[world-vedic] WORLD VEDIC HISTORY PT 4

[Guest guest]

Antiquity and Continuity of Indian History (Part 4)

Prasad Gokhale <f0g1

Organization: University of New Brunswick

-----

---------

 

 

 

---------

Antiquity and Continuity of Indian History : Part 4

(From Swayambhuva Manu to Gupta Dynasty)

---------

 

Index

-----

 

10. Mahabharat Era

11. Ramayanic Era

 

 

10. Mahabharat Era

------------------

 

The Mahabharat has exercised a continuous and pervasive influence

on the Indian mind for millennia. The Mahabharat, originally

written by Sage Ved Vyas in Sanskrut, has been translated and

adapted into numerous languages and a variety of expressions and

interpretations have been derived from it. Dating back to "remote

antiquity", it is still a living force in the life of the Indian

masses. European scholars have maintained that the events described

in the ancient Sanskrut texts are imaginary and subsequently, the

Mahabharat derives to be a fictitious tale of a war fought between

two rivalries.

 

The dating of the Mahabharat has been a topic of research for the

past several years. Various dates have been estimated referring to

astronomical recordings, lineagial references, archaeological

findings and other evidences. Encoding of the astronomical

recordings in the text, the only way to provide time precision upto

a day, or even less, have been performed by numerous mathematicians

in the past. From the Vishnu Puraan (4-24-108,113) it is known that

the Kali Age started with Shree Krishna's leaving this world, at the

end of the

Mahabharat Age, the time for which is precisely known to be 2-27'-

30", February 20, 3102 B.C.

 

>From internal evidences from the Mahabharat text, the coronation of

Yudhisthir can be determined to be 36 years before Kaliyug, i.e.,

3138 B.C. There are other pointers in the epic text itself that

lead to the same date (Udyog Parva: 142-18). One scholar, Dr.

Shriram Sathe, has evaluated the opinions of numerous experts on

the dating of the Mahabharat, a majority of whom appear to concur

with the 3100 B.C. dateline and therefore this time frame can be

safely accepted. Among others, one scholar Dr. Patnaik has done

commendable work in this regard. He has calculated the date of the

starting of the Mahabharat War to be October 16, 3138 B.C. from

textual references available in the epic text. However, many others

have calculated dates many years before 3100 B.C. Dr. P.V. Vartak

from Pune, Bharat (India) has shown, in his book "Swayambhu" that

the Great War to have initiated on 16th October 5561 B.C.

 

Greek records, like the ancestral links of Megasthenes to Shree

Krishna, also provide some corroborating evidence to the 3100 B.C.

date. Archaeologists have been successful in excavating Dwaraka, an

important city during the Mahabharat era and Krishna's abode, which

is said to have submerged into the sea around 2500 B.C. Mahabharat

therefore precedes this date, and 3100 B.C. seems quite correct.

 

The remote antiquity of the Great War leads to a paucity or

unavailability of archaeological records. However, archaeological

evidences found (Dwaraka, River Saraswati), inscriptions found at

various places (Aihole, Belgaum, Nidhanpur), Greek records

(Megasthenes), etc. provide interesting clues to the dateline of

the Mahabharat. On one of the excavations obtained from the

Egyptian Pyramid, dated to 3000 B.C, is found engraved a verse from

the Bhagavad Geeta "vasanvsi jeernani yatha vihaya, navani

ghrunnati naro parani" (Nava Bharat Times, 18-4-67). A tablet found

in the Mohenjodaro sites depicts Lord Krishna and is dated to be

2600 B.C (Mackay's report, Part 1). This finding confirms two

things: Mahabharat must have definitely occurred before that date,

and that the people of the Saraswati-Sindhu culture knew of Lord

Krishna. Also, according to B.B. Lal, horse bones, vestiges of the

Ashwamedh, have been discovered at Hastinapur. There is further

stratigraphical evidence at Hastinapur showing the flood level at

the times of Nichakshu, sixth in line from Parikshit which has been

mentioned in the Puranas. Thus calculating backwards, the date of

Yudhisthira/Mahabharat can be determined.

 

The dating of the Mahabharat is also significant in fixing the

dates of the Vedantic (Upanishadic) texts, the famous Bhagavad

Geeta and the Brahma Sootras. It is known that the end of the Vedic

school of thought was marked by the composition of the Vedanta by

Sage Ved Vyas, the illustrious author of the Mahabharat text

(Rajgopalachari, "Indian Philosophy"). The basis of yogic school of

thought, the Sankhya Yoga, has been mentioned by Lord Krishna in

the famous Bhagavad Geeta discourse. This philosophy of Sankhya and

other five schools of thought, definitely preceded the Upanishadic

alias Vedantic expositions. All these schools known to have been

inspired by the Vedic teachings, and were extant much prior to 3100

B.C.

 

The Brahma Sootras, which propound the essence of the Vedantic

thought, were also composed by the illustrious Ved Vyas during the

Mahabharat Era. Some Samhitas (eg.Taitiriya) and Brahmanas (eg.

Taitiriya) also fall into the same period of ancient history

(Vartak, "Swayambhu"). Many other Brahmanas (eg. Shatpath),

Samhitas (eg.Sushrut), Shreemad Bhagwat etc. were 'composed' after

the Mahabharat War. The chronological span of Indian history

finishes its ancient epoch with the Mahabharat War and 5000 years

have elapsed subsequently into the "new" age. Since the age of the

Mahabharat War is now quite correctly known, it may very well serve

as a convincing benchmark to relate and date other and related

events in Indian history.

