The Destruction of Lanka

The mighty Hanuman of terrifying heroism destroyed the Ashoka grove and then made for the city and its buildings and palaces. Ravana sent forth his armies, and then some of his bravest warriors, but the Vanara was impossible to kill or capture. Meanwhile, the golden city of Lanka lay in ruins.

Determined to assess Ravana's strength, Hanuman tore up the trees with his thighs and destroyed the Ashoka grove.

He damaged the pools, pulverized the hilltops, and soon the grove looked like a forest fire had rushed through it. Only the place where Sita sat remained untouched. Lanka's residents were bewildered at the sounds of shrieking birds and falling trees. The Rakshasis, now awake, were shocked to see the devastated grove and saw a Vanara presiding over its destruction. Hanuman saw them and took on a fearsome form.

A terrifying sight

The Rakshasis asked Sita where he had come from and what he had told her, but she feigned ignorance. "How should I know the illusory powers of Rakshasas? You must know who he is and what he is doing," she said. Some of them rushed to Ravana and told him what they had seen. "Great king, he could be a messenger of Indra, or of Kubera, the god of wealth, or of Rama. He has destroyed the grove, but he has not touched the place where Sita sits. Punish him."

Ravana burnt with anger and sent 80,000 mighty Rakshasas who rivalled his own strength. They approached the mighty Vanara, like moths that rush towards fire, and tried to restrain him.

Hanuman struck the earth with his tail and roared before taking on an immense form. He pulled a beam off the gate and destroyed the advancing  Rakshasas. Then, Hanuman turned his attention to the buildings in the city.

A declaration of war

He climbed atop a structure. became immense in size, and attacked it. His thunderous roar resounded in Lanka as he cried, "Victory to the mighty Ramal Victory to Sugriva, protected by the Raghu scion! I am a servant of Rama, the king of Ayodhya, Hanuman by name. I am a destroyer of enemy armies. A thousand Ravanas are not my match. I have shaken this city and offered respects to Sita, and now return.

A hundred guards attacked him, but Hanuman uprooted a pillar and struck them, saying, "Sugriva has thousands of Vanaras like me. He will come here with them, and no one, not even Ravana, will survive."

The king of Lanka then sent forth Jambumali, a fearsome warrior who rode a chariot pulled by donkeys.

Jambumali shot at Hanuman with a mighty bow, and the angry Vanara hurled a large rock at him. The Rakshasa shot arrows into the Vanara's arms and chest, but he ignored the arrows that pierced his body and picked up a beam. He swung it over his head and hurled it at Jambumali, who fell dead.

The king then sent his advisers' sons, but Hanuman made quick work of them, as he punched, tore, and slapped some, while others simply fell dead when they heard his mighty roar.

Ravana finally took the threat seriously and called his five commanders, Virupaksha, Yupaksha, Durdhara, Praghasa, and Bhasakarna. He warned them of Hanuman and his suspicion that he was not a mere ape.

They set out and saw Hanuman, blazing in brilliance like the rising sun garlanded by its own rays. They struck him with their arrows, but he leapt into the air and filled the 10 directions with his roar. He then killed each of them and their armies.

When Ravana discovered the fate of his commanders, he sent his son Aksha to face Hanuman. Aksha shot three arrows at the Vanara. The winds and the sun stopped to watch as the mountains shook and the ocean was agitated and a great battle began. Eventually, however, Aksha fell.

ANALYSIS

HANUMAN, UNBOUND

Valmiki's understanding of the difficulty of capturing Hanuman has to do with the latter's might and the boons granted by the Creator, Brahma. Other texts, however, understand it differently. The medieval Sanskrit text Adhyatma Ramayana holds that when the fetters of ignorance can be broken by repetition of Rama's name, there is no question of Hanuman being bound, for he bears Rama's lotus feet in his heart and is thus ever free from all bonds.