Srimate SrivanSatakopa Sri Vedanta Desika Yatindra Mahadesikaya

nama:

A Bridge of Beauty is a Joy Forever

Please excuse me for misquoting Keats: however, when you read on and
find how beautiful and bewitching the subject is, I am sure you would
condone my trifling with Keats immortal words. And let me assure you,
we are not going to talk about bridges of the common garden variety,
but exalted ones which have found mention in the most esoteric of
spiritual compilations, bridges which have been extolled by Upanishads
and Epics.
Readers might remember my recent posting under the caption Triple
Bonanza, with a pen portrait of the glorious Tiruppullani and of the
distinguished saints observing their Chaaturmasya Sankalpam there.
Amidst the numerous and generous responses from various readers,
there was one desiring me to write exclusively about the Sethu and thus
was born this piece.
Sometime back, in his anxiety to reap the benefits accruing from
awarding contracts under the ill-conceived Sethusamudram Canal
scheme, involving demolition of the Rama Sethu, an elderly politician
from Tamilnadu enquired derisively as to whether Rama was a qualified
civil engineer to have built such a bridge and if so, which engineering
college he had studied in. Vigorous attempts were also made to divest
the Rama Sethu of its divine nature and to dub it as a natural sand
formation without any spiritual significance. However, in a clear
demonstration of divine will, the dredger sent to dismantle the Sethu
broke down irreparably, other machinery employed in the endeavour
malfunctioned mysteriously and to crown it all, the politician was given
a sound drubbing at the assembly polls, apart from being confronted
with a host of family problems. The adage tells us that the mills of God
grind slow, but in this case they appear to have ground with alacrity and
meted out exemplary punishment. Well, it is not my intention to gloat
over the misfortunes of others, however well-deserved they areI had
mentioned this in passing just to point out how dear the Sethu was to
Ramas heart and how it continues to inspire millions of devout who
come from all parts of India to have a holy dip in its cleansing waters.

What exactly does the Sanskrit word Sethu mean ?

Etymologically, it refers to a bridge or causeway across a body of waters
saha itum gantum sakyate anena, iti Sethu: The term also refers to a
dam or embankment to store or harness waters of a river. While we shall
see how spiritually significant both usages of the term are, we shall take
up the first connotation first. Though Sethu is thus a generic term
applicable to all bridges, in the popular parlance of the devout, it
invariably refers to the bridge that Rama built across the ocean to
convey men, monkeys and materials to Lanka, to fight a decisive battle
with Ravana and to rescue Sri Mythily imprisoned in the Asoka Vanika of
Lanka.

The Unique Bridge: What then is so great about Ramas bridge, to

prompt such popular adulation and admiration which persist till date?
The reasons are not far to seekit was the first and probably only effort
to bridge the vast and deep ocean. We have heard of bridges and big
ones at that, across rivers, but a bridge across the ocean! Our
imagination baulks at the very thought of gulfing the vast expanse of
waters. And even if such an endeavour were to be attempted today, it
would perhaps take months, nay years, to accomplish the feat, if at all it
comes to fruition. Ramas bridge was built in just five days flat! And
while it would take an army of engineers and other qualified persons
ages to conceive of and execute such a bridge across the ocean,
consider the personnel at the command of Raghava for this stupendous
endeavour--but for the Chief Engineer Nala, (who was the son of the
divine architect Visvakarma and could hence be said to possess
requisite skills), the entire exercise was carried out excellently by an
army of mere monkeys! Remarking on this improbable feat, Sri
Koorattazhwan says,
Yat saagare bata babandhitha Naatha ! Sethum
Sailai: plavangama samingita sampranunnai:
If we were to undertake such an effort now, it would take us millions of
tons of cement, steel, bricks, mortar and other construction materials.
And the army of monkeys did it with just rocks and mountains! And
while we see bridges and dams collapse like a house of cards at the
onset of even a mild earthquake or even with less provocation, the
bridge that Rama built has stood the test of time, surviving for millions
of years, despite undersea storms and quakes, the giant tsunami that
wreaked such havoc in Dec. 2004 and constant erosion due to the

natural ebb and flow of waters, standing as an eloquent witness to its

own eternal character.