 

 

11. Ramayanic Era

-----------------

 

Ramayan precedes the Mahabharat by simple reason that the

genealogies of the personalities in the Mahabharat can be traced

back to those in the Ramayanic Era (Ikshwaku, Kuru) and not

otherwise. Detailed genealogical connections of the characters in

the Ramayanic Era to those in the Mahabharat Era are also known.

Also, the Ramayan is known to have occurred in the Treta Yug(a),

which antecedes Dwaapar period when the Mahabharat took place.

However, the exact dating of the Rama's accomplishments has been

unattempted and undecided as of today. However, it is suggested

that it may have occurred 2 millennia before the Mahabharat (from

available lineages) and 5100 B.C therefore becomes the approximate

dateline.

 

The Mahabharat contains list of kings and family histories of the

heroes of that era (eg. Pandav), which when traced back can provide

an estimate of Shree Ram's era. It is unfortunate that not much

work has been done of the dating of Ramayanic events. The

conservative date of that era falls to about 4500 B.C, about 1500

years beyond the Mahabharat age, which is altogether not impossible

a date. Dr. Vartak, using astronomical recordings in the Ramayan,

has reckoned Rama's birth date to be 4th December 7323 B.C.,

approximately 1800 years prior to the Mahabharat dateline which he

calculates (5561 B.C.). Assuming his lineage determinations are a

correct estimate, and knowing that Mahabharat occurred in 3100

B.C., an approximate age when the Ramayan flourished can be

reckoned to be around 5000 B.C. Dr.Vartak's calculations have been

presented in his celebrated book "Vastav Ramayan". Tilak summarizes

(in "Orion") other researches stating that the Ramayan, from

astronomical calculations, might have occured between 5000-6000

B.C.

 

Some clues from Sumerian clay tablets, Isin and Kish chronicles

which approximate the date of the first king (Ukhu == Iksh-vaku) of

the first dynasty of Sumeria to be 8350 B.C. Waddell states that

the names of kings in the above records remarkably tally to those

of Indian Solar and Lunar dynasties. This suggests the antiquity of

the Solar dynasty, and the genealogies can be followed to determine

Shree Ram's Era. It is known from Shrimad Bhagvat that Shree Ram

was (approx.) 75th in Ikshwaku lineage and that 60 generations passed

between Shree Ram and Shree Krishna. Assuming 40 years for each

generation (people lived longer at that time), and assuming the

first Ikshwaku king at 8350 B.C, we see that Ramayan falls at about

5350 B.C and Mahabharat at 3000 B.C., the latter which is known.

Ramayanic date therefore falls at about 5300 B.C.

 

The deities in the Ramayanic era (eg: Varun, Rudra, Marutgan,

Indra) are similar to those worshipped (mentioned) in the Vedas.

These deities are altogether different from those worshipped during

the Mahabharat time. Ramayan therefore must have occurred when the

RgVed (one of its stages) was being composed. Tilak, Ketkar, etc.

have calculated the last phases of RgVed to be between 6000-4000

B.C. Ramayan could have occurred during this time, or even earlier.

 

Tradition informs that Mahabharat occurred at the end of Dwaapar

Yuga and Ramayan at the end of Treta Yuga. However, if the Kali Era

itself spans 432,000 years and Dwaapar two times that, how can then

Ramayan occur in 5500 B.C ? One theory by Swami Yukteshwar (derived

from Hindu texts) gives 4800 years for the Satya Yuga, 3600 for

Treta, 2400 for Dwappar and 1200 years for Kali (cycle of 12000*2

years=24000 years). Dwapaar has 2000 years, with 200 years of

"sandhee" period on either sides. Now, assuming Kaliyug began in

3102 B.C, the beginning of Dwapaar concludes to be around 5300 B.C.

Subtracting the "sandhee" between Dwaapar and Treta, the end of

Treta comes to around 5500 B.C., which is closer to Shree Ram's

date estimated above.

 

Incidently, the Ramayan has been conveniently linked with the

premise of the aryan invasion of India, apparently, a story of the

aryan conquests of south India; Rama being the ugly aryan engaged

in subjugating Ravana's dravidasthan. In that case, Rama must have

been an Iranian invading Lanka, i.e., Mohenjodaro and Kishkinda

(the above of the Vaanara community) therefore may be placed

somewhere in Pakistan. This construction of geography puts us in

endless trouble. On the other hand, due to their dark hue, Rama and

Krishna are classified as dravidians and strangely, dravid Ravana

is known to the Ramayan to be a very intelligent Brahamana, a part

of the aryan caste. Indeed, the situation becomes unnecessarily

complicated and tortuous.

 

Shri Rama of the Ramayanic age and Krishna from the Mahabharat age

are considered to the incarnations (avataar) of the Supreme

Godhead. They strove for the upliftment of humanity with a prime

objective of establishing righteousness and morality through the

globe. Like wise, Sage Buddha is also considered as yet another

avataar, and the time he prospered is determined below. However, to

determine the age when Buddha flourished requires finding dates of

some other events in the course of history. The datelines of Maurya

Chandragupta and his grandson, Maurya Ashoka, are considered in the

following two sections.

 

[ Continued in Part 5 ]