Shloka 5.55.13
लङ्कादाहानन्तरचिन्ता — Hanuman’s Post-Conflagration Self-Examination and Assurance of Sita’s Safety
किमग्नौ निपताम्यद्य आहोस्विद्बडबामुखे।शरीरमाहो सत्त्वानां दद्मि सागरवासिनाम्।।।।
kim agnau nipatāmy adya āhosvid baḍabāmukhe |
śarīram āho sattvānāṃ dadmi sāgaravāsinām ||
Should I plunge into fire now, or into the mouth of the submarine blaze? Or should I offer my body as food to the creatures that dwell in the ocean?
'Shall I end my life by jumping into fire just now, or else into the mouth of submarine fire? Should I offer my body to the living creatures of the ocean as their food?
The danger of despair: when one believes dharma has been violated, the mind may rush toward self-destruction; the epic highlights the need for steadiness and verification before irrevocable acts.
In acute remorse, Hanumān debates different ways to end his life, imagining fire or the ocean as means.
Moral sensitivity (though clouded by grief): his anguish arises from concern for Sītā and the mission’s truth.