Hari Om.
Let us begin the fifty fourth sarga of the sundara kAnDam by offering our prostrations at the lotus feet of SrIrAma and our sathguru.
The ten headed demon gave into the counsel of his brother vibhIshaNa to not execute the emissary but to inflict exemplary punishment on him. Whether it was due to the respect of tradition or otherwise was not clear, but this much was clear that it was foolish to set free a supremely mighty vAnara, highly focused on his mission, skilled beyond comprehension, feigning captivity and spying actively. If the fire was to cause some burning, the command of sItA putting her chastity as the protection ensured that hanumAn was not troubled even by the fire. The episode showcased sItA’s prayers were being answered by the good that was being caused to hanumAn! The diligent vAnara on his part attributed it to rAma’s glory and sItA’s greatness. Swallowing the insult for the sake of the mission of rAma, after taking a good look at lanka, its fortification, the vAnara set himself free from the ropes with which he was tied, took an iron beam and vanquished the demons! He then jumped with fire still on his fire on to the entrance gate from which he had a good view of lanka and acted further. Onwards…
Having achieved his objectives (meeting the demon king, counseling, spying on lanka), the vAnara grew in proportions with great enthusiasm and thought of his further action –
“Right now, what is remaining to be done here which can enhance the grief of the ogres? I have smashed the grove, killed famous demons, vanquished part of the army and now remains the destruction of the fort. Indeed, the bringing down of the fort would be a very fulfilling thing to accomplish if I could do it with little effort. This fire that is glowing at the end of my tail shall be deployed in the best of the mansions and that would be fitting and just”!
यो ह्ययं मम लाङ्गूले दीप्यते हव्यवाहनः।
अस्य सन्तर्पणं न्याय्यं कर्तुमेभिर्गृहोत्तमैः।।5.54.5।।
With the flaming tail, shining like a cloud surrounded by lightning, he began surveying the mansions and the parks in the fort. He jumped on to the mansion of prahasta with great agility and set fire to that and from there he sprang on to the house of mahApArSwa and conflagrated it. Then in that order he jumped from the mansions of vajradanshTra to that of Suka followed by SAraNa, Indrajit, jambumAli, sumAli and gutted their homes. Then followed the houses of rashmikEtu, sUryaSatru, hrasvakarNa, danshTram rOmasha, yudhOnmatta, matta, dhvajagrIva, vidyudjihva, ghOra, hastimukha, karAlam piSacha, SoNitAksha, kumbhakarNa, makarAksha, yajnaSatru, brahmaSatru, narAntaka, kumbha, nikumbha which were set on fire from his tail sparing the home of the illustrious vibhIshaNa. Thus he moved around the opulent mansions of very wealthy demons and having set those to fire destroyed their wealth. Now crossing all their homes, the auspicious vAnara sighted the palace of rAvaNa. The glowing fire that was burning at the end of his tail was duly installed in the mountainous mansion of rAvaNa that was studded with a variety of gems and in accomplishment he let out a huge roar like the thundering clouds at the end of time.
प्रदीप्तमग्निमुत्सृज्य लाङ्गूलाग्रे प्रतिष्ठितम्।
ननाद हनुमान्वीरो युगान्तजलदो यथा।।5.54.20।।
तानि काञ्चनजालानि मुक्तामणिमयानि च।
भवनान्यवशीर्यन्त रत्नवन्ति महान्ति च।।5.54.23।।
Aided by the blowing wind, the fire spread fast all over lanka and caused an inferno. The golden frames of the windows studded with gems fell off. The demons whose houses were burning came desperately ran out and caused a great commotion lamenting that the fire god has indeed in form of a vAnara! Few of the she-demons who were feeding their young ones jumped out of their mansions with their hair let loose and resembled lightning striking down from the skies! Variety of metals, gems, stones all were in display as they melted and flowed. Just like fire won’t be satiated by dry sticks and grass, this hardly satisfied hanumAn! The raging flames in some places looked like kimSuka flowers, in yet other places they resembled SAlmali flowers and in others they appeared like vermilion. The great and extremely swift hanumAn gutted lanka just like rudra gutted the tripura.
हनूमता वेगवता वानरेण महात्मना।
लङ्कापुरं प्रदग्धं तद्रुद्रेण त्रिपुरं यथा।।5.54.30।।
The raging fire caught from one mansion to another aided by the winds, the fat in the bodies of the demons, soon caught up until the top of the trikuTa mountain on which lanka was situated radiating glow all around. With flames rising up to the skies, it looked like innumerable suns surrounded lanka and this was the end game for them.
Many noted demons got together witnessed the annihilation unleashed on living beings, mansions, trees and the trees and exclaimed –
“Could he be indra or verily yama or varuNa or the wind god? Or could he be rudra or the fire god or the sun or kubEra or sOma. He surely is not a vAnara, he is verily death itself. Or could it be the four faced brahma who came in from the vAnara to end the demon clan? Or could it be a glowing form of vishNu, who descended with his infinite, inexplicable, unimaginable mAya”?
Beholding the burning lanka, the hapless demons bewailed – “alas father, alas son, alas oh dear one, our enjoyable life has been burnt down to ashes thus”. Succumbing to the seize by the anger of hanumAn, lanka enveloped by the inferno looked like a city under siege and cursed. Watching the flames and the suffering demons, hanumAn felt as if it was consumed by the anger of the self-born god.
Having unleashed great destruction, hanumAn perched on top of the trikUtA mountain surrounded by his glowing tail resembling the sun surrounded by his rays. Having burnt down the mansions of the demons, hanumAn reached rAma mentally!
स राक्षसांस्तान्सुबहूंश्च हत्वा वनं च भङ्क्त्वा बहुपादपं तत्।
विसृज्य रक्षोभवनेषु चाग्निं जगाम रामं मनसा महात्मा।।5.54.45।।
The gods, gandharvas and the sages were astonished and very pleased by the acts of hanumAn as he shone bright having tormented the city of lanka.
तत्र देवास्सगन्धर्वास्सिद्धाश्च परमर्षयः।
दृष्ट्वा लङ्कां प्रदग्धां तां विस्मयं परमं गताः।।5.54.48।।
All the beings were very scared at the sight of hanumAn fearing him to be the life raging inferno. The gods, best of the sages, gandharvas, vidyAdharas and yakshas and others were a delighted lot.
Here we conclude the fifty fourth 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: 5.55. Brief despair and then good omens!
Previous: 5.53. What is rAma’s grace incapable of!
rAmabhaktisAmrAjyam 
