SUNDARAKANDA CHAPTER 1 Shlokas 11 to 28 Increas ing his height like the swelling during great deluge as Hanumantha had firmly decided to do everything at his powers to ensure the prosperity and success of Sri Rama. With the sole intention of crossing the vast sea, Hanumantha stood tall and huge, while preparing to jump from the earth into the horizon. As he got ready to leap into the horizon, Hanumantha quivered the rocks with his legs and hands.2 Disturbed and shaken by the pressure that emanated from the giant physique of Hanumantha as he jumped, it took a long while for the mountain to settle in its original position and stop trembling. As a consequence, flowers in all the trees withered. Covered entirely with those fallen and withered flowers, the mountain appeared like a huge heap of flowers. Tormented by the inexplicable power of Hanumantha, streams came out of several places in that mountain like a mountain, reminiscent of semen oozing out of the masculine organ of a haughty elephant. Virtually littered by the force of the hands and legs of most powerful Hanumantha, with several of its rocks being cracked and shat- tered, the great Mount Mahendra displayed many golden and several black curved lines on its mien. Crushed and blasted thus (by the superhuman force created by Hanumantha), scattered the giant and mammoth rocks and granite blocks from its exterior like an ordinary wild fire ekes out several lines of smoke. Horrified by the shivers of Mount Mahendra, a large number of wild animals that were hiding in the caves came out from all directions and started screaming and whiling with fear and anxiety. The sound created by the crying and frightened animals that had rushed out of their caves reverberated in all the directions and surrounding forests. Big-hooded serpents with all the rare marks, Swastikalakshanas3, clearly visible on their hoods, came out of their caves, wearing grim and pale faces, producing hot and bright flames of venom, because of the shaking of the mountain. The enraged serpents started biting even the rocks with their tooth. Bitten by those highly venomous serpents, the huge rocks on the Mount Mahendra were set ablaze and within moments, they broke into thousands of pieces and fell apart like fireballs. Even the medicinal plants born on that mountain, which were able to nullify the effect of any ven- om, however, failed to save the rocks from being shattered and blasted due to the biting of deadly serpents. The mountain started vibrating disconcertingly, the red and lotus-eyed Vidyadharas, who were wearing garlands of red flowers and necklaces and had applied sandalwood paste liberally, were in a highly ecstatic mood as they were consuming intoxicants. Frightened by the horrible conditions, they discarded the huge gold utensils containing intoxicants, special kettles of gold, different types of edible pastes, delicacies, different types of meat, and skins of cows and swords that had golden handles, and joined the clouds. Looking at the giant size of Hanumantha and his heavy feet with which he was trampling and tormenting the huge mountain, the female Vidyadharas, who were wearing garlands, necklaces, jewels around their arms, bangles in their wrists, stopped in the sky along with their male partners, smiling in appreciation. Thus, the sages and Vidyadharas dis- played their mystic power called Vayusthambha by standing in the sky without any support, and looked at mountain they had deserted. They heard the dialogues of other ascetics, Siddhas and Cha- ranas, who were also standing in the same manner in the sky, without any support. (28)