Historicity of Mahabharat - I

[Kuntimaddi Sadananda]

In response to the recent post of Shree Kameswara Rao on Advaital list. 

I had posted the following article many years ago. It is now included in my book "Journey Beyond: A Non-Dual Approach" - published by the Indic Academy - made available online on Amazon.

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Sadananda: This article is based on the information that I found in the March 1995 issue of Saptagiri published in Telugu by Tirumala Tirupati Devastaanam, authored by Shree Janamaddi Hanumanta Rao. The article itself was based on the research effort by Professor K. Srinivasa Raghavan. The research was acclaimed by several famous pandits of Panchanga Shaastra, including the Secretary of the All India Panchanga Samskarana Sangha, Pandit Radhashyaam Shaastri from Haryana, and Vice-Chancellor of Saurashtra University, Shree D.R. Mankad.

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Based on the astrological information provided by Veda Vyaasa (position of the stars etc), Mahabharata war was estimated to have started in 3067 B.C. on November 22. On the day of the war, the astrological positions of the Sun, Moon, Rahu, Saturn, Guru, Mangala and Sukra planets have been described by Vyaasa. By looking at the position based on Panchangam, Indian calendar, and matching with the position of the stars described by Vyaasa and comparing with the Julian calendar, one can arrive at the precise dates of the war. Furthermore, all other related incidents that took place before and after the war were described in Mahabharat, and the dates of these can precisely be matched with the Julian calendar, as discussed below.

 

Shree Krishna made a last minute effort to make peace but failed. He left Upaplaavya city on Kaartiika Shuddha Dvaadasi day in Revati Nakshatra (star) between 7:36 – 8:24 a.m. He reached Hastinaapura during Bharani Nakshatra, and had discussions with the Kouravaas till Pushyami Nakshatra. The day Duryodhana rejected the peace proposal was Krishna Panchami. Krishna left Hastinaapura, and had consultations with KarNa before he departed (He revealed to KarNa that He was the eldest son of Kunti on Uttara Palghuni day). Krishna informed KarNa that Duryodhana must get ready to fight, seventh day from that day, which will be Amaavaasya day (New-Moon day) with JyeshTa Nakshatra. Krishna returned to Upaplaavya city on Chitta Nakshatra. Three days after that on Anuuraadha Nakshatra, Balarama came to Upaplaavya. Next Pushya Nakshtra day, Pandavaas left with Krishna for Kurukshetra.

 

Fifteen days after return from Upaplaavya city, Balarama left on Punarvasu Nakshatra on a tour of sacred places. (Balarama did not want to participate in the war that involved cousins on both sides.) He returned to Kurukshetra after forty-two days in the ShravaNa Nakshatra. The war already started eighteen days earlier. On the nineteenth day, BahuLa Caturdashi day, ShravaNa Nakshatra, Duryodhana died. It was the fifty-ninth day after Amaavaasya with JyeshTaa Nakshatra.

 

Krishna returned from Hastinaapura after his unsuccessful peace mission, on Uttara Palghuna day. Starting from that day, the seventh day was New-Moon day (amaavaasya) with Saturn on Rohini Nakshatra as discussed by Vyaasa. Rahu was approaching the Sun, and the moon was turning towards Amaavaasya (New-Moon day).

 

36 years after the Mahabharata war, Yaadava kula was destroyed. This was predicted by Krishna by astrological happenings – “Rahu has compressed Purnima on Chaturdasi day. This happened once before the Mahabharata war and again will be happening soon and this will lead to our destruction”. He remembered Gandhari’s curse on the Yadava kula.

 

Astronomically, a strange phenomenon occurred during the Mahabharata war. The lunar cycle (paksha – normally is 15 days) sometimes happens in fourteen days. However, during the Mahabharata war time a rare thing happened – the paksha got compressed to 13 days (may be 13 is a bad number). This aspect has been discussed in the Bhiishma parva – 3rd Adhyaaya. Guru and Shani are in Vaishaaka, Moon and Sun entered the same house one after the other making amaavaasya occur on the trayodasi day itself . This peculiar condensation of the thithiis into thirteen from fifteen is a rare phenomenon as discussed by Vyaasa in Mahabharat and is inevitably followed by mass destruction due to war. This incident provided a direct means to establish the precise date of Mahabharata war.

 

According to Julian calendar this type of planetary collision occurred definitely in 3076 BC, in November. Vyaasa writes:

 

Caturdashiim panchadashiim Bhuuta puurvamca shoodhashiim

Imaantu naabhi jaaneham Amaavaasyaam trayodashiim

Chandra suurya bhougrastou Ekamevam trayodashiim

AparvaNi grahaNe tou Prajaa sakshapaishyataH||

 

“ I have seen fourteen days a paksha, fifteenth day completion or extension to sixteenth day also. This amaavaasya falling on the thirteenth day itself I have never seen before” – says Vyaasa. That in the same month Sun and Moon eclipses falling during the missing thithiis was a rare phenomenon, resulting in large-scale disaster to people.

