Why Lakshman Builds the Hut: The Inner Meaning of the Parṇaśālā
Question
You said Lakshman built the parṇaśālā (hut). Yes. But if Ram represents the higher mind, how do we connect Lakshman to this act—how is he the one building the parṇaśālā?
Answer
That’s a very basic and important question, one we’ve discussed earlier. When we talked about Ram’s incarnation, we said: when Ram incarnated, Lakshman, Bharat, and Shatrughna appeared automatically with him. King Dasharatha wanted one son, but four were born. First Ram, and along with him Lakshman; then Shatrughna; then Bharat.
If we understand this, Lakshman’s role throughout the Ramayana becomes clear.
Now see: when the awareness arises in me—“I am the conscious soul; the body is mine, but I am not the body”—that awareness is Self-knowledge (ātma-jñāna). When this realization awakens within, that is the incarnation of Ram. Dasharatha, whose house Ram is born into, symbolizes our pure mind. So when this awareness—“I am the soul, and this body is my instrument under my control”—arises in our pure mind, that’s Ram’s birth within us.
When Ram is thus born within, something else happens automatically—without any deliberate effort. Along with that realization arises another understanding: “Since I am the soul using this mind as an instrument, I myself am the creator of every thought and every intention within me. The mind is just a tool. Using this tool, I—the conscious soul—form each thought and resolve. So the creator of every thought is me.”
If I generate a good thought, I am its maker. If I generate a negative thought, I am its maker too. I am the creator of my thoughts and intentions. This awareness—“I am the creator of my thoughts”—is symbolized as the birth of Lakshman.
So, Ram represents Self-awareness (“I am the soul”), and Lakshman represents the awareness that “I am the creator of my thoughts and intentions.”
Then, automatically, a third realization arises: “Since I am the creator of my thoughts, I am also the destroyer of my negative thoughts.” If I can create good ones, I can end bad ones. The one who destroys inner enemies—vices—is Shatrughna (from shatru-ghna, ‘destroyer of enemies’). The “enemies” here are our inner defects—lust, anger, greed, etc. So, the realization “I can destroy my own vices” is the inner birth of Shatrughna.
And then, a fourth understanding naturally follows without effort: “Since I am the soul, I am inherently full of the qualities of the soul—peace, purity, power, knowledge, love, bliss.” These seven divine qualities already belong to the soul; I don’t need to get them from outside. The awareness of being filled with these inner qualities is called Bharat. And the spreading of these qualities into life is also Bharat’s work.
That’s why the Ramayana beautifully says: Dasharatha wished for one son (Ram), and four were born.
So when the awareness of the Self (Ram) arises in me, three other realizations automatically follow:
Lakshman: “I am the creator and controller of my thoughts.”
Shatrughna: “I am the destroyer of my defects.”
Bharat: “I am naturally full of peace, love, joy, and power.”
Now, notice something important: Lakshman always follows Ram—never the other way around. Ram walks ahead; Lakshman follows. Why? Because only when Ram (Self-knowledge) has arisen first can Lakshman (mastery over thoughts) arise. If Ram is not within—if I haven’t realized “I am the soul”—then Lakshman cannot arise; I can’t become the creator and ruler of my thoughts.
So, when it’s said “Lakshman built the parṇaśālā,” it means this: the process of exchange—the continuous give-and-take between the conscious mind and the chitta—is carried out by that inner power which creates thoughts and resolves, that is, Lakshman.
When you go to a marketplace to exchange goods, what do you use? You first create a thought: “I’ll go, I’ll buy this, I’ll give money for that.” You—the conscious soul—create the thought (that’s Ram). But the actual process of thought-creation is done by that internal force—Lakshman. Without thought creation, you can’t act.
So wherever a parṇaśālā (or paṇaśālā, the house of transaction) is built—meaning wherever this give-and-take of thoughts and impressions is happening—it is Lakshman who builds it, not Ram.