Mahabharata's war date

Some years ago I had watched Dr. Manish Pandit on ‘Live India’ News Channel speaking about his documentary “Krishna History or Myth”.

After some years I watched Dr. Narahari Achar presenting “The date of Mahabharata’s war: Based on Astronomical Data Using Planetarium Software” on Youtube.

As I had watched Dr. Manish Pandit’s interview some years ago so I don’t remember all information that was aired in that program but I’ve mentioned below some information about Mahabharata’s war that was aired & I remember.

It gives clear & concrete evidence about Mahabharata’s war & Lord Krishna’s existence.

Dr. Achar a professor of Physics at the University of Memphis did a research to find Mahabharata’s war date by studying many holy reference books of Mahabharata i.e. Parvans.

There are 18 Parvans of Mahabharata. They have Mahabharata war’s astronomical references. The maximum number of astronomical references around 140 are found in 2 Parvans they are book number 5 Bhishma Parvan & book number 6 Udyoga Parvan.

Dr. Achar used a computer software program that enabled him to view the night sky as it would have appeared any time in past & with its help he reproduced the exact night sky for every astronomical reference mentioned in Bhishma Parvan & Udyoga Parvan.

Maharishi Ved Vyas met Dhitrashtra on the eve of Mahabharata’s war & said to him about planetary position in sky. He told that Mars was retrograde in Antares (Jyeshtha Nakshatra), Saturn was in Aldebaran (Rohini Nakshatra), occurrences of eclipses 3 eclipses, 2 lunar & a solar eclipse & appearance of 2 comets.

He even interpreted war’s reasons & its outcome as per the planetary positions in sky that time by telling “Oh King, a great destruction will occur in this war just as indicated by these omens that are harbingers of great calamity.”

From the planetary positions that time astrologically I can interpret an apocalypse like situation as Saturn was in the Aldebaran (Rohini Nakshatra) in Taurus sign. As per Vedic Astrology lord of Aldebaran (Rohini Nakshatra) is Moon. Saturn & Moon are each other’s enemies. Saturn being in Moon’s constellation will act ominous.

Mars [lord of Antares (Jyeshtha Nakshatra) & Scorpio] was retrograde in Antares (Jyeshtha Nakshatra) in Scorpio sign. As Saturn was in Taurus being in Aldebaran (Rohini Nakshatra) it did aspect Mars as every planet fully aspects the 7^th sign (Rashee) & planets in that sign (Rashee) from its position.

 

Also the epic mentions the occurrence of a very rare astronomical event that took place prior to the Mahabharata war they were 2 lunar eclipses & a solar eclipse within a lunar month of 27 days. Astrologically eclipses are considered bad omens.

 

Saturn & Mars are each other’s enemies. Saturn signifies justice. Mars signifies violence, war. Mars being in its own Nakshatra Jyeshtha & Sign (Rashee) & also occurrence of eclipses especially a solar eclipse in Antares (Jyeshtha Nakshatra) can cause a violent war. Thus it created a situation for justice by war & caused an apocalypse.

 

Lord Krishna never wanted Mahabharata war to happen hence just before the war’s start he had gone on his final peace mission to persuade Dhitrashtra’s son Duryodhana to abandon the war in the month of Kartika (a Hindu calendar month) but because of the planetary position that time Dhitrashtra didn’t agree & the war was fought.

 

To find Mahabharata’s war date Dr. Achar had searched for years between 3500 BCE to about 500 CE, range of 4000 years. He found that during those 4000 years Saturn was 137 times in Aldebaran (Rohini Nakshatra).

To simplify Dr. Achar’s findings - We all know that a circle consists of 360 degrees. There are 27 constellations (Nakshatras). Thus every constellation (Nakshatra) consists of around 13.33 degrees.

  

Saturn takes a little over 29 years to complete one revolution around the Sun i.e. 360 degrees. Thus Saturn after a little over 29 years will return to Aldebaran (Rohini Nakshatra).

To understand how Dr. Achar found Saturn being in Aldebaran (Rohini Nakshatra) 137 times between 3500 BCE to 500 CE we can divide 4000 (the range of years Dr. Achar took into consideration) by 137 (the number of years Saturn was in Aldebaran as per his findings) & we get 29.197 that is a little over 29 years as Saturn returns to a particular constellation (Nakshatra) after a little over 29 years.

Then Dr. Achar searched for those years when Saturn was in Aldebaran (Rohini Nakshatra) & Mars was retrograde in Antares (Jyeshtha Nakshatra).

