Dating Mahabharata War

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THE SCIENTIFIC DATING OF THE MAHABHARAT WAR

(16th October 5561 B.C.)

by

Dr. Padmakar Vishnu Vartak

(Part-2/5)

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GREEK RECORDS

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1. " The Greek Ambassodor Magasthenis has recorded that 138 generations

have passed between Krishna and Chandragupta Maurya. Many scholars

have taken this evidence, but taking only 20 years per generation they

fixed the date of Krishna as 2760 years before Chandragupta. But this

is wrong because the record is not of ordinary people to take 20 years

per generation. In the matter of general public, one says that when a

son is born a new generation starts. But in the case of kings, the

name is included in the list of Royal Dynasty only after his corona-

tion to the throne. Hence, one cannot allot 20 years to one king. We

have to find out the average per king by calculating on various

Indian Dynasties. I have considered 60 kings from various dynasties

and calculated the average of each king as 35 years. Here is a list of

some of important kings with the no. of years ruling.

 

Chandragupta Mourya 330-298 B.C. 32 years.

Bindusar 298-273 B.C. 25 years.

Ashok 273-232 B.C. 41 years.

Pushyamitra Shunga 190-149 B.C. 41 years.

Chandragupta Gupta 308-330 A.D. 22 years.

Samudragupta 330-375 A.D. 45 years.

Vikramaditya 375-414 A.D. 39 years.

Kumargupta 414-455 A.D. 41 years.

Harsha 606-647 A.D. 41 years.

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327 years.

 

The average is 327/9 = 36.3 years.

 

Multiplying 138 generations by 35 years we get 4830 years before Chan-

dragupta Mourya. Adding Chandrgupta's date 320 B.C. to 4830 we get

5150 B.C. as the date of Lord Krishna.

 

2. Megasthenis, according to Arian, has written that between Sandro-

cotus to Dianisaum 153 generations and 6042 years passed. From this

data, we get the average of 39.5 years per king. From this we can cal-

culate 5451 years for 138 generations. So Krishna must have been

around 5771 B.C.

 

3. Pliny gives 154 generations and 6451 years between Bacchus and

Alexander. This Bacchus may be the famous Bakasura who was killed by

Bhimasena. This period comes to about 6771 years B.C.

 

Thus Mahabharat period ranges from 5000 B.C. to 6000 B.C.

 

SHRIMAD BHAGWATAM

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a) Bhagwat gives 28 Kaurava kings from Parikshit to Kshemaka. " From

Kshemaka, the Pandava Dynasty will end in Kaliyug, and Magadha Dynasty

will start. " [bhagwad 9-22-45]. This implies that the Pandava kings

ruled before the advent of Kaliyug, i.e., before 3101 B.C and Magadha

dynasty will not super-impose the Pandava Dynasty.

 

b) Further it is stated in Bhagwat that after 28 Kaurava kings,

Magadha Dynasty would rule and 22 Magadha kings would govern for 1000

years. Here it is given a average of 1000 years for 22 kings. It can

be found that the 28 Kaurava kings would have ruled for 1273 years and

then Magadha Dynasty started with King Sahadeva, whose son was Somapi.

On the other hand, Maghasandhi was the son of Sahadeva and the grand-

son of Jarasandha [Ashwamedh-82]. many scholars have neglected this

fact and have assumed that this Sahadeva fought in the Mahabharat War

and was the son of Jarasandha.

 

c) Ripunjaya is the last king in the list of 22 Magadhas. But Bhagwat

12.1.2-4 mentions that Puranjaya will be the last king who will be

killed by his minister Shunak. It is to be noted that there is no men-

tion of the kings between Ripunjaya and Puranjaya. People have wrongly

taken the two names as that of one and the same person, without any

evidence.

 

d) Bhagwat 12.1.2-4 state that Shunak would coronate his son Pradyota

as the King and later five Kings would rule for 138 years. After this

Pradotya Dynasty, Shishunga Kings, 10 in number, would rule for 360

years. Thereafter 9 Nandas would rule for 100 years. Nanda would be

destroyed by a Brahmin and Chandragupta would be enthroned. We know

that Chandragupta Maurya ascended the throne in 324 B.C. So we can

thus calculate backwards:

 

9 Nandas 100 years

10 Shishungas 360 years

5 Pradotyas 138 years

22 Magadhas 1000 years

28 Kauravas 1273 years

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74 Kings 2871 years

 

We find here only 74 kings, but Megasthenes tells us about 138 kings.

