Valmiki Ramayana 5.58.42 — Sundara Kanda, Sarga 58, Shloka 42

सुन्दरकाण्डे अष्टपञ्चाशः सर्गः

हनुमद्वृत्तान्तकथनम्, सीताभिज्ञान-प्रदानम्, लङ्कादाह-वर्णनम्

Devanagari script

ततोऽहं विपुलं रूपं संक्षिप्य निमिषान्तरात्।तस्या हृदयमादाय प्रपतामि नभ:स्थलम्।।।।

Transliteration

tato ’haṃ vipulaṃ rūpaṃ saṃkṣipya nimiṣāntarāt | tasyā hṛdayam ādāya prapatāmi nabhaḥsthalam ||

Translation

പിന്നീട് കണ്ണിമയ്ക്കുന്ന ഇടവേളയ്ക്കുള്ളിൽ തന്നെ ഞാൻ എന്റെ വിശാലരൂപം ചുരുക്കി; അവളുടെ ഹൃദയം പിഴുതെടുത്തു ആകാശമണ്ഡലത്തിലേക്ക് ചാടി ഉയർന്നു.

Word by Word

• tataḥ: then
• tataḥ: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण/काल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tatas (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, कालवाचक (then)

• aham: I
• aham: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: asmad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: प्रथमा, एकवचन; 1st person pronoun

• vipulam: vast
• vipulam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: vipula (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; विशेषण

• rūpam: form
• rūpam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: rūpa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन

• saṃkṣipya: having contracted / reduced
• saṃkṣipya: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/पूर्वक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: saṃ-kṣip (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (absolutive/gerund), अव्ययभाव (indeclinable gerund); उपसर्गः सम्- (saṃ-)

• nimiṣāntarāt: within a moment
• nimiṣāntarāt: Apādāna (अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nimiṣāntara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (Ablative/5th), एकवचन; तत्पुरुष-समास (nimiṣa + antara: interval of a blink)

• tasyāḥ: of her
• tasyāḥ: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/षष्ठी)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, षष्ठी, एकवचन

• hṛdayam: heart
• hṛdayam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: hṛdaya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन

• ādāya: having taken
• ādāya: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/पूर्वक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ā-dā (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (absolutive/gerund), अव्ययभाव; उपसर्गः आ-

• prapatāmi: I leap / I fly forth
• prapatāmi: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: pra-pat (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), उत्तमपुरुष (1st person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद; उपसर्गः प्र-

• nabhaḥsthalam: sky-region
• nabhaḥsthalam: Karma (कर्म/गत्यर्थे देश)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nabhas + sthala (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; तत्पुरुष-समास (nabhas-स्थल: expanse of sky)

Context

"In a moment I reduced from a huge form to a small one, entered her heart and sprang into the sky.

Characters & Entities

• Hanuman
• Siṁhikā

FAQs

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

Protective violence is framed as dharmic when it is swift, necessary, and directed at stopping an immediate predator. Hanuman neutralizes a lethal threat to preserve a higher righteous duty.

What is the narrative situation?

Hanuman executes his decisive counterattack: he shrinks rapidly, strikes within Siṁhikā, removes her heart, and escapes upward.

Which character virtue is emphasized?

Courage joined with efficiency—Hanuman acts quickly and precisely, minimizing delay to the mission.