Year of Mahabharata war PDF

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Dating of Mahabharata War In the Mahabharata epic, only indirect information is given about ayanamsha. The name of any polestar is not mentioned. Scholars have found and noted the information regarding the solar month, the accompanying season, and the day of the solstice at the time of Bhishma Nirva...

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Dating of Mahabharata War In the Mahabharata epic, only indirect information is given about ayanamsha. The name of any polestar is not mentioned. Scholars have found and noted the information regarding the solar month, the accompanying season, and the day of the solstice at the time of Bhishma Nirvana in the epic. This can be used to find the ayanamsha and then the year of Bhishma’s death. The data is given in the form of a complex puzzle spread over several shloka in different chapters. To solve the puzzle let us start with Shloka 13 of chapter 2 under Parva Sangrha Parva of Adi Parvani relied upon by many researchers, in light of the conventional definition of a Maha Yuga.

The war between Kaurava and Pandava forces took place during the sandhi of Kali-Dvapara Yuga. As per the definition of Yuga, there are 4,32,000 years in Kali Yuga and twice this number in Dvapara Yuga. With one-tenth on either side being the Sandhi kala, the total sandhi kala of interest spans over 1,29,600 years. The expression implies that it was the time when Dvapara was about to end and Kali Yuga was yet to begin. Keeping this time frame in mind we go back to Shloka 3 of the same chapter

During the sandhi of Treta-Dvapara Yuga, Lord Parashu Rama destroyed Kshatriya kings many times. The time difference between the two incidents described in shloka 13 and 3 comes to about 8,64,000 years. Lord Parashu Ram is said to have fought later with his pupil Bhishma. He was also the Dhanurvidya teacher of Karna, one of the warriors, who fought the war from the Kaurava side. Karna later came to know that he was the senior-most Pandava. Hence, Bhishma was his grandfather too. Lord Parashu Rama has also been stated in VR to have met princes Rama and Lakshmana in Treta Yuga. This anomaly of time-gap has been addressed by saying that Lord Parashu Rama is immortal, िचरंजीवी. On the other hand, researchers are not able to explain the observed time gap between MB war ~7,000 BP and the Birth of Rama ~14,000 BP in one case and of MB war ~5,000 BP and Rama ~7,000 BP in the case of another scholar. Moreover, doubts arise as to how much these two or similar shloka can be relied upon to date the MB war, as both shloka are mutually exclusive with respect to time. In light of this discussion, readers may now be able to appreciate the proposed definition of SVK. At least the two following shloka indicate the day of Bhishma Nirvana. This is how these appear as two separate shloka in the critically Edited edition by Vidyasagara P. P. S. Sastri (SE). https://bit.ly/3wMRCcf

In other recensions, these appear as below where the part of the text is missing. For example https://bit.ly/3nd6QE6

Another instance that describes the day of the winter solstice and Bhishma Nirvana is shloka 28, Gita Press Gorakhpur edition of MB, chapter 167, Bhishma Svarga Arohana Parva, under Anushasana Parvani

Translation by SD Satwalekar is as below: https://bit.ly/3qyu8GJ ‘हे युिधिष्ठर! यह चान्द्र माघ मास उपिस्थत है, यह शुक्लपक्ष है इस महीने का तीन भाग इस समय भी शेष रह सकता है।’ In comparison, we observe that MB, Gorakhpur (GP) Edition, and SE have the same details for the placement of the moon on the day of Bhishma Nirvana except for the sun’s nakshatra position which is not there in the GP edition. In the GP edition the lunar month has been stated explicitly whereas in SE addition it could be either lunar or solar. Moreover, in the GP edition, the part of the missing text appears in another chapter. To know the position of the Sun on the day of the winter solstice, we need to locate the reference of its positions and those of the moon. 1.

Incidentally, there is no direct evidence of the day when the MB war started. However, three shloka 16 to 18, Udyoga Parva, chapter 140 are quoted below narrate Krishna telling Karna and proposing as to when the war should begin.

