One might wonder why Lakshmana was married before Bharata who was elder. The reason is, Lakshmana and Bharata were born to different mothers and so the rule of “marriage of the elder first” does not apply here and no stigma attached. It is said: “In the marriage, dana and yajna, etc, the rules of not calling the younger before the elder does not apply in case of the uncle’s son, step-brothers, and the son of another person’s wife. Moreover, Janaka was only giving away his own daughter, before giving away his brother’s daughters.
Lakshmana’s marriage before Bharata 1.73.29
One might wonder why Lakshmana was married before Bharata who was elder. The reason is, Lakshmana and Bharata were born to different mothers and so the rule of “marriage of the elder first” does not apply here and no stigma attached. It is said: “In the marriage, dana and yajna, etc, the rules of not calling the younger before the elder does not apply in case of the uncle’s son, step-brothers, and the son of another person’s wife. Moreover, Janaka was only giving away his own daughter, before giving away his brother’s daughters.