Chapter 27: Hanuman Burns Lanka
Hanuman stood silently upon the branches of the Ashoka Vatika.
His mission had been fulfilled.
He had found Mother Sita.
He carried her message and the precious Chudamani that would prove to Rama she was alive.
Yet before leaving Lanka, Hanuman reflected deeply.
"If I return quietly, Ravana will never understand the power of Rama's army."
"The king of Lanka must receive a warning."
"The Rakshasas must know that the servants of Rama fear no one."
With this resolve, Hanuman expanded his form into that of a mighty Vanara.
With a tremendous roar, he leaped into the gardens of Ashoka Vatika.
Trees were uprooted.
Flowering vines were torn apart.
Pavilions collapsed beneath his immense strength.
The guards rushed toward him with weapons drawn.
Hanuman defeated them effortlessly.
The earth trembled beneath every blow.
The surviving Rakshasas hurried to Ravana's palace and reported the destruction.
Enraged, Ravana sent powerful warriors to capture the intruder.
One after another, they attacked.
One after another, they fell.
Among them was Jambumali, a mighty Rakshasa warrior.
Hanuman defeated him in fierce combat.
Many other commanders met the same fate.
The city of Lanka shook with fear.
At last, Ravana summoned his mighty son, Indrajit, the greatest warrior of Lanka.
Indrajit entered the battlefield armed with celestial weapons.
A fierce battle followed.
Hanuman fought with unmatched courage.
He could have escaped at any moment.
But he thought,
"If I allow myself to be taken, I shall stand before Ravana himself."
Knowing this, Hanuman allowed Indrajit to bind him with the divine Brahmastra.
Out of respect for the power of the weapon granted by Brahma, Hanuman did not resist.
The Rakshasas, unaware of this, further tied him with ordinary ropes.
Since the Brahmastra's binding loses its effect when additional bindings are used, Hanuman was no longer truly restrained.
Even so, he remained calm, allowing himself to be taken into Ravana's royal court.
The magnificent hall was filled with ministers, generals, princes, and nobles.
At its center sat Ravana upon his golden throne.
His ten heads reflected majesty, power, and pride.
Hanuman looked directly at the king without fear.
Ravana's voice thundered.
"Who are you?"
Hanuman folded his hands.
"I am Hanuman, the humble servant of Lord Rama."
"I have crossed the ocean to find Mother Sita."
"I come with a message."
Ravana laughed proudly.
"Message?"
"Speak."
Hanuman's voice remained calm.
"Return Sita to Rama."
"Seek peace while there is still time."
"Lord Rama desires no unnecessary war."
"But if you refuse..."
"No force in the three worlds will save Lanka."
The court burst into anger.
Many ministers demanded Hanuman's execution.
But Ravana's righteous brother, Vibhishana, stepped forward.
"O King," he said,
"It is against Dharma to kill a messenger."
Ravana paused.
Though unwilling to release Hanuman, he accepted Vibhishana's counsel.
"If he values his tail so greatly," Ravana declared mockingly,
"Then let it be wrapped in cloth, soaked in oil, and set on fire."
The Rakshasas laughed.
They wrapped Hanuman's long tail with layer upon layer of cloth.
They poured oil upon it.
Then they set it ablaze.
But Hanuman smiled.
Silently, he remembered the name of Rama.
The fire did not harm him.
Instead, it became the instrument of Lanka's fate.
Breaking free from his captors, Hanuman leaped onto the rooftops.
From palace to palace...
From tower to tower...
His burning tail touched the buildings.
Flames spread rapidly.
Golden palaces caught fire.
Royal halls blazed.
Armories exploded.
The night sky glowed red.
Cries of panic filled Lanka.
The city that had seemed invincible was consumed by flames.
Only one place remained untouched.
The Ashoka Vatika where Mother Sita sat.
Hanuman had prayed that no harm should come to her, and the fire did not reach her.
After the flames had spread throughout Lanka, Hanuman paused.
For a moment, he feared.
"What if Sita has been harmed?"
He hurried back to the Ashoka Vatika.
Finding her safe beneath the Ashoka tree, he bowed with relief.
"Mother," he said,
"I now return to Lord Rama."
"Soon he shall come with his army."
"Soon your sorrow will end."
Sita blessed Hanuman.
"May your devotion forever inspire the world."
Hanuman bowed one final time.
Then, climbing to the highest peak overlooking Lanka, he uttered a mighty roar.
"Jai Shri Rama!"
With one tremendous leap, he soared across the ocean toward Kishkindha.
In his hands he carried the Chudamani.
In his heart he carried Sita's message.
And upon his shoulders rested the hope of the entire world.
The servant had completed his mission.
Now it was time for the Lord himself to march toward Lanka.
The great war was no longer a distant possibility.
It had become inevitable.
The flames that consumed Lanka were only the beginning.
Soon the battlefield would decide the fate of Rama and Ravana.
The age-defining war of the Ramayana was about to begin.