Ramayana — Sundara Kanda, Sarga 3, Shloka 6
लङ्काप्रवेशः
Hanuman Enters Lanka and Encounters Laṅkā-devatā
शारदाम्बुधरप्रख्यैर्भवनैरुपशोभिताम्।सागरोपमनिर्घोषां सागरानिलसेविताम्।।5.3.3।।सुपुष्टबलसम्पुष्टां यथैव विटपावतीम्।चारुतोरणनिर्यूहां पाण्डुरद्वारतोरणाम्।।5.3.4।।भुजगाचरितां गुप्तां शुभां भोगवतीमिव।तां स विद्युद्घनाकीर्णां ज्योतिर्मार्गनिषेविताम्।।5.3.5।।मन्दमारुतसञ्चारां यथेन्द्रस्यामरावतीम्।शातकुम्भेन महता प्राकारेणाभिसंवृताम्।।5.3.6।।किङ्किणीजालघोषाभिः पताकाभिरलङ्कृताम्।आसाद्य सहसा हृष्टः प्राकारमभिपेदिवान्।।5.3.7।।
bhujagācaritāṃ guptāṃ śubhāṃ bhogavatīm iva | tāṃ sa vidyudghanākīrṇāṃ jyotirmārganiṣevitām || 5.3.5 || mandamārutasañcārāṃ yathendrasyāmarāvatīm | śātakumbhena mahatā prākāreṇābhisaṃvṛtām || 5.3.6 || kiṅkiṇījālaghoṣābhiḥ patākābhir alaṅkṛtām | āsādya sahasā hṛṣṭaḥ prākāram abhipedivān || 5.3.7 ||
He beheld that city—guarded and auspicious, like Bhogavatī, the serpent-city; clouded with lightning-bearing masses and attended by the paths of stars. With gentle breezes it resembled Indra’s Amarāvatī, encircled by a vast golden rampart, adorned with banners and the tinkling of bell-nets. Reaching it, Hanumān at once felt delight and surveyed the rampart.
"O lord of vanaras! you may search for the chaste lady, daughter of king Janaka all over freely entering this doomed city, ruled by the chief of demons.ityārṣē śrīmadrāmāyāṇē vālmīkīya ādikāvyē sundarakāṇḍē tṛtīyassargaḥ৷৷Thus ends the third sarga of Sundarakanda of the holy Ramayana, the first epic composed by sage Valmiki.
FAQs
Even amid splendor, dharma requires vigilance: beauty and power can veil adharma, so the righteous agent (Hanumān) observes carefully before acting.
The narrator describes Laṅkā’s magnificence as Hanumān reaches the rampart and surveys the city’s defenses and grandeur.
Hanumān’s alertness and strategic intelligence—he delights in success but immediately assesses the terrain for his dharmic mission.