Shloka 2
अष्टादशः सर्गः (Sarga 18): रावणस्य प्रमदावनप्रवेशः
Ravana’s entry into the women’s grove
षडङ्गवेदविदुषां क्रतुप्रवरयाजिनाम्।शुश्राव ब्रह्मघोषांश्च स विरात्रे ब्रह्मरक्षसाम्।।5.18.2।।
ṣaḍaṅga-veda-viduṣāṁ kratu-pravara-yājinām |
śuśrāva brahma-ghoṣāṁś ca sa virātre brahma-rakṣasām ||5.18.2||
Am Ende der Nacht vernahm er die brahma-ghoṣa, die vedischen Rezitationen jener Brahmarākṣasas: kundig der Veden samt ihren sechs Hilfsdisziplinen und geübt in der Darbringung erhabener Opfer.
One glorious and compassionate lady carried in her right hand a gem-studded jar filled with wine.
FAQs
It highlights the cultural authority of Vedic learning and ritual discipline—forms of dharma—showing that even in Laṅkā, sacred recitation and sacrificial order are present (though not necessarily implying moral purity of the practitioners).
Hanumān, while observing Laṅkā at dawn, hears Vedic recitations performed by brahmin-demons known for sacrifice and learning.
Hanumān’s alert observation and discernment—he carefully notes signs of religious and social life in the enemy city without losing focus on his mission.