War in Ancient India c12.32

c12.32

It would not be out of place here to give a few illustrations from our literature. In the Rāmāyaṇa¹⁶ Hanumān is sent by Sugrīva at the request of Rāma in search of Sītā. In the course of his fruitless wanderings he gets a hint from Sampāti, the king of vultures, of the whereabouts of Sītā. Thereupon Hanumān crosses the ocean to Laṅkā and on the way defeats a few of the formidable Rākṣasas apparently appointed by Rāvaṇa to guard the outskirts of his capital. Defeating them all and securing permission from every one of them, Hanumān reaches the fortress of Laṅkā. Here again he has an encounter with the guardian deity of the city. The latter is defeated by his prowess and she willingly grants him permission to enter the citadel. Thus we may take it that Hanumān entered the capital of Rāvaṇa with the permission of those who had the power to grant it.