Oh Karna, go hence and convey to Drona, Bhishma and Kripa that this month is pleasing (or gentle); fodder and fuel is easy of access, forests are overgrown with ripe fruits, there are many fruits and less bees, no mud and fresh water; this Sisira season is pleasurable with its mild heat; the Amavasya ( new-moon day ) whose deity is Indra, falls on the seventh day; make arrangements to start war on that day. The author’s comments: 1. From shloka 16, the use of the word Saumya could indicate that the month is to be taken as a lunar month. Since no month is specified it is immaterial. 2. From shloka 18, it is already known that on any Amavasya day the sun and the moon are under the same nakshatra. The stated rutu is Sisira. It is also given that on the day of making the proposal it is shishira rutu. 3. If it is assumed that the war started under Jyeshtha nakshatra (as traditionally interpreted), whose deity is Shakra, then nakshatra on the eighteenth day of the war does not match with nakshatra on the day of the return of Balarama from the pilgrimage. For a possible alternate interpretation and explanation see † below. 4. Chapters 138 to 141 of Udyoga Parva are the narration of the discussions between Krishna and Karna immediately after the failure of peace talks at Hastinapura and just before Krishna left for Upaplavya. Sanjay is telling Dhritarashtra about these discussions in a manner as if he was privy to these. We know that he was bestowed Divya Drishti by Veda Vyasa just before the war when both the forces had assembled at Kurukshetra and were standing in front of each other. Whether such powers were endowed with retrospective effect is not clear in the epic. These Krishna-Karna discussions took place more than a month before the war started as we will see in the following. On the other hand, the text indicates that the statement made in shloka 18 was only seven days ahead of the day proposed for the beginning of the war. 5. The statements of the shloka 16-18 needs to have been made seven days before the war, in the month of lunar Kartika, which is the month just before the month of Margashirsha. The basis of the these comments is shloka 23, chapter 2, Bhishma Parva which is part of the story where Veda Vyasa is narrating the observed omens to Dhritarashtra just before the beginning of the war.

Notice the expression ‘full moon night of the bright fortnight in the month of Kartika’, considered lunar in this paper. There is another important shloka, number 32, chapter 3, Bhishma Parva

Vyasa is telling Dhritarashtra that during this month: 1. Amavasya has occurred on the thirteenth day from Paurnima, he does not remember such a thing happening earlier. 2. Lunar and Solar eclipses have occurred within these thirteen days. Veda Vyasa is narrating these observations/omens in the present tense just before the beginning of the war. Therefore, being Amavasya day this is the most likely the first day of war on which this conversation is taking place. Two nakshatra, Marigashira and Ardra are associated with lunar Margashirsha month. All this leads to the conclusion that the war started on the Amavasya under Mrigashira out of the two nakshatra, as discussed in the following. As per the traditional Amanta definition, this would be the last day of the lunar month of Kartika. This decision is crucial for calculating the ayanamsha. An error of 1 in calculating the number of days results in an error of around 71.6 years in the dating of the event. There is a chance of an error of almost one lunar month due to ambiguity in the shloka. This could lead to an error of about two thousand years in the dating of the MB war. 2.

There exists inconsistency in the identification of seasons due to shloka 6 and 7, Udyoga Parva, chapter 140. This is the occasion when Krishna proceeds to Hastinapur on a peace mission.

It is given that Sharad rutu had ended and the first month of Hemant rutu (Himagama) just started. There are almost two months between shloka 5.81.6,7 and 5.140.16-18. From the MB text, these appear to be have been made within three days, a very short time. It is also worth noting here that in the first month of Hemanta rutu, crop is stated to be visible in the farms. To resolve this inconsistency, it is proposed to interpret the words ‘Kaumude mase’ in the above shloka for lunar Ashvin month because Revati, Ashvini, and Bharani nakshatra are associated with this month. In samskruta कौमुदी also means moonlight. The day of travel under Revati can be considered also on Paurnima. In addition, the existence of one adhika masa may need to be assumed, if required, to fix the inconsistency. For the rest of the calculations, the first day of the war is considered as the day proposed by Krishna. Reference is then taken as the last day of the war as stated by Balarama, and then days, months, and seasons worked out backward.

3.

Mrigashira Nakshatra on the first day of war is compatible with the return of Balarama from the pilgrimage after forty-two days to watch the mace fight between his pupils, Duryodhana and Bheema, on the eighteenth day (the last day) of the war. This is explained later.

Forty-two days have passed since I left, I set off under the Pusya, and reached (here) under the Sravana. Oh Madhava, I would like to watch the mace-fight of the two of my disciples. 4.

