Shloka 5.2.51

लङ्कादर्शनं तथा रात्रौ सूक्ष्मरूपेण प्रवेशोपायचिन्तनम् (Vision of Lanka and Strategy for Nocturnal Entry)

Devanagari script

प्रासादमालाविततां स्तम्भैः काञ्चनराजतैः।शातकुम्भमयैर्जालैर्गन्थर्वनगरोपमाम्।।।।सप्तभौमाष्टभौमैश्च स ददर्श महापुरीम्।तलैः स्फाटिकसंकीर्णैः कार्तस्वरविभूषितैः।।।।

Transliteration

prāsādamālāvitatāṁ stambhaiḥ kāñcanarājataiḥ |

śātakumbhamayair jālair gantharvanagaropamām || 5.2.51 ||

saptabhaumāṣṭabhaumaiś ca sa dadarśa mahāpurīm |

talaiḥ sphāṭikasaṅkīrṇaiḥ kārtasvaravibhūṣitaiḥ || 5.2.52 ||

Translation

He saw the great city, extended with continuous rows of mansions—gold-and-silver pillars, golden latticework, Gandharva-city-like—filled with seven- and eight-storied buildings, crystal-inlaid floors, and decorations of fine gold.

Context

Hanuman saw the city stretched with rows of buildings all over,with seven or eight storied mansions, which had pillars of gold and silver, windows with fretwork of gold, inlaid with crystals, floors decorated with gold, resembling the grand city of gandharvas.

Characters & Entities

• Hanumān
• Laṅkā
• Gandharva (as comparison)

FAQs

What is the core ethical principle (Dharma) in this verse?

Dharma-oriented reading treats this splendor as contextual background: moral worth is not measured by ornamentation but by adherence to truth and right conduct.

What is the narrative situation?

A continued (and here duplicated/overlapping) description of Laṅkā’s grandeur as Hanumān surveys the environment while proceeding with his search.

Which character virtue is emphasized?

Steady-mindedness: Hanumān observes without being diverted from the ethical aim of the mission.