Sethu Bandhanam: The construction of the Sethu was so

unprecedented, fantastic and astonishing that all the celestials from the
heavens above turned up to watch the amazing sight, cheering the
enthusiastic vaanara veeras in their stupendous effort, says Valmiki.
And when it was finished, the Sethu was a magnificent sight, measuring
ten yojanas in breadth and a hundred in length. It made ones hairs
stand up just to think of the Sethu, says Valmiki, reserving choice words
of eulogy to the beautiful bridgeachintyam, asahyam, adbhutam,
roma harshanam, vishaalam, sukritam, susamaahitam, etc.
Unimaginable, unprecedented, broad, firm, smooth and deep. It was a
stupendous miracle beyond anyones imagination. At the end of day
five, the Sethu shown like a luminous star amidst the swirling waters of
the sea, a proud pathway testifying to the skill of its builders. The very
sight of the scintillating Sethu gave the vaanara army a tremendous
boost in the arm, confirming the certainty of a victory in the battle to be
fought. It shown like a parting of a beautiful womans hair, a long and
broad bridge bisecting the seaasobhata Maha Sethu: seemanta iva
saagare.

Defying Gravity! You may wonder as to how rocks and mountains

thrown into the ocean by the vaanara veeras did not sink to the bottom,
but floated to form the bridge. Samudra Raja, while responding to Sri
Ramas request for bridging his waters, also grants a boon that
whatever was thrown into the waters for the specific purpose of
building the causeway, whether it was a piece of wood, a mere piece of
grass, heavy rocks or mountains, would be supported by him and
prevented from sinking. We find the relative slokam not in Srimad
Ramayanam, but in Mahabharatam-sa yat kaashttam trinam vaapi salaam vaa kshepsyate mayi
sarvam tat dhaarayishyaami sa te Sethu: bhavishyati.
That the bridging of the ocean was no old wives tale is borne out by the
glorious sight of the Sethu till date.we find the Mahabharata asking
rhetorically whether one could shake the Himalayas, whether one could
bridge the Ganga and whether one could touch the sky, implying all
these to be impossible-

Asakyam sprashtum Akaasam achaalyo Himavan giri:

Avaaryaa Sethunaa Ganga durjayaa Brahmana bhuvi
However, it was the impossible that was made possible through the
tireless efforts of the Vanara Veeras, who built a magnificent bridge not
across a river or pond, but across the vast and bottomless waters of the
ocean.

Sriman Sethu: We saw that Valmiki reserves some choice

appreciative adjectives for the Sethu: one of them is Sriman. Normally,
this is an epithet applied to blessed sentient beings, which the poet uses
here to describe an insentient object. Why then should the Sethu be
called Sriman? Considering the fact that the bridge was sanctified by
the footsteps of millions of Rama Bhaktas who crossed over to Lanka
stepping on it, considering the sterling role the Sethu played in the
rescue of Sri Janaki and the slaying of the cruel Ravana, would you not
say that it was blessed abundantly with Kainkarya Sri? What then is
wrong in eulogizing the Sethu as Sriman?

For the sake of the Better Half : And Ramayanam being in

reality the story of Sita Devi (Sitaayaa: charitam mahat) the Sethu too
was built solely for Her sake. This we learn from Sri Rama Himself, when
He points out the glorious bridge to His beloved from the Pushpaka
Vimaanam, telling Her that the near-impossible feat was accomplished
solely for Her sake
Esha Sethu: maya baddha: saagare salilaarnave
Tava heto: Visalakshi! Nala Sethu: sudushkara:
This is corroborated by Sri Alavandar, who too feels that all acts of the
Lord, whether it be churning of the ocean or bridging it, were solely to
please Sri Mahalakshmitvadarttham ambodhi: amanthya bandhi cha.
If you want a blow-by-blow account of how the Sethu was built, you must
turn to Pravarasenas Sethubandham, the only extant epic-style
composition in Praakrit language (in which Swami Desikan composed
Achutha Satakam), composed around the 5th century AD. This is a
wonderful work, eulogized by no less than Dandi and Bana, renowned
poets and rhetoricians themselves. The work also boasts of several
commentaries, attesting to its erudition and popularity. The central theme
of this great kavyam, as its very name indicates, is the construction of the

