At last Ravana was convinced and said, “Vibhishana you may be right that a messenger shouldn’t be killed but I have to punish this monkey somehow for the mischief he has done. The tail is a monkey’s dearest treasure, so let his tail be lighted and let him be dragged through the streets of Lanka and thus provide a joyous spectacle to the citizens”.
The rakshasas were delighted at the order. All the time while he was being dragged to the court, they had been shouting fiendishly, “Kill him! Roast him! Eat him”! etc. and now they fell on his tail with glee and started to wrap it round with cloth, dipped in oil, but the more they tied, the longer grew the tail, so that they had to bring bales and bales of cloth from all the shops in Lanka and still it was not enough. Hanuman’s tail was encircling the city of Lanka about ten times. The confused demons ran around in circles, trying to wrap cloth round the tail and still the tail grew and grew. At last Hanuman took pity on them and allowed them to finish their job. After having wrapped the immense tail with cloth, they dipped it in oil and set fire to it. It was a colossal tail and it made a great conflagration. Everyone ran out of their houses to watch the spectacle. Hanuman was mad. He slashed his tail at the rakshasas and they fell in heaps but then he allowed them to bind him tightly and drag him through the streets of Lanka, which he had seen only during the night. He thought it would be a good idea to know the lay-out of the city, since the knowledge might come in handy when he returned with the army.
This news was brought to Sita by some of the rakshasis, who were greatly elated. Poor Sita started weeping again. Hope had just started to creep into her heart when this saviour had come but now it looked as if it was all in vain. She prayed with all her heart to Agni, the Lord of Fire and begged him not to hurt Hanuman. The fire-god was prompt and became cool on his skin, while Hanuman’s father, the god of wind, blew softly round his son, thus cooling him. Hanuman was astonished at this miracle.
Now that he had succeeded in talking to the king of the rakshasas, and seeing the whole of Lanka, Hanuman decided that it was enough. He was no mean monkey to be reviled and persecuted by these stupid rakshasas. In a minute he broke free, by flexing his body. Giving a bloodcurdling roar, he sprang up on top of the city gates and picking up a pillar as easily as if it were a piece of wood, he knocked the guards down. He considered what further havoc he could do before leaving for Kishkinda.
“Ah”! he thought, “this fire, which has been used to punish me has been denied its food, so I will give it some sustenance. So saying, he took an enormous leap into the heart of the city and jumped from mansion to mansion setting fire to each, with his flaming tail. The pearl and gem encrusted palaces and houses started to crackle and crumble. At last he landed on Ravana’s palace and set it ablaze. The exuberance of the people gave place to panic. Screams and cries rent the air as the terrified citizens ran hither and thither in their effort to extinguish the flames and escape from the conflagration. The whole of Lanka was like a flaming torch. It was an awesome spectacle.
At last his anger abated and his conscience suddenly pricked him. “What have I done”! he thought. “In a fit of anger, is it possible that I have even destroyed the very person, I have come to save. How could I have become such a slave to my anger? People commit crimes easily while in the throes of anger. An angry man may kill even those who are to be respected. The truly great man is he who can control his wrath. If I have killed Sita, it means I have killed my master also”.
Then he reflected awhile and thought, “No, this cannot be. If the fire could not harm me, surely it could not have harmed her. The radiance of her purity will safeguard her. The strength of her austerity and her devotion to her husband will protect her”. As he was thus ruminating, he saw some astral beings, winging their way towards him and they were talking amongst themselves and commenting on the fact that in the whole of Lanka, the only person who was totally unaffected by the conflagration, was Sita. Hanuman was thrilled to hear this and he leapt towards the grove where she was sitting in order to take his leave. Sita was overjoyed to see him and gave him her blessings and told him to speed back.
