Sundara Kanda, Sarga 54

Meaning

While surveying Laṅkā, Hanumān, whose desired object had been accomplished and whose zeal was growing, pondered over that which remained for him to do. (1)

Meaning

He said to himself, ‘What is actually left for me to do in Laṅkā at the present moment, which may prove to be a source of further torment to these ogres? (2)

Meaning

‘The grove has already been laid waste, eminent ogres killed and a part of the army has been destroyed. The demolition of the citadel alone remains. (3)

Meaning

‘With their fort destroyed, my work of leaping across the sea and laying waste the grove will prove to be a labour with a happy conclusion. My labour in the cause of searching for Sītā will become fruitful with a little effort in the direction of demolishing the fort. (4)

Meaning

‘It is advisable for me to feed to the fill with these excellent buildings this fire (lit., the bearer of sacrificial offerings to the gods) which is actually blazing on my tail though proving so cool to me.’ (5)

Meaning

With his tail set ablaze, Hanumān, the great monkey, began to flit over the tops of houses in Laṅkā like a cloud charged with lightning. (6)

Meaning

Not the least daunted, he actually passed from one house to another, surveying the pleasances and mansions of the ogres. (7)

Meaning

Springing up with great impetuosity to the mansion of Prahasta (the chief minister) and scattering fire there, the powerful Hanumān, who was equal in might to the wind god, then leapt to another dwelling, belonging to Mahāpārśwa, and scattered fire, which resembled the flames of the fire of final dissolution. (8-9)

Meaning

Nay, that gigantic monkey likewise bounded to the dwelling of Vajradaṁstra as also to that of Śuka as well as to the house of the sagacious Sāraṇa. (10)

Meaning

Even so, Hanumān, the leader of monkey hordes, burnt the palace of Indrajit and then the habitat of Jambumālī as well as that of Sumālī. (11)

Meaning

Nay, leaping up one after another in order of importance to the house of Raśmiketu, and even so to that of Sūryaśatru, to those of Hṛaśwakarṇa, Daṁstra and the ogre Romaśa, to the dwellings of Yuddhonmatta, Matta, the ogre Dhwajagrīva, to those of Vidyujjīhva, Ghora and likewise of Hastimukha, Karāla, Viśāla and even so Sonitakṣa, to the palace of Kumbhakaraṇa and also to those of Makarākṣa, of Narāntaka, Kumbha, the evil-minded Nikumbha, and Yajñaśatru and likewise of Brahmaśatru, Hanumān, the foremost of monkeys, who was endowed with extraordinary energy, set fire to them, avoiding the palace of Vibhīṣaṇa alone (who had averted his death sentence). (12—16)

Meaning

Penetrating into all costly houses, the highly illustrious Hanumān, an elephant among the monkeys, burnt all the wealth in the mansions of the rich. (17)

Meaning

Passing over the houses of all, the powerful and glorious monkey forthwith reached the palace of Rāvaṇa, the lord of ogres. (18)

Meaning

Scattering blazing fire on his tail in that distinguished palace, which was decked with various jewels, which resembled Mounts Meru and Mandāra in height and was enriched with various auspicious articles, the valiant Hanumān thundered like a cloud appearing at the time of universal dissolution. (19-20)

Meaning

Through contact with the wind, the very mighty fire (lit., the consumer of oblations) grew out of all proportion with great rapidity and blazed like the fire of universal destruction. (21)

Meaning

The wind began to spread the blazing fire through all those dwellings. The result was that those stately mansions made of pearls and gems, nay, provided with lattices of gold and full of precious stones, got cracked and, their storeys being shattered, they toppled to the earth like the mansions of Siddhas fallen from the heavens on the exhaustion of their merits. There ensued a tumultuous uproar among the ogres running with great speed each to save his own dwelling, their spirit broken and splendour gone. They said to one another. “Ah, here indeed is the god of fire arrived in the form of a monkey !” (22—25)

Meaning

Nay, women carrying their sucklings fell down crying precipitately. While falling from their mansions, some women with dishevelled hair, their limbs enveloped in flames, shone like flashes of lightning falling from clouds in the heavens. Hanumān beheld strange molten metals mixed with diamonds, corals, cat’s-eye gems, pearls and silver streaming from every house. Hanumān did not feel wearied in killing the ogre chiefs any more than fire is sated with consuming logs of wood and blades of grass; nor did Mother Earth (lit., that which carries riches) feel wearied in receiving in her lap, ogres killed by Hanumān. (26—29)

Meaning

The aforesaid city of Laṅkā was burnt up by the gigantic Hanumān, who was full of impetuosity, in the same way as Tripura (a triad of cities built of gold, silver and iron, in heaven, the aerial region and the earth by the demon Maya) was burnt by Rudra, the god of destruction. (30)

