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He alone is capable of slaying Rāvana and free Sitā. I desire to fight a battle with Rāvana, and do not really care whether I win or loose." Laksmana said, "Show me the burrow of that cunning fox, Ravana. He has tarnished the image of the Ksatriya clan with his obscene act. shall cut off his head and cleanse this tarnished image. I want all of you to be the spectators of this great event."
"Here is Hanumāna, the worthy progeny of Pavananjaya. Unparallel in strength and modesty, he has always been to my side in difficult times. Besides valour, love and courtesy, he has noble traits like truthfulness, honesty, purity of the soul, and selflessness. No one can excel him in strength and intelligence. Therefore, I think it would be appropriate to send Hanumana in quest of Sita."
Jambavāna said, "Young warrior, we know that you, with your enormous strength and mastery of warfare, can slay Rāvana in a moment, but I recall the prophesy of Muni śri Anantavirya, a great sage of the past, who had said, “The man who lifts up the Kotisila will slay Rāvana. I therefore appeal you to accompany me to Koțišila. When you lift it, we will be assured that you alone are destined to slay Ravana." Lakşmana accepted the proposal of Jambavāna. Then, he flew with him and reached near the Kotisila. Laksmana lifted the heavy stone, as if it was a flower. This indeed assured Jambavana that Lakşmana alone will be the cause of Rāvana's death. Together they reached Kiskindha.
Hanumana replied, "I am a humble being, yet since the emperor Sugrīva has high regards for me, he is showering praise on me unnecessarily. Many of his warriors can not only match me in strength and intellect but also excel me. Yet, if you command me to start for Lankā, I must obey you. What should I do when I reach Lanka? May I lift the entire demonic clan and bring it to you, or shall just capture the boastful Ravana alongwith his kin? or may 1 kill Ravana alongwith his entire family and bring back Sitā to you?"
A senior man said, "The battles always bring about enormous loss of wealth and life, therefore, as far as possible, battle must be avoided. Wisemen have mentioned that an envoy should be sent in the camp of the adversaries. If the envoy, with diplomacy, succeeds in bringing about a truce, then war must be avoided. Let us too send our envoy to Lankā, who would first meet Bibhişana, for inspite of belonging to the clan of demons, he is a man of ethics. He can persuade Ravana to free Sita. If Ravana ignores his pleas, he might forsake him and join us. When our last efforts to avoid the war fails, we will resort to battle." The suggestion of the aged man was accepted unanimously. Sugriva, with a permission from Rama, sent Śrībhūti to bring noble Hanumana, a trusted ally and true friend.
When Hanumana received the missive from Sugriva, he hurried at once and reached Kişkindha. Sugriva took him to Rama and said,
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