Hello friends, my topic today deviates from my usual topics. This topic is deeply connected to my beliefs and that’s why I chose to put it before you. It’s about a news I read today that made me doubt on my own beliefs. After the laws of Quantum Mechanics, it is the second thing that is not fitting into my head. I have always been tough to believe and follow God related affairs since my young age specially the mythological ones. I even used to have some intense heated debate on "Does God exist or not?" with my elder brother in my teens. But it has turned out to be my life value now.
A recent video tweeted by the Science Channel claims that the RAMA SETU, also known as the ADAM’s BRIDGE is not a natural creation, but man made. The report makes us ask the question,” Did the story in the great epic RAMAYANA actually happen in reality?”, “Did lord RAMA exist in reality?” So, I think, before moving to the Science Channel report my readers should know the story of RAMA SETU.
Story of RAMA SETU or the ADAM’s BRIDGE
RAMA SETU is a 50 km long chain of stone shoals that meanders through the Palk Strait from the southern tip of India to the northern tip of Sri Lanka. It connects the Pamban Island(Rameshwaram Island) of Tamil Nadu, the southern state of India to the Mannar Island of Sri Lanka.
RAMA SETU has a story that is engraved in the Hindu epic, RAMAYANA and is an integral part of it. Let us have a precise visit to the story of Rama Setu in Ramayana. According to Ramayana, Lord Rama was the prince of Kosala Kingdom in northern India a place which still exists in India. Sita was the wife of Rama. Ravana, the king of the demons who ruled the Lanka Kingdom which is the present day Sri Lanka as per Ramayana. Ravana had abducted Sita in absence of Rama and had kept her in his custody in Lanka with an intention to persuade her to marry him. Knowing this Rama reached the southern shore of India to rescue her. Sugriva, the marshal of the apes' army and Rama’s greatest admirer lord Hanuman helped him gather the Vanara Sena(army of the apes).
But, the sea between India and Lanka was a hurdle for his army to reach Lanka. Nala, a vanara(ape) advised the army that if they write lord Rama’s name on the stones then they would float. The army did accordingly and the stones really floated. The army immediately started throwing the stones in the sea water and created a chain of floating rocks linking India to Lanka. Lord Rama defeated Ravana, rescued Sita from his custody and returned to his kingdom to be crowned as the king.
The Report of Science Channel
We live in a world which does not believe in magic or supernatural powers. Maybe our ancestors used to believe, but our generation lives on proof and justification in life. We learn the epics from the very childhood and it sets the foundation of our value, morals and our culture. But, as soon as one asks, "Do you believe that the epic stories happened in reality?", we start frowning.
But the Science Channel report puts our conscience in difficulty. The promo video of the series, ”What on Earth” claims that Rama Setu is not a natural formation but man-made. Citing the satellite images taken by NASA satellites, they claim to have found a 30 miles long chain of rocks in the shallow sea region connecting India to the Sri Lankan land mass. Due to the shallowness sand could accumulate in the region. What is astonishing is that, the rocks sitting on the sandbar predates the sand. It means, geologist Dr. Alen Lester say, these rocks were brought from somewhere else by humans and were set atop the sandbar. Experiments carried out by a team of geologists on the rocks and the sands reveal that the stones are 7000 years old while the sand is 4000 years old. The epic, Ramayana was written 5000 years ago. The data revealed by the channel is contemporary to this period.
Now, the question arises, “Is the story in RAMAYANA real?”, “Did lord Rama exist in reality?”, “Does God exist?” The video has brought the Rama Setu debate back into spotlight.
These epics are what sets the the core of Indian culture and civilization. For people of our times the magic and supernatural activities in the story of Ramayana look illogical. I have always seen the mythological epics to be teachings for life to live an honest, organized, healthy, cultured and civilized life. I never believed that these incidents could happen in reality. But, what should I think about the report of the Science Channel? Where do I put it in my head? I welcome your opinions.
References:
- Ram Setu man-made? Discovery Science Channel says so, with scientific proof
- Kapil Sibal wrong about Rama Setu? Scientists say bridge likely man-made
- Wikipedia: Adam's Bridge
- Youtube Channel, "Sanjay Shedge": RAM SETU, Rameshwaram [Adam's Bridge] - Science Channel #WhatonEarth
- Ram Setu: Real truth behind the floating stones
- Quick guide to the Ramayana
- Wikipedia: Ramayana
- Wikipedia: Rama Setu(Ramayana)
- Youtube Channel,"Beyond Science": Is This a 1.7 Million Year Old MAN MADE Bridge?
