According to the Valmiki Ramayana, when the search for Sita was entrusted to the vanara army, the group heading south included Hanuman. They reached the shore of the great ocean and stopped. The sea stretched out before them, vast and endless. Crossing it seemed impossible.
Then Jambavan spoke to Hanuman. 'Don't you remember your own strength? When you were a child, you once leaped toward the sun thinking it was a fruit. That same power lives within you still.' And just like that, Hanuman remembered who he was.
Hanuman climbed a high rocky cliff and let his body grow enormous. He took a great breath. And with a mighty leap, he launched himself into the sky — flying toward Lanka.
As he flew over the ocean, a mountain named Mainaka rose from the water. 'Hanuman, rest awhile,' it said. 'I am a friend of your father Vayu, the wind god. Please stop here.' Hanuman gently touched the mountain in respect and honour — but he did not stop. His task was calling him forward.
Then a huge shadow fell across his path. It was Surasa. The gods had sent her as a test. She opened her mouth wide. Hanuman made himself large. Surasa grew larger. Hanuman grew larger still. Then suddenly Hanuman shrank to the size of a thumb, entered Surasa's open mouth, and was out again in an instant. The test was done.
The Valmiki Ramayana tells us that one more challenge lay ahead — Simhika, a creature who grabbed at shadows. She caught Hanuman's shadow from below. Hanuman faced her bravely and moved on.
At last, Hanuman reached the far shore. He had crossed the ocean. He made himself small again and slipped quietly into Lanka. It was the middle of the night.
Lanka gleamed like gold — its walls shone in the darkness. But Hanuman's mind was not on that splendour. He had to find Sita. He moved through the sleeping city — careful, quiet, one careful step at a time.