Did Sita and Lakshmana follow Sri Rama as their teacher/Guru?

 

Elders say that there are many ways in which a disciple follows a teacher to learn something. ,

·       There are some, who attach themselves to the Guru as long as he is alive, render shushrusa/service to the Guru and practice sAdhana.·

·       Some people take initiation from the guru and stay away from the guru and practice sAdhana.·

·       There are some who think that the guru is everything and remember the form of the guru and practice sAdhana

·       there are some, who offer shushrusa/service to the Guru, get initiated and with the permission of the Guru move away from him and practice sAdhana. •

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A)    Sita

Let's examine the words of Sita on different occasions.

1) While leaving for exile, when Lord Rama told Sita to stay back in Ayodhya, this is what Sita said. So she says that she will follow Sri Rama.

इह लोके च पितृभिर् या स्त्री यस्य महा मते |

अद्भिर् दत्ता स्वधर्मेण प्रेत्य भावे अपि तस्य सा || 2-29-18

"In this world, according to the moral code, a woman to whom the parents gift her with water, that woman belongs only to him even after death.

"2) While introducing herself to Shri Hanuman, and narrating as to why she followed Shri Rama, Sita says as follows:

सा अहम् तस्य अग्रतः तूर्णम् प्रस्थिता वन चारिणी || ५-३३-२७

न हि मे तेन हीनाया वासः स्वर्गे अपि रोचते |

"To me bereft of him, residing even in heaven does not indeed give pleasure. I, as such, decided to proceed to the forest and soon was ready to start even ahead of Rama."

3) After hearing the story of Sri Rama from Shri Hanuman, who was sitting on the Simshupa tree, Sita thinks as follows:.

रामेति रामेति सदैव बुद्ध्या विचिन्त्या वाचा ब्रुवती तमेव |

तस्यानुरूपं च कथां तदर्था मेवं प्रपश्यामि तथा शृणोमि || ५-३२-११

"Since I am pondering with my mind about that Rama only, and always saying 'Rama! Rama!' thus, conformably I am seeing and hearing a story thus corresponding to the same thought."

So as per the traditions prevailing at that point of time, Sita must have followed Sri Rama as a God and guru.

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B)   Lakshmana

When it comes to Lakshmana, it can be understood that he used to follow Shri Rama as a teacher. The following incident explain this issue.

Shri Hanuman observed Sita's troubles from the Simshupa tree and thought to himself, as follows:

मान्या गुरु विनीतस्य लक्ष्मणस्य गुरु प्रिया |

यदि सीता अपि दुह्ख आर्ता कालो हि दुरतिक्रमः || ५-१६-३

"If respectable Sita, who was trained by gurus, dearer to Lakshmana's teacher, is suffering like this, it seems difficult to transcend time."

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Here, the phrase Lakshmanasya Gurupriya (लक्ष्मणस्य गुरु प्रिया) – Sita, who is dearer to Lakshmana's Guru, is to be understood properly.

Lakshmana's Guru can be Vashishta or Vishwamitra, but can Sita be a dearer to them? So that person must have been close to Sita and Lakshmana too. He could not be Dasaratha, because Lord Hanuman did not see him.

He must be Shri Rama, because the Ramayana says that Lakshmana is the soul of Sri Rama. Moreover, Lakshmana also knows all the divine weapons that Sri Rama learnt from sage Vishwamitra. This would not have been possible if Sri Rama had not taught Lakshmana.

Therefore, Lakshmana belongs to the class of those, who stick to the guru as long as he is alive, and render service/shushusha and do sAdhana.