glorious causeway to Lanka. Cantos VI to VIII deal in great detail with the
construction of the Setu, the labours of the Vaanara Veeras, Nalas magic
touch making the mountains fall into place and stick together, the
wonderful pathway that emerges from their toils and so on. The couplets
are extremely evocative and filled with beautiful imagery. Unlike Sri
Valmiki who contains the entire exercise of building the bridge across the
ocean to a single chapter, Pravarasena waxes extremely eloquent on the
subject.
Location and Geography: Let us see what the Wikipedia and other source have
to say about the Rama Setu. As seen from a satellite picture released by
NASA of USA in 2002, Rama Setu is a chain of shoals, between
Pamban/Rameswaram Island, off the southeastern coast of Tamil Nadu and
Mannar Island, off the northwestern coast of Sri Lanka. Geological evidence
suggests that this bridge is a former land connection between India and Sri
Lanka. The bridge is 18 miles long and separates the Gulf of Mannar
(southwest) from the Palk Strait (northeast). Some of the sandbanks are dry
and the sea in the area is very shallow, being only 3 ft to 30 ft (1 m to 10 m)
deep in places. It was reportedly passable on foot up to the 15th century
until storms deepened the channel: temple records seem to say that Ramas
Bridge was completely above sea level until it broke in a cyclone in 1480 AD.
This wonderful bridge across the sea finds mention in Ibn Khordadbehs
Book of Roads and Kingdoms (ca. 850 CE), referring to it is Set Bandhai or
"Bridge of the Sea". Later, Alberuni described it. The famous traveller Marco
Polo too mentions it, all these attesting to the antiquity of the Sethu. For
long, the sea separating India from Sri Lanka has been called Sethu
Samudram, giving the entire sea the name of Sri Ramas bridge.
According to Vanamamalai Pillai, Treasurer of Ramnad Samstthaanam in
the 1920s, there seems strong evidence to support the theory that the
Setu began at Darbhasayanam or Tiruppullani. In the same breath, he
also says, quoting local traditions, that the Sethu was near
Rameswaram around 1830 and that it shifted nearer to Kodandaramar
Koil within living memory, leading him to the conclusion that the sea
appears to have receded more and more towards Lanka in the past
century and a half. It however appears safe to conclude, on the basis of
Valmikis words, that the Adi Sethu began at Tiruppullani, as it was here
that Sri Rama lay down on darbha grass. And since the penance was
addressed to Samudra Raja, the sea must have been close by (now it is
nearly 5 km away), for no one would think of propitiating the Lord of the
Waters by lying down so far inland. That the waters have receded
thereafter appears to be an incontrovertible fact.

