Shloka 5.18.13
अष्टादशः सर्गः (Sarga 18): रावणस्य प्रमदावनप्रवेशः — Ravana’s entry into the women’s grove
काचिद्रत्नमयीं स्थालीं पूर्णां पानस्य भामिनी।दक्षिणा दक्षिणेनैव तदा जग्राह पाणिना।।5.18.13।।
ṣaḍaṅga-veda-viduṣāṁ kratu-pravara-yājinām |
śuśrāva brahma-ghoṣāṁś ca sa virātre brahma-rakṣasām ||5.18.2||
At the end of the night, he heard the Vedic chants (brahma-ghoṣa) of those brahmarākṣasas—learned in the Veda with its six auxiliaries and skilled in the performance of eminent sacrifices.
One glorious and compassionate lady carried in her right hand a gem-studded jar filled with wine.
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.