Seeta sat surrounded by ferocious rakshasis holding spears and other weapons in their hands. They were guarding her closely. As he watched dawn broke, Ravana awoke and when he was dressed in all his finery, he came with a large retinue to meet Seeta. She shrank away in fear and disgust, frightened and worried if […]
Hanuman searched for Seeta, going through the silent streets and houses, till he reached the palace, where he found all the men and women fast asleep. He saw Ravana also sleeping. He examined all the females to find out whether Seeta was among them. But there was no sign of Seeta anywhere. He went out
Leaving windows open in the deceased’s house, holding wakes are funeral customs prevalent amongst the Irish. Do you know: It is considered bad luck if someone were to block the path to an open window in the deceased person’s house. The Irish believe that the windows of a house where someone has passed away must
Hanuman reached Lanka, a kingdom that was at the peak of its glory, more splendid and prosperous than Amaravati of Indra. He quickly reduced himself to a tiny-sized monkey so that he might explore the place freely first. The gate was guarded by the fierce Lankini who stopped him, asking him who he was and
One more hurdle had to be crossed by Hanuman before reaching the shores of Lanka. In the waters of the ocean lived a strange demoness called Chhayagrahini rakshasi. She got her name from the fact that she lay in wait for birds flying overhead whose reflection she would see in the water. She would grab
Hanuman was flying further along when a huge demoness, Surasa, blocked his path. Surasa was the mother of serpents and had been sent to test Hanuman. She opened her mouth wide to devour him, but the wider she opened it, the larger grew Hanuman. Then when she had opened it at its widest, Hanuman shrank
Standing on Mahendra mountain, Hanuman offered prayers to all the gods, especially Vayu, and with the name of Sri Rama in his heart and on his lips, he took off over the ocean towards the south, where Lanka lay. In the ocean lay Mainaka mountain that had taken shelter in the ocean to escape persecution
Hanuman’s glory lay in his humility. It is only when he was told about them, that he realised the great hidden powers he possessed. As he grew in size and heard Jambavan talk about these qualities, he knew he could achieve the purpose for which Rama had sent him with the troop. The vanara sena
When all movement of air stopped, everything came to a standstill and human beings, devas, asuras, animals and plants, all began to struggle for breath. All the gods, including Indra, went to Vayu in desperation and begged his pardon for hurting his son. When Vayu forgave them, Hanuman was revived and blessed by them with
The vanara sena decided not to fast but settled down to decide how to go across the sea to Lanka. They calculated the distance each of them could leap, but none could cover the distance in one leap! Jambavan, the wise old bear, suddenly turned to Hanuman, sitting quietly as the others discussed the matter.
Spring had arrived by the time they reached the seaside. They still had no clue about Seeta. If they returned without the information, Prince Angad said Sugreeva would be angry and would kill him. He decided to fast unto death. When the Prince fasted, how could the others eat? They all sat in despair waiting
When Hanuman was leaving Kishkindha, Rama gave him a ring so that Seeta might know that he came as a messenger from Rama. The bond between Rama and Hanuman was so strong that Rama was sure Hanuman would find Seeta. However, as the days passed, there was no sign of Seeta anywhere and the vanara
Sugreeva became King of Kishkindha and made Angad Crown Prince. The rainy season had arrived. After the coronation celebrations, everybody relaxed. Sugreeva was living a life of comfort after a long time, so he lost all idea of restraint and enjoyed himself in lavish living. Rama was waiting for him to fulfil his part of
Vaali was a great warrior. He was stunned that Rama had shot him while hiding behind a tree. As he lay dying, Rama and Lakshmana came up to him. The dying Vaali looked at Rama and asked him, “You are a warrior and a prince, renowned for your right conduct. Why have you killed me
Sugreeva was thoroughly upset. He accused Rama of not wanting to kill Vaali. But Rama had a genuine reason for not being able to shoot. Vaali and Sugreeva were exactly alike in height and build and wore the same dress and ornaments. So, it was difficult to tell them apart. Rama asked Lakshmana to fetch