Unquestionable Antiquity: Thus the antiquity of the Rama Sethu

is beyond question. It is no recent phenomenon: for, it finds continuous
and adulatory mention in all Itihasas and Puranas subsequent to Srimad
Ramayanam. The Mahabharata mentions this Sethu, testifying to its
continued existence during the times of the Pandavas-Nala Setu: iti
khyaata: ya: adyaapi prathito bhuvi. The Bhagavata Purana speaks of
Balarama visiting the Setu, the destroyer of all sin, as part of his
teerttha yaatra--Saamudram Setum agamat maha paataka naasanam.
The Sethu finds mention in almost all puranashere are a few for a
samplePaadma Puranam, Kurma Puranam, Siva Puranam, Markandeya
Puranam, Skanda Puranam, Brahmanda Puranam and Matsya Puranam.
All the major Smritis too extol the Sethu as a destroyer of sinsthe
Manu Smriti, Parasara Smriti, Devala Smriti, Mareechi Smriti, Goutama
Smriti, etc.
Liberation At Sight: A mere sight of the Setu is enough to confer
immeasurable merit and lead on to the higher worlds, while a dip in its
waters would ensure salvation, says the Gaalava Smriti, counting the
Sethu amongst the holiest of holies
Ganga Sethu Prayaagaascha Gangasaagara sangamaa:
Goutami Krishnaveni cha Kaveri cha mahaanadi
darsanaat svargadaa pumsaam nrunaam snaana moksha pradaayini.
It is perhaps this pramaanam which prompts Swami Desikan too to
declare that the mere sight of the Setu is enough to rid us of the
shackles of Samsaratam veekshya Sethum adhunaapi sareeravanta:
sarve shadoormi bahulam jaladhim taranti (Varadaraja Panchasat).
You can count the sands on earth, you can count the stars in the sky,
but the glory and sanctity of the Sethu cannot be described even by the
thousand-tongued Adisesha, according to a popular saying
Ganyante divi taarakaa: ganyante bhuvi paamsava:
Sethu darsanam idam punyam Seshenaapi na ganyate
Sethu Snaanam or a dip in the waters of the Sethu (also referred in
some scriptures as Dhanushkoti or Chaapaagram) has been prescribed
as atonement for sins of all hues. Here is a quote from Manu Smriti,

laying down Sethu Snaanam

undesirable females

as

expiation

for

association

with

tadanugyaam avaapyaatha Chaapaagram vegato vrajet

praata: snaatvaa maasa maatram shuddhim aapnoti poorvaja:
While it is indeed meritorious for us to give alms and donations at the
Sethu, accepting certain types of gifts at the Sethu is fraught with
danger and would result in horrendous sin, say Puranas. For instance, a
Brahmin who accepts a gift of gold or silver equal to the weight of the
donor, especially of a king, would become a Rakshasa and would remain
so for a thousand years, sightless and abode-less, says the Brahmanda
Purana
Setvaadi punya teerttheshu uparaagaadi parvasu
poorvaja: pratigrihnaati tulaam raagya: viseshata:
bhavet raksha: sahasraabdam drishti heeno niraashraya:
This appears to be a warning to those performing the duties of a
Brihaspati at Sethu, against accepting offerings of all types from all and
sundry.

Restricted Access? Can you bathe in the Sethu any time? The
normal rule is that bathing in the sea can be done only at the time of
Parvas- Amavasya, Pournami, Sankramanam, etc.-Asvattam Sindhuraajam cha sada seveta na spriest
Mandavaare spriest poorvam aparam parvani spriest
This however, does not apply to the Sethu, which can be accessed at
any time, say Shastras.

The Truth about Rameswaram : Incidentally, there is a canard

spread by vested interests about Sri Rama performing worship to a
lingam purportedly established by Him at Rameswaram. Taamasic
literature like the Adhyaatma Ramayanam, Siva Puranam, Skanda
Puranam, etc. contains references to this fiction. The real position
however is clarified by the Paadma Puranam, which spells out clearly
that it was a Vishnu moorthi which Sri Rama worshipped at
Rameswaram. The Purana tells us that after Ravanas demise and on His

return trip, Sri Rama reached a forest on the beach and offered
obeisance to Lord Janardana(lest this be considered as ambiguous and
generic, the Purana makes it abundantly clear that this Janaardana was
the Consort of Lakshmi) and named Him Rameswara. Here are the
relative slokas, laying to rest all speculation about Rama having
worshipped Siva
Velaa vanam samaasaadya Rama: poojaam Ramapate:
Kritvaa Ramesvaram naamnaa deva devam Janaardanam
The Purana also adds that at that juncture, Sivas voice sounded from
the heavens, extolling the virtues of the Rama Sethu and predicting that
it would sustain as long as this universe endures. Siva also voices his
conviction that a mere sight of the blessed Sethu would rid men of all
their sins, however grave they be.

