Buck, William (1976). Ramayana: King Rama's Way
Prof's Reading Guide A
Hanuman's Jump
- Sampati, the giant vulture: Jatayu's older brother- tells Hanuman that Sita is in Lanka. As he eats with the group, his feathers grow back.
- The monkeys decide that Hanuman must make the 100-league jump into Lanka.
- Mainaka, the mountain- brother of Ganga. As Hanuman is leaping to Lanka, the mountain Mainaka, which had been hiding under the waves, rises up to give Hanuman a chance to rest. The mountain had been hiding from Indra because he took the other mountains' wings.
- Sinhika, the rakshasa- seizes Hanuman's shadow as he's flying over the sea, dragging him down. Hanuman shrank down and flew into her mouth, down into her chest where he crushed her heart before flying out of her ear.
- Hanuman arrives in Lanka and transforms into a cat. Then Lanka herself appears to Hanuman in human form. She kicks Hanuman, but he punches her back. Lanka realizes that the coming of the monkey is the fulfillment of a curse. Hanuman enters Lanka and sees the rakshasas there. He reveals that they cannot reason with them and they will have to kill them all. Hanuman creeps into Ravana's bedroom where he finds all of his wives, but no Sita. Hanuman begins to despair, feeling like he will never find Sita, but his father the god of wind (Vayu) leads him toward the Ashoka Grove.
Here I Am
- In the morning, Ravana visits Sita. He speaks to her sweetly and tries to seduce her/convince her to join his harem, but Sita refuses. Ravana grows angry at her defiance and leaves with his wife Mandodari. The rakshasa guards threaten to kill and eat Sita, but one of them named Trijata stepped in and told them to stop because she had a dream that predicted the fall of Lanka with Sita in it.
- Hanuman makes his presence known to Sita by saying "Rama, Rama" in the animal language. He introduces himself to Sita who originally does not think he is real. He tells Sita how Rama has been searching for her relentlessly and has made a pact with the monkeys and bears. Then, he gives Sita the ring Rama gave him. Sita gives Hanuman a message for Rama and Hanuman leaves, promising to deliver it.
- Before Hanuman leaves Lanka, he decides to stir things up a bit. He destroys flowerbeds, pavilions, gardens, benches, and palace windows. Then, he kills the royal guard with a hammer and destroys the temple. Jambumali, the son of Ravana's general Prahasta, finds Hanuman in the ruins of the temple. He goes to attack Hanuman but is killed by a falling rock. Ravana looks to his son Indrajit for help. Indrajit is in meditation, but afterwards he captures Hanuman with a spell called Indra's Noose. However, a group of Rakshasas come in and chain Hanuman up. The noose doesn't work with chains, but they drag Hanuman off toward the palace.
The New Moon
- Ravana is hella pissed at Hanuman and orders his brother Vibhishana to chop off his head, but Vibhishana refuses because you can brand or shave a messenger, but not kill him. Ravana begrudgingly agrees, but orders Hanuman's tail be set on fire. This comes back to bite him when Hanuman escapes and runs through the city, setting all of Lanka on fire. Hanuman revels in the fiery destruction of Lanka, but worries that he might have hurt Sita. She is fine in the Ashoka Grove. Hanuman tells Sita that Rama will soon come for her, and Sita gives Hanuman a jewel to take back to Rama.
- Hanuman returns to Prince Angada who is glad to hear the news of Sita's liveliness. He orders the monkeys and bears to return to Kishkindhya with the news and they head off. On their way, they stopped in the Honey Park where everyone ate the precious honey and got drunk on Sugriva's honey wine. This angers Dadhimukha, the keeper of the park. He goes to tell Sugriva what's happening, but Sugriva isn't upset. Instead, he is happy that they have found Sita.
- Hanuman returns to Rama and reveals his findings and Sita's loyalty. He also gives Rama the jewel that Sita gave him before urging Rama to go rescue Sita and kill Ravana.
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