmana.”  It had been a couple of days since Lakshmana followed his brother, Rama, and sister-in-law, Sita, into exile. Urmila’s relentless pleas continued to haunt him even after leaving Ayodhya behind. 

Urmila Wants to Accompany Lakshmana

He stayed awake, standing guard over Rama and Sita, who slept on the hard ground under a tree, a stark contrast to the soft bed in their home. Even their appearances had undergone a tremendous change in the last few days. The finery, jewellery, and silk were abandoned for coarse clothes, bark, leaves, and matted hair.

All of that didn’t matter to Lakshmana. But the anger toward Mother Kaikeyi raged beneath, and her unjust treatment of Rama filled him with hatred toward her. And the most difficult part for him was to leave behind his beloved wife, Urmila. 

She had tried so hard to convince him to take her too. “Everyone is going to have their husbands with them, except me, Lakshmana,” she had said. That was true too. 

Shatrughna and Bharata, his other two brothers, would remain in Ayodhya with their wives. Sita would be with Rama in the forest during the time of exile. 

Only he and Urmila were separated. He felt a tiny tinge of guilt thinking about her logical reason. Yet, he knew, and his wife knew too, that Rama would also come above everyone else for him. That’s why she didn’t dissuade him from going to the forest with Rama. She only said she wanted to accompany them as well. 

“If you come with me, dear Urmila, my focus wouldn’t be entirely on Rama and Sita. I would be worried for you, and that would dilute my attention toward my brother. Please, I beg you. Don’t insist on coming with me. Stay in Ayodhya and serve the elderly here.”

Finally, Urmila had given in to Lakshmana’s requests. She watched her husband leave from the window of her bedroom, tears streaming down her face. He turned to look at her one last time, and that tear-filled face was etched in his memory, which would remain with him for the entire 14 years, and even after, the symbol of his betrayal. 

Today, as he stood guard over Rama and Sita, Lakshmana pined for his wife. 

It’s just been a few days since I left her. How will I manage 14 more years? I should shake myself out of these dreary thoughts and focus on my work.

Urmila Nidra

And the worst part was that it was getting increasingly difficult to deal with the lack of sleep. He had managed to remain awake and alert for so many nights now. But, today, coupled with depressing thoughts, Nidra Devi, the Sleep Goddess, was torturing him to close his eyes.

But his determination was made of a different mettle. He kep pushing her out of his system and remained awake.

Finally, when no ruse worked, Nidra Devi appeared before Lakshmana, demanding that he close his eyes and go to sleep. 

“It is unnatural for anyone not to sleep. You cannot and should not remain awake like this. You have to go to sleep,” Nidra Devi commanded Lakshmana.

He bowed low with humility and said, “I am very sorry, Goddess. But I have to protect Rama and Sita. That is the only reason I joined them in exile. I didn’t even heed my wife’s pleas. There’s no way I will listen to you. Instead of pushing me to do something I don’t want to do, please find a way to keep me awake for the entire time we are in exile, my dear Goddess. I am sure you can help me.”

Seeing his determined insistence, Nidra Devi surrendered. “Okay, I will let you stay awake for 14 years as long as you find someone else to sleep on your behalf.”

Lakshmana’s eyes lit up. “Oh yes! Please let my beloved wife, Urmila, sleep on my behalf, so she is spared from the pain of our separation. Go to her, and tell her I have requested her to do this.”

Nidra Devi appeared before Urmila with Lakshmana’s request. Urmila immediately agreed, thinking on the same lines as her husband. “Sleeping would help relieve the pain of being away from my husband.”

And so she slept while Lakshmana remained awake to protect Rama and Sita. 

Author’s Note:

The story of Nidra Devi, Lakshmana, and Urmila appears in South Indian folklore and retellings of Valmiki Ramayana. Her sacrifice is called Urmila Nidra – the Sleep of Urmila.

This post is a part of BlogchatterA2Z Challenge 2026

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