Surrounded on all sides by the valiant warriors of Lanka, Hanuman, the mighty son of the Wind, strode fearlessly to the gateway where a formidable iron club rested. Seizing the massive weapon, he struck down the night-wandering rākṣasas with the swiftness and power of Garuḍa, son of Vinatā, snatching a writhing serpent. Brandishing the club, Hanuman soared into the air, slaughtering the demons just as Indra destroys the daityas with his thunderbolt. Having slain the demon warriors, Hanuman—undaunted and eager for further battle—stood resolute at the gate. A few rākṣasas, their terror momentarily abated, rushed to Rāvaṇa and reported that all the fierce kiṃkaras had been killed. Hearing that his mightiest warriors had fallen, Rāvaṇa’s eyes blazed with anger. He immediately commanded Jambumali, the son of Prahasta, a hero renowned for his valor and nearly invincible in combat, to go forth and confront the intruder. In that moment, Hanuman paused, reflecting quietly: “Though I have destroyed the grove, I have not harmed the sacred caitya temple.” With this thought, he leapt onto the caitya shrine, which towered like the golden peak of Mount Meru. Ascending to its summit, Hanuman, radiant with immense energy, shone forth like the rising sun. Standing boldly atop the lofty temple, he blazed with splendor, resembling a celestial pāriyātra tree. There, Hanuman expanded his form to an immense size and struck Lanka with a thunderous roar that echoed across the city. The sound was so powerful that birds dropped from the sky and the guardians of the shrine were thrown into confusion. He cried out in triumph, “Victory to Rāma, master of all weapons! Victory to mighty Lakṣmaṇa! Victory to King Sugrīva, protected by Rāghava! I am Hanuman, son of the Wind, servant of Rāma, the king of Kosala, whose deeds are flawless—destroyer of enemy armies. Not even a thousand Rāvaṇas could match my strength in battle, as I wield rocks and trees by the thousands! Having overcome the city of Lanka and greeted Maithili, I will depart, my mission fulfilled, before the eyes of all the rākṣasas!” Having proclaimed this, the great-bodied Hanuman, standing atop the shrine, let out another terrifying roar that struck fear into the hearts of the rākṣasas. At the sound, a hundred shrine-guards emerged, armed with lances, swords, and axes. These warriors of great stature surrounded Hanuman, hurling gold-adorned maces and iron clubs at him. They advanced with arrows shining like the sun, a mighty host surging as powerfully as the whirlpools of the Ganga. Encircled by the rākṣasas, Hanuman’s fury blazed, and he assumed a terrifying form. With great speed, he uprooted a massive pillar, adorned with gold, from the building. Whirling it fiercely, fire erupted all around, setting the structure ablaze. As flames devoured the building, Hanuman slew a hundred rākṣasas, just as Indra destroys asuras with his thunderbolt. Rising into the sky, glorious Hanuman declared, “Thousands like me have been sent forth by the great-souled ones. We and other monkeys, mighty leaders under Sugrīva’s command, roam the whole earth. Some have the strength of ten elephants, some ten times that, and some equal the valor of a thousand elephants. Some are as strong as floods, some as powerful as the wind, and among the monkey chiefs are those of immeasurable might. Surrounded by such monkeys—armed with teeth and claws, in hundreds, thousands, millions, and tens of millions—Sugrīva, destroyer of your kind, will come. For you, for Lanka, for all the rākṣasas, and even for Rāvaṇa himself, there is no hope, for enmity has been forged with the mighty hero of the Ikṣvāku line.” Thus, the forty-third chapter of the Sundara Kāṇḍa comes to a close. Now begins the next chapter. Commanded by the king of the rākṣasas, the mighty Jambumali, son of Prahasta, fierce and invincible in battle, came forth. He was adorned with red garlands and garments, a wreath upon his brow, shining earrings at his ears, and his wide, terrible eyes burned with fury. Armed with a bow as splendid as Indra’s, strung with a swift and beautiful arrow, he drew it back, and the sound of the bowstring thundered like lightning, filling the directions, the quarters, and even the sky with its mighty reverberation. As Jambumali approached in his chariot drawn by mules, Hanuman, quick and resolute, rejoiced at the challenge and let out a mighty roar. Jambumali, strong of arm, loosed his sharp arrows at Hanuman, who stood boldly on the archway. With a crescent-headed arrow, he struck Hanuman’s face; with a barbed arrow, he wounded his head; and with ten iron arrows, he pierced the monkey lord’s arms. Thus, the battle between Hanuman and the rākṣasa champion began, the fate of Lanka trembling in the balance.