Shloka 5.10.24
रावणान्तःपुरे शयनदर्शनम् (Hanumān Observes Rāvaṇa’s Inner Apartments and Sleeping Court)
चूतपुन्नागसुरभिर्वकुलोत्तमसंयुतः।मृष्टान्नरससंयुक्तः पानगन्धपुरस्कृतः।।5.10.23।।तस्य राक्षससिंहस्य निश्चक्राम महामुखात्।शयानस्य विनिःश्वासः पूरयन्निव तद् गृहम्।।5.10.24।।
tasya rākṣasasiṁhasya niścakrāma mahāmukhāt | śayānasya viniḥśvāsaḥ pūrayann iva tad gṛham ||5.10.24||
From the vast mouth of that lion among rākṣasas, as he lay asleep, his breath flowed out, as though filling the entire chamber.
The breath released from the huge mouth of that lion of demons carried the fragrance of mango and punnaga as well as excellent Bakula flowers. It exuded the aroma of rich and delicious food and different drink. It was as though pervading the whole chamber.
By portraying the rākṣasa as powerful yet asleep and vulnerable, the verse sets up Hanumān’s dharmic mission: to act with restraint and purpose (seeking Sītā), not with needless violence, even when the enemy is exposed.
The verse is a truthful, sensory description that supports the narrative’s reliability: it presents observable detail (breath issuing and filling the room) to ground Hanumān’s reconnaissance in accurate perception rather than assumption.