The making of Ramsetu in Valmiki Ramayan

This blog is a response to a chain mail making round these days showing a picture of a 'floating stone' as a proof that Ramsetu is not a myth.

Ramsetu is not a myth, it exists today too.  Below are some pictures of the surviving Setu. But the photograph of the floating stone is a pucca fraud: I have seen several such stones – all have carved cavities which holds air, enabling the stone to float.

The bigger question is this: Where have these Floating Stones come from? because the Setu was never made of ‘floating stones’.  In fact, No floating stone was thrown into the sea with the name of Lord Ram written on it, with Nal and Neel supervising the operation.  Neel did not exist.  Perhaps this entire twist to the story of the Bridge was given by my revered and loved Tulsi Baba to make his Ram Katha more interesting, more rasdaar.

According to Valmiki Ramayan the Setu was made of normal stones which went down in the water and piled upon each other to create a pathway.  Part of the structure is still out there, forming a 48 km long structure, submerged between 4 to 7 feet ONLY.  A piece from one such stone was chiseled and brought to Delhi.  I saw it in in 2008, and had photographed.  

Here are two pictures of people standing over the Setu.

 

Here is a closeup of the stones of Ramsetu:

Valmiki Ramayan says that after completion the bridge measured 10 yojan in width and 100 yojan in length.  A yojan is approximately 14 km.  So did the Vanars made a bridge of size 140 km wide and 1400 km long? Certainly not.  I guess this is he poetic liberty taken by Sage Valmiki in describing the size of the Bridge.

The length which survives today is 48 km.

Let me narrate to you the “Story of the Great Bridge” as has been described in Valmiki Ramayan: 

When Lord Ram raised his bow and arrow and threatened to annihilate the sea unless it gave a passage to Lord Ram's army, the  Lord of the Sea appeared and said that he was fathomless and therefore unable to create a passage, but pointed towards Nal and told Ram to ask Nal to build a bridge instead.    Nal was the son of the geat engineer Vishwakarma and had the capacity to build the bridge.  I quote (translaton is in my words):

अयम् सौम्य नलो नाम तनुजो विश्व कर्मणः।पित्रा दत्त वरः श्रीमान् प्रतिमो विश्व कर्मणः॥

(The Lord of Sea said) Sir, this one, named Nala is the son of Vishvakarma.  He has a boon from his father, and he is as good as his father.

एष सेतुम् महात्साहः करोतु मयि वानरः।तम् अहम् धारयिष्यामि तथा हि एष यथा पिता॥

He is   just like his father.  Let this maha-utsahit  Vanar build the bridge which I shall hold.

 एवम् उक्त्वा उदधिर् नष्टः समुत्थाय नलस् ततः।अब्रवीद् वानर श्रेष्ठो वाक्यम् रामम् महाबलः॥

The Ocean said so and then disappeared.  Then Vanar-shreshtha Nal spoke to mahabali Ram.

अहम् सेतुम् करिष्यामि विस्तीर्णे वरुण आलये।पितुः सामर्थ्यम् आस्थाय तत्त्वम् आह महादधिः॥

असौ तु सागरो भीमः सेतुकर्मदिदृक्शया।ददौ दण्डभयाद्गाधम् राघवाय महोदधिः॥

This huge Sagar has given the permission for a passage for fear of punishment.   I will build the bridge across the home of Varun.  I have faith in the capabilities of my father.

मम मातुर् वरो दत्तो मन्दरे विश्व कर्मणा।औरसस् तस्य पुत्रो अहम् सदृशो विश्व कर्मणा॥

(My father) Vishwakarma had given a boon to my mother on the mauntain of Mandara : Godly lady, your son will be Vishwarma like me.

स्मारितोऽस्म्यहमेतेन तत्त्वमाह महोदधिः। न च अपि अहम् अनुक्तो वै प्रब्रूयाम् आत्मनो गुणान्॥

The Sea God has reminded me of the fact.  I also did not tell you of my skills because I was not spoken to.

समर्थ्श्चाप्यहम् सेतुम् कर्तुम् वै वरुणालये।तस्मादद्यैव बध्नन्तु सेतुम् वानरपुङ्गवाः॥

I am capable of constructing a bridge across the ocean. So, allow the good amongst the Vanars to build the bridge right now.

Further, according to the epic, the huge Vanars broke rocks and trees and dragged them towards the site.  A long list of trees which were pulled down is also mentioned.  The text says the Vanars also used mechanical equipments for transporting : यन्त्रैः परिवहन्ति च.  Since the rocks began to fall from all sides, the water gushed up towards the sky, only to fall back.  Some Vanars held strings (to mark the alignment, as is done even today by the masons), some held poles for measurements, some collected the material, and finally the stones, logs and the reed was tied. 

वानरैः शतशस्तत्र रामस्यज्ञापुरःसरैः।मेघाभैः पर्वताभश्च तृणैः काष्ठैर्बबन्धरे॥

Reeds and logs resembling clouds and mountains, brought by hundreds of monkeys, lead by the command of Rama, fastened some parts of the bridge.  

So, no floating stones.   

The Vanars built the bridge in five days. Valmiki Ramayan gives the log of work:

Day 1 14 Yojana of bridge was built.

Day 2 20 Yojans

Day 3 21 Yojans

Day 4 22 Yojans

Day 5 23 Yojans

This is the story of Ram Setu as narrated in Valmiki Ramayan.  There was no Neel.  There were no floating stones.  An army of Vanars slogged over 5 days to build the bridge of stones, held in places by logs and tied by reeds. 

The Valmiki Ramyan text is from www.valmikiramyan.net.