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" Journey to Lanka"
Prepare to be shocked and amazed. We told you there was a surprise and now we will reveal it. Our special narrator for the stories, the one and only immortal Hanuman. Yes, that is right. The event in these stories are as told by Hanuman himself. A field reporter from the Indian News sat down with Hanuman who described all of his journeys in great detail. These are the most important journeys of his life.
"Hanuman, we were going to start with your adventure to Lanka. Unless of course you want to tell another story." The reporter said.
"Ah, my journey to Lanka. I remember that like it was yesterday. I would love to tell the adventures to Lanka." Hanuman said. "I guess I will start from the top."
"Well, when we found out that Ravana had taken Sita to Lanka, everyone knew we had to find a way there. I was thinking we should just build boats. But that would have taken some time. Rama had other ideas instead."
"Is there anyone of you who can make the journey to Lanka? It is one hundred leagues. Nobody? Do any of you know any birds who could carry one of us? Any other ideas about how to send a messenger there?" Rama said with a discouraged tone.
I walked forward from the back of the crowd and said, "I can make the journey to Lanka. One hundred leagues will be no problem for me. When I arrive, I will find Sita and quickly return with the news."
Rama's facial expression turned enthusiastic and he replied, "Are you sure you can make the journey to Lanka?"
"I told Rama that I could fly and informed him that I was given the power to change forms and size. My exact words were, 'When I arrive in Lanka, I will be able to change into whatever form I need to search the city. I will find her. I will not leave until I do. Is there anything else you need while I am there, Rama?'"
Rama thought for a time and responded, "Give Ravana the message that we are coming and we will destroy his precious Lanka. Tell him that he will lose his life at my hand."
"I began to prepare for the journey to Lanka. I prayed to my father, Vayu, the wind God, for support on this journey. Every time I had asked my father for support, he was always there for me. Before I left, I promised Rama again that I would return with the information. I was very loyal to Rama. I tried to help in every way possible with the search for Sita. I was confident that I would find Sita in Lanka."
"Will you describe this great trip?" The reporter asked.
"Well I left from the top of a hill and jumped towards Lanka. When I was almost halfway across, suddenly a mountain named Mainaka soared from the surface of the ocean in order to give me a break. I could not stop and told Mainaka that I had no time, but I gracefully touched the top of the mountain as I passed over, showing gratitude for Mainaka."
"I arrived in Lanka in the middle of the night and changed into a cat, knowing this would allow me to sneak around the great city. Quickly I began my search. I found Ravana's bedroom full of women. None of them were Sita. This was very discouraging at the time. I found myself lost and didn't know what to do or where to look. Then the wind blew, catching me off guard. The wind hadn't blown in Lanka since Ravana had been there. The leaves on one tree began making noise as the wind continued to blow. I looked at the tree on the other side of a wall and thanked my father, while looking toward the heavens."
"I jumped the wall and climbed the tallest tree so when daylight came I would be able to see everything. The sun rose and I saw beautiful Sita underneath me. She was still more beautiful than any woman I had ever seen, even lying in the dirt. I spoke with her, telling her that Rama was on his way. She was still questioning whether or not to believe Rama had sent me. Then I dropped Rama's ring into her lap. She knew it was true when she saw the ring. She began crying for joy and said, "Thank you, courageous Hanuman. You will forever have a place in my heart.""
"Then I went to Ravana's court after ravaging most of the city and demanded to speak with Ravana. I was not scared by the presence of Ravana. I looked him in the eyes and delivered Rama's message. Ravana did not believe me and said that the I should die now. He was stopped by his brother telling him that would only make matters worse. "Ravana, as your brother, I must say that you are in the wrong. You have already taken someone's wife. Do not kill a messenger, too." Vibhishana said. I was not in fear of losing my life. I surveyed the situation and had several plans to escape. Instead, Ravana ordered that my tail be set on fire. So I grew large and began terrorizing the city. I ran all around the city catching everything on fire with my flaming tail. I burned down the entire city except for the forest where I had found Sita. Then I quickly took off from Lanka back to Rama. I knew Rama needed to know she was okay."
"I will end by saying that I had no concerns, other than those of Rama and Sita. My own life was not even an issue."
"Thank you so much for this great interview Hanuman. I must advise you that we have three more stories in our series if you are interested in narrating the rest."
"I would love to join you and share my adventures."
This story shows why Hanuman is worshipped for his devotion. He is devoted to Rama and Sita at all cost. He even said this himself. Hanuman was devoted at all times. Worshippers will show their devotion for Hanuman during Hanuman Jayanti by worshipping at his temple before the sun comes up and not leaving until well after the sun has set.
Author's Note: This story basically follows Buck's version of the Ramayana. I wanted to retell the stories in a similar manner to convey the correct message to the readers. I didn't use the detail of Buck's version obviously. I think I emphasized the main points of the events in order to portray it correctly. Hanuman is a great character. This will probably be the hardest story to retell because it contains so much information. I would have liked to emphasize more on certain elements, but the word limit hindered the depth of the detail. I think the interviews with Hanuman will be a great way to tell the stories. I'm not sure if that was my intention at first, but it seemed to work with this story. I have really enjoyed learning more about Hanuman and further exploring his character. I hope to be able to keep the message of the Ramayana consistent in my storybook. It is interesting to try and condense events like this. You really have to narrow it down and decide what parts are most important to the story. All the detail in Buck's version seems so important to the story. Overall this story shows Hanuman's loyalty and courage as a friend and warrior.
Hanuman Flying. Websource
Hanuman's Tail on Fire. Websource
Original Story: Buck, William (1976). Ramayana: King Rama's Way