Valmiki Ramayana
Author: Valmiki
Tradition: Sanskrit epic
The original Sanskrit Ramayana.
Valmiki Ramayana, Sundara Kanda, Sarga 1 — Hanuman's flight over the ocean
sa sāgaraṃ dānavapannagāyutaṃ | balena vikramya mahormmimālinam | nipatya tīre ca mahodadhestadā | dadarśa laṅkāmamarāvatīmiva || 5-1-210 ||
स सागरं दानवपन्नगायुतं | बलेन विक्रम्य महोर्मिमालिनम् | निपत्य तीरे च महोदधेस्तदा | ददर्श लङ्काममरावतीमिव || ५-१-२१० ||
Having crossed by his might that ocean teeming with danavas and serpents, garlanded with great waves, and alighting on its shore, he beheld Lanka — like Amaravati, the city of Indra. (Sarga 1, shloka 210)
Sarga 1 of the Sundara Kanda: Hanuman, having assumed a mighty form, leaps from Mount Mahendra and flies across the ocean toward Lanka — encountering Mainaka, Surasa, and Simhika along the way. This is the direct Valmiki parallel to Kamban’s Kaḍal Tāvu Paḍalam.
This sarga marks Hanuman’s spiritual awakening. Before this moment, he is a capable Vanara among many. It is Jambavan’s reminder of his own forgotten greatness that transforms him — after that, he becomes Rama’s ideal servant (dāsa), combining immense strength with humility, wisdom, and unwavering devotion. The leap across the ocean symbolizes the soul transcending seemingly impossible obstacles through faith, remembrance of the Lord, and divine purpose.
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License / provenance: Root text public domain; full text & word-by-word at valmikiramayan.net. Sanskrit PDF: public/valmiki_raamyanam/Sundara_Kandam/sundarakaandam_01.pdf