(PS: This is a true translation of the Sanskrit epic which tends to have long descriptive sentences which are retained as they are)||om tat sat||

|| om tat sat ||
तस्यालय वरिष्टस्य मध्ये विपुलमायतम्।
ददर्श भवनं श्रेष्टं हनुमान्मारुतात्मजः॥1||

स॥ मारुतात्मजः हनुमान् तस्य आलयवरिष्ठस्य मध्ये विपुलं आयतं भवनं श्रेष्टं ददर्श॥

Hanuman the son of wind god saw at the center of the main building a spacious mansion best among all the mansions.

Sundarakanda
Sarga 9

Then Hanuman went all around Lanka in search of the wide eyed Sita .

Hanuman the son of wind god saw in the middle of the main building a spacious mansion which looked like the best one among all the mansions. That was the mansion of the king of Rakshasas. The mansion of the king of Rakshasas is one Yojana long and half Yojana wide. Then Hanuman endowed with riches of strength reached the palace of the King of Rakshasas.

That palace was guarded by armed Rakshasas and elephants with four tusks , three tusks and two tusks. That palace of Ravana was crowded with his wives, princesses brought by him after winning them over in a battle. They were all surrounded by Rakshasas women. The Ravana's palace with Rakshasa women surrounding his wives and other princesses looked like an ocean shaken by the wind and full of crocodiles, sharks as well as whales and fish.

All of the wealth was possessed by Kubera, the son of Vishrava, and Indra who rides the green horse was there in the house of Ravana. Such wealth or more exquisite wealth as possessed by Kubera, Varuna or Yama was available in the house of the Rakshasa king.

The son of wind god also saw in the middle of those well-built complex of mansions another mansion. There was a wonderful aerial chariot by name Pushpaka built for Brahma by Vishwakarma. That aerial chariot Pushpaka was obtained by Kubera from the Grandfather Brahma by supreme penance. Defeating Kubera with his prowess Ravana acquired the same. Blazing with images of wolves on finely built pillars made of Hiranmaya and Kartasvara (two types of gold), touching the sky and with multitude of pleasure houses, that auspicious aerial car was resembling the Meru and Mandara mountains. It was glowing like fire and the Sun. It was well built by Vishwakarma with golden staircases and many platforms. With lattice windows made of gold and crystals, the platforms were embedded with Indraneela and Mahaneela sapphires. It is shining bright with colorful corals and very precious gems fixed in the floor. It was red and bright like pure and polished gold comparable to rising Sun.

Hanuman ascended that wonderful Pushpaka well decked with many corridors.

Standing there Hanuman smelt divine fragrance. That was rising from food and drinks like a solid form of wind
That fragrance was as though inviting the mighty Hanuman like a relative inviting kith and kin saying "come here" and leading him to Ravana's chambers. Then Hanuman moved towards the great hall which is dear to Ravana like his chief queen.

The stairs in that great hall were inlaid with special gems latticed with gold, floor was covered with ivory inlaid with silver. The ornamented golden and silver pillars inlaid with pearls and corals, the hall was decorated with many such pillars. Well decorated with columns which are touching the skies , some of which are bent, some of which are straight , it looked like it started to reach for heaven. With several murals of earth which were having garland of palaces drawn on it, the expansive carpet looked like a piece of earth itself. With birds in heat making resounding noise, with divine fragrances and with exquisite tapestries the mansion was inhabited by the king of Rakshasas.
It was smoky white with smoke of Agaru looking like a white swan. Because of the offering of flowers it was radiant like wish fulfilling Kamdhenu. The mansion was generating delight to the heart , pleasing with color and complexion, demolishing sorrow as it were it looked like the source of prosperity.

The chamber of Ravana like the mother, gratified all five senses with five objects of senses. Looking at that mansion "This is heaven. This is the world of Gods. This is the city of Indra". Hanuman thought this is the supreme achievement. The golden lamps looked like great gamblers defeated in a game of dice. The gamblers were as though they were in a deep thought. Hanuman thought that the brightness of the lamps and the brilliance of Ravana , the brilliant glow of his ornaments set the place ablaze with brightness.