The Broken Bridge: The Paadma Puranam has one more

interesting piece of information.
It tells us that Sri Rama, upon the request of Vibhishana, broke the
Sethu in two places on His return journey from Lanka, to prevent future
invasion of Lanka through that route. Thus, the Sethu was divided into
three disjointed parts, thereby ensuring the safety of Lanka
Kaarmukam grihya hastena Rama: Sethum dvidhaa cchinat
Tri: vibhajya cha vegena madhye dasa yojanam

Guardians of the Sethu: We have heard of the Sethupati Rajas of

Ramanathapuram. The very name of the Sovereigns indicates their
association with the Rama Sethu. What exactly has been their role in
this? The Aagneya Puranam tells us that prior to emplaning for Ayodhya,
Sri Rama appointed a local chieftain as the guardian of the Sethu,
charged with its protection and preservation
Tat paalanaaya provaacha raajaanam cha aarya bhoomipam
Tat Sethum api devesam paahi Darbhaasanesvaram
Tat Sethu rakshaka iti bhavannaama bhavishyati
It is clear from the aforesaid that the Sethupati was charged with the
protection of the Sethu and of the Darbhasayanam (Tiruppullaani)

temple. This ruler and his descendants have faithfully discharged their
duties and have been known as Sethupatis ever since. The Tiruppullani
temple corridors are decorated with huge figures of generations of
Sethupatis, with hands folded in devotion to Darbhasayana Rama and
Adi Jagannatha Perumal. The Sethupatis reportedly belong to the
Marava Tribe, a clan of fierce warriors and vassals of Pandya kings, who
have zealously carried out the duties entrusted to their ancestor by Sri
Rama Himself. Folklore also speaks of Guha having been charged with
the task of guarding the Setu and of the Sethupatis being his
descendants. Here is Vanamamali Pillai (remember the Treasurer of
Ramnad Samstthanam we encountered early on in this essay and whose
quotes have been of invaluable assistance) quoting Nelsons Madura
Manual of 1868 with regard to the SethupatisIt is stated that when
Rama appointed the first Sethupati, the Pandya king regarded the
appointment with favour and granted him free of tribute all the jungle
tracts of country adjoining to the sea coast.

A Final Tribute: And now let us conclude this article with a beautiful
tribute to the Sethu by Venkatadhvari Kavi in his Visva Gunadarsa
Champoo:
Says the KaviOur devout obeisance to the Sethu, built by the Prince of
Ayodhya for emancipating sinners and the helpless, to dry up the ocean
of darkness pervading every soul, to rescue the abducted Sita Devi, to
destroy rakshasas headed by Dasagriva and to establish Ramas fame
eternally
Paatum paatakina: janaan asharanaan peetum tama: saagaram
Yaatum yaatupureem ahinrana mukhe jetum Dasaasyaadhikaan
Netum Bhootanayaam mudaa virahino etum yasa: saasvatam
Daatum sarma cha Raghavena rachitam Sethum namaskurmahe

Greater than the Sethu: However, would you believe me if I say

that with all its glory and uplifting attributes, the Setu cannot really
equal someone? More than any benefit that the Sethu can confer, a
single glance from the Acharya can show us the way out of the
mundane maze we have been toiling in for millions of births, say the
Scriptures. It is the holy dust from the Gurus feet which completely fills

up the ocean of Samsara and enables us to have a cakewalk to

Paradise, says the Guru GeetaYat paada renu: vai nityam kopi samsaara vaaridhou
Sethu bandhaayate naathan Desikam tam upaasmahe.
Now, with the Azhagiasingars observing Chaturmasyam at Tiruppullani,
one can have the best of both the worlds-have a purifying snaanam at
the Aadi Sethu and pay obeisance to the Acharyas as well, doubly
ensuring our place in Paramapadam. And if you can be in Tiruppullani on
1st September, you can have the proud privilege and immeasurable
punyam of performing Sethu Snaanam along with the Srimad
Azhagiasingars.
So, what are you waiting for?
Srimate Sri LakshmiNrisimha divya paduka sevaka SrivanSatakopa Sri
Narayana Yatindra Mahadesikaya nama:
Srimate SrivanSatakopa Sri Ranganatha Yatindra Mahadesikaya nama:
dasan, sadagopan