Nidra Devi | Goddess of Sleep

A strange pact leaves Lakshmana’s wife in a marathon slumber

Valmiki’s canvas is filled with hundreds of characters, all of them pitch in at a defined pace to take the story of Rama forward, finally pushing him to that moment of achievement. The sacrifice of Sita and Rama’s siblings has been the subject of endless debates. Amidst all this glorification, one woman’s selflessness goes almost unnoticed by the epic author—that of Urmila, Lakshmana's wife.

In the tale akin to the Ramayana, when Urmila, the wife of Lakshmana, is prepared to join Raman in his exile, much like her husband Lakshmana, she is halted by Lakshmana himself. "I must attend to Rama and Sita. You'll be a distraction. Moreover, by staying behind, you can attend to the needs of the elders," he explains, and she reluctantly obeys. Unusual visitor A 14-year separation is rather harsh on a young bride but Urmila’s sacrifice doesn’t end there. Standing guard over his brother and Sita, Lakshmana has an unusual visitor — Nidra, the goddess of sleep. “You are defying me by not sleeping,” she says. “Leave me alone, I have a duty to perform,” responds Lakshmana. “I will if I have a substitute for you,” declares Nidra.

Without a pause, Lakshmana says, “Maybe my wife Urmila can stand in for me. I'll be ready after 14 years.” Is that a reflection of perfect understanding between the couple or a typical take-her-for-granted attitude? Today’s woman will tick the latter, surely. So, Nidra, the goddess of sleep, approaches Urmila, and the young woman willingly complies, enabling her husband to fulfil his duty — not a nice state to be in — by any stretch of the imagination. According to the tale, she sleeps uninterruptedly for 14 years, foregoing the proximity of her husband, conjugal rights, and the ordinary life of a human being. It turns out that, Indrajit can only be killed by a man, who has not slept for 14 years. This comes in handy on the battlefield in the fight against Ravana. Legend is stretched to say that at the end of 14 years, during the coronation, Nidra promptly appears before Lakshmana and he succumbs to sleep as Urmila wakes up.