With joy and astonishment, the monkeys gazed all around at Hanuman, marveling at him as one who had performed the legendary three strides, their enthusiasm like that of people beholding Narayana himself. As their praises rose, Hanuman—mighty in strength—began to grow larger, his power swelling with delight as he curled his tail. The elder leaders of the monkeys continued to praise him, and Hanuman, radiant with their acclaim, shone with a brilliance that made his form unsurpassed. Like a lion stretching in an open mountain cave, Hanuman, the son of the Wind, expanded his form. His face glowed with wisdom and radiance, shining like Ambariṣa, and blazed forth like a smokeless fire. Rising from the midst of the assembled monkeys, his body thrilled with joy, Hanuman respectfully addressed the elder monkeys. He spoke: “The wind—strong, immeasurable, friend of fire—ascends mountain peaks and moves freely through the sky. I am the son born of that wind, swift and mighty; in leaping, I am his equal. I am able, indeed, to encircle Mount Meru thousands of times without even touching it, as if tracing the vast sky itself. With the force of my arms, I could flood the world, along with all its mountains, rivers, and lakes, with the ocean’s waters. By the speed of my thighs, the ocean—abode of Varuna—would rise up as if a great crocodile had emerged. “I can circle Garuḍa, the eater of serpents, soaring in the sky and attended by birds, thousands of times. I am capable of reaching the blazing sun, wreathed in rays, whether it has just risen or has not yet set. Without touching the earth, I can return again, with great and terrible speed, O best of monkeys. I can surpass all beings who move in the sky; I can dry up the oceans and split the earth. Leaping, I will crush the mountains, O monkey; leaping, I will carry away the great ocean with my immense speed. “Today, as I leap through the sky, all kinds of flowers from creepers and trees will follow after me, and my path will be like the path of the wind in the sky as I move through the terrible expanse of the heavens and leap upward. All beings, O monkeys, will see me falling, and you will see me, resembling mighty Mount Meru. As I go, covering the sky as if swallowing the firmament, I will scatter the clouds, shake the mountains, and, leaping with resolve, I will dry up the ocean. “Except for Garuḍa, the king of birds, or the mighty Wind, I see no being that could follow me as I leap. In the mere blink of an eye, I will suddenly fall through the unsupported sky, like lightning emerging from a cloud. As I leap across the ocean, my form will be like Viṣṇu’s when he took his three strides. With my intellect I perceive it, and my mind is set; I will see Vaidehī—rejoice, O monkeys! I am equal to the Wind in speed, to Garuḍa in swiftness; my resolve is to cross ten thousand yojanas. Even if it were the thunderbolt-bearing Indra or Brahmā, the self-born, I would snatch the nectar from their hands by force. My resolve is that I could even lift up Lanka itself and carry it away!” Thus roared Hanuman, the foremost monkey of immeasurable brilliance. The delighted monkeys gazed at him in amazement, and hearing his words, their hearts were filled with hope as their grief was dispelled. Then Jāmbavān, lord of the monkeys, greatly pleased, spoke: “O heroic son of Keśarī, swift one, son of the Wind! The great sorrow of your kinsmen, dear one, has been dispelled by you. The foremost monkeys, radiant in auspiciousness, have gathered for your sake. Intent upon fulfilling the purpose, they will perform auspicious acts, by the favor of the sages and the counsel of the elder monkeys. By the favor of the elders, you must cross the vast ocean—and we shall stand on one foot until your return. The lives of all the forest-dwellers depend upon your arrival.” Then Hanuman, the tiger among monkeys, spoke to those forest-dwellers: “No one in the world will withstand my speed in leaping. These peaks here, full of rocks and cliffs—the stable and great summits of Mahendra—upon which I will exert my speed, on the peaks of Mahendra. Scattered with various trees, shining with ores, these great summits will indeed sustain my speed. While I leap, these great peaks will bear my speed for a hundred yojanas from here.” So, the monkey resembling the wind, son of the wind, ascended the best of mountains, Mahendra, crusher of enemies. That mountain was covered with various flowers, its meadows frequented by deer, crowded with creepers and blossoms, with trees ever bearing flowers and fruits. Lions and tigers dwelled there, as did intoxicated elephants; the mountain resounded with flocks of excited birds and teemed with water springs. That mighty one, with lofty peaks—Mahendra—Hanuman, the foremost monkey, equal in valor to Mahendra, wandered about, preparing for his mighty leap.