Tulsidas
Ramcharitmanas, 16th century
Written in Awadhi, in chaupai and doha verse. This is the version most Hindi-speaking families recite as Sunderkand path.
The story, in brief
The main events of Sunderkand, in the order Tulsidas tells them.
Crossing the ocean
Hanuman sets out across the ocean to find Sita. Mount Mainak offers him a place to rest, but he presses on, since Rama’s work is not yet done. He then overcomes two more obstacles on the way, the demoness Surasa and the shadow-catcher Simhika, using wit rather than force alone. Surasa tests him by demanding he enter her mouth before continuing, and Hanuman agrees, but shrinks himself so small that he passes through and out again in an instant, satisfying her condition without being harmed.
Entering Lanka
Hanuman shrinks himself and enters Lanka at night. Lankini, the guardian of the city, blocks his way, but after he strikes her, she lets him pass and tells him this marks Lanka’s downfall.
Meeting Vibhishana
While searching the city, Hanuman notices a house marked with signs of Rama’s name and a tulsi plant outside. There he meets Vibhishana, Ravana’s brother, who is a devotee of Rama despite living in Ravana’s household. The two recognise each other as kindred spirits within moments, and Vibhishana tells Hanuman where in the city Sita is being held.
Finding Sita
Hanuman reaches the Ashoka grove and finds Sita in sorrow. He shows her Rama’s ring, introduces himself, and offers her comfort and hope. Sita at first doubts what she is seeing, wondering if it is one of Ravana’s illusions, until Hanuman speaks of details about Rama that only a true messenger could know.
The grove and the guards
Hungry, Hanuman eats fruit from the grove and damages the trees. Ravana’s soldiers, and then his son Akshaya Kumar, are sent to stop him, but Hanuman defeats them.
Before Ravana
Meghnad binds Hanuman with the Brahmastra and brings him before Ravana’s court. Unafraid, Hanuman urges Ravana to seek Rama’s shelter. Vibhishana persuades Ravana not to kill an envoy, so Ravana orders Hanuman’s tail set on fire instead.
The burning of Lanka
With his tail alight, Hanuman leaps from roof to roof, setting Lanka on fire. Only Vibhishana’s house is spared. He then returns to Sita, receives her hairpin as a token, and crosses back over the ocean.
Returning to Rama
Hanuman brings Rama news of Sita and hands him the token. Rama embraces him.
Vibhishana’s shelter and the ocean
In Tulsidas’s telling, the story continues: humiliated by Ravana, Vibhishana comes to Rama for shelter, and Rama prepares to cross the ocean. The ocean itself advises how a bridge can be built. In Valmiki’s Ramayana, this part comes after Sundara Kanda, in the Yuddha Kanda.