Adhyaya 42

Chapter 42 (“Parābhava”) recounts a sharp escalation in an Aśvamedha-linked war: as armies gather, Hanumān advances toward King Puṣkala. Puṣkala challenges Hanumān’s might and invokes comparison with King Vīramaṇi, while the narration interweaves bhakti assurances—remembrance of Raghunātha dries the “ocean of sorrow,” and by Rāma’s grace one crosses what cannot be crossed. Hanumān warns against rashness, describing Vīramaṇi as valorous and divinely protected; yet the clash moves into a chariot duel and fierce exchanges of arrows. Kṣatriya ethics—age versus strength, mercy toward the young, and codes of honor—are debated amid grim Purāṇic battle imagery of yoginīs, piśācas, and jackals. The episode culminates in Puṣkala’s tactical resolve and devotional assertions, ending with the opponent’s swoon and rout, and Puṣkala’s victory set within a bhakti-inflected heroic frame.