Canto 1 - Boyhood
Bāla-kāṇḍa
Chapter 1: Contents of the Rāmāyaṇa Summarized
Text 1.1.76
सोऽभिगम्य महात्मानं कृत्वा रामं प्रदक्षिणम्।
न्यवेदयदमेयात्मा दृष्टा सीतेति तत्त्वतः॥
so ’bhigamya mahātmānaṁ kṛtvā rāmaṁ pradakṣiṇam
nyavedayad ameyātmā dṛṣṭā sīteti tattvataḥ
saḥ = that; abhigamya = submissively approached; mahā-ātmānam = the greatly enduring; kṛtvā = went; rāmam = Rāma; pradakṣiṇam = around Him in circumambulation; nyavedayat = he informed Him; ameya-ātmā = one of immeasurable intelligence; dṛṣṭā = I saw; sītā = Sītā; iti tattvataḥ = really.
That one of immeasurable intelligence submissively approached the greatly enduring Rāma and went around Him in circumambulation. Then he informed Him, “I really saw Sītā!”
Mahātmānam indicates that though Lord Rāma was feverish in separation from Sītā-devī, He possessed patience that could not be warded off. Hanumān submissively approached Lord Rāma because he had completed the task assigned to him.
Some authorities explain that though Hanumān could have said sītā dṛṣṭā instead of dṛṣṭā sītā, the former expression [by the rules of Sanskrit grammar] could be construed as sītā adṛṣṭā [which is grammatically permissible, but meaning “I did not see Sītā”] and so Hanumān unambiguously spoke the latter expression [which can only mean “I saw Sītā”]. Other authorities explain that the reason Hanumān said dṛṣṭā sītā is to inform Him [first of all] that he had completed the task assigned to him, thus revealing his excessive delight [in doing so].