 

One month before, in Margashira, during Purvaashhaada Nakshatra, armies of Pandavaas and Kouravaas assembled on the West and the East sides of the Hiranya river, respectively. The next day was Navaraatri and Durga Puja day. Duryodhana was itching for the war. That evening Duryodhana sent a word with Sakuni’s son Ulaka, “ We have finished the prayer to the arms and everybody is ready – why there is further delay in starting the war?” The next day, Margashira Shudda Ekadashi day, in KRittika Nakshatra, the war started. Hence, the famous Bhagavad Geeta teaching also started on that day. The war began at 6:30 a.m. The date according to Julian calendar was 22nd November, 3067 B.C.

 

To be continued in the next post.

Hari Om!

Sadananda

[Kuntimaddi Sadananda]

Other notable incidents that occurred:

Bhishma's death:

 Maagha Shuddha AshTami day in Rohini Nakshtra in the afternoon that 58th day after the war started, Bhiishma died (that was the actual day of this is the actual death – he actually fell in the war on the 10th day after the war started).

 Sri Krishna’s Birth – He was born in 3112 B.C. on a Friday at 11:40 p.m.

 Pandavaa’s Birth – YudhishTara was born on August 31, 3114 BC, Tuesday (Mangala Vaaram) Shudda Panchami JyeshhTaa Nakshatra – he was 696 days elder to Krishna.

 Bhiima was 347 days younger to YudhishTara. – Krishna Trayodashi, Makha Nakshatra, and Arjuna was 303 days younger to Bhiima, Shukla Chaturdashi Soma Vaaram (Monday) Uttara PhalguNi Nakshtra.

 When Pandavaas came to Hastinaapura after the death of their father Pandu, it was 3091 BC and YudhishTara was 14 years, 9 months and 11days old.

 When he was coronated by Bhiishma as a prince, YudhishTara was 20 years, 1 month and 26 days old. (November, 3094 BC).

 They reached Varanasi in PalguNa Shuddha AshTami RohiNi Nakshtra.

 Droupadi’s Swayamvaram – in 3091 BC, April – to reach the Wax-house it took 10 days for Pandavaas. They stayed there for a year. After the burning of the wax-house, they spent six months in the Shaalihotraa’s ashram and seven months in Ekachatra city.

 The second coronation and building of Indraprasta were in November 3091 BC, seven months after the marriage.

 Rajasuuya yagna was performed after Arjuna’s digvijaya tour – It took five years and six months for Arjuna.

 Subhadra’s marriage was in April 3084 BC. Three months after that was Khadava vana dahanam.

 Abhimanyu was born in 3083 BC, February.

Kaliyugam started in 3105 BC, October 13th, Amaavaasya Mangala (Tuesday) JyeshaTa Nakshatra - Kali was born. This was the most inauspicious day. The next Pournima day (Full-Moon day) was full eclipse of the Moon, October 1, 3104 BC. That was the day when the five grahaas along with moon were in DhanishTaa Nakshatra.

Dharmaja’s Rajasuuya – Fifteen years before the Mahabharata war was the Rajasuuya yagna of Dharmaja. That day was amaavaasya (new-moon day) JyeshTa Muula nakshtra. YudhishTara shakam started in 3082 BC, October 26th . The gambling and the banishment of Pandavaas to forest was in November 3081 BC, Margashira shukla-Trayodashi.

Vanavaasam was 12 years and living incognito was for one year (13 lunar years + 5 lunar months + 12 days or 13 solar years plus 18 days) – Bhiishma calculates and declares that Dhuryodhana’s calculations were wrong.

Ajjaata vaasam (living incognito) began in Margashira, 3069 BC. Arjuna was noticed on Margashira Krishna Navami, 3068 BC.

 

The Great War began on Friday, 22nd November, 3067 BC, Margashira shudda ekadashi Nakshatra.

 The war lasted 18 days.

 Dharmaraju ruled for only 36 years.

 25 years later YudhishTara shaka started. (Thursday, October 26th).

Fifteen years after Dharmaja rule started, Dhrutaraashtra, Gandhaari, Vidura, Kunti and Sanjaya left for Vaanaprasta (living in forest). That year itself Vidura performed praayopavesham.

Two years after that Dhrutaraashtra, Gandhaari and Kunti got caught in the forest fire and died.

Sanjaya was only left.

Shree Krishna passed away on Friday, April 13^th, 3031 BC.

Pandavaas’ Maahaa Prasthaanam was in November 3031 BC.