So 138-74=64 kings are missing. These may be from the period between

Ripunjaya and Puranjaya. Thus calculating from the data of 74 kings

who ruled for 2871 years, we get a period of 2496 years for 64 kings.

Adding the two we get 5367 years for 138 kings. This is preceding

Chandragupta's time, who came to throne in 324 B.C. Hence, 324+5367 =

5691 B.C. is the approximate date of Parikshit.

 

YUDHISHTIRA ERA AND KALIYUG

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Scholars accept the date of the Mahabharat War to be 3100 B.C. which

also happens to the initiation of the Yudhisthira Era. But this Era,

is mentioned nowhere in the Mahabharat text itself! At the time of

Aswamedha of Yudhisthira, Vyas has given descriptions in minute detail

like collection of " Sruva " , formation of wells and lakes, but never

has written even a word about, such an important event, as the begin-

ning of the Yudhisthira Era.

 

Mahabharat also never mentions anything about the beginning of the

Kaliyug, even at the time of Krishna's death. Mahabharat Adiparva 2.13

states that the War took place in the interphase ( " Antare " ) of the

Dwapaar and Kali Eras. Thus it makes it clear that the evening of the

Dwapaar has not yet ended and the Kaliyug had not started when the War

took place.

 

 

SAPTARISHIS

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Bhagwat states at 12.2.27-32 that Saptarishis stay 100 years in one

Nakshatra. At the time of King Parikshit, the Saptarishis were in

Magha. When they proceeded to Purvashadha, Kali would start. There

are 11 Nakshatras from Magha to Purvashadha. Hence it is seen that

Shukacharya tells Parikshit that after 1100 years Kaliyug will start.

Kaliyug started at 3101 B.C. Hence 3101 + 1100 = 4201 B.C. is the date

of Parikshit.

 

Other references from Shrimad Bhagwat points quite closely to the same

year as above.

 

But who is this Parikshit ? Is he the son of Abhimanyu ? No. A minute

observation of this reveals that the above is not Abhimanyu's son

because Bhagwat is told to this Parikshit. On the other hand,

Mahabharat is told to Janamejaya. In the Mahabharat, Parikshit's death

has been recorded. Hence it is evident that Mahabharat was written

and published after the death of Parikshit, the son of Abhimanyu.

Bhagwat is written after Mahabharat according to the Bhagawat itself.

This Bhagwat is told to some Parikshit. How can this Parikshit be the

son of Abhimanyu who died before the Mahabharat writing ? So this

Parikshit appears to be somebody else than Abhimanyu's son.

 

EQUINOX

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Mahabharat mentions the ancient tradition as 'Shravanadini

Nakshatrani',i.e., Shravan Nakshatra was given the first place in the

Nakshatra- cycle (Adi-71/34 and Ashvamedh 44/2) Vishwamitra started

counting the Nakshatras from Shravan when.he created 'Prati Srushti'.

He was angry with the old customs. So he started some new customs.

Before Vishvamitra's time Nakshatras were counted from the one which

was occupied by the sun on the Vernal Equinox. Vishvamitra changed

this fashion and used diagonally opposite point i.e. Autumnal Equinox

to list the Nakshtras. He gave first place to Shravan which was at the

Autumnal Equinox then. The period of Shravan Nakshatra on autumnal

equinox is from 6920 to 7880 years B.C. This was Vishvamitra's period

at the end of Treta yuga. Mahabharat War took place at the end of

Dwapar yuga. Subtracting the span of Dwapar Yuga of 2400 years

we get 7880 - 2400 = 5480 B.C. as the date of Mahabharat War.