To find the number of days between the end of the war and Bhishma Nirvana, we take into account the following shloka. There is continuity of post-war narrative as Dharitarashtra moved towards Kurukshetra on the nineteenth day after the war began along with Gandhari, Kunti, and wives of dead warriors/kinsmen. He is stated to have met three remaining warriors of the Kaurava forces, Ashvatthama, Krutaverma, and Krupacharya en-route Kurukshetra around sunset. Reference: Stri Parva. (a) Shloka 2, chapter 1, Raja Dharma Anushasana Parva under Shanti Parva, one month (thirty days), uncleanliness is stated in days as per Shanka Samhita, that is said to be applicable during Dvapara, (The author could not locate any information for the time taken after return to Hastinapur, the coronation of Yudhishthira, carrying out state affairs, departure to visit Bhishma who was lying on the bed of arrows, etc. However, it is assumed to have been included in the second shloka as below) (b) shloka 14, chapter 51, ibid., Krishna spoke to Bhishma about fifty-six days left of his life.

In addition to the above two, there are two more references as below. The first one is

The illustrious and eminent warrior (Yudhisthira) stayed in that beautiful city for fifty nights, (and then) the time of the foremost Kaurava (Bhisma) crossed his mind. Seeing that the sun had turned back (from the southern course) and begun to traverse northwards, he left Hastinapura with the retinue of sacrificers. Keeping in view the character of Yudhishthira, the proposed timeline after the MB war is: 1. They spent one month on the banks of Ganga, 2. After getting convinced on the advice of elders and sages, visited Bhishma lying on the bed of arrows, to seek his blessings. This is the appropriate time when Krishna told Bhishma about fifty-six days of his remaining life, 3. All proceed to Hastinapura for Coronation, 4. After his coronation, Yudhishthira visits Bhishma again to obtain his blessings and get lessons on State craft, 5. Return to Hastinapura with permission from Bhishma. Yudhishthira’s stay of fifty nights is included in fifty-six days period mentioned by Krishna. We also see that on completion of this stay of fifty nights at Hastinapura, Yudhishthira observed that the sun had entered the Uttarayana.

In light of this observation, we deduct the day of Bhishma Nirvana while calculating the total number of days between the beginning of the war and the day of solstice. Thus we have, 18 + 30 + 56 – 1 = 103 as the given number of days from the first day of the war to the day of the winter solstice. The second reference is 13.153.27

I have been lying here on my bed for fifty-eight nights. Stretching on these sharp pointed arrows. I have felt this period to be as long as if it was a century. This period is also included in the total period. However, It is surprising to note that a period of more than one month: a month spent on the bank of river Ganga by Pandava, Krishna with other family members; of about six days utilized for the coronation of Yudhishithira, and for conducting of state affairs has been missed by Bhishma while counting the total period on the bed of arrows. How reliable are his statements regarding Kal Ganana on the day of his nirvana is a matter of debate. Those MB researchers, who ignore this one month and additional six days are likely to calculate the year of the war off by about 2,100 years of the actual year. In terms of nakshatra, counting from the beginning of the war we get to Revati nakshatra in the fourth lunar month on the day of Bhishma Nirvana. From this information, we can find the angular change due to the precession of the earth’s axis by the Makara Sankranti as per Sutra 9, chapter Manadhikara, SS. https://bit.ly/31WWeB5

9. From the sun's entrance (sankranti) into Capricorn, six months are his northern progress (uttarayana) ; so likewise, from the beginning of Cancer, six months are his southern progress (dakshinayana). For equivalence, we use the rest of the given data to ascertain the beginning of seasons and solar months. For the effect on seasons or months due to the precession Sutra 10, ibid is applicable.

10. Thence also are reckoned the seasons (rtu), the cool season (cicira) and the rest, each prevailing through two signs. These twelve, commencing with Aries, are the months; of them is made up the year. To find the day of Sankranti we make use of information already stated by Veda Vyasa while narrating omens. Working backward, we mark that: 1. The moon was in the previous 14th nakshatra from Mrigashira, i.e., Jyeshtha † on Paurnami of this month. The possible reason for Veda Vyasa calling it Amavasya having its deity as Shakra. 2. It covered its journey from Paurnami to Amavasya by triyodashi. Let us assume that it was at the lower limit of Jyeshtha, i.e., at 226 amsha 40 kala. 3. Due to the occurrence of the Lunar eclipse on Paurnami the sun and the moon were 180 amsha from each other i.e., the sun was at 46 amsha 40 kala. 4. This location falls in Rohini nakshatra interval. We know that length of the sidereal period of the Moon as per modern astronomy is 27.321661 days. Therefore, by triyodashi, the number of solar days can be found as Solar Days from Paurnima to Triyodashi = 11.8393 days

.…. (1)

We have two methods to calculate the sun’s position. The first one is by taking 365.25636 as the average number of days in a sidereal year. Alternatively, the author proposes to use the relevant data given in Kala Sankalita by John Warren in his compilation KEY to the SIDDHANTA CHANDRA MANA, Part I, Table under Article 2. This option accounts for the non-uniform motion of the earth around the sun over the year. A full month is taken as equivalent to 30 amsha. https://bit.ly/3GDRj7q

Table 4. Names and duration of the Solar months, (Surriah Siddhanta.) Bengal.

