New light on Mahabharata

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http://www.deccanherald.com/deccanherald/oct20/n1.asp

 

 

B’lore scientist throws new light on the Mahabharata

 

From Kalyan Ray

DH News Service NEW DELHI, Oct 19

 

Analysing the planetary references depicted in the Mahabharata, a

Bangalore-based scientist claimed to have zeroed in on the period

during which the two clans, Kauravas and Pandavas, gained political

power and fought each other in the battle of Kurukshetra.

 

Based on historical and archeological evidence, the epic had been

dated earlier between 600 to 3000 BC though the dates have never been

proved conclusively.

 

“The eclipses and planetary observations of the Mahabharata should

belong to 1493 BC to 1443 BC of Indian history. The war should have

taken place in 1478 BC with an error bond of one year,” Dr R N

Iyengar from the department of civil engineering at Indian Institute

of Science in Bangalore, said.

 

The analysis was made by calculating planet and star positions

described in the epic in modern astronomical terms using three

software including a German-made one used widely by USA National

Aeronautics and Space Administration for recreating historical

events.

 

The exercise undertaken by Dr Iyengar, a civil engineer of

international repute who is a Sanskrit scholar as well, had resulted

in 12 possible dates for the war 2744 and 505 BC. “Out of the 12

solutions for the war, the period 1478 BC fits the bill almost

perfectly,” he told Deccan Herald over telephone.

 

However, conflicting tests and mismatches between astronomical,

archaeological, historical and social evidence always pose a big

problem in resolving the Mahabharata period beyond any doubt. “I will

not touch Mahabharata since its heavily contaminated,” pointed out Dr

M N Vahia at Tata Institute of Fundamental Research (TIFR) in Mumbai

who had earlier calculated the Shivaji era using more or less similar

techniques.

 

However, Dr Iyengar went through six versions of the epic - four in

Sanskrit and one each in Kannada and English, to pick up the

planetary references.

“In a text as large as the Mahabharata its no wonder that

chronological ordering of the events and observations might have got

mixed up due to transmission errors. But everything falls into place

as in a puzzle and an almost unique epoch emerges from celestial

observations when 1478 BC is taken as the year of the war,” he wrote,

reporting the findings in Indian Journal of History of Science

published by the Indian National Science Academy.

 

Three solar eclipses depicted in Sabha Parvan, Bhisma Parvan and

Mausala Parvan and description of a lunar succeeding or preceding at

least two solar eclipses within a month, helped Dr Iyengar narrow

down his search. “It’s the planetary position what matters. From a

span of 2500 years, the window was fixed on a time span of 10-15

years,” he said, adding that dates mentioned in the epic also helped

in fine tuning the period.

 

A major limitation of earlier studies was that they did not show how

to reconcile inconsistencies such as Sani (Saturn) being said to be

with star Rohini (Aldebaran) as well as being near star Visakha

(Alpha-Librae) in Bhisman Parvan, he pointed out claiming that the

new study bridges the gaps.

[uNQUOTE]

 

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