Rama Setu: NASA “science” and mis-leading the public questioned

From: RADHASYAM BRAHMACHARI <rbrahmachari1946@yahoo.co.in>
To:  tapanghosh6@rediffmail.com

31 July 2007
Subject: NASA reverses its original stand on Ramsetu

To

The Editor

The Statesman,

Kolkata-1

Sir,

I attach a short communication with this message to be published in the “LETTERS TO THE EDITOR” column of your esteemed daily.

 Thanking you,

Yours faithfully,

 Dr R Brahmachari

               Professor, Department of Applied Physics, CU.

          (For the “Letters to the EditorColumn)                  

   NASA Reverses its Original Stand    

Sir

 It is really amazing that a reputed scientific organization of USA like National Aeronautic and Space Administration (NASA) has ultimately submitted to politics and has reversed its original conclusion on the Ramsetu (now known as Adam’s Bridge) based on pure scientific evidence. According to a recent press report, Mr N K Reghupathy, the chief of the Setusamudram Ship Canal Project and the Chairman of the Tuticorin Port Trust, held a press conference on 28 ^th July and he has shown the reporters a copy of the e-mail he has received from NASA on 26^th July. The said e-mail reads, “Thank you for your message. Our office supports only astronaut photography of the Earth, so all that we are able to offer you regarding Adam’s Bridge is the following: The chain of small islets connecting India and Sri Lanka are real geographical features that have been mapped for centuries. Chains of islands form from a variety of natural geological processes and their occurrence is not evidence of any human activity”. In this context, it may be recalled that a few years ago, in 2002, NASA had declared by examining the photographs Ramsetu it took from the Gemini-11 space craft that the chain of islets that connect India and Sri Lanka was (1) man made and (2) 1.75 million years old (It is still there in the Internet and any one can download it even today). It is really unfortunate that NASA has withdrawn its earlier stand (under perhaps political compulsion).

We may turn our attention to what our Indian scientists had said regarding the so called Ramsetu. Another press report appeared in several dailies in Kolkata on May 8, said, “Government scientists have suggested that an islet chain in the Palk Strait is man made, triggering claims that it is the remnant of the bridge Ram’s mythological monkey army built to (reach) Lanka”. The report also said, “The Centre’s department of earth-science has given an “opinion” to the government that the islets are probably a result of human activity”.   ….  The department (of earth science), under the ministry of Science and Technology, also said that the sand dunes have a base of coral and sand stone that seem to have been “transported” from elsewhere.

            In the press report appeared in the Telegraph on 8 ^th May, it was claimed that they could have managed to collect a copy of the said report that said, “The naturally formed corals in Lakshadweep , the Andamans or the nearby Gulf of Mannar grow vertically and appear to “rest” loosely on the seabed. Such coral formations hardly occur 1 m to 2.5 m in length. The naturally occurring corals are small rounded pebbles and as mentioned above, rest loosely on the seabed. But coral formation in Adam’s Bridge is quite different and seems to have formed on large chunks of sand stones (that cannot be found locally) and  seems to have been transported from elsewhere and placed in these areas”.

            It should be pointed out here that the said Ramsetu was build using a special type of sand stone which are lighter that conventional ones and locally available. So the report said, “Since the calcareous sand stones and corals are less dense ( and therefore lighter) than the normal hard rock and quite compact, probably these were used by the ancients to form a connecting link to Sri Lanka on the higher elevations of the Adam’s Bridge and this is analogous to modern-day causeways”.

            It is therefore an urgent necessary for the government to form a committee of Indian experts to decide whether the Ramsetu (now known as the Adam’s Bridge) is man-made and also to estimate its antiquity on purely scientific basis.

Thanking you,

      Yours faithfully,

Dr. R. Brahmachari,

   Professor, Department of Applied Physics, University of Calcutta,

                     92 Acharya P C Road, Kolkata-700 009.

 Resi: Flat-8, 4^th Floor, 393/3F/6 Prince Anwar Shah Road, Kolkata-700 068.

NASA Images Find 1,750,000
Year Old Man-Made Bridge
The Hindustan Times
10-10-2

WASHINGTON (PTI) — The NASA Shuttle has imaged a mysterious ancient bridge between India and Sri Lanka, as mentioned in the Ramayana.

The evidence, say experts matter-of-factly, is in the Digital Image Collection.

The recently discovered bridge, currently named as Adam’s Bridge and made of a chain of shoals, 30 km long, in the Palk Straits between India and Sri Lanka, reveals a mystery behind it.

