It is not only Shri Ram who teaches everything in Ramayan. The greatness of Ramayan is that right from Shri Ram, even a small squirrel teaches us how to make our life more idealistic. There is nothing that the Ramayan misses out in making us understand the importance of much needed life values, out of which loyalty is one.
In Ramayan, everyone is loyal to their dharma, thus, in tune to Shri Ram. But, the greatest benchmarks are that of Lakshman, Bharat and Hanuman. With their exceptional loyalty towards Shri Ram, they teach the whole mankind a valuable lesson of unending faith and its strength. While Shri Ram believes Lakshman to be his inner soul, he treats his dearest brother Bharat and Hanuman as equals and cannot live without them. The bond he has with each one of them is unique and special.
Lakshman right from his childhood is like the shadow of Shri Ram. He follows Shri Ram wherever he goes and is never separated from him. He has the greatest happiness serving Shri Ram by taking care of his needs and look after his well-being. Although, a quick tempered person, it is for the reason that he cares for Shri Ram and cannot not bear any kind of discomfort or injustice towards him. Even in his quick temper outburst, he never disobeys Shri Ram’s command and listens to him. In the character of Lakshman, we notice a small young boy who loves his elder bother utmost dearly and ready to do anything for him, keeping aside his own life and comfort.
Bharat is the epitome of calmness and silent loyalties. Imbibing the quality of patience from Shri Ram, Bharat always keeps his loyalty deep inside his heart and is not outward as Lakshman. While Lakshman serves Shri Ram taking care of his needs and all with utmost sincerity, Bharat has the imprint of Shri Ram’s lotus feet in his mind and heart and steadfastly is devoted to them. Although he gets separated from his dear brother, he serves Shri Ram through worshipping his Padukas mind, heart and word for fourteen long years showing the world that he indeed has inherited the virtues of Shri Ram as his younger brother.
Hanuman was born to be the most loyal devotee of Shri Ram and Mata Sita by their worship and filling his heart with their images. He is their son, guardian, protector and devotee and never thinks of anything else in the world except the devotion of Shri Ram. Although being born as one of the Ekadasa Rudras and the possessor of great strength and knowledge, he is humble and credits all his knowledge and power being begotten by the service of Shri Ram. His faith in Shri Ram gives him energy to leap oceans, uproot mountains, reach the neither world and many more impossible tasks for any other. Shri Ram is always bounded to the devotion of Hanuman and believes it to be greater than his power. Hence, it is believed that the chanting of Hanuman’s name with faith brings one closer to Shri Ram.
While Lakshman’s loyalty is fierce and outspoken, Bharat’s loyalty is silent and steadfast and Hanuman’s loyalty is a combination of both. Shri Ram’s life would have been unfinished without the loyalties of these three great personas, who were different by nature, yet bound by the same unconditional loyalty towards a single entity and name- Shri Ram.