 

ASTROLOGY

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Some scholars rely on the horoscope of Lord Krishna to calculate his

birth-date so as to establish the period of Mahabharat. But they do

not realise that the horoscope is a forged one, prepared many thousand

years after Krishna's death. Mahabharat Bhagvat and Vishnu purana have

not given the planet positions at the time of Krishna's birth. It is

well-known and is recorded in many scriptures that Krishna was born in

a jail, then who could have casted his horoscope? Moreover Krishna was

not a prince so nobody would have casted his horoscope. Hence it is

not wise to rely on the horoscope. It is prepared recently by consid-

ering the charateristics of Krishna and so is useless to fix the

birth-date.

 

Mr. G.S. Sampath Iyengar and Mr. G.S. Sheshagiri have fixed the

birth-date of Krishna as 27th July 3112 BC. 'The horoscope shows

Lagna and Moon 52 deg. 15' Rohini, Jupiter 91 deg. 16' Punarvasu,

Sun 148 deg. 15' Uttara Phalguni, Mercury 172 deg. 35' Hasta, Venus

180 deg. 15' Chitra, Saturn 209 deg. .57' Vishakha, Mars 270 deg. 1'

Uttara Ashadha Rahu, 160 deg. 1'.

 

At present on 27th July 1979 the Sun was at 99 deg. 57', while at

Krishna's birth, according to their opinion, the sun was at 148 deg.

15'. The difference is 48 deg. 18'. This shows that the Sun has

receded back by 48 deg. 18' due to the precession at the rate of 72

years per degree. multiplying 48 deg. 18' by 72 we get 3456 years.

This shows that Krishna was born 3456 years ago or substracting 1979

from it we can say that Krishna was born during 1477 BC. Thus 3112 BC

is found to be wrong. We cannot accept such a wrong date derived from

a manipulated borscope. (This horoscope is printed in " The Age of

Bharat War " on page 241-Publisher, Motilal Banarasidas 1979).

 

ARCHEAOLOGY

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In 1971, when I hinted at the date of Mahabharat war as 5500 years BC,

Archeaologists frowned at me saying it as impossible because no cul-

ture was found in India dating so much back. But now evidences are

pouring in Archeaology itself showing cultures in India upto 30000 to

40000 years BC. Padmashri Late Mr. V.S. Wakankar has dated the paint-

ings in the caves of Bhimbetaka of Madhya Pradesh to about 40000 BC.

 

Recently Dr. S.B. Rao, Emeritus Scientist of the National Institute of

Oceanography, Dona Paula, Goa, 403004, has discovered under the sea,

Dwaraka and dated it as between 5000 to 6000 BC. This news has

been published by all the leading newspapers on 22th October 1988.

 

Motilal Banarasidas News Letter October 1988 gives a news on page 6

under the heading " 50,000 year old Relics " as follows:

 

Spectacular culture and physical relics dating back to 50,000 years BC

have been excavated from the Central Narmada Valley in Madhya

Pradesh. A team of Anthropological survey of India recently con-

ducted the excavation. It explored sites in two districts Sebore and

Hoshangabad.

 

In my book " Vastava Ramayan " I have shown the presence of culture in

India as far back as 72000 years B.C. This recent news points to that

ancient period. I am sure after some time Arecheaology may get evi-

dence to show the presence of culture in India 72000 BC.

 

In Vastava Ramayan I have shown that Bali, the demon king went to

south America during 17000 BC when the vernal equinox was at Moola

Nakshatra. MLBD News letter Oct. 1988 gives a news thus :- " Dravidians

in America " - According to a press report the Brazillian nuclear phy-

sicist and researcher Arysio Nunes dos santos holds that the Dravi-

dians of South India reached America much before Christopher

Columbus.

 

Mr. Nunes dos Santos, of the' Federal University of Minas Gerais

maintains that the Dravidians colonised a vast South American region

11000 years before the Europians reached the new world. Vestiges of

the Dravidian presence in America, he says, include the strange

phonetics of Gourani, Paraguay's national language. Moreover Bananas,

Pine Apple, Cocunut and Cotton, all grown in India could have been

taken to America by those navigators.

 

..... to be continued.

 

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Prasad Gokhale

University of New Brunswick, f0g1

Fredericton, N.B. CANADA. f0g1@unbmvs1, f0g1

 

" Truth can wait, it is used to it " . - Anonymous.

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