I hope you enjoyed knowing the mystery of the Rama Setu or the Adam's Bridge. If you love dreaming and learning science then please follow me, @physics-o-mania
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Absolutely wonderful post . Thanks for posting , I ran I to a video several years ago about Adams bridge and it seems that the evidence that it is a man made structure keeps piling up . Awesome share , upvoted 😊
I never believed it is. How is dt possible
Wow.. How interesting! Thank you for posting this. I will definitely forward the link to my family who have also wondered about the Ramayana. To answer your question, I would ask, what would you like to think? Which may seem like a reverse phych cliche thing to do, sorry if so, .. but what I mean is.. Do you want to believe the Ramayana is real? And that Rama is God? Do you want to believe in God? If so, why?
Cultivating faith is difficult in any religion and culture, because by definition it indicates a belief in something that cannot be proven. And all the more so in Hinduism as it is so old, and throughout its ancient history there have been many migrations and assimilations of other cultures down into the Indian subcontinent, making the many tangles of beliefs and customs all the more confusing. For example, there are many similarities between the Devas of Hinduism and the pantheon of Zoroastrianism, there must certainly have been a sharing of common beliefs between the two cultures at some point. In the Vedas themselves, there seem to be different approaches to the beliefs of Sanatana Dharma. The Rg Veda presents them in more ritualistic terms, whereas the Aranyakas offer philosophical explanations. I often wonder if there was already a prehistoric migration that gave rise to the ritualism of Hinduism by the time the Vedas were complied, as ritual is something than can be seen throughout many other cultures in various forms. The only thing truly original and unique to Hinduism is the underlying philosophy and systems of thought, replete with concepts like karma, dharma, jnana, ahimsa, satya, etc, which flow together to form a rich tapestry of knowledge that glimmers behind every thought and every action, and weaves belief, philosophy, and faith with purpose
There is a wonderful quote by Martin Luther King Jr., “Science gives man knowledge that is power; religion gives man wisdom that is control. Science deals mainly with facts; religion deals mainly with values. The two are not rivals. They are complementary. Science keeps religion from sinking into the valley of crippling irrationalism and paralyzing obscurantism. Religion prevents science from falling into the marsh of obsolete materialism and moral nihilism.”
What I find myself wondering is.. does the all powerful God need us to believe in him? Or do we need faith to inspire us to be better? I have struggled with the same questions you have mention, and I find myself thinking more often these days that in the end, the simple truth is that life is a gift. To live each moment filled with purpose, and love, to love others, and be curious about the world, to learn and be awed by the things of creation. Some people find it easier to find fulfillment in each moment with a belief in God, others maybe don’t need it. So, I wonder if in approaching faith, we need to ask ourselves what we need, because God already gave us the greatest gift of life, and perhaps he does not need anything more than for us to live it to our best.
Going back to the land bridge, at the very least, it seems to indicate something very interesting happened in history that we are not yet fully aware of. Thanks again for this post and the video link! :)
What a long comment. I think you could make a post out of it😉
I don't say I don't believe in god. I do. But not on the mythical ones. I believe why would god leave something undone that you have to pray before him to get it. Why would god leave imperfections in his creation who created everything. He created the feelings, happiness, sadness everything. For god feelings is nothing that he feels. We don't know what god is. I think we should thank god everyday that he gave us this life and nothing else and do your work. And using what god has created we can be happy or sad. Everything in this universe is created by that power we call as god. I don't believe in giving god a face of human. God itself created everything in the universe, time, space, matter and everything.
And even I don't think that religion and science are different. Religion is required to lead a patienceful, happy, healthy, social and successful. Religion gives you strength. When you have a belief that he will take care of you even in your hard conditions you can concentrate on your work. Thats why being religious is advised but not qattar religious. Science just tries to understand the laws made by god to govern this universe. For example, an apple falls always downward and in straight line and follows the Newton's equation of gravity. Do you think think the Apple falls differently for different religions and follows different equation. No, it is same everywhere. Even before Newton gravity existed and apple fell in the same way and obeyed the same equation. These are the laws of god. I think science is more close to god than religion. Because they know the laws of god. And if religion can prove the existence of god. then I will say religion is science. Because thats what science is, that is proving.
Amazing post bro. If it is man-made then it is an example of incredible engineering and will testify the fact that Ramayana was related to some real events.
As always, amazing post @physics-o-mania. You could have also used the tag "religion" for this post. :D
I also remember that many years ago, but after the initial NASA satellite photos, there was a discovery of a floating rock found in the region. I red it a few years ago in a newspaper.