Why Does Lakshman Do Everything for Ram? — The Inner Meaning of Mind and Soul

A seeker asks why the scriptures repeatedly say that Lakshman does everything — plucking fruits, offering water — while Ram remains still. The teacher explains the symbolism: Ram is the Self, pure consciousness; Lakshman is the mind-power (manah-shakti) through which the Self acts in the world. A clear Q&A revealing the inner meaning behind this divine relationship.

Question

In one place, it says that Lakshman is the one who will pluck the fruits and also the one who will fill lotus stems with water from Lake Pampa and offer it to Lord Ram to drink.
Why is it repeatedly mentioned that Lakshman will do these things — why not Ram himself?

Answer

When you do anything — any action at all — through whose help do you do it?

For example, right now you are asking this question. Within you, which element helps you to ask? Tell me quickly — what is it?

It’s the mind, the mental energy, right? The power of the mind.

So, whenever a person performs any action of any kind, the capacity behind that action — the ability to act — comes first from the power of the mind.

Now, the word manas (mind) in the scriptures has two meanings, and that often confuses people. One meaning refers to thoughts — the mind that thinks. The other refers to the power of the mind — the energy of consciousness that uses the mind as an instrument.

Thoughts belong to the body level. But the power of mind — the ability to think, to will — belongs to the soul.
That means the soul performs all actions through its own power of mind — its manah-shakti.

You are the soul. And you ask questions, act, and think with the help of your own manah-shakti — the power of the mind.

That manah-shakti is what is represented by Lakshman.

So, when you ask, “Why is Lakshman doing all the actions and not Ram?” — the answer is this:
Ram represents the Self — the pure consciousness, the soul itself.

And whatever the soul does, it does through Lakshman, its inner power of mind.

Lakshman stands for that thinking and perceiving power — the manah-shakti through which every act of the Self takes place.