The rakshasis taunted and tormented Sita. She sobbed and shouted at them, "Devour me if you want, cruel rakshasis! I don't care. I refuse Ravana, and my Rama will come and kill you all."

The rakshasi Trijata described a dream she had in which Rama indeed destroyed all of Lanka.

Made anxious by Sita's grief and Trijata's dream, the rakshasis retreated and left Sita alone.

Sita then decided to end her life. "I will use the braid of my hair to hang myself," she said aloud, thinking nobody was there.

But Hanuman, hidden in a tree, saw and heard everything.

As Sita prepared to hang herself, she experienced powerful omens that gave her hope: her left eye quivered, as did her left shoulder and her left leg.

"I won't despair!" she vowed out loud.

Then, to her surprise, a voice spoke forth from the ashoka tree. "There was a king named Dasharatha," Hanuman began, "whose eldest son was named Rama." Hanuman narrated the events of Rama's exile and Sita's abduction, and then how Rama allied himself with the monkey-king Sugriva and sent the monkeys out in all directions to find her.

"And that is how I came here!" Hanuman said.

The monkey climbed down from the tree and said, "My name is Hanuman, and I am Rama's messenger to you."

Sita hesitated. Perhaps this was Ravana in disguise, tricking her again?

Then Hanuman showed her Rama's signet-ring, engraved with his name. "You know this ring," Hanuman said. "Set aside your doubts. If you want, I will carry you away to Rama now."

Sita laughed at the small monkey, but then Hanuman grew to an enormous size, and Sita realized Hanuman could do what he said.

"No," she replied softly. "Let Rama free me. You must bring Rama to me here."

Sita handed Hanuman her jeweled hairpin. "Take this to Rama and remind him of this story which nobody else knows. One day in the forest a crow bothered me. It wouldn't leave me alone. I ran to Rama, but the crow pursued me, pecking me until it drew blood. Rama took a blade of kusha-grass and made it into a fire-missile. The crow begged for mercy, but the missile could not fail, so Rama had the missile strike the crow's right eye. The crow lost its sight in that eye but survived. Tell that to Rama, and he will remember."

"I now have a long journey," Hanuman said to Sita, "and I am very hungry."

"I offer you the hospitality of this grove," said Sita. "These trees are my friends; eat all you want of their fruit."

Hanuman then began jumping from tree to tree, devouring all the fruit. The guardians of the grove came running when they heard the noise, and Hanuman pelted them with fruit, laughing.

The commotion grew so loud that it woke Ravana. "Catch that monkey!" Ravana shouted at his son Aksha.

But Hanuman killed Aksha.

Aksha was the first casualty of the war to come.

When Ravana learned Hanuman had killed Aksha, he shouted for Indrajit, his eldest son. "Go catch that monkey and bring him here!" Ravana shouted.

Indrajit armed himself with his deadly bow of many colors and then rode out to confront Hanuman.

Hanuman laughed when he saw Indrajit, and he kept on taunting the rakshasas. But when Indrajit fired a Brahma-arrow, Hanuman fell to the ground.

The rakshasas bound Hanuman with ropes, but Hanuman had only pretended to fall, wanting them to take him to Ravana. He shrieked and struggled, pretending to fight, and the rakshasas did exactly what he wanted.

Hanuman bowed before Ravana, who sat proudly on his crystal throne.

"I am Rama's messenger!" Hanuman proclaimed. "I allowed you to capture me so I could give you this warning: if you wish to survive, you must return Sita to her husband now. You may be the mighty king of the rakshasas, but no one can protect you from Rama."

"I am going to kill you, monkey!" shouted Ravana.

But Vibhishana intervened. "No, my brother! A messenger's life is sacred. You cannot kill Rama's messenger."

Ravana knew Vibhishana was right. "I will punish the monkey some other way!" he growled.

"Monkeys are proud of their tails!" Ravana snarled. "So I will burn this monkey's tail. Let him feel both pain and shame!"

Musicians played while the rakshasas wrapped Hanuman's tail with oil-soaked cotton. "Now the torch!" barked Ravana, and Hanuman's tail burst into flames. Then Hanuman leaped up and set Ravana's throne-room on fire.

Then the whole palace.

Then he proceeded to burn all of Lanka, house by house.

But Hanuman did not burn the Ashoka Grove where Sita was praying to the fire-god Agni. "Please keep Hanuman safe, O Agni!" said Sita. "Do not let the fire harm him."

Hanuman then set fire to the royal living quarters. Ravana's wives all ran out, shrieking, "The fire-god Agni has taken the form of a monkey!"

Next, Hanuman found the house of Ravana's general, Prahasta; he leaped to the roof, using his tail to set the house on fire.

One by one, Hanuman set fire to all the great houses of Lanka. Flames and smoke filled the city.

"This is Kala himself, Time-the-Destroyer!" the rakshasas screamed. "Lanka is doomed!"

But in another house, Hanuman saw a rakshasa chanting Rama's name; it was Vibhishana, Ravana's righteous brother. Surprised, Hanuman spared that house.

After burning the city of Lanka, Hanuman returned to the Ashoka Grove to make sure Sita was safe and to bid her farewell. "Rama will come soon," he promised her, "and he will rescue you from Ravana."

Hanuman then grew as large as a mountain and leaped back over the ocean, returning to where the monkeys and bears waited for him on the shore.

"You're alive!" shouted Jambavan with joy.

"Tell us everything!" said Angada, amazed. "We could see the smoke and flames from here, and we feared the worst."

"You need not fear," Hanuman replied. "I bring good news!"