Ramayana of valmiki and Kamban-yuddhakanda

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7. Sethu built and the army arrives

Rama spent three nights invoking the sea-god,

Varuna, but he never made his appearance. Then Rama got angry and told

Lakshmana that calmness , patience straight forwardness and soft speaking do

not produce result with those who lack virtue. Only a boastful and assertive men are feared by

the world. He told Lakshmana to bring

his bow and arrow since the ocean was not responding to his prayers and said

that he will dry up the ocean.

 

Raam released an arrow like the thunderbolt of

Indra and the sea was badly shaken up and all the animals and fish were

disturbed and became perturbed. The whole ocean became agitated with the

indwelling beings thrown all around. When Rama stretched his bow again to send

another missile Lakshman stopped him and the celestials and the rshis prayed to

Rama to control his anger. Lakshman said that Rama was quite capable of finding

a way without the help of the ocean-god. But Rama angered at the arrogance of

the ocean was abou to release the missile of Brahma saying that he will dry up

the ocean and even before he did so the whole universe went topsy turvy and the

seagod rose from the waters with a magnificent form which is described in

detail by Valmiki and addressed Rama.

 

He said that he could not possibly change his nature

being unfathomable and could not solidify his waters because of the beings

living inside. But he said that he would show a way for them to cross.

Then Rama said to him that the missile should not

go in waste and the ocean-god told him to direct it to a place called

Dhrumatulya inhabited by evil minded robbers and Rama did so. That place became

the famous marukanthara, a desert.

 

Then the ocean told Rama that one vanara named Nala

was the son of Visvakarma and he was as skilled as his father and if he built a

bridge on the waters the ocean said that it will hold it.

 

Then Nala told Rama that it was true and he had

been given a boon by his father and he could build a bridge on the ocean. Then the monkeys started

working with great zeal and in five days a bridge was built across the ocean.

Both Valmiki and Kamban take great pleasure in describing the building of the

bridge in detail portraying the might and the enthusiasm of the vanaras.

 

The monkeys started crossing the ocean with great

gusto and they all crossed the sea , Hanuman carrying Rama and Angadha carrying

Lakshmana on their shoulders.

 

The point to be noted here is that the dharma of

the natural elements are ordained by the Lord Himself which He Himself could

not change. The sea, wind and fire should follow their own dharma a dn the sea

could not solidify , the wind could not fail to blow and the fire could not but

burn. But here one may have a doubt

because the fire did not burn Hanuman as Seetha told it to be cool, Seetho bhava hanumathaH. But the fire

did not become cold which could be

seen in the burning of Lanka but only withheld its power to burn as the ocean

did when the Sethu was built by withholding the power to submerge anything that

was put on it.

 

The legend has it that Nala was given the boon by the sages

that whatever he throws on water will float. It seems that he as a baby

monkey used to throw the properties of the rshis, like their kamandalu, deer

skin etc. in the river. They, not wishing to curse him gave him this boon which

helped them to retrieve what he threw in the river. But this has no basis

either in Valmiki or in Kamban.

 

Suka the messenger of Ravana who was imprisoned all

this while was set free by Rama and he went back to Ravana and told him about

the great army of monkeys and bears which had crossed the ocean and had landed

on the coast near Lanka. He also suggested that Ravana could avert the disaster

by returning Seetha to which Ravana got angry and said he would never do so.

Malyavaan, his grandfather also advised him that the effect of his boons had

started to wear off and Rama seemed to be the Lord Narayana Himself incarnated

to destroy him. But Ravana accused him of being partial to his enemy and said that

he would rather die than to give Seetha back.

 

Ravana yet made an attempt to spy on the army of

Rama and sent two spies who took the

form of vanaras and entered the army. But they were found out by Vibheeshana

and suffered beatings at the nads of vanaras. Rama set them free and they went

to Ravana and told him about the formidable strength and number of the army of

vanaras. Ravana saw himself the expanse of the army of Rama from his city tower

and thought of a plan in-keeping with

his deceitful nature.