Meaning

Lighted by the impetuous Hanumān, a fire then broke out on the summit of the mountain Trikūṭa on which the city of Laṅkā stood—a fire which was endowed with terrible prowess, and expanding its circle of flames, flared up. (31)

Meaning

Fanned by the wind and inflamed by ghee in the shape of the bodies of ogres, the fire with smokeless flames, which had persisted in the houses in Laṅkā shot up to the skies and appeared like the fire at the time of universal dissolution. (32)

Meaning

Like the fire of universal destruction, which splits up the egg-shaped universe, with various sounds, harsh like claps of thunder, the brilliant fire, which enveloped the entire Laṅkā, shone brightly like millions of suns. (33)

Meaning

Extending up to the skies, the fire, which cast a fierce splendour and shot scarlet flames resembling Kiṁśuka flowers, grew out of all proportion. And dense columns of smoke hanging in the air on all sides shone at that time like clouds bearing the colour of blue lotuses. (34)

Meaning

“He is surely the mighty Indra, the ruler of gods, who wields the thunderbolt, or Yama (the god of retribution) in person or Varuṇa (the god of water), or the wind-god, the fire seated in the third eye of the forehead of Lord Śiva, the sun-god, Kubera (the bestower of riches) or the moon-god. He is no monkey, but Kāla, the Time-Spirit himself. (35)

Meaning

“May it be the fury of the four-faced Brahmā, the grandfather of all, the creator of the world, arrived here in the guise of a monkey, playing the role of a destroyer of the ogres? (36)

Meaning

“Or, may it be the supreme adorable energy of Lord Viṣṇu, the Protector of the universe, unthinkable, unmanifest, infinite and peerless, arrived at this juncture for the extermination of ogres, assuming the form of a monkey by virtue of Her supernatural creative power?” (37)

Meaning

Thus spoke all the numerous hosts of eminent ogres, gathering together in the presence of Rāvaṇa on perceiving that city burnt all of a sudden with its multitudes of living beings inhabiting it, houses and trees. (38)

Meaning

Consumed all of a sudden with ogres, horses, chariots and elephants, flocks of birds, beasts and trees, the deity presiding over Laṅkā for its part thereupon cried in distress with a tumultuous noise. (39)

Meaning

A terrific and exceedingly violent clamour was raised by the ogres crying in various ways as follows: “O my dear father, O my beloved son, O my beloved husband, O my friend, O lord of my life, O my dear one, our excessive religious merit is exhausted.” (40)

Meaning

Enveloped in flames, nay, with its eminent heroes killed and its warriors thrown into disorder, humbled as it was by the vehemence of the wrath of Hanumān, the celebrated Laṅkā appeared as though visited by a curse. (41)

Meaning

The high-minded Hanumān saw Laṅkā with its ogres dismayed and despondent and seized with a flurry, and bearing the imprint of fire bursting into blazing flames and thus resembling the earth destroyed by the wrath of the self-born Lord Śiva. (42)

Meaning

Having destroyed the Aśoka grove, thick with the best of trees, killed eminent ogres in combat and burnt that city containing rows of excellent buildings, Hanumān (sprung from the loins of the wind-god) stood at ease. (43)

Meaning

Nay, having dispatched many notorious ogres and destroyed the aforesaid grove rich in numerous trees and kindled fire in the dwellings of ogres, the high-souled Hanumān sought the presence of Śrī Rāma with his mind. (44)

Meaning

Thereupon all the hosts of gods on their part gratefully extolled the highly intelligent son of the wind-god, a prince among monkey heroes, the foremost of the mighty, Hanumān, who was endowed with extraordinary might and was equal to the wind in swiftness. (45)

Meaning

All the gods as well as the foremost of ascetics, even so, Gandharvas, Vidyādharas and Nāgas—nay, all great beings present there experienced an exceeding and unequalled joy. (46)

Meaning

Having destroyed the Aśoka grove, killed ogres in conflict and burnt the redoubtable city of Laṅkā, that eminent Hanumān, who was endowed with extraordinary energy, shone brightly. (47)

Meaning

Firmly seated on the marvellous top of an excellent building, Hanumān, a lion among monkey chiefs, who was surrounded by a circle of flames rising from his flaming tail, shone brightly like the sun encircled with a nimbus. (48)

Meaning

Having subjected the entire Laṅkā to excessive suffering, the mighty monkey Hanumān, a bull among monkeys, then quenched the fire of his tail in the sea. (49)

Meaning

Beholding the aforesaid Laṅkā reduced to ashes, the gods including Gandharvas, Siddhas and eminent Ṛṣis (the seers of Vedic Mantras) were filled with extreme wonder. (50)

Meaning

Seeing that mighty monkey, Hanumān, the foremost of monkeys, and fancying him to be the fire of universal dissolution, all created beings were amazed. (51)