Building our part of the Bridge
Insights into the evergreen conflict of Hard work and Destiny
Some people understand only by might.
He knew it from the beginning. This haughty God had become too arrogant and he would not understand the polite way.
But his brother always emphasized
Actual strength lies in endurance, not in rebuttals
And unwillingly, he had to relent, not just out of respect but also because he didn’t have a better way.
When things move out of hand
This time, limits were being crossed.
The third day of the intense meditation was about to end and there had not been a trace of a sign from Varuna.
Lakshman was angry, his hand itching to release a fiery arrow from his powerful bow that would dry up the ocean once and forever. He just wanted a slight approval from Rama.
But Rama was unavailable.
Faced with the impossible task of crossing the vast ending ocean which seemed to be ending just at the horizon, Rama had sat down atop a rock on the shore to find a way by which the entire army could cross. He had given up eating, drinking and sleeping, He was meditating to please the Ocean God, Varuna.
Just when Rama got up and mounted the agneya-astra on His bow, Varun appeared before Him, in the blink of an eye, and held the Lord's feet.
Humbly asking forgiveness for his foolishness and doubting the might of Lord Rama, he suggested a way by which the ocean could be crossed.
Renewed with newly found strength and enthusiasm, which had started to waver because of the unprecedented 3-day delay, the Vanara army started building a bridge with everything that they felt would be useful — stones, tree trunks, big rocks and even mountain peaks.
After days of sweating it hard, and working tirelessly for days and nights without caring for time, the bridge was finally complete.
But there was a problem!
The Problem!
What was a human-monkey marvel and a reason to be proud of soon turned into a source of worry for the Vanara chief.
Seeing the vast expanse of the army, which felt like another sea in itself, he exclaimed,
“The bridge is too small in comparison to the huge army. This way, it will take us weeks to cross over the 100-yojana-long ocean. And we are already short of time.
The proclamation was followed by cries of exasperation and moroseness all over the camp.
Had all their efforts gone in vain?
Will they not be able to save Mother Sita now?
Lord Rama’s Miracle
Hearing all of this, to mitigate all worries Lord Rama stepped onto the bridge.
As He took a few steps, all the aquatic creatures rose to the surface. Sharks, whales, tortoises, turtles, small fishes, the big timingila fish and all types of creatures came and supported the bridge on both sides and from below as well.
Within no time, the bridge doubled in its width and strength
Delighted at this marvellous sight, the Monkeys roared with happiness. Lifting Rama and Lakshmana on their shoulders, the Vanara army sprinted to cross the ocean and reach Lanka.
Each member of the army had that one mission in mind, something they had meditated for months and were preparing for, every minute
Defeat the Rakshasa army and rescue Mother Sita
Absorbed in fulfilling the mission and running at full speed, the whole Vanara army covered the 100-yojana-ocean (800 KM) in just 3 days.
The question everyone wanted to ask!
After walking a few steps, Jambavan, curious and a little tired, asked Lord Rama — “My Lord, if just by Yours stepping one foot, these aquatic creatures came and built the bridge in minutes, why did we undergo such a strenuous ordeal to build this stone bridge?”
Understanding Jambavan's intention behind the question, something everyone was eager to know, Rama replied,
“My dear Jambavan, if there was no stone bridge, on what ground would I have stood to invoke the presence of all creatures?”
Since you built a stone bridge, I got a place to stand on. Only then I could call upon all the sea creatures for support.
The simple meaning is that if we don’t do our work, how can we expect the mercy of the Lord?
Expecting Miracles without Hard-work
Our effort and God’s mercy go hand-in-hand.
Before this, not just us, even the Vanaras would have heard, repeated and probably told others — God helps those who help themselves.
It was only now that they understood how it worked in real life.
If the monkeys had simply stood by, citing reasons why we can not do this, Rama would have not helped.
But the vanaras sweated hard, put their best foot forward and achieved the extraordinary through their herculean effort. Because they put in their hard work, Lord Rama did His part.
No one knows the role of aquatic creatures (read God’s hand) in supporting the bridge. Everyone knows of it as the stone bridge, built by the Vanara army.
If we build our part of the bridge sincerely, God will help us by completing the rest of it.
