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Untitled Episode

Sundara-Kanda: Heart of the Ramayana

At the beginning of Kanda, Hanuman with his gigantic form, leaps forward from mount Mahendragiri. Sagara advices mount Mainaka, to provide some resting place to Hanuman as Hanuman leaps forward.

As per advice the mount Mainaka increases his height in the middle of ocean and invites Hanuman to rest a while on him.

Hanuman rejects the offer and says, he will not stop till he accomplishes Rama’s mission and moves forward. As Hanuman coursed on relentlessly, the Gandharvas ask Surasa, mother of the serpents to test the Vanara. To oblige them she transforms herself into an ugly monster and continues to grow until she stood blocking Hanuman's path.

" The gods send you to be my food. Enter my mouth". She booms." Devour me if you can catch me" countered Hanuman. Surasa had her mouth open like an endless cavern Hanuman shrinks himself to the size of a thumb and goes in and out of Surasa's mouth in a flash. The next hurdle that Hanuman had to face appeared in the form of Simhika, a Rakshasa woman whose ravenous hunger craved the vanara's ample body as her meal by catching Hanuman by his shadow.

He made short work of that irritation by diving in and out of her greedy mouth severing her innards thereby destroying her.

He slowly descends on the Trikuta mountains by reducing his size and enters the lanka with a miniature form. There he was caught by Lankini, the female power which guards lanka. He smashes her with his fist, the invincible Lankini pleads mercy. Hanuman enters the city.

Hanuman enters the inner chambers of Ravana, he sees many beautiful semi naked damsels sleeping after consuming

wine and were drowned in luxuries. Hanuman gets disappointed for not locating Sita among them and also feels bad to snare at women when they were sleeping. He gathers courage and searches for Sita . He locates a beautiful woman

in Ravana’s bedroom, he mistakes queen Mandodari for Sita, but soon realizes his mistake by deducing that Sita the

personification of purity cannot sleep with Ravana. He approaches Asoka Vana, the beautiful garden grove. He

sits on branches of a Simsapa tree and looks all round. He notices a divine form sitting in midst of ugly creatures.

Hanuman notices the jewels described by Rama were hung to trees and confirms she was Sita. Ravana storms into Ashoka

Vana begs Sita to marry him and belittles Rama. Sita rebukes Ravana and tells him, he was nothing before Rama.

Ravana threatens Sita to kill if she refuses to yield within the time period of one year which he had given to her. He

orders the female monster guards to convince Sita. As the guards eulogize the greatness of Ravana, Sita gets into despire.

At that moment, another demon called Trijata scolds all the other women guards. She reveals her dream of destruction

of lanka to them and warns them not to trouble Sita. Meanwhile Hanuman tries to talk to Sita. He sings the story

of Rama in human language. Sita gets delighted to hear about Rama and looks at hanuman. Slowly and gently hanuman

descends from the tree and enquires who she was. Sita reveals her identity. He tries to touch her feet. Sita doubts

if it was another game of Ravana. Hanuman convinces Sita by describing the personality of Rama and Lakshman and gives her the Ring given by Rama. Sita enquires Hanuman to tell more about Rama and hears from him. Hanuman tells Sita that he can take her back to Rama. Sita wonders how a small monkey can carry her across the ocean. Hanuman shows his gigantic form.

But Sita reveals her mind that she feels pride in Rama conquering lanka and killing Ravana and taking her back with

Him. Sita gives her headjewel ’Choodamani’ and Hanuman feels related with it and Sita also gives a cryptic message to Rama,

an episode of a crow happened in the forest. After assuring to her about the Rama’s arrival to lanka with

armies of Vaanaras, Hanuman takes leave of Sita and was about to leave Lanka. Suddenly an idea flashes into his mind that he should meet Ravana and know about his mind and assess the enemy’s strength. Instantly he pitches himself into action by

uprooting trees and creating havoc in the garden. Every tree, pillar, post and edifIce were shattered. The news of destruction reaches Ravana. Many leading warriors sent by Ravana to capture Hanuman were killed by Hanuman. Then Ravana sends his younger son Akshaya kumara. Hanuman kills him. Then Ravana sends Indrajit his elder son. Hanuman voluntarily surre nders to Brahmastra hurled by Indrajit, in order to meet Ravana. Hanuman was taken to Ravana’s court. Ravana enquires who he was. Hanuman reveals his purpose of coming to Lanka. He warns Ravana and exhorts him to seek Rama's forgiveness by returning Sita. Ravana becomes

furious and orders Hanuman to be killed. Vibhishana, the brother of Ravana reasons with Ravana and

advices him not to kill the envoy, but to punish him. Hanuman’s tail was set to fire and he was paraded in the

streets of Lanka. Hanuman frees himself and sets every building to fire in Lanka. Nothing happened to the house of Vibhishana. Hanuman dips his tail in ocean to put off the fire. He suddenly remembers about the Sita, a worry dawns on his

face about the safety of Sita. He hears the conversation of a few aerial beings, ‘No harm occurred to Sita,

though lanka was consumed by fire. This news makes Hanuman feel happy and thinks, ‘how can fire burn the fire

of purity I.e Sita.

He reaches to Sita, seeks her blessing and flies across the ocean to reach Vaanaras. Finally they reach Kishkinda and all Vaanaras enjoy in Madhuvan (wonderful ancestral groove of Sugriva filled with honeycombs and trees laden with

delicious fruits) and ravage it in ecstasy, because of success in their mission. The caretaker of Madhuvan, Dhadhimukha reports matter to Sugriva and Sugriva senses success in mission. Hanuman and Vaanaras approach Rama at mount Prasravana and prostrate before him. Hanuman first indicates the success of their mission and gives the Choodamani , the jewel given by Sita to Rama.

Hanuman adds that he had already convinced Sita about the march of Vanara army into Lanka under the leadership of

Sugriva to free her. He tells Rama that to instill courage and confidence in Sita, he had said that Rama and Lakshmana

would arrive into Lanka like the Sun and the Moon, on his shoulders.