66697602-The-Ramayana-R-K-Narayan

your own powers. This delusion will have to be overcome
before you attempt anything further now. Remember that you
can grow to any stature you wish and if you so decide, you
can cover the entire world in one stride, outdoing even
Vishnu in the days of Mahabali. Make yourself as immense
as you need and you can have one foot on this shore and
another across the sea, on the other shore—that will be
Lanka. When you have reached Lanka, make yourself
inconspicuous and your devotion to Rama will be enough to
guide you to where Sita is kept.”
Hanuman listened to this with his head bowed in humility.
“Your words give me so much courage that I feel I can
vanquish and eradicate the entire race of asuras if they will
not yield to me my Goddess Mother. The span of this ocean
seems to me insignificant. The grace you have conferred on
me and Rama’s command are like two wings which will carry
me anywhere.” So saying he assumed a gigantic stature; the
mountain called Mahendra, which had till then loomed high
up in the clouds, now seemed like a pebble at his feet. He
stood there looking southward choosing his own moment to
step across the ocean into Lanka.