That mighty monkey, his broad hips glowing a brilliant red, shone like a great mountain split open and stained with ochre. As he leapt into the air to cross the vast ocean, that lion among monkeys, Hanuman, was accompanied by a roaring wind that thundered between his sides, echoing like storm clouds. To those who gazed skyward, he appeared like a blazing meteor streaking from the northern sky, leaving a radiant trail in his wake. Stretched out in flight, Hanuman gleamed like a flying firebrand, his immense body reminiscent of a colossal elephant bound at the sides, soaring through the sky. His form and the deep shadow he cast above the sea made him look like a wind-driven boat gliding over the ocean’s surface. Wherever he passed over the waters, the ocean itself seemed agitated, as if maddened by the force and vigor of his limbs. With tremendous speed, Hanuman vaulted over the mountain-high waves, his passage stirring the salty waters. The winds generated by his flight mingled with those of the clouds, shaking the ocean and causing it to roar terribly. As he raced forward, he seemed to drag great nets of waves behind him, leaping so powerfully that it was as if he scattered the heavens and the earth. With each leap he crossed the immense, wave-tossed ocean, the swells rising like Mount Meru and Mandara, as though he were counting them one by one. The waters, resounding with his energy and filled with drifting clouds, shone in the sky like autumn clouds spread wide. In his wake, sharks, crocodiles, fish, and turtles were revealed, their bodies exposed as if stripped of their watery coverings. The serpents dwelling in the ocean, seeing his swift advance, mistook him for Garuda himself flying through the sky. Hanuman’s shadow, cast as he sped along, was vast and beautiful—ten yojanas wide and thirty yojanas long—gliding over the ocean’s surface like a line of dense, white clouds. The shadow followed the son of the wind, shining upon the salty waters. Hanuman himself, radiant and immense, moved unsupported across the path of the wind, like a winged mountain soaring above the world. Wherever he flew, the ocean below seemed suddenly hollowed out, as if his passage had carved a trough through its depths. As he descended through flocks of birds, Hanuman swept away masses of clouds, just as the wind scatters them, resembling the king of birds in flight. The clouds, white, red, blue, and madder-colored, shimmered as they were drawn along by his great speed. Entering and emerging from these cloud banks again and again, Hanuman appeared alternately hidden and revealed, like the moon veiled by clouds. The gods, gandharvas, and charanas, witnessing his swift leap, showered flowers from above. The sun did not scorch the lord of monkeys as he flew, and the wind itself served Hanuman, eager to help fulfill Rama’s purpose. Sages praised him as he sped across the sky, while gods and gandharvas sang his glory, extolling the forest-dweller. Nagas, yakshas, and rakshasas too offered their praise, marveling at the best of monkeys who showed no sign of weariness. As Hanuman, the tiger among monkeys, continued his leap, the ocean itself began to reflect, wishing to honor the noble Ikshvaku line. “If I do not assist Hanuman, the lord of monkeys,” thought the ocean, “I will be subject to reproach from all wise men. Sagara, lord of the Ikshvakus, once increased me, and this Hanuman is a counselor to the Ikshvakus; I must not hinder him. I should help him rest so that, refreshed, he may happily cross the remainder of his journey.” Having resolved thus, the ocean spoke to Mainaka, the golden-peaked mountain hidden beneath its waters. “O Mainaka, you were stationed here by the great king of the gods as a barrier to keep the Asuras from rising out of the netherworld. Your strength is renowned, and you block the door to the immeasurable depths below. Now, O best of mountains, arise! The heroic Hanuman, tiger among monkeys and mighty in Rama’s cause, approaches you. It is my duty to aid him, and the Ikshvakus are supremely worthy of your reverence as well. Help us, so our task is not hindered, for neglecting one’s duty angers the virtuous. “Rise up from the water and let this monkey rest upon you; he is our guest and deserves our honor, foremost among those who leap. With your golden peaks, served by gods and gandharvas, let Hanuman pause upon you before continuing his journey. Consider the compassion of Kakutstha, Sita’s exile, and the toil of the monkey chief—let these move you to rise.” Hearing these words, Mainaka, the golden-peaked mountain, swiftly rose from the salty waters, his slopes covered with great trees and vines. Breaking through the ocean’s surface, he stood towering and radiant, like the sun itself piercing through the clouds with blazing rays.