Someone recently asked me whether it has not been a fact that Hindus have down the millennia come to believe in Rama and the events associated with Rama’s story without seeking any physical evidence for it and would not the Hindus continue to believe in the story of Rama’s bridge even if the mythical bridge makes way for a canal? I told him the whole principle is one of background. Unless we are aware of the background of anything, we would not be able to do justice to the existence of that thing. For example, unless a doctor knows the background or history of the patient, he would not be able to properly treat the patient. It is our experience that if a person is drunk, he would tend to forget his background and may end up being violent to his own family members, though in normal circumstances he would never imagine attacking his own family.
Why, the entire thrust of Hinduism is to make man realize his own nature, his essence, his background, if you may, to solve all his problems (discovery of the atma and all that). This being so, it goes without saying that if Hindus are to forget or cease to be in connect with their past history and culture, as depicted in all their scriptures and literature of ancient times, then Hindus would only be all the easier to prompt to work against their own interests. Hence, the importance of Ram Sethu being saved. It is one of the very rare physical memories of those ancient times we have inherited and we have to ensure that it is left intact so that our progeny would not lose a tangible connection to their history.
Furthermore, just as the Hindus have cherished the story of Rama and events connected to Rama, including the heroic bridge, any slur on the story and events connected would cause irreparable psychological damage to the sense of sanctity of Hindus. This would be a greater damage than the physical damage.
Why, the entire thrust of Hinduism is to make man realize his own nature, his essence, his background, if you may, to solve all his problems (discovery of the atma and all that). This being so, it goes without saying that if Hindus are to forget or cease to be in connect with their past history and culture, as depicted in all their scriptures and literature of ancient times, then Hindus would only be all the easier to prompt to work against their own interests. Hence, the importance of Ram Sethu being saved. It is one of the very rare physical memories of those ancient times we have inherited and we have to ensure that it is left intact so that our progeny would not lose a tangible connection to their history.
Furthermore, just as the Hindus have cherished the story of Rama and events connected to Rama, including the heroic bridge, any slur on the story and events connected would cause irreparable psychological damage to the sense of sanctity of Hindus. This would be a greater damage than the physical damage.
