THE MIGHTY HANUMAN

As a child, Hanuman was very naughty. Using his powers, he flew around mischievously, leapt over trees, entered hermitages, pulled the breads of sages and disturbed them during their meditation.

Troubled by the sportive of Hanuman, the sages cursed him that he would forget all his powers and boons and would regain those powers only when someone would extol his virtues.

At the southern seashore seeing the vast ocean between him and Mother Sita, Hanuman lamented at this inability to jump across the ocean.

Jambuvan then began to extol his virtues. Recollecting his powers, Hanuman enlarged his body and cried out aloud, "Glory be to Rama!"

He then flew across the ocean. While flying over the ocean, Mount Mainaka offered Hanuman to rest on it. But Hanuman refused, saying that he could not waste any time in resting.

Next Hanuman encountered a monstress called Sursa who told him that to go ahead he would have to enter her mouth. Before entering her mouth, he enlarged his body to great proportions. When she also enlarged her body, he suddenly decreased his size, went into her mouth and quickly came out.

As Hanuman flew over the ocean, he encountered a sea-monstress called Simhika, who dragged him down by catching his shadow. Hanuman killed her and entered Lanka.

Hanukan became small in size and went in search of Sita. He saw Ravana sleeping in his palace. While searching for Sita, he say a qwueen peacefully sleeping in a palace. She was wearing silken clothes and beautiful gold ornaments.

He thought, "She cannot be mother Sita because without her Rama, Sita would not be able to sleep so peacefully."

Hanuman then went to a beautiful garden with many fruit-laden trees in it. This was the Ashoka Vatika. There he saw a basil plant and a symbol of Rama's bow and arrows. He knew that these saintly symbols were proofs of Sita's presence there.

He saw a very beautiful woman crying, "Rama! Oh, my Rama!.

Sampati

Sugreev, lost in the pleasures and luxuries of th court, was reminded by Hanuman about his promise to Rama. Taking immediate action, Sugreev called his ministers for a meeting.

Hanuman, Jambuvan (a bear), Angad (Bali's son) and a few others went to the southern tip of India. Seeing the vast expanse of ocean before them, they didn't know what to do next. But they didn't even want to return to Rama without any definite news about Sita.

While they were sitting on the rocks, a huge vulture called Sampati saw them and decided to eat one of them. Sampati had an exceptionally acute sense of vision, smell and hearing. When he was just about to attack them, he heard Hanuman talking about his brother Jayayu. On hearing how Jatayu had sacrificed his life for Sita and who Rama was, Sampati decided to help Rama in his mission to rescue his innocent wife and destroy evil.

When Hanuman asked him if he had seen Sita, Sampati said, "Yes I have seen a beautiful but sad maiden chanting the name of Rama."

On being asked where he had seen her, he said, "I saw her in the Ashoka Vatika of Lanka."

Hanuman was now eager to to Lanka. But how would he cros sthis vast expanse of ocean!