Thread by @DefiledGod

In the rAmAyaNa, what exactly was the starting point of the fight between rAma and rAvaNa, ie, when did bhagavAn actually start directly attacking rAvaNa in the war? There is a beautiful tattvArtha associated with when he finally took up his bow and arrow against the rAkShasa+

Initially, rAma stands warning rAvANa,

yadIndravaivasvatabhAskaranvA |
svayamubhavaishvAnarashaMkaranvA |gamiShyasi tvaM dashadhA disho va |tathApi me nAdya gato vimokShyase

[Even if you seek refuge in abodes of Indra, Surya, Yama, Agni, Brahma, Rudra etc you cannot elude me]+

This, despite the fact that hanuman had asked rAma to start attacking rAvaNa. But the compassionate bhagavAn is always reluctant to take up his weapons, even against transgressors.

Even then, rAma was hoping rAvaNa would seek his refuge, so he just made threats, waiting+

rAghavasya vachaH shrutvA rAkShasendro mahAbalaH |
vAyuputram mahAvegam vahantaM rAghavaM raNe || roSheNa mahatAviShTaHpUrvavairamanusmaran |AjaghaAna sharairdIpaiH kAlAnalashikhopamaiH ||+

[rAvaNa, in anger at rAma's words and recollecting his enmity with the latter, struck hanuman, who was carrying Rama on the battlefield, with flaming arrows]+

rAvaNa of evil mind however, had so much hatred for rAma. He wondered, "what hurts rAma the most? If I strike hanuman, who is his vAhana and so dear to him on account of the services he is doing, then he (rAma) will be most afflicted"

Thus, rAvaNa struck the devotee of bhagavAn+

The reason for mentioning Hanuman is his vAhana is to highlight the grave apachAra of rAvaNa - bhAgavata apachAra, hurting the devotees of bhagavAn

rAkShasenAhave tasya tADitasyApi sAyakaiH |svabhAvatejoyuktasya bhUyastejo.abhyavardhata || +

[When hanuman was being struck by the arrows of the rAkShasa, the tejas of Vishnu inherent in him, increased]

Likewise, nothing can harm bhagavAn's devotees, their glory is only augmented further when such actions of their enemies are rendered futile+

tato rAmo mahAtejA rAvaNena kR^itavraNam |
dR^iShTvA plavagashArdUlaM krodhasya vashameyuvAn 

[Seeing hanuman, the foremost of vAnarAs as his devotee, getting hurt, by rAvaNa, rAma was filled with anger]

Earlier shloka said Hanuman was not hurt. Here it says he was hurt. How?+

From bhagavAn's perspective, his devotee was hurt. Though hanuman was not affected due to his bhakti by arrows of rAvaNa, bhagavAn is like a mother who fusses over her child even if the child is not hurt. Thus in his mind, he saw hanuman as wounded+

Note that the shloka says "tataH" - only then did rAma become angry. It means until now, he had been unwilling to even kill rAvaNa and was hoping rAvaNa, in fear of his threats, would surrender to him. But by targeting his devotee, rAvaNa had gone beyond redemption+

Our Acharyas have pointed out that the start of rAma-rAvaNa yuddha is indeed this point when rAvaNa out of his wicked mind decided to target hanuman. No amount of targeting rAma himself directly would have forced bhagavAn's hand.

It illustrates bhAgavata-prabhAva//