Scientific References in Ramayana - 5

 *Scientific References in Ramayana - 5*

*Who built the first highway in the world?*

*Ramayana is believed to have happened 12,000 years ago in Treta Yuga

 There is a very nice description of how the hight way is built in *Ayodhyakand Sarg No. 80* in Valmiki Ramayana.  After Rama went into exile, it was unanimously decided that Bharata should be crowned.  At that time *Bharata* decides to go to Gangatata (bank of the river) to meet Sri Rama and orders all the skilled artisans of Ayodhya to *build a beautiful high way* from Ayodhya to Gangatata.  Let us look at selected verses from it.

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अथ भूमिप्रदेशज्ञाः सूत्रकर्मविशारदाः |

स्वकर्माभिरताः शूराः खनका यन्त्रकास्तथा ||१||

कर्मान्तिकाः स्थपतयः पुरुषा यन्त्रकोविदाः तथा वर्धकयश्चैव मार्गिणो वृक्षतक्षकाः ||२ ||

सूपकाराः सुधाकारा वंशकर्मकृतस्तथा |

समर्था ये च द्रष्टारः पुरतस्ते प्रतस्थिरे ||३ ||

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Let's see the information about who departed to build the high way.

 Those who had knowledge of the land *Bhumipradeshjna: (geologist) Knowledge of making camps etc.* Sutrakarmvisharad, knights, earth diggers, tunnelers etc. went ahead.

 *Sthapataya: means architects who know architecture and Yantrakovida:* means well-versed in machinery *mechanical engineers were also present in Ayodhya*.  All of them worked together to build that highway.

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बबन्धुर्बन्धनीयांश्च क्षोद्यान् सञ्चुक्षुदुस्तथा |

बिभिदुर्भेदनीयांश्च तांस्तान् देशान् नरास्तदा ||१० ||

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Bridges are built where there is water to build bridges.  It means that before Ram Setu, bridges were built by Bharata's architects.  The technology of bridge construction was known to Indians since ancient times.   Architects knew how to build a strong bridge so that *Bharata's army and chariots, elephants etc.could  pass through that bridge properly.*

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अचिरेण तु कालेन परिवाहान् बहूदकान् |

चक्रुर्बहुविधाकारान् सागरप्रतिमान् बहून् ||१||

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Small springs, whose water flowed in all directions *were dammed* and made to *hold more water*.  That means *the technology of building dams* was known.  *Many lakes of different sizes were created and when they were filled with water, those lakes looked like seas. Digging large lakes is not possible without machines.* It seems that there were machines like bulldozers at that time.

जाह्नवीं तु समासाद्य विविधद्रुमकाननाम् |

शीतलामलपानीयां महामीनसमाकुलाम् ||  २१ ||

सचन्द्रतारागणमण्डितं यथा |

नभः क्षपायाममलं विराजते |

नरेन्द्रमार्गः स तदा व्यराजत |

क्रमेण रम्यः शुभशिल्पिनिर्मितः |

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Adorned with many types of trees, with cool, pure water bodies, that *beautiful highway looked very beautiful*.  It was created by good craftsmen.

 Recently, when a highway is constructed, food malls, big gardens, star hotels are constructed on that highway.  *In the Treta Yuga, a similar highway, which was constructed by the artisans of Bharata, had great lakes, reservoirs, wells etc. built on it.

*In the discourses of the Ramayana only the story of Rama is narrated.  It is our tragedy that the scientific references in Ramayana do not come to light because science is not mentioned in it.*

Thanks for reading this article. Will meet on next Wednesday with another interesting subject from Ramayana. 

 

A humble request *send this article to all your groups*.

 Those who want this *article series* should contact me ( *Mr. Vaibhav Datar* ) on the following what's app number *8898482382*

Compilation and Writing : Mr. Vaibhav Datar, Kalyan