 

These are the dates that matched the Indian astrological description of the stars and the moon, and Julian calendar predictions.

 

There is so much self-consistency in all the events and the descriptions that it makes one amazed. Based on this exact information Mahabharat must be five thousand years old (from today) as per the historical reckoning.

 

The analysis is extremely precise and scientific, matching the astrological position of the Indian and the Julian calendars.

 

The beauty and the scientific psychoanalysis of Bhagavad Geeta stand out as monumental contribution by the Mahabharat period to the mankind. Based on the above facts, the historicity of Mahabharat cannot be questioned.

 

Translation by K. Sadananda

 

[sunil bhattacharjya]

Dear Dr. Sadanandaji,

There are some serious  problems in Prof. Raghavan's dating of the Mahabharata war. Let us look at Lord Krishna's years of birth in 3112 BCE and the year of passing away in 3031 BCE, as given in your translation. This shows that Lord Krishna lived for 3112 - 3031 = 81 years.

On the other hand, the Purana- sources  say that Lord Krishna lived for 125 years. The traditional date date of passing away of Lord Krishna is 3102 BCE, Astronomical analysis as well as  Janamejaya's inscriptions also support the 3102 BC date of passing away of Lord Krishna.

There was another development. More than one year ago. Prof. Nagaraj Paturi, the moderator of the Bharatiya Vidvat Parishad (BVP) announced last year in BVP a new project on determinartion of the date of the Mahabharata war. The salient details of this project are as follows, for your kind information.

Research Project to Determine the Date of the Mahabharata by Abhijit Chavda, Indica February 13, 2021

The project will run in three phases.

Phase 1: Pre-Translation Phase

Phase 1: Pre-Translation Phase

1. Researchers will be invited to present their claims for the dates of the Mahabharata war. A template/form will be created for this and made available online. A deadline will be set, by which such claims can be made.

2. A set of Mahabharata texts will be identified as the source text(s) from which the English translation will be done. Examples: Gita Press, BORI Critical edition, Kumbakonam Southern Edition, etc.

3. A set of strict, stringent search criteria will be created, to identify verses containing specific words related to astronomy.

4. A set of IT experts will parse the texts per the search criteria to identify, isolate & tabulate the relevant verses that have references to astronomical data. These verses alone will be the input for Phase 2.

Phase 2: Translation and Interpretation

Three Sanskrit scholars will independently peruse the verses output from Phase 1. They will go through existing translations, verify the accuracy of the same, and suggest more accurate translations, as required.

The three scholars will be unknown to each other, will work from different locations, and will not be aware of who else is working on the project. This blinded approach will eliminate any possibility of bias or external influence.

Phase 3: Astronomy

Three astronomers will independently calculate the dates of the events based on the astronomical data output from Phase 2.

As in Phase 2, the three astronomers will be unknown to each other, will work from different locations, and will not be aware of who else is working on the project.

At the end of Phase 3, the three sets of dates will be compared by the Project Director. The Project Director will bring the three astronomers together, and differences/discrepancies in the dates, if any, will be examined and resolved collaboratively. This will resolve the question of which researcher’s dating of the Mahabharata War is correct.

More than one year passed since Prof. Paturi's announcement of the INDICA project, and  I am sure that all  are eagerly waiting to hear from Paturiji, about the outcome of the project. If for any reason, the Indica project failed or  has been abandoned for some impediments, Prof. Paturi can make it public, without any hesitation, so that the other scholars can work on dating of the Mahabharata war 

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[sunil bhattacharjya]

Dear Sadanadaji,

For your kind information please.

Namaskaram

Sunil KB

---------- Forwarded message ---------
From: sunil bhattacharjya <skbhatt...@gmail.com>
Date: Mon, Apr 11, 2022 at 6:22 PM
Subject: Re: [hinducivilization] [advaitin] Re: Historicity of Mahabharat - II
To: <hinduciv...@groups.io>

Dear Kalyanji,

Here it is:

(Bhagavata Purana 11.6.25)
यदुवंशेऽवतीर्णस्य भवतः पुरुषोत्तम
शरच्छतं व्यतीयाय पञ्चविंशाधिकं प्रभो ||११०६०२५ ||

yadu-vaṁśe 'vatīrṇasya bhavataḥ puruṣottama
śarac-chataṁ vyatīyāya pañca-viṁśādhikaṁ prabho

Taking birth in the Yadu Vamsha, Lord Krishna lived 125 years

Namaskaram

Sunil K. Bhatttacharjya

On Mon, Apr 11, 2022 at 4:32 PM Srini Kalyanaraman via groups.io <kalyan97=yaho...@groups.io> wrote:

Sunil ji,

Please provide citations --texts and translations-- for this statement: "Lord Krishna lived for 125 years..."

Namaskaram. Kalyan

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