Hanumaan Burned Lankaa
Hanumaan was very brave. Later he was sent to Sugreev to serve him.
When
Raam was exiled for 14 years, He came to live in Dandak Van with His wife
Seetaa and brother Lakshman. A Raakshas Raavan took Seetaa away from their
hut when Raam went to bring a golden deer for Seetaa, and Lakshman went to
rescue Him at His call from a distant place. When Raam and Lakshman came back, they didn't
find Seetaa there. They went in search of her. On their way they met Jataayu
vulture who told them that Raavan had taken their Seetaa. He in fact fought
with Raavan to save Seetaa but could not save her and died after telling
this to Raam. Later they met Hanumaan who was one of Sugreev's Ministers.
Hanumaan took them to his King Sugreev and asked them to be each other's
friends. Sugreev was a brave Vaanar king. Sugreev
assured Raam that he would help Him to find Seetaa. He sent search parties in all the four
directions.
Hanumaan
was assigned to go to South. Raam gave him His ring as an identification to
show to Seetaa, if he met her, and to tell her that he was Raam's messenger.
Hanumaan went to seashore and sat there worried as how to cross the sea. All
other Vaanar also could not cross it. Then Angad who was the party leader
talked like this - "This is very sad that Jataayu gave his life to save
Seetaa, and we are not able even to cross this sea."
By
chance Jataayu's brother Sampaati was sitting nearby and hearing this.
Hearing the name of his brother, he came to them and asked about his
brother as how did they know him. Angad told him the whole story of Jataayu,
so he also intended to help Raam. He reminded Hanumaan of his
powers. He also told them that he was able to see Seetaa in Lankaa of Raavan.
Then Hanumaan crossed the sea to go to Lankaa.
While
crossing the sea, he faced a Raakshasee Surasaa who wanted to eat him but
Hanumaan was so intelligent that he came out safe after going into her
mouth. He met another Raakshas who ate the sky creatures capturing their
shadow in the sea. When he saw Hanumaan's shadow in the sea, he captured it
also and wanted to eat him, but Hanumaan killed him.
Then
he came to Lankaa and met Lankinee named Raakshasee who was the chief guard
of Lankaa. When she wanted to stop him going inside Lankaa, he hit her with
his fist and she almost fainted. In Lankaa, he met Vibheeshan also and found Seetaa sitting
in Ashok Van of Raavan. He waited on the tree under which she was sitting until he
found the opportunity to show himself.
When
she was alone, Hanumaan dropped Raam's ring in front of her to
let her know that he was Raam's messenger. Then he jumped down from the tree
and showed himself in person. He then wanted to show something
to Raavan. So he asked permission from Seetaa to eat fruits from the trees there. Seetaa
gave her permission. So he ate some fruits and rooted out many trees. Seeing
this destruction of the Van, the guards of that Van went to Raavan to report about it.
Raavan sent his Raakshas to bring him to him but Hanumaan killed most of them. Then Raavan sent his son Akshaya Kumaar to bring him, but Hanumaan killed him
also. Then Raavan sent his another son Meghnaad to bring him. He tied him
with Naag Paash and brought him to his father.
Hanumaan
tried his best to pursue him to return Seetaa to Raam but Raavan was firm in
his ideas. Rather he ordered his Raakshas to take him and set fire in his
tail so that when he goes to Raam without his tail, Raam could know his
strength. Raakshas took him, tied rags to his tail, wetted the rags with oil
and set the fire. Hanumaan increased his tail so much so that, it is said, it
consumed all the rags and oil of Lankaa.
Hanumaan's
father Vaayu Dev started fanning the fire and he climbed over the roofs of
palaces and started burning their palaces. He burned the whole Lankaa except
the place where Seetaa was living. He put out the fire of his tail by
jumping into the sea. Then he came to Seetaa, took an identification from her and
came back to Raam. He showed the identification to Raam and told him
everything that happened there.
