In plain words
“This is impossible, impossible!” And they all lost heart. But Hanumān alone was bold: “To take God's command on our head and carry it out is our duty. Be it hardship or loss or rebuke, let blame come, let even life itself go, still, carrying this out is our duty. I will enter upon this. But God's work must be won by all of us together; the Ahaṅkāra that says “I alone have achieved it” must not come to me. So until I cross the sea and come back from Laṅkā, you must not go to Rāma in Kiṣkindhā. You must wait for me right here,” he said. Commanding them so, he climbed the first mountain. What was that mountain? “Within Rāma's command I must offer even my life and take His command on my head. This alone is my vow”: so he swore with his whole heart. He climbed the second mountain. In words he gave his command to the monkeys below. “I am dedicating my life within Rāma's command. I can achieve anything. Soon I will bring back success.” Then he climbed the third mountain. “Look, now I am crossing the sea!” And with a spring he leapt up. To take God's command on one's head there is trikaraṇa śuddhi: the purity of the mind is the first, the second purity is that of speech. The third purity is that of the body. In these three, with trikaraṇa śuddhi, he flew over the sea. Trikaraṇa śuddhi means taking up a resolve in the mind, declaring it in speech and carrying it out with the body. When he had gone some distance, Maināka, the form of the vāsanās, came up. Maināka had been protected by Vāyu, so, poor thing, it came with the good intention of showing its gratitude to this Hanumān, the son of Vāyu. “O Māruti! Rest on me for a while, accept my hospitality and then go,” it begged. Hanumān spoke. “I have not come to feast. Until I have fulfilled Rāma's command, I will not drink even water. God's command alone is what matters to me. I have given myself wholly to His service. So until I have fully carried out Rāma's command and come back, I do not need your hospitality,” he said. That is, he overcame attachment. He pushed comfort aside. When he had gone a little further, Surasā came. Surasā is the demoness of envy. As Hanumān flew on, she caught hold of his shadow and pulled at it, you see. To pull down those greater than oneself is her very nature. Hanumān looked on all four sides. There was no one to be seen anywhere. He looked below. “This is the work of a demon. She is trying to pull me down out of envy,” he realised. At that very moment Surasā: “O Hanumān! You must become my food,” she said. Hanumān spoke. “I do not hesitate in the least to be your food. But there is one vow of mine.