Supported by Science
(An Excerpt from "Advancements of Ancient India’s
Vedic Culture")
By Stephen Knapp
One aspect that can show
us the early nature of Vedic society, and with a little more reliability, is
highlighting the time when Lord Krishna was present. This is another point that
has generated many opinions, but is now much clearer than ever with more recent
research and findings.
Astrophysicist Dr.
Narahari Achar, a physicist from the University of Memphis, clearly showed with
astronomical analysis that the Mahabharata war took place in 3067 BCE.
Examining the Mahabharata, books 3, 5, and 18, his sky map software
showed that all these descriptions converge in the year 3067. Achar also
acknowledged that some 30 years earlier, in 1969, S. Raghavan had arrived at
the same date.
In determining the date
of the Mahabharata war at Kurukshetra, astronomical references in the
epic can be used, of which there are more than one hundred and fifty. Most of
these that pertain to the war, though there are many scattered throughout the
texts, is in the Udyoga and Bhisma Parvas. Those in the Bhisma Parva are
especially systematic and are also in accordance with the astrological omens
described in the Atharva Veda and its Parishishtas, referring mostly to
comets. When these are put together with the retrograde motion of Mars before
reaching Jyestha, this leads to the unique date of 3067 BCE for the date of the
war, which was previously proposed by Professor Raghavan. 1
This corroborates with
the view that the age of Kali-yuga started in 3102 BCE, according to Dr. Achar.
As stated in the Puranas, Kali-yuga had already begun, but its full
influence was held back because of the presence of Lord Krishna. Then when Lord
Krishna departed from this world, which is said to have occurred 35 years after
the war of Kurukshetra in 3067, making it the year of 3032 BCE, then Kali-yuga
began to show more of its effects. 2
In the time line for the
passing away of Grandfather Bhisma, for example, it is said that Bhisma passed
away on the Magha (January-February) shukla ashtami, after the winter
solstice, which leads to the date of January 13, 3066 BCE for the winter
solstice. 3
So, in considering the
chronology according Professor Raghavan, we have:
Lord Krishna’s departure
from Upaplavya nagara on the mission for peace–September 26, 3067 BCE
Krishna reaches
Hastinapura–September 28, 3067 BCE
Lunar eclipse–September
29, 3067 BCE
Krishna rides with
Karna–October 8, 3067 BCE
Solar eclipse–October
14, 3067 BCE
The war begins–November
22, 3067 BCE
Fourteenth day of the
war, continued into the wee hours of the morning–December 8, 3067 BCE
Balarama
returns–December 12, 3067 BCE
Winter solstice–January
13, 3066 BCE
Bhisma’s passing
away–January 17, 3066 BCE 4
Departure of Lord
Krishna– 3031 BCE.
About when Vedavyasa
composed the main Vedic texts– 3000 BCE
About when the Sarasvati had dried up or
disappeared–1900 BCE
The above accounts for
48 days from the time of Bhisma’s fall to the time of his passing. However, it
is generally accepted that Grandfather Bhisma had 58 sleepless nights between
the time of his fall and the time of his passing. Yet, if you count the 10 days
that he lead the armies into war in which he may also have not been able to
sleep, that would give the full 58 sleepless nights that are described.5
From the internal
evidence in the Mahabharata text, the coronation of Maharaja Yudhisthir
can be determined to be 36 years before the beginning of Kali-yuga, or about
3138 BCE. One scholar, Dr. Patnaik, had calculated the date of the starting of
the Mahabharata war to be October 16, 3138 BCE from references available
in the epic itself.
Of course, different
scholars may arrive at variations in their calculations, and there have been a
few different versions of the Mahabharata, and over the many centuries
since it was written, additions and accretions are found. For example, verses
2.28.48-9 mention roma and antakhi in Sanskrit, which some
scholars interpret to mean Rome and Antioch. This places these mentions not
earlier than 300 BCE since Antioch was founded in 301. 6 However,
this does not limit the age of the earlier form of the Mahabharata,
which is known to have been written shortly after the war of Kurukshetra.
Nonetheless, as B. N.
Narahari Achar explains, other scholars have proposed varying years for the Mahabharata
war, from 3102 BCE to 3139 BCE. However, none of these dates can produce
the astronomical configurations described in the Mahabharata.
Another point of
consideration is that it is generally accepted by most Vedic scholars that the
age of Kali-yuga began in February 17-18 of 3102 BCE, which also coincides with
the astronomical configurations. This also is given credence from the
Aryabhatta Tradition in which Aryabhatta, who lived 476-550 CE, explains that
when he was 23 years old, 3600 years of Kali-yuga had elapsed. Aryabhatta, one
of the great mathematicians and astronomers of India in the 5th
century CE, examined the astronomical positions recorded in the Mahabharata.
In his work, the Aryabhattiya, he calculated that the approximate date
to be 3100 BