Building Bridges

When Lord Rama saw that the stones the monkeys threw into the water floated, he secretly dropped one into the sea to see what would happen. But his stone sank to the bottom with a plunk. A bit embarrassed, he tried again and again, but none of the stones he dropped floated. Hearing someone laughing, he turned around and saw Hanuman clapping his hands in joy. “How long have you been standing there?” Rama asked. Hanuman said, “Since you threw the first stone.” Seeing the Lord’s obvious displeasure, Hanuman said, “Do you know why the stones we throw into the water float? This is simple to understand. It is because we have written Your divine name upon them.” Lord Rama then asked, “But am I not more powerful than my name? If my name can make stones float, then why did the stones I threw into the sea sink?” Hanuman replied, with his eyes now full of tears, “My Lord, anything that You let go of must sink.”