The Vidyādharas and other celestial beings, having set aside their many delicacies—sweets, meats, even bull hides and golden-hilted swords—gathered in anticipation. Adorned with exquisite necklaces, intoxicated by celestial pleasures, garlanded in red flowers and ointments, their eyes shining red and lotus-like, they ascended into the sky. The women among them, radiant with necklaces, anklets, bracelets, and other ornaments, stood in the heavens with their beloveds, amazed and smiling at the wondrous sight unfolding below. Among these heavenly hosts were the great sages of the Vidyādharas, displaying their immense powers. They clustered together in the sky, their gaze fixed upon the mountain below. Then, the clear air was filled with the voices of sages of pure mind, as well as the Cāraṇas and Siddhas, who had also gathered in the open sky. All eyes turned to Hanuman, the mighty son of the wind, who stood upon the mountain. His form resembled a great mountain itself, and he was preparing to cross the vast ocean—the very domain of Varuṇa. With tremendous speed and resolve, he sought to accomplish the daunting task set before him: to reach the far shore of the ocean for the sake of Rāma and the monkeys, striving to attain what seemed nearly impossible. As the celestial assembly heard the words of the Vidyādharas and ascetics, they beheld Hanuman, the immeasurable monkey-chief, upon the mountain. His hair bristled, his body trembled like a blazing fire, and he let out a roar as mighty as a thundercloud. His tail, thick with hair and curved in succession, swung behind him as he readied himself to leap, resembling the king of birds clutching a serpent. As he moved, his tail wound behind him, appearing like a mighty serpent being carried away by Garuda. Hanuman braced his massive arms, as strong as iron bars, against his waist and contracted his legs. Gathering his arms and neck, radiant with glory, he summoned all his energy, strength, and valor, becoming a vessel of tremendous might. He surveyed the path ahead, his gaze fixed upward, restraining his breath within his heart as he looked toward the sky. Planting his feet firmly, he pressed down his ears in preparation, the very picture of readiness. Then, the best of monkeys spoke to his companions: “Just as an arrow released by Rāghava, swift as the wind, flies forth, so shall I go to Lanka, ruled by Rāvaṇa. If I do not see Janaka’s daughter there in Lanka, then with this very speed I shall ascend to the abode of the gods, though all my efforts be spent. Or, I will bind the king of the rakshasas and bring Rāvaṇa back; in every way, I will return with my task accomplished, together with Sītā. Or, if need be, I will uproot Lanka itself, along with Rāvaṇa, and bring it here.” Having spoken thus, Hanuman, the best among monkeys, leapt forward with great speed, his mind unwavering. In his imagination, he soared like Garuda himself. As he sprang up with immense force, the trees on the mountain, their branches drawn in, leapt up all around. Carrying with him trees full of blossoms and birds intoxicated by honey, Hanuman sped through the clear sky with astonishing swiftness. For a moment, the trees, lifted by the force of his mighty thighs, followed him, like loving relatives seeing off a kinsman on a long journey. Uprooted by his strength, the great trees followed Hanuman like an army following its king. Accompanied by these blossoming trees, Hanuman, massive as a mountain, became a wondrous sight to all who beheld him. Soon, the trees with their firm roots sank into the salty waters below, as if in awe or fear, like the mountains of Mahendra sinking into the ocean’s depths. Hanuman, now covered with a profusion of flowers and fresh buds, shone in the sky like a raincloud adorned with fireflies. As he sped onward, the trees released their flowers, which scattered into the waters below like friends bidding farewell after a visit. The wondrous, varied mass of flowers, stirred by Hanuman’s passing, fell lightly upon the sea, making the vast ocean gleam like the star-strewn night sky. Bathed in a cascade of fragrant, multicolored blossoms, Hanuman glowed like a rising cloud adorned with flashes of lightning. The water, covered with flowers scattered by his speed, shone like the heavens lit with stars or lamps. His arms, outstretched in flight, appeared like two five-mouthed serpents emerging from a mountain’s summit. Hanuman himself seemed as if he were drinking in the vast ocean with its rolling waves, or as if he thirsted for the very sky. His eyes, following the path of the wind and shining like lightning, blazed forth like fires set upon a mountain. The large, round, tawny eyes of this leader gleamed, fixed and bright like the moon and the sun. His face, with its reddish nose, shone red like the sun’s disk at twilight. His tail, raised high as he leapt, blazed in the sky like Indra’s own banner. Hanuman, son of the wind, with his tail curled in a circle and his shining white fangs, appeared radiant like the sun surrounded by its halo. His hip region, glowing a vivid red, made him shine like a mountain split open and stained with red ochre. Thus, Hanuman soared across the sky, a vision of power and grace, as all the heavens and earth watched in awe at his mighty leap.