Bridge constructed

 

 

The ocean, escorted by rivers mainly the Ganga and Sindhu, endowed with diverse forms resembling various deities, approached Sri Rama with joined palms, and spoke the following words:

"O, beloved Rama! Earth, wind ether, water and light remain fixed in their own nature, resorting to their eternal path. Therefore, I am fathomless and my nature is that it is impossible of being swum across. It becomes unnatural if I am shallow.”

“I am telling you the following device to cross me. I shall make it possible to see that you are able to cross over. I will arrange a place for the Vanara-s to cross me and bear with it. As far as the army crosses me, the crocodiles will not be aggressive to them."

Then, Sri Rama released, on the request of Ocean, the Brahmastra towards that place as directed by the ocean. The place where the arrow, hit became famous as desert of Maru on this earth.

The Sagara told further as follows:

"O, Rama!  Nala is the son of Vishvakarma; who was given a boon by his father and is equal to Visvakarma. Let this greatly energetic Vanara build a bridge across me. I can hold that bridge. He is just the same as his father."

Nala said as follows:

"I am a son of Visvakarma. I am equal to Visvakarma. The great ocean spoke the truth. Being unasked, I have not told you my details earlier."

Then, being sent by Sri Rama, hundreds and thousands of Vanara heroes broke the rocks and trees there and dragged them away towards the sea.

Nala initiated a monumental bridge in the middle of the ocean.The great vanaras uprooted elephant-sized rocks and mountains and transported them by mechanical contrivances.

On the (i) first day 14 Yojanas of bridge,  (ii) on the second day 20 Yojanas of bridge (iii) on the third day 21 Yojanas of the bridge ,(iv) on the forth day 22 Yojanas of bridge , and (v) on the fifth day, the Vanara-s working quickly constructed 23 yojanas of the bridge up to the other seashore.

That Nala built the bridge across the sea as truly as his father would have built it. The celestials and Gandharvas saw Nala's bridge, having a width of 19 yojanas and a length of 100 yojanas and which was very difficult to be built. The Vanara-s taking long leaps and short leaps shouted in joy.

Thereafter, Sri Rama and Lakshmana, ascending the shoulders of Sri Hanuma and Angada respectively and proceeded towards Lanka.

That army of Vanara-s, which crossed the ocean by the bridge constructed by Nala, was encamped by Sugriva at a shore having many fruits tubers and water.

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A question may arise as to how come such a big bridge got constructed in 5 days?  And, why doesn't the world acknowledge it?  Only we Indians speak about it?

According to Srimad Ramayana, Saagara  told Sri Rama to construct a bridge and showed the architect, Nala.  

Here, we have to consider the following aspects –

 (i) Permission given by Saagara – so the bridge will remain there till the vanara army completes onward and backward journey, though backward not necessitated as they used Pushpaka, the aeroplane,

 (ii) only  Nala, like his father Viswakarma, knew a construction technology which allows stones float in the waters

(iii) Ancient Knowledge, science, technology, arts, which are rare but known only to a few people, might have existed, which may be unbelievable to the next generations

(iv) Whether Sri Rama and the Vanaraa army used it or not for return journey, the bridge might have definitely collapsed in to the ocean, as promised by the Ocean God, after the war and Sri Rama flew over the ocean towards Ayodhya.

 The stones that formed part of the Bridge constructed by the Nala might have drowned in the sea.  However, the question remains as to which place, if we accept this episode as historical

(v) Again, if the entire quantum of stones drowned in the ocean, they must be visible in the Satellite photography.  However, in order to see it, we should know the exact place from where the bridge commenced.

If the place where the Vanara army started the construction of bridge was drowned in the ocean due to Geographical shifting, we should know that place.  

Above all, if we take the age of Ramayana to have occurred around 1400 B.C., as some historians fixed it, we will get a different picture.  If we accept the assertions made by many Scholars and Sages, who date the age of Ramayana as Lakhs of years before (nearly 1.6 million years ago) , then we will get a different picture.