Hanuman in Ravana's Court - The Tail That Burned Lanka

Dadi: "Guddu, did you know that Hanuman LET himself be captured in Lanka?"

Guddu: "He let them capture him? Why?"

Dadi: "After finding Sita, Hanuman could have simply flown back to Rama. Mission done. But he wanted more information. How strong was Lanka? How many demons? What were the defenses?"

Guddu: "Like a spy!"

Dadi: "Exactly. So he let himself be seen. He destroyed gardens, fought guards, even defeated Ravana's son. Wave after wave of demons attacked, and he defeated them all."

Guddu: "Then how did they capture him?"

Dadi: "Indrajit, Ravana's greatest warrior son, entered the battle. He fired the Brahmastra - a divine weapon so powerful that even Hanuman's boons couldn't completely counter it. Hanuman chose to honor the weapon's power and allowed himself to be bound."

Guddu: "So he wasn't really defeated?"

Dadi: "*smiles* Let's say he chose to stop fighting. They dragged him to Ravana's court. And Guddu, imagine this - Ravana was magnificent. Ten heads, twenty arms, a presence that filled the enormous hall."

Guddu: "Was Hanuman scared?"

Dadi: "Not at all. Ravana looked at the bound monkey with contempt. "So this is the creature who destroyed my grove and killed my son? A monkey?" And Hanuman replied calmly, "I am Hanuman, servant of Rama. I came as a messenger, but your demons attacked me. I defended myself.""

Guddu: "What was the message?"

Dadi: ""Return Sita. Beg Rama's forgiveness. Perhaps you will survive.""

Guddu: "*whistles* Bold!"

Dadi: "The court erupted in laughter. Ravana laughed loudest. "You come to MY city, kill MY men, destroy MY property - and then threaten ME?" He boasted of conquering the three worlds, of making Indra his servant, of his invincibility."

Guddu: "What did Hanuman say?"

Dadi: "Quietly, he said: "Rama is not what you think he is. He is your death walking toward you. I am only the announcement.""

Guddu: "Ooh, that's chilling."

Dadi: "Ravana's laughter stopped. For a moment, something flickered in his eyes - not fear exactly, but unease. This monkey's certainty was unsettling."

Guddu: "Did Ravana try to kill him?"

Dadi: "He ordered it, but Vibhishana stopped him. "Killing a messenger is against dharma." So they decided to humiliate him instead - by setting his tail on fire."

Guddu: "The famous burning tail!"

Dadi: "As the fire touched him, Hanuman began to grow. The ropes snapped. He towered above the court, then leaped onto the rooftops. With his flaming tail, he set Lanka ablaze - palace after palace, treasury, armory, everything."

Guddu: "The punishment became the weapon!"

Dadi: "What was meant to shame him became the torch that revealed Ravana's vulnerability. When Hanuman later told Rama, "He burned my tail. I returned the favor - with interest," Rama actually smiled."

Guddu: "Dadi, was Hanuman ever afraid during all this?"

Dadi: "Someone asked him that exact question. He said, "Of what? Of Ravana? He is powerful, but he is not my Lord. Of death? My Lord protects me. Of fire? Fire is my friend - Agni blessed me at birth. There was nothing in all of Lanka that could touch what I actually am.""

Guddu: "What IS he actually?"

Dadi: ""Rama's servant. That identity cannot be burned." The tail that Ravana set ablaze became the flame that foretold his end. What was meant as punishment became proclamation."

Guddu: "The bound monkey left Lanka's rulers with a message written in fire."

Dadi: "*nods* "Your end is coming." Now, brave one, time for sleep."

Guddu: "Goodnight, Dadi. I won't forget the flaming tail!"