The bridge’s unique curvature and composition by age reveals that it is man-made. Legend as well as Archeological studies reveal that the first signs of human inhabitants in Sri Lanka date back to the primitive age, about 1,750,000 years ago and the bridge’s age is also almost equivalent.  

http://www.hindustantimes.com/news/181_81164,0003.htm

Courtesy NASA Digital Image Collection

Space images taken by NASA reveal a mysterious ancient bridge in the Palk Strait between India and Sri Lanka. The recently discovered bridge currently named as Adam&laqno;s Bridge is made of chain of shoals, c.18 mi (30 km) long.

The bridge&laqno;s unique curvature and composition by age reveals that it is man made. The legends as well as Archeological studies reveal that the first signs of human inhabitants in Sri Lanka date back to the a primitive age, about 1,750,000 years ago and the bridge&laqno;s age is also almost equivalent.

This information is a crucial aspect for an insight into the mysterious legend called Ramayana, which was supposed to have taken place in tredha yuga (more than 1,700,000 years ago).

In this epic, there is a mentioning about a bridge, which was built between Rameshwaram (India ) and Srilankan coast under the supervision of a dynamic and invincible figure called Rama who is supposed to be the incarnation of the supreme.

This information may not be of much importance to the archeologists who are interested in exploring the origins of man, but it is sure to open the spiritual gates of the people of the world to have come to know an ancient history linked to the Indian mythology.

Comment

From Hugh Joseph

10-12-2

Hi Jeff…

I read the story headlined above with great interest. This is a story of major significance, as understanding its implications will turn the entire world of Science and History on its head. This bridge, according to accounts in the Ramayana and the Srimad-Bhagavatam, was constructed in the age know as Treta, over 2 million years ago.

How did the writers without super space-ranging satellites know about the existence of this bridge? In these ancient accounts, written over 5,000 years ago, we find discussions of, among other things, space travel, inter planetary travel, what we call UFOs and what we mistakenly call ETs. This is not only the History of the planet Earth, but also of this Universe, (a mediocre universe among many millions of universes.)

Here one can also learn the real undisguised and uncontaminated truth about God. Our man-made religions are of little or no value when compared to the stunning and breathtaking revelations found in the pages of the Srimad-Bhagavatam, Ramayan, Bhagavad-gita, etc.

I hope you will publish this comment for the benefit of your readers.

Thank you for the great work you are doing.

Hugh Joseph

For your readers, here is the way the “Srimad Bhagavatam” describes the event:

Text 22

nara-devatvam apannah

sura-karya-cikirsaya

samudra-nigrahadini

cakre viryany atah param

Translation:

“In the eighteenth incarnation (of Lord Krishna), the Lord appeared as King Rama. In order to perform some pleasing work for the demigods, He exhibited superhuman powers by controlling the Indian Ocean and then killing the atheist King Ravana, who was on the other side of the sea”.

Purport

(by His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada)

The Personality of Godhead Sri Rama assumed the form of a human being and appeared on the earth for the purpose of doing some pleasing work for the demigods, or the administrative personalities, to maintain the order of the universe. Sometimes great demons and atheists like Ravana and Hiranyakasipu and many others become very famous due to advancing material civilization by the help of material science and other activities, with a spirit of challenging the established order of the Lord. For example, the attempt to fly to other planets by material means is a challenge to the established order. The conditions of each and every planet are different, and different classes of human beings are accommodated there for particular purposes mentioned in the codes of the Lord. But, puffed up by tiny success in material advancement, sometimes the godless materialists challenge the existence of God. Ravana was one of them, and he wanted to deport ordinary men to the planet of Indra (heaven) by material means without consideration of the necessary qualifications. He wanted a staircase to be built up directly reaching the heavenly planet so that people might not be required to undergo the routine of pious work necessary to enter that planet. He also wanted to perform other acts against the established rule of the Lord. He even challenged the authority of Sri Rama, the Personality of Godhead, and kidnapped His wife, Sita. Of course Lord Rama came to chastise this atheist, answering the prayer and desire of the demigods. He therefore took up the challenge of Ravana, and the complete activity is the subject matter of the “Ramayana”. Because Lord Ramachandra was the Personality of Godhead, He exhibited superhuman activities which no human being, including the materially advanced Ravana, could perform. Lord Ramacandra prepared a royal road on the Indian Ocean with stones that floated on the water. The modern scientists have done research in the area of weightlessness, but it is not possible to bring in weightlessness anywhere and everywhere. But because weightlessness is the creation of the Lord by which He can make the gigantic planets fly and float in the air, He made the stones even within this earth to be weightless and prepared a stone bridge on the sea without any supporting pillar. That is the display of the power of God.

