His eyes filled with joy on beholding Sītā surrounded by ogresses with hideous and deformed faces while the moon was at the meridian, Hanumān mentally bows to Śrī Rāma and Laksmana and remains hidden behind the boughs of the Śimśapā tree.

Admiring the virtue and propitious bodily marks etc.., of Sītā, Hanumān grieves at the thought of that lady, for whose sake Khara, Virādha and other ogres were killed, having been reduced to such a sad plight.

Casting his eyes all round while remaining perched on the top of that Śimśapā tree, Hanumān catches sight of Sītā in a temple and recognizes her by virtue of her characteristics and age.

Leaping down to the enclosure of the Asoka grove and watching the loveliness of the grove from the top of the wall, Hanumån enters the grove and, leaping from tree to tree in the course of his search for Sītā, catches sight of an Asoka tree. Espying a stream running beside it and expecting that Sītā might turn up on the bank of the stream to say her Sandhyā prayers, he takes up his position on that Asoka tree, hiding himself behind its leafy boughs.

Coming out of the aerial car, Puspaka, and not finding Sītā even on searching for her on all sides, Hanumān concludes her to have been killed. Believing that her untraceability, no matter whether it is reported to Śrī Rāma or not, may lead to disastrous consequences, Hanumān decides not to return to the mainland. Meanwhile, as he contemplates fasting till death or suicide or the killing of Rāvana, he catches sight of a grove which he does not remember to have seen and before proceeding to explore it mentally invokes the succour of Rsis and gods for success in his undertaking.

Having failed to discover Sītā even after searching for her in the picture gallery and other places, Hanumān suspects that she might have been disposed of by Rāvana and, thus meeting with frustration, falls into the quagmire of despair. On second thought, however, he deprecates despair as harmful and, falling back upon self-reliance, resumes the search. But, failing to find her even on searching for her all round, he becomes despondent again.

Banishing by recourse to reason the thought that the lady whom he had seen was Sītā, Hanumån searches for Sītā once more in the gynaeceum as well as in the banqueting hall and sees there a number of women lying in various states, as well as drinking vessels. He is seized with fear of having incurred the sin of gazing on others' wives; but the thought that he had looked on them with a lust-free mind eases his conscience.

Hanumān catches sight of Rāvana reposing on an excellent couch decked with various ornaments, himself adorned with jewels of every description. Perceiving Mandodarī graced with bright jewels and lying asleep on a wonderful couch not far from her husband in the midst of dancing girls lying in a disorderly state with diverse musical instruments clasped to their bosom, and taking her to be Sītā, Hanumān gets enraptured and exhibits his joy through various simian gestures such as kissing the end of his tail.

Leaping up the Puspaka in the course of his quest for Sītā in the palace of Rāvana, Hanumān gazes from that vantage-ground on the hosts of women lying asleep in the women's apartments in diverse states.

A further description of the aerial car, Puspaka.