When Lakshmana leaves for the forest, Sumitra tells him that he should think of Rama as his father and of Sita as his mother. He should see the forest as Ayodhya. And thinking on these lines, he must serve Rama and Sita. When Hanuman takes leave of Sita in Lanka, She asks him to convey Her enquires to Lakshmana. She says that Lakshmana had looked upon Her as a mother and Rama as a father. Her words call to mind the words of Sumitra to Lakshmana and make it clear that Lakshmana has been an obedient son to Sumitra and a sincere brother to Rama.
But there is much more to be read into Sumitra’s words to Lakshmana. There were only a few who could see that Rama was the incarnation of the Supreme One. Mandodari, Tara, Vasistha and Viswamitra belonged to this category. And Sumitra too belonged to this category, said Valayapet Ramachariar, in a discourse. Her choice of words to Lakshmana reveals her awareness in this respect. She uses the word ‘Dasaratham’ for Rama. It may seem that what she means is that Lakshmana must see Rama as Dasaratha. While that does sound meaningful, there is a deeper meaning to the choice of the word ‘Dasaratham’. Dasa, in Sanskrit, means a bird. Ratha is a vehicle that is used for transportation. Lord Narayana is the One who has the bird Garuda as His vehicle. So Sumitra is telling Lakshmana subtly, that Rama is the Supreme One. She uses the word ‘maa’ for Sita. The word ‘maa’ is used to refer to Mahalakshmi. So Sumitra indicates that Sita is none other than Mahalakshmi. Sri Vaikuntam, the abode of Lord Narayana is also known as Ayodhya. So Sumitra is actually indicating to Lakshmana that he is blessed with a boon few can dream of.
