Ramayana — Sundara Kanda, Sarga 43, Shloka 18
चैत्यप्रासाद-विध्वंसः
Destruction of the Chaitya Palace and Hanuman’s Proclamation
तत्र चाग्निस्समभवत्प्रासादश्चाप्यदह्यत।।।।दह्यमानं ततो दृष्ट्वा प्रासादं हरियूथपः।स राक्षसशतं हत्त्वा वज्रेणेन्द्र इवासुरान्।।।।अन्तरिक्षे स्थितश्श्तीमानिदं वचनमब्रवीत्।
tatra cāgnis samabhavat prāsādaś cāpy adahyata |
dahyamānaṃ tato dṛṣṭvā prāsādaṃ hari-yūthapaḥ |
sa rākṣasa-śataṃ hatvā vajreṇendra ivāsurān |
antariḳṣe sthitaḥ śrīmān idaṃ vacanam abravīt ||
Then fire sprang up there, and the palace too began to burn. Seeing the palace aflame, the leader of the monkey-host slew a hundred rākṣasas—like Indra striking down asuras with his thunderbolt. Then, poised in the sky, the illustrious Hanumān spoke these words (a proclamation follows).
Thereupon the infuriated son of the Windgod, assumed a fearsome form, uprooted a pillar of the palace decked with gold and holding that hundred edged pillar whirled it round swiftly.
FAQs
Dharma is portrayed as the triumph of righteous agency: destructive power (fire and battle) is framed as a corrective force against adharma, culminating in a public declaration that asserts moral certainty (satya) and purpose.
The palace catches fire during Hanumān’s violent counterattack; he kills a hundred rākṣasas and then takes to the air to issue a proclamation.
Tejas and prabhāva (radiant might and commanding presence): Hanumān dominates both ground and sky, turning the battle into a moral demonstration.