Hanumān on the search for Sītā
Hanumān
Read the cited source passages on this page →
Meet Hanumān through the Sundara Kāṇḍa’s ocean-crossing episode, with a named translation and questions about purpose and action.
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An episode to start with
Sundara Kāṇḍa, Sarga 1 of Vālmīki Rāmāyaṇa opens with Hanumān setting out to find Sītā, who has been taken by Rāvaṇa. The chapter describes his preparations and flight across the ocean. Its introduction identifies encounters with Maināka, Surasā, and Siṃhikā as important stages of the journey.
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Source passages to read on this page
Read the selected passages in English below. Translation, commentary and handbook guidance are labeled separately; the adjacent links let you check the source.
Vālmīki Rāmāyaṇa, Sundara Kāṇḍa 5.1.1 and 5.1.210
The original lines, the English paraphrase, and the website’s explanatory notes are separate layers. Original verse numbers are retained.
Reference: Kishore Kopalle; ValmikiRamayan.net verse translation and notes. Check the cited passage or chapter →
English translation of the original passage shown · provisional handbook rendering
English source: Handbook editorial translation — provisional; Direct English rendering of the identified original text; specialist review pending. Check the English source →
Provisional handbook translation from the identified original. It has not been independently reviewed by a Sanskrit specialist and is not attributed to a guru or scholar. Square brackets mark supplied context.
5.1.1. Then the subduer of foes [Hanumān] wished to seek the whereabouts of Sītā, carried away by Rāvaṇa, along the path traveled by the Cāraṇas [through the sky].
5.1.210. Having crossed by his strength the ocean, filled with dānavas and serpents and garlanded with great waves, and having landed on its shore, he saw Laṅkā, resembling Amarāvatī.
English meaning · handbook paraphrase of the cited Indian translation
5.1.1: Hanumān intends to travel through the sky to find Sītā, whom Rāvaṇa has carried away.
5.1.210: After crossing the sea, he reaches its farther shore and sees Laṅkā upon the Trikūṭa mountain. The first verse supplies his purpose; the last supplies his arrival. The intervening encounters remain optional further reading.
Selected ancient Sanskrit lines in the source’s transliteration system, preserved as printed. English is an attributed handbook paraphrase of the named translation, not that translator’s full wording.
Read the original Sanskrit
Original Sanskrit · source transliteration
tato rāvaṇanītāyāḥ sītāyāḥ śatrukarśanaḥ | iyeṣa padamanveṣṭuṃ cāraṇācarite pathi ||5-1-1
sa sāgaraṃ dānavapannagāyutaṃ | balena vikramya mahormimālinam | nipatya tīre ca mahodadhestadā | dadarśa laṅkāmamarāvatīmiva || 5-1-210
Read the beginning and the arrival
Start with verse 5.1.1 to identify the purpose of the journey. Then read the closing verses: 5.1.210 describes Hanumān crossing the sea and seeing Laṅkā. Use these two points to orient yourself before reading the encounters between them.
Follow action, not just a summary
Create a simple episode record: purpose, encounter, response, and outcome. As you read, enter the relevant verse numbers beside each observation. Ask which details the translation gives and which meanings you are drawing from them.
- What task is Hanumān undertaking?
- How does the narrator present his preparation?
- How does he respond in each encounter?
- Which later passage would help explain what happens after his arrival?
Connect narrative and learning
Continue with Rāma and the Rāmāyaṇa reading guide. The sevā guide offers a separately sourced discussion of service. When learning a Hanumān prayer from a teacher or temple, ask for its title, language, author or textual source, and translation.
Sources & scope
For short devotional readings, visit the related Prayer Library selections, with the supplied original wording and provisional English together.
ValmikiRamayan.net: Sundara Kāṇḍa, Sarga 1 — Online verse translation credited to Kishore Kopalle. This guide focuses on the ocean-crossing narrative in this edition.
Source consulted October 7, 2026. This handbook’s orientation is not a substitute for the source’s complete text and explanation.