Ramayana — Sundara Kanda, Sarga 30, Shloka 34
हनुमता सीतासंवादोपायचिन्ता
Hanuman’s Deliberation on How to Address Sita
कामं हन्तुं समर्थोऽस्मि सहस्राण्यपि रक्षसाम्।।।।न तु शक्ष्यामि सम्प्राप्तुं परं पारं महोदधेः।
kāmaṃ hantuṃ samartho 'smi sahasrāṇy api rakṣasām | na tu śakṣyāmi samprāptuṃ paraṃ pāraṃ mahodadheḥ ||
Aku sanggup, bila aku kehendaki, membunuh bahkan ribuan rākṣasa; namun setelah itu aku mungkin tak mampu mencapai kembali tepi seberang samudra agung itu.
"I may be capable of killing even thousands of demons but thereafter (thoroughly exhausted) reach the other side of the ocean.
FAQs
Dharma as goal-oriented restraint: even justified strength should be governed by mission-purpose; unnecessary combat that jeopardizes return and reporting is ethically unsound.
Hanumān considers that open fighting in Laṅkā—even if he wins—could drain him and prevent his safe return across the ocean to inform Rāma.
Self-control and prioritization: he places the success of Rāma’s cause above personal display of power.
Ask anything about this verse
Curious about the meaning, context, or a word? Ask, and continue the conversation in the Vedapath app.
A free Google sign-in keeps your chat saved across web and the app.
Read Valmiki Ramayana in the Vedapath app
Scan the QR code to open this directly in the app, with audio, word-by-word meanings, and more.