Initially, Hanuman is just one of the group of monkeys assigned to go in the southern direction to get news of Sitadevi. Due to an ancient curse, he is not even aware of his boundless strength and ability. Only Lord Rama and Sugriva recognize his wisdom and latent potential. Sri Rama even gives him His ring realizing that he is the one most likely to find Sitadevi. When all other monkeys and bears fail to summon up the courage to attempt crossing the vast ocean, Jambavan exhorts Hanuman, reminding him of his boundless power, and he sets off on his mission. Of course, the scope of action enlarges as he achieves one objective after another. For example, he first focuses on discovering the whereabouts of Sitadevi. Once She is discovered, he could have justifiably returned back, satisfied with having done his job. However, seeing Her mental state, he approaches and consoles Her and gives Her a new lease of life! Even then he is not satisfied! He decides to test the strength of Ravana’s army. The destruction of Asoka-Vana follows. The subsequent meeting with Ravana, conveying Sugriva’s message to him and the burning of Lanka now set the stage for Sri Rarna’s eventual triumph and fulfillment of the purpose of his avatar. At one stage, Hanuman even threatens to cut short the whole process by offering to carry Sitadevi away to Sri Rama on his shoulder. It is left to Mother Sita to rescue the prestige of Her Lord Sri Rama by refusing to leave surreptitiously and insisting that He Himself come to rescue Her. One can’t help imagining that it was Sitadevi’s subtle hint which prevented Hanuman from taking on Ravana, Indrajit, and other r a k s h m in battle. We could speculate that he could probably have finished off the entire lot by himself! Anyway, on a more serious note, we observe that Hanurnan always expanded the scope of his action within the boundaries of his original mission and with confidence in his own power, never taking unnecessary risks which would jeopardize his mission.
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