Tamul.

Absolute duration of each.

The same collectively

D

G

V

P

S

D

G

V

P

S

Ca'rtiga

Arpesi

29

54

7

2

35

-

-

-

-

-

Ma'rgasi'ras

Cartiga

29

30

24

2

33

29

30

24

2

33

Paushia

Margali

29

20

53

2

31

58

51

17

5

4

Ma'gha

Tye

29

27

16

2

32

88

18

33

7

36

Pha'lgnna

Maussi

29 (14)

48 (41)

24 (26)

2 (52)

33 (24)

103

0

0

0

0

It is assumed that the absolute duration of months is independent of ayanamsha. The values in the parenthesis in the last row are part of the month to make the total days equal to 103. There appears to be a difference of one month in the names for beginning of rutu. The author has followed Bengal nomenclature which is the same as in SS. Using values for the table above for the month of Ca'rtiga, The movement of the sun by triyodashi = 11.7071 amsha. On the first day of the war, the sun would be at 46.6667 + 11.7071 = 58.3738 amsha

…….(2)

The sun and the moon need to be together in the same nakshatra so that on triyodashi or actually Amavasya, the second eclipse, i.e., Solar eclipse could occur. It can be verified that the value in (2) above is in Mrigashira nakshatra. 5. We also know that the mid-point of Mrigashira nakshatra is 60 amsha. 6. This implies that the sun is yet to come to this location that is also the day of entry of the sun in Mithuna rashi, i.e., it is Mithuna Sankranti day, beginning of Margshirsha month, and also the beginning of the Shishira season. 7. As a result, the third day of the war becomes the first day of the first month of Shishira. This is contrary to Krishna’s proposal that the day of the war is in shishira season. Per the proposal, shishira season must start at least seven days before the first day of the war. 8. By trial and error, we find that the best fit configuration is the beginning of shishira rutu before seven of the first day of the war as explained in the following. 9. On Kartika Paurnami, the moon was located at 233 amsha of Jyeshtha nakshatra. The sun has to be at 53 amsha of Mrigashira nakshatra. By triodashi the sun reaches 66 amsha, which is very near to the upper limit of Mrigashira nakshatra. Before this tithi, the Mithuna Sankranti occurs on the seventh day. 10. It is given that on the start day of Krishna’s peace mission “Sharada rutu had ended and the first month of Hemant rutu (Himagama) just started” 11. Therefore, to make up for a period of about two months between the day of the start of the journey for the peace mission and the start of the war, the sun would have been around Mesh Sankranti then. 12. The angular displacement between the winter solstice and the first day of the first month of shishira (Mithuna Sankranti during MB times) positions of the sun is the ayanamsha for the date of the winter solstice. Number of days between the first day of the first month of shishra and winter solstice = 103 + 7 = 110

.…. (3)

This can also be worked out as follows: 13. Let the sun and the moon be located at the upper limit of Mrigashira nakshatra on the triyodashi, i.e., at 66.66667 amsha, so that the Solar eclipse could occur. On Kartika Paurnami day the sun would be on an average 12.8129 amsha less, i.e., at 53.853 amsha. 14. Adding 180 amsha to this value gives us the location of the moon on the same day, i.e., at 233.853 amsha. This is within the interval of Jyeshtaha nakshatra. 15. Seven days after this is Mithuna Sankranti. This assumption facilitates movement of moon from Jyeshtha to Mrigashira nakshatra by triyodashi. Revising Table 4 for 110 number of days to create Table 5: Table 5. Bengal.

Tamul.

Absolute duration of each. D

G

V

P

The same collectively S

D

G

V

P

S

Ma'rgasi'ras

Cartiga

29

30

24

2

33

29

30

24

2

33

Paushia

Margali

29

20

53

2

31

58
...