Then he saw best of women wearing many varieties of clothes and garlands of different colors seated on the carpets. Wearied having sported all night, succumbing to drinks and sleep thereafter when the mid night rolled away, they fell asleep. With sounds of their ornaments stilled and hence sleeping like the silenced swans and bees , the mansion looked beautiful like a forest of lotuses. Hanuman saw those well-bred young women with closed eyes and concealed teeth giving out smell of lotuses. The women looked like the closed petals of the lotuses after having been like the lotuses from early morning. The intoxicated bees would again and again desire to enjoy the beautiful blooming lotus like faces. Having ascertained the qualities the great Vanara felt that it is correct to compare them with lotuses. The mansion of the Rakshasa king shone with women . It is very endearing like the autumnal sky with stars. Thus surrounded by them the king of Rakshasas shone like the Moon surrounded by the stars.

The Vanara thought that the women looked like the stars who have fallen to earth after having exhausted their merits. The luster and grace of those women looked like the that of brilliant stars releasing auspicious glow.
With jewels displaced and garlands scattered after drinking and sexual exercise they had minds dazed in slumber.
A few had their verminal marks on their faces smudged. A few had anklets let loose and a few had necklaces on one side of her neck. Others had broken pearl strings on their girdle. Some had their clothes slipped off. And some had waist belts snapped and fallen to rest like young mares. With broken ear tops , broken and crushed flower garlands some looked like blooming creepers in dense forest crushed by mighty elephants. Some of the women with shining pearl chains between their breasts shining like rays of moon looked like sleeping swans. The Vaidhuryas worn by women looked like Kadamba birds. The golden chains on others looked like Chakravaka birds. The hips were like river banks with swans. With tiny bells tied around the waist looking like buds, the bold golden ornaments looking like lotuses, their gestures of love looking like crocodiles, their radiant beauty looking like silver banks , the sleeping ones appeared like rivers. Some women with the tender limbs and breast and nipples imprinted with marks of ornaments, themselves looked like ornaments.

Some women with breath released by their mouths shaking the fringes of garments making them flutter again and again. The fringes of their garments with different hues shone beautifully close to their faces like splendid flags.

The ear tops of some of the women endowed with auspicious charms were swinging softly generating a gentle sound by the touch of their breath. Then the natural sweet smell of wine from their mouths and the natural fragrance of their breath were serving Ravana in their own way. Some of the wives of Ravana kissed their co-wives assuming it to be Ravana's face. Very much devoted to Ravana and not being free some of his wives responded pleasingly. Other women laying aside their adornments used their arms as pillows others used their garments as pillows.

Some women slept on the chest of others, another slept on the shoulders of yet another , and another slept in the lap of the other. Given to intoxication and love, the women slept touching one others thighs, side, hips , back and laps, with their limbs intertwined. Strung together with another like a garland of flowers intertwined with tipsy bees, the women shone while resting. Linked to each other like a chain like flowers on a string, tangled together with strong joints like bees swarming, that garden of women was like a garden of creepers with swarming bees and the blooms being blown by the wind with the creepers linked to each other. It is not possible to distinguish between the ornaments , garments limbs and garlands in order to place them in the right spots. When Ravana was sleeping happily, the different gods of light burning on the lamp posts gazed at the women without winking.

The women hailed from families of royal sages , ancestral deities, Daityas and Rakshasis who were infatuated with him. All of those women were won over in a battle. Some came on their own blinded by lust except for the revered daughter of Janaka. These some women were obtained by his valor forcibly. They were not in love with another, nor they were married earlier, None among them was born of a lowly family. None lacked beauty. None is unkind. None was lacking in courtesy. None not lovable for the lover.

Hanuman thought , if the wife of Raghava born of good family could stay (with her husband) like the wives of this Rakshasa king , it would be fortunate. Hanuman thought again and said to himself. 'Sita is surely by her virtues superior to all . The king of Lanka has indeed committed an ignoble act'.

Thus the ninth Sarga of Sundarakanda in Ramayan , the first ever poem written by Valmiki ends||

|| om tat sat ||
पुनश्च सोsचिंतय धार्तरूपो ध्रुवं विशिष्टा गुणतो हि सीता।
अधाय मस्यां कृतवान् महात्मा लंकेश्वरः कष्ट मनार्यकर्म॥73||
स॥सः आत्तरूपः पुनश्च अचिन्तयत् सीता ध्रुवं गुणतः विशिष्ठा अथ महात्मा अयं लंकेश्वरः अस्यां अनार्यं कृतवान् कष्टम्॥
Hanuman again returning to his own form and thought 'Sita is surely by her virtues superior (to all) . The king of Lanka has indeed committed an ignoble act'.
|| om tat sat ||