Setubandhanam (Tulasī Rāmāyaṇa)
The Setubandhanam is the building of the Setu (bridge) across the ocean. It is the first event of the Laṅkā Kāṇḍa in Tulsīdāsa’s Rāmacaritamānas. Nala and Nīla lead the vānara army, and the bridge is finished in five days. Bhagavān Rāma then makes a liṅga from the sand of the seashore and worships Bhagavān Śiva. This is the Rāmeśvara liṅga, at the eternal tīrtha (holy place) of Setubandha.
Building the bridge
The vānara army gathered on the southern shore of the great ocean and began work under the direction of Nala and Nīla. These two vānara princes had a vara (boon) that any stone or tree-trunk they touched would float on water. The countless vānaras worked without rest for five days. They cut down great trees, carried boulders from the mountains and laid them in the sea. Stones marked with the name of Rāma floated easily on the surface of the ocean. The whole army worked with great speed, and the Setu was complete.
The great bridge ran from the southern shore of Bhārata to the northern coast of Laṅkā, and it was a marvel to see.
The Rāmeśvara liṅga
Before he led the army across, Bhagavān Rāma stood on the southern shore. With his own divine hands he made a liṅga from the clean sand of the seashore. This is called a pārthiva liṅga (a liṅga made of earth). He worshipped Mahādeva with full devotion. Bhagavān Śiva was pleased with this worship, appeared before his devotee, and gave him the vara of victory over Rāvaṇa.
Rāma then set up this liṅga at the place of the Setu. In this way he founded the Rāmeśvara Jyotirliṅga for the lasting good of all pilgrims.
The Rāmeśvara tīrtha, one of the four dhāmas (holy centres) of Bhārata, stands at the place of this installation.
The verse on Śiva and Vishṇu
In the same place Tulsīdāsa states the teaching that is central to the whole Rāmacaritamānas: Bhagavān Śiva and Keśava (Bhagavān Vishṇu) are not different. The text says that a person who creates enmity between Hari and Hara is a great fool and goes to a terrible naraka (hell). Devotion to Śiva is devotion to Rāma. The two paths are one. The text calls this one of the best known verses of the Rāmacaritamānas.
The army crosses
The installation of the Rāmeśvara liṅga was complete, and Śiva’s blessing was won. The vast army of vānaras and bears then began to cross. The Setu had been built by the hands of devoted servants (sevaks) working in Rāma’s name, and it carried the weight of the countless host. The army reached the shore of Laṅkā and made its camp, surrounding the great citadel of the rākshasas.
Sources
- Tulasī Rāmāyaṇa, Laṅkā Kāṇḍa, Chapter 1 (Sāgara Taraṇamu)
- Rāmacaritamānas of Tulsīdāsa, Laṅkā Kāṇḍa