(Srimad-Bhagavatam First Canto, Chapter 3, text 24, 1972)

Here’s the account from the “Ramayana” of Sage Valmiki:

“At Rama’s command, those lions among the monkeys entered the mighty forest with alacrity in hundreds and thousands on every side and those leaders on the simian tribes, tearing up the rocks, which in size they resembled, and the trees also dragged them to the sea and they covered the ocean with Sala, Ashvararna, (list of tree names).Those foremost monkeys transported those trees, with or without roots, bearing them like so many standards of Indra (the king of heaven) and they heaped (list of tree names) here and there. With the aid of mechanical devices, those powerful colossi dug up stones as big as elephants and rocks, and the water suddenly spouted into the air only to fall instantly. Thereafter those monkeys churned up the sea by rushing into it on all sides pulling on the chains.

“That immense causeway constructed by Nala in the bosom of the sea was built by the arms of those monkeys of formidable exploits and it extended over a hundred leagues.

“Some brought trunks of trees and others set them up; it was by hundreds and thousands that those monkeys, like unto giants, made use of reeds, logs and blossoming trees to construct that bridge, rushing hither and thither with blocks of stone resembling mountains or the peaks of crags, which, flung into the sea, fell with a resounding crash.

“The first day those monkeys resembling elephants, or immense energy, full of high spirits and exceedingly merry, erected fourteen leagues of masonry. The second day, those highly active monkeys of formidable stature set up twenty leagues. Bestirring themselves, those giants threw twenty-one leagues of structure over the ocean on the third day and on the fourth, working feverishly, they built up twenty-two leagues in extent. The fifth day, those monkeys, industrious workers, reached to twenty-three leagues distance from the further shore.

“That fortunate and valiant son of Vishvakarma (architect of the demigods), leader of the monkeys, constructed a causeway worthy of his sire over the ocean and that bridge erected by Nala over the sea, the haunt of whales, dazzling in its perfection and splendor, was like the constellation of Svati in space.

“Then the gods, Gandharvas, Siddhas (living beings superior to humans) and supreme Rishis (great sages) assembled in the sky, eager to see that masterpiece, and the gods and Gandharvas gazed on that causeway, so difficult of construction, that was ten leagues in width and a hundred in length built by Nala.

“Those monkeys thereafter dived, swam and shouted at the sight of that unimaginable marvel that was almost inconceivable and caused one to tremble! And all beings beheld that causeway thrown over the ocean and by hundreds and thousands of kotis (millions), those monkeys, full of valor, having built that bridge over the immense repository of waters, reached the opposite shore.

“Vast, well-constructed, magnificent with its wonderful paved floor, solidly cemented, that great causeway like unto a line traced on the waves, resembled the parting of a woman’s hair.

“Meanwhile Bibishana (brother of Ravana who joined Rama), mace (club) in hand, held himself ready at his post with his companions in case of an enemy attack. Thereafter Sugriva addressed Rama, who was valiant by nature, saying “Mount on the shoulders of Hanuman and Laxmana (brother of Rama) on those of Angada. O Hero, vast is this ocean, the abode of whales; those two monkeys who freely range the sky will transport you both.”

“Then the fortunate Rama and Laxmana advanced thus and that magnanimous archer was accompanied by Surgriva. Some monkeys strode forward in the center, some threw themselves into the waves, some sprang into the sky, others marched on the bridge, some ranged through space like birds, and the terrific tumult of the trampling of that formidable army of monkeys drowned the roar of the ocean.

“When those simian troops had passed over the sea by the grace of Nala’s causeway, the king ordered them to camp on the shore which abounded in roots, fruits and water.

At the sight of that masterpiece that had materialized under the command of Raghava (another name of Lord Rama), despite the difficulties, the gods, who had drawn near with the Siddhas and Charanas as also the great Rishis, anointed Rama in secret there, with water form the sea, and said: “Mayest thou be victorious over thy foes, O Thou, who are a God among men! Do Thou rule over the earth and the sea eternally!”

Thus in various auspicious words, did they acclaim Rama in the midst of the homage offered to him by the Brahmins.”

(The Ramayana of Valmiki, Yuddha Kanda)

Note: Lord Krsna’s incarnation Rama, appeared as a human being because only a human being could kill Ravana, due to certain benedictions that he had been given.

Note: The monkeys mentioned here as comprising Rama’s army, were not ordinary monkeys. They were in fact greatly powerful demigods who appeared on this earth to assist the Lord in his pastime of subduing this atheistic demon, Ravana.

Note: There are 4 ages, or yugas, rotating through time like the 4 seasons: Satya, 1,800,000 yeas long; Dvarapa, 1,200,000 years long, Treta, 800,000 years long and Kali, 432,000 years long. In this most recent yuga cycle, the Dvapara and Treta yugas were reversed. This event took place about 2 million years ago.

Comments welcome

hughjoseph@aol.com