Sarga 10: Hanuman chances upon Mandodari, wife of Ravana -- mistakes her for Sita on account of her beauty and charm.

Looking around, Hanuman noticed a bed chamber, with a heavenly dais on which he saw a couch encrusted with crystals, vaidurya, and inlaid with colourful ivory and gold. It had an exquisite rich covering.

Hanuman saw an umbrella in one spot decorated with the best of garlands. The white umbrella looked like the Moon, lord of stars.

He saw an exquisite couch made of gold shining wonderfully like the Sun. It was decorated with ashoka flowers. Women were holding fans of chamari deer. It was upholstered with the best of bedspreads made of soft sheep skin and adorned with beautiful strings of flower garlands. Scented with aromatic smoke, it was refreshed with fragrance which had spread all over the place.

Hanuman saw the mightyarmed, heroic lord of demons, sleeping with huge bloodshot eyes looking like a cloud, he was adorned with flashing earrings, and clad in robes of silver texture. His body was smeared with red sandal paste of sweet fragrance. Therefore, he looked like a cloud reddened by twilight and flashing with the lightning of his ornaments. He was handsome and could assume any form at will. He looked like Mandara mountain surrounded thickly with trees and wild bushes. Decked with exquisite ornaments, he was sleeping after dalliance at night on that glittering couch. He was the beloved of the ogresses and bringer of joy to them

Having reached Ravana, who was breathing (hissing) like a snake, Hanuman was for a moment frightened and drew away from him as if he was put to terrible fear.

The great vanara ascended the stairway and reached another altar and once again looked at the sleeping Ravana, the tiger among demons.

While the lord of demons lay asleep on the magnificent couch, he looked like the Prasravana hill with its elephant in rut.

Hanuman saw the great Ravana's arms, which were like a pair of Indra's flag staff adorned with golden straps. The arms bore the marks of wounds caused by Airavata, (Indra's elephant), torn by the thunderbolt of Indra in war, and wounded by the discus of Lord Visnu. His strong, fleshy, wellbuilt arms, having auspicious thumbnails, shapely fingers and palms, pressed together, resembled the iron crowbars or beam used for main doors. The arms resembled elephant's trunks, tossed on a clean bed, resembling two fivehooded snakes (fingers like hoods), besmeared with cool, fragrant, red sandalpaste of excellent quality which looked red like the hare's blood. They were well massaged by the best of women with fine, fragrant sandal paste. They were the arms which could make yakshas, pannagas, gods and demons roar in fear at their sight.

The vanara, gazed at the arms of Ravana placed on the couch that appeared like two angry snakes asleep in a cave on (the lap) of mount Mandara.

The lord of demons looked splendid like a mountain with his long, fully developed arms. He appeared like Mandara mountain with two lofty peaks.

The breath released from the huge mouth of that lion of demons carried the fragrance of mango and punnaga as well as excellent Bakula flowers. It exuded the aroma of rich and delicious food and different drink. It was as though pervading the whole chamber.

Hanuman saw Ravana, whose face was lit up by his earrings. His shining headgear studded with gold and pearls was set aside. His fleshy, broad chest on which the pearl necklace had slightly receded from its position(as he was asleep) was shining along with the red sandal paste. He had put on a splendid white silken cloth which had also slipped a little and was covered with exquisitely rich yellow upper garment. His eyes were bloodred. His body was comparable to a heap of blackbeans. He was sighing heavily like a hissing snake. He appeared like an elephant sleeping on the banks of the great river Ganges. With four golden lamps glowing on four sides of the bed,the four directions were illuminated. All his limbs lit up bright (with the glow of lamps), he looked like a cloud with streaks of lightning. His dear wives were seen resting at his feet in the palace of the lord of demons.

Hanuman, the leader of vanaras found the wives of Ravana, whose faces were bright as the Moon, adorned with beautiful earrings and fresh floral garlands.

Hanuman saw the women there wearing fine jewellery, performing dances, playing musical instruments, and resting on the lap or leaning on the arms of the demon king.

He noticed on the earlobes of the the women gold earrings decked with diamonds and vaidurya. They were wearing shining armlets of gold.

There the beautiful moonlike faces of women Illumined by the lovely earrings lay on the cot which looked resplendent like the sky lit up with hosts of stars.

Exhausted by drinking and indulging in amorous sport, the consorts of Ravana slept here and there with their visible slender waists.

Another woman exceedingly beautiful and a delicate danseuse of beautiful complexion and rhythmic movements held her limbs in a dancing posture (though asleep) due to her habit .

Another woman slept hugging her veena. She shone like a lotus plant flung in a large river, clinging on to a boat. (Veena is compared to a boat and the woman to a lotusplant in the ambience of flowing waters of the river. The entire hall had put up such a dynamic view showing hectic life of the inmates).

A woman with dark eyes asleep with a drum placed in her armpit looked like a beautiful mother holding her loving baby (the drum was hung to her arm with a rope).

Another charming beauty endowed with beautiful breasts lay hugging a tambourine as though a passionate woman lay embracing her lover whom she secured after a long time.

Yet another lotuseyed lady slept embracing a lute as if a lovelorn woman lay clasping her lover.

Another selfpossessed lady, graceful in dance, holding a sevenstringed lute was as though lying asleep with her beloved.

Another lady with drunken eyes lay fast asleep holding a drum close to her beautiful bosom with her soft limbs. (These images show that these women were singing and dancing till late night and slept exhausted).

Another lady of slender belly, who had been exhausted by drunkeness was lying with a tabor pressed to her bosom and inserted in her armpit.

One lovely woman and another held a drum and slept as if they were hugging their young child.

Yet another with her eyes like lotus petals deluded with passion tightly held in her arms a musical instrument known as Adambaram and slept.

Another lovely lady was fast asleep, having turned a goblet of water aside, yet another lay like a garland of variegated flowers in spring season.

Overcome with sleep another woman lay pressing with her own hands her golden gobletlike breasts.

One woman with eyes like lotus petals and face like the fullmoon embraced another young woman of beautiful hips and slept tipsy with drink.

Some charming maidens held wonderful musical instruments pressing against their bosom and slept like passionate women embracing their loved ones.

Hanuman saw some maidens lying on separate excellent beds, women richly endowed with beautysleeping.

Then the vanara saw a very beautiful woman of golden complexion decked with pearls and gems and with ornaments as if illuminating the excellent mansion with her splendour She was the king's favourite and the chief queen, Mandodari.

On seeing her embellished with ornaments, beauty and charm, the long armed son of the Windgod, the chief of the vanaras thought her to be Sita and rejoiced.

He rejoiced clapping his palms, kissing his tail and jumping up, climbing up the pillars and jumping down on the ground in joy. Thus he exhibited his monkey nature. इत्यार्षे श्रीमद्रामायणे वाल्मीकीय आदिकाव्ये सुन्दरकाण्डे दशमस्सर्गः। Thus ends the tenth sarga of Sundarakanda of the holy Ramayana, the first epic composed by sage Valmiki.