Popular belief and the text
Is the Lakṣmaṇa-rekhā in the Vālmīki Rāmāyaṇa?
Popular beliefLakṣmaṇa draws a line Sītā must not cross
In Vālmīki
No. In Vālmīki, Lakṣmaṇa leaves Sītā only after she speaks harshly to him, and he draws no line. The Lakṣmaṇa-rekhā comes from later retellings and popular tradition.
Araṇya Kāṇḍa sarga 45Vālmīki (primary text)
Primary text: Śrīmad Vālmīkīya Rāmāyaṇa, Gita Press, Gorakhpur. Later traditions are labelled as such. Return to the Rāmāyaṇa World.