Shloka 5.55.1
लङ्कादाहानन्तरचिन्ता — Hanuman’s Post-Conflagration Self-Examination and Assurance of Sita’s Safety
लङ्कां समस्तां सन्दीप्य लाङ्गूलाग्निं महाबलः।निर्वापयामास तदा समुद्रे हरिसत्तमः।।सन्दीप्यमानां विध्वस्तां त्रस्तरक्षोगणां पुरीम्।आवेक्ष्य हनुमान् लङ्कां चिन्तयामास वानरः।।।।
laṅkāṃ samastāṃ sandīpya lāṅgūlāgniṃ mahābalaḥ |
nirvāpayāmāsa tadā samudre harisattamaḥ ||
sandīpyamānāṃ vidhvastāṃ trastarakṣogaṇāṃ purīm |
āvekṣya hanumān laṅkāṃ cintayāmāsa vānaraḥ ||
After setting all of Laṅkā ablaze, the mighty best of monkeys quenched the fire on his tail in the ocean. Seeing the city still burning—its structures ruined and the rākṣasa hosts thrown into panic—Hanumān began to reflect.
Powerful Hanuman, having burnt the entire city of Lanka, put out the fire on his tail in the ocean. Beholding the burning city, the destroyed gardens and the panic stricken ogres, he began to think:
Accountability after action: even when acting for a righteous cause, one must pause, assess consequences, and ensure innocents (especially Sītā) are unharmed.
Having completed the burning of Laṅkā and extinguished his tail-fire in the sea, Hanumān surveys the devastation and begins serious reflection.
Prudence and moral awareness: he turns from action to evaluation, mindful of dharma and outcomes.