Hanuman was eager to get back to Ram. He turned round to have a last look at the city. The fabulous city of Lanka which had appeared like a gleaming pearl in the moonlight the previous evening, now lay in shambles at his feet. He felt a twinge of compunction but decided that Ravana deserved it. He then returned to the top of the hill and took a flying leap. He saw the sea surging beneath him as he turned his face north and sped on his way. He passed with ease through the crimson tinted clouds and coursed through the sky like an arrow. The vanara host who were eagerly awaiting his arrival, were thrilled by his war-cry as he landed in their midst. They broke into joyous shouts as he approached. He told them all the news – how he had found Sita in the Ashoka grove, how he had set fire to Lanka and so on. As they heard the details, the excited monkeys, danced about and jumped up and down in the air. The crown prince Angada now boastfully declared army and they could return with Sita.But Hanuman said that Sita was expecting her Lord to come and rescue her, so they should head for Kishkinda straightaway.
Their enthusiasm lent wings to their feet and the monkeys made the return back to Kishkinda in half the time. When they reached the outskirts of the city, they saw the garden called Madhuvana, which was full of fruit, filled with intoxicating honey. The monkeys begged Jambavan and Hanuman for permission to enter this garden and taste the wine. As a special treat, they were given leave and the whole crowd rushed in and enjoyed themselves to their heart’s content. They were so drunk that they could hardly walk. Some were singing and others dancing. Sugriva’s uncle was the guardian of the grove and he tried his best to prevent them, but they paid no heed to him. The whole garden was filled with intoxicated monkeys, who were reeling about in different stages of stupor. The guard ran to report the matter to the king but Sugriva, contrary to his expectations, told him not to worry about them. He was sure that they had come back with good news or else they would not have had the courage to ravish the king’s favourite garden. He told the guard to bring the monkeys to his presence immediately.
He was with Ram and Lakshman at the time in their retreat on top of Prasravana hill and they were all thrilled by his words and waited anxiously for Hanuman’s arrival.
The monkey host arrived with a great clamour. Each one of them strutted in, as if he had personally achieved the impossible. Hanuman and Angada now came forward and Hanuman bent low before Ram and said, “Seen have I Sita”. He phrased his sentence in this way because he knew that Ram’s heart was filled with expectation and until he heard the word “seen”, he would be in agony. Hanuman wanted to spare him even this one moment of pain if he could, and thus said, “Seen have I Sita”. Ram’s happiness could be well imagined. To hear that his beloved was alive and well, even though unhappy, was the greatest news that he could hear. He bugged Hanuman and gave him all his blessings.
The monkeys vied with each other in their attempt to tell him the narrative, which they had heard from Hanuman. Ram looked lovingly at them and then said, “I would like to know more about Sita. What did she say? Did she send any message for me”? At this, the monkeys turned sheepishly to Hanuman and begged him to continue the story. Hanuman bowed low to Ram and told him the whole story of his conquest of Lanka and his meeting with the lovely, lonely, princess of Videha who was eating her heart out for her beloved husband. He narrated the story of the crow and the red dot. He did not leave out even a single word spoken by the bereft queen. Ram listened with tears coursing down his cheeks. Hanuman told him how happy Sita was to receive Ram’s ring and then he presented the hair ornament which she had given for Ram. He took it in his hands and pressed it to his chest. A flood of memories swept over him and he said, “This was given to Janaki by her father, Janaka and she wore it for the wedding. How beautiful she looked”! So saying he fell into a deep reverie thinking of his lovely, young bride.
Turning to Lakshman he said, “How ironic that I can see her jewel but not the wearer of the jewel. If she says she will live for a month more, then her life will be longer than mine. I cannot live for a moment more, without seeing her. Take me to her,0 Hanuman”! Thus he lamented.
Hanuman and Lakshman tried their best to console him. At last he managed to attain a measure of composure and praised Hanuman for his fantastic effort. “You have accomplished that which no one else could have done. I am only sorry that I am unable to reward you in a fitting manner. I can only embrace you as a token of my gratitude”. With these words, Ram enfolded his servant Hanuman in his firm clasp and pressed him to his bosom while everyone looked on with pleasure.
Thus ends the third Canto called “Hanuman’s Wrath” of the Sundara Kanda in the glorious Ramyana of the Sage Valmiki.
