November 12 - sarga 51 of Sundara Kanda.
The hallmark of a superhero is that there is nothing casual or thoughtless about anything he does, whether it is action, speech, or thought.
Hanuman speaks directly and fearlessly and diplomatically to Ravana.
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अर्थवदव्यग्रः Valmiki says Hanuman spoke without being perturbed, and his words were of deep import.
भ्रातुः श्रुणु समादेशम् - Hanuman begins by introducing himself as the minister of the great vanara King Sugriva, whom he refers to as Ravana's brother. "Oh Ravana, your brother enquires after your welfare. Listen to the message from the great-souled Sugriva."
धर्मार्थसहितं वाक्यमिह चामुत्र च क्षमम् - "Sugriva's advice is rooted in bringing you Dharma and wellbeing, and meant for conferring good in the here and hereafter."
"King Dasharatha ruled Ayodhya well, equal in glory to Indra himself. His firstborn and favourite son is Sri Rama. He went into exile gladly by obeying his father's orders. He was joined dutifully by his brother Lakshmana and his wife Sita, the princess of Mithila and daughter of the great King Janaka.
"It was reported that Sita went missing in the forest. Sri Rama went in search of Devi Sita along with Lakshmana. In Rishyamuka he met King Sugriva who vowed to find Sita for him. In turn, Sri Rama promised to restore Sugriva his kingdom and accordingly killed his brother Vali in battle with a single arrow. I think, Ravana, that you well know the mighty Vali. (Vali in fact had tamed Ravana once and let him go.)
"On Sugriva's orders, thousands and thousands of his army troops of vanaras and bears went in all directions looking for Sita in heaven and on earth. Some of Sugriva's comanders equal Garuda in valour and speed. Some match Vayu himself. Some are simply beyond compare.
"Ravana, I am Hanuman, the son of the Wind-god Vayu. I leapt across the ocean and came here looking for Sita. And I then saw her on your premises.
तद्भवान् दृष्टधर्मार्थस्तपःकृतपरिग्रहः -"Oh noble king Ravana, you have seen what is Dharma and what is good for your welfare, and you have performed great austerities also.
परदारान् महाप्राज्ञ नोपरोद्धुं त्वमर्हसि - "Indeed, oh greatly wise one, you know it is not right to abduct someone else's wife."
कर्मसु मूलघातिषु न हि सज्जन्ते बुद्धिमन्तो भवद्विधाः - "Intelligent ones like you do not indulge in evil acts that strike at the very root of Dharma and thereby at the root of their own well-being."
"Oh, Ravana, indeed, who, among rakshasas or asuras can hope to face and survive the arrows coming from Lakshmana on orders from an infuriated Sri Rama? Oh, King, there is none in the three worlds who can hope to live well after incurring the displeasure of Sri Rama."
तत् त्रिकालहितं वाक्यं धर्म्यमर्थानुयायि च ।
मन्यस्व नरदेवाय जानकी प्रतिदीयताम् ॥
"Therefore, Ravana, take this advice that will serve you well in the past, present and future, and which ensures your Dharma as well as your Artha (life and material welfare). Go and return at once to the king of all men, Sri Rama, Janaki, his wife."
"I have penetrated your security cordon and met with Devi Sita. The next course of action will be determined by Sri Rama. When I saw Sita, she was full of extreme anguish and suffering. You do not know it, but you have, by abducting Sita, harboured a five-hooded deadly serpent in your house."
"No one can digest poison as food. No one among gods or demons can hope to keep Sita in captivity. The merits of your austerities are being frittered away by your deed. You will forfeit your life itself."
अवध्यतां तपोभिर्यां भवान् समनुपश्यति ।
आत्मनः सासुरैर्देवैर्हेतुस्तत्राप्ययं महान् ॥
"It seems that your act of abducting Sita was prompted by your seeing that by the boons you have earned by your tapas, you cannot be killed by either gods or demons. "
सुग्रीवो न च देवोऽयं न यक्षो न च राक्षसः ।
मानुषो राघवो राजन् सुग्रीवश्च हरीश्वरः ॥
"But you have missed the fact that Sugriva is neither a god nor a demon nor a yaksha. Sri Rama is a human, and Sugriva is the lord of vanaras (simians)."
तस्मात् प्राणपरित्राणं कथं राजन् करिष्यसि ।
"So, oh King, how do you hope to survive and escape death at their hands?"
"Whatever life you are enjoying is the result of your meritorious dharma in the past. But that is not going to survive after this act of adharma. Your merits are destroyed by your vile act. You will shortly reap the fruits of your unrighteous acts!"
"Ravana, you know how Sri Rama single-handedly killed all the rakshasas in Janasthana. You also know Sugriva is allied with him now. I think you can work out what is best for your welfare."
कामं खल्वहमप्येकस्सवाजिरथकुन्जराम् ।
लङ्कां नाशयितुं शक्तः तस्यैष तु न निश्चयः ॥
"Perhaps you can understand that if I do want, I can single-handedly destroy all this Lanka, with all its chariots, horses and elephants. I am fully capable of it but have no such intention. Sri Rama has vowed in the presence of all vanaras and bears that he will himself exterminate the arrogant ones with all their armies who are culpable of abducting Devi Sita."
"Even Indra cannot hope to survive after offending Sri Rama. What to speak of someone like you? Know for sure that Devi Sita is the Final Dissolution who will cause the total destruction of Lanka."
तदलं कालपाशेन सीताविग्रहरूपिणा - "Ravana, you have placed your neck in the noose of death called Devi Sita." "Visualise Lanka burning down in a huge fire with all its palaces and markets and glory. That fire is Devi Sita's chastity and Sri Rama's fury."
"Oh Ravana, do not sacrifice all your friends, ministers, brothers, sons, women, children, wellwishers and the treasures of Lanka to total destruction. Listen to the words of truth from this vanara, a messenger of Sri Rama."
"Sri Rama can annihilate without a trace the entire creation, and also bring it back also to life. Such is his power. He is no ordinary human. He is equal to Bhagavan Vishnu in valour. There is none who can face his rage and destructive power - gods, asuras, yakshas, rakshasas, vidyadharas, gandharvas, siddhas, serpents and snakes, kinnaras, birds, animals -nobody. Nowhere. At no time."
ब्रह्मा स्वयम्भूश्चतुराननो वा रुदस्त्रिनेत्रस्त्रिपुरान्तको वा ।
इन्द्रो महेन्द्रस्सुरनायको वा त्रातुं न शक्ता युधि रामवध्यम् ॥
"Ravana, get this straight from me. Neither the self-born, four-headed Brahma himself, nor the three-eyed Shiva who exterminated the Tripura kingdom of demons, nor again the lord of gods, the great Indra himself, is indeed capable of saving someone who is going to be killed by Sri Rama."
Ravana reacted rather on expected lines to all this. He was simply angered by all the sagely advice given very diplomatically by Hanuman.
समादिशत्तस्य वधं महाकपेः
He ordered the great vanara to be put to death.
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॥ श्रीरामजयम् ॥
