Hari Om.
Let us begin the fifth sarga of the sundara kAnDam by offering our prostrations at the lotus feet of SrIrAma and our sathguru.
Having vanquished and seized the powers of the guardian deity of lanka, hanumAn proceeded into lanka in his inconspicuous form. He could see everyone in great detail but no noticed him. The plan was working. He was witness to an opulent and culturally advanced lanka in which sounds produced by great art forms, hymns and fun and frolic were heard from homes. The citizens seemed to live in peace and merry. As he moved further, he saw the heavily guarded palace of rAvaNa. The appearance of the soldiers wielding deadly weapons would strike fear in anyone. They had crooked faces, distorted features on their faces and were present in hundreds and thousands in and around the palace. Beholding the gold studded palace, besotted with a golden arch, hanumAn was struck with a sense of wonder and he entered the royal palace at night, hoodwinking the hundreds of henchemen present there. Onwards…
The wise and intelligent hanumAn then saw the resplendent moon rise up in the sky and spread its light all over the earth, delighting all the beings in the world, destroying their agony and enhancing the ocean. He appeared as if a mighty bull would swagger around in the stable amidst the cows. The moon was as enchanting in the night sky as the mandara mountain was on the earth, the ocean was at the dusk or the lotuses were in the lakes. Further, he was as glorious as a royal swan in a silver cage, a lion in the caves of the mandara mountain or like a warrior on top of an elephant. The moon replete with the sixteen facets was imposing like the sharp horned bull, like the sharp peaked mountains and like the gold straddled tusks of the tusker.
हंसो यथा राजतपञ्जरस्थः सिंहो यथा मन्दरकन्दरस्थः।
वीरो यथा गर्वितकुञ्जरस्थ चन्द्रोऽपि बभ्राज तथाम्बरस्थः।।5.5.4।।
विनष्टशीताम्बुतुषारपङ्को महाग्रहग्राहविनष्टपङ्कः।
प्रकाशलक्ष्म्याश्रयनिर्मलाङ्क: रराज चन्द्रो भगवान् शशाङ्कः।।5.5.6।।
The lord of the sky SaSAnka (moon) shone forth with clear and delightful radiance with the sun having destroyed all the dew. He reigned in all glory in the sky just like the lion reigns on top of the rock, like the great tuskers reign in the great battles and like the king would reign having secured his kingdom. With his illumining rise, the darkness is dispelled from the world, but the terrific nocturnal creatures set forth to gorge on flesh. The women and those smitten by them overcome the differences and rediscover the heavens illumined by the moon and went to bed as the delightful music from the stringed instruments rent the air.
As he proceeded further, hanumAn witnessed the high class demons, completely drunk and intoxicated, sledging each other with thumping of chests, indulging in cheap banter, indulging in women, throwing around a variety of things including their bows and were surrounded by chariots, horses, high breed elephants and a host of attendants. He saw some women asleep, yet others were busy making up, some others were laughing, and others were livid in anger and sighing deeply. The city resembled a lake filled with hissing snakes with trumpeting elephants, well kept ones and the proud warriors roaring. He witnessed further a range of highly intellectual demons among the best in the world, some who spoke sweetly, some faithful ones, some bearing very classy and tasteful names. He was very pleased to find those pleasing personalities with cultural disposition and virtues very much like himself. Again, he noticed some very ugly forms of the demons whose forms were true to their names!
He beheld many a beautiful demoness, well decorated with ornaments, with clothes ranging from little to well dressed, completely absorbed in their husbands and the intoxicating drinks. They were gentle and shone like stars. Some were locked in embraces, some were shy. Some looked like birds covered with flowers. Some of the couples sat on the terraces of the mansions and made no secret of the righteous affection they had for each other. The wise hanumAn saw the lovelorn couples – happy women with their husbands, expressing their righteous affection. He saw many a moonfaced beauty, with lovely eyelashes, wearing dazzling ornaments and all in all it looked like a thousand brilliant flashes.
However, he did not find anywhere, sItA who was born in the great and righteous royal clan, who was extraordinarily beautiful and who he visualized as a slender plant in full bloom.
He could not find sItA who with her adherence for the eternal dharma and her charming looks had captured the heart of her illustrious husband and was the best among the best of women.
He could not find that sItA whose neck adorned dazzling necklaces in the past but was choking shedding warm tears now. She was like an excellent peahen with lovely eyelashes and a musical voice that stopped dancing.
hanumAn was not able to see sItA, the queen of the most eloquent rAma, just like one could not see the faint crescent moon, streak of gold covered with dust, scar of an arrow covered with cloth or a streak of cloud blown away by the wind. For a while he was extremely disappointed and became dull in spirit.
अव्यक्तरेखामिव चन्द्ररेखां पांसुप्रदिग्धामिव हेमरेखाम्।
क्षतप्ररूढामिव बाणरेखां वायुप्रभिन्नामिव मेघरेखाम्।।5.5.26।।
सीतामपश्यन् मनुजेश्वरस्य रामस्य पत्नीं वदतां वरस्य।
बभूव दुःखाभिहतश्चिरस्य प्लवङ्गमो मन्द इवाचिरस्य।।5.5.27।।
Here we conclude the fifth sarga of the sundara kAnDam of SrImath vAlmiKi rAmAyaNam and humbly offer it at the lotus feet of SrIrAma. Hari: Om!
jAi SrIrAma.
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Next: 5.06. Agile, observant and scanning every inch
Previous: 5.04. The resolute sneaks in to lanka
rAmabhaktisAmrAjyam 
