Vedic research body to submit setu 'facts' to SC

Sun, Feb 3 12:40 AM

THE JAGATGURU Sahankaracharya Vedic Shodh Sansthan is busy preparing a defence for the Ram Sethu in the Supreme Court. The Sansthan claims that it would submit concrete evidence that the Ram Setu was constructed during the Ramayana period.

According to the head of the sansthan, Parivrajak Swami Gyananand Saraswati, the Rameshwaram Jyotirlinga, one of the 12 most revered jyotirlingas in the country, and the Ram Setu share a deep connection. The jyotirlinga, he says, was consecrated by Lord Ram as a prelude to the construction of the Ram Setu between Dhanushkoti in Rameshwaram and Suwail hills in Sri Lanka.

What's more, the ancient scriptures like Prakaran Granth written by Adi Shankaracharya about 2,500 years ago and Adhyatma Ramayana also give details about the geographical condition of Rameshwaram and Ram Setu, in the period of Lord Ram. He claims the conclusion was reached after extensive research of 23 ancient scriptures in Sanskrit, Kannada and Telugu.

"The government is denying that the Ram Setu is not a man-made structure, but what about the facts mentioned in 23 ancient scriptures, including Valmiki Ramayan, Anand Ramayan and some very old historical records in Kannada and Telugu," he said. Swami Gyananand Saraswati said the first couplet in the fourth chapter (Yudhkand) of Adhyatma Ramayan states that Lord Ram consecrated the jyotirlinga on the seashore of Rameshwaram, before starting the construction of a bridge between Dhanushkoti in Rameshwaram and Suwail hills in Sri Lanka.

"This is why Rameshwaram Jyotirlinga is also called Setubandh Jyotirliga. The word setu or bridge is mentioned several times in the ancient scriptures.

It is also mentioned that architect of the bridge was Nal who was the son of Vishkarma," he added. Swami Gyananand Saraswati said there was more concrete evidence indicating that Lord Ram consecrated the jyotirlinga in Rameshwaram.

"Just like the other 11 jyotirlingas in India like Somnath and Kedarnath, the Rameshwaram Jyotirlinga, has also derived its name from the person who consecrated it," he said.

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