  

Dr. Achar found that in those 4000 years Saturn in Aldebaran (Rohini Nakshatra) & retrograde Mars in Antares (Jyeshtha Nakshatra) happened 17 times.

As per Bhishma Parvan (3.29) a lunar eclipse occurred in the month of Kartika (a Hindu calendar month) near Pleiades & was followed by a solar eclipse near Antares (Jyeshtha Nakshatra).

To discard the incorrect years out of 17 years that he found Dr. Achar looked for those years when a lunar eclipse occurred in the month of Kartika (a Hindu calendar month), Saturn was in Aldebaran (Rohini Nakshatra) & retrograde Mars was in Antares (Jyeshtha Nakshatra).

  

He found that it happened only 2 times in 3067 BCE & 2183 BCE.

  

To discard the incorrect year Dr. Achar thought of finding in which year out of 3067 BCE & 2183 BCE a solar eclipse was followed by a lunar eclipse that occurred in the month of Kartika (a Hindu calendar month).

He found that in both 2183 & 3067 BCE a solar eclipse near Antares (Jyeshtha Nakshatra) was followed by a lunar eclipse that occurred in October 21 2183 BCE.

  

Further he used winter solstice’s date mentioned in the Parvans (Mahabharata reference books) to eliminate either 3067 BCE or 2183 BCE to find Mahabharata’s war year. He found that in 2183 BCE winter solstice occurred when moon’s phase was waning (Krishna Panchami) & in 3067 BCE winter solstice occurred when moon’s phase was waxing (Shukla Panchami).

The Mahabharata reference books i.e. Bhishma Parvan & Udyoga Parvan state that moon’s phase was waxing during winter solstice.

  

Also as per Mahabharata’s epic war rules weren’t followed from 14^th day onwards. One of the war’s rules was that war should be stopped at sunset. It wasn’t followed & war used to get over only at moon rise at night.

Moon rising at night indicates that on war’s 14^th day moon was waning as waning moon rises at night. Thus moon being waning on 14^th day indicates that war didn’t start on a new moon day. 

The epic of Mahabharata also states that war started didn’t start on a new moon day (Amavasya).

  

Thus by using winter solstice & moon’s phase during the time of war year 2183 was discarded & year 3067 was considered to be Mahabharata’s war year.

  

Although many researchers have found some date of Mahabharata war but Dr. Achar has been able to match all the astronomical references mentioned in the Mahabharata Parvans with the Planetarium software he used.

Thus Dr. Achar was able to match the planetary information on the events & dates mentioned in the Mahabharata epic & reference books i.e. Parvans with the computer software program used to check its authenticity. His war date findings also match with Professor K. Srinivasa Raghavan.

  

Some other information mentioned in The Udyoga Parvan states that just before the war Lord Krishna had gone to Hastinapur on his final peace mission to persuade Dhitrashtra to abandon the war.

He had started his journey when moon was in constellation Zeta Piscium (Revati Nakshatra).

  

The day on which Dhitrashtra’s son Duryodhana turned down Lord Krishna’s efforts to abandon war that time moon was in constellation Delta Cancri (Pushya Nakshatra).

When Lord Krishna left Hastinapur with Karna (as Karna wanted to be Lord Krishna’s charioteer to accompany Lord Krishna for some time) after his efforts to abandon war failed on that day moon was in constellation Beta Leonis (Uttara Phalguni Nakshatra).

  

On his journey with Lord Krishna Karna discussed planetary positions in sky that time & interpreted that such planetary positions stand for a bad omen.

Professor K. Srinivasa Raghavan with his extensive research had also found that Mahabharata’s war happened in 3067 BCE & his findings matched with the astronomical references mentioned in Mahabharata’s Parvans. As per his findings 

Lord Krishna departs on September 26, 3067 BCE to Hastinapur to meet Dhitrashtra to abandon war.

Lord Krishna reached Hastinapur on September 28^th, 3067 BCE.

Lunar eclipse occurred (at Pleiades) on September 29^th, 3067 BCE.

Krishna rides with Karna on October 8^th, 3067 BCE.

Solar eclipse (at Antares) occurred on October 14^th, 3067 BCE.

War started on November 22^nd, 3067 BCE.

Winter solstice was on January 13, 3066 BCE.

Bhishma expired on January 17^th, 3066 BCE.

Departure of Lord Krishna in 3031 BCE.

Thus Lord Krishna’s existence & Mahabharata’s war can’t be just Maharishi Ved Vyas’s imagination but it was indeed a true incident & Lord Krishna was an extraordinary person & principal character in Mahabharata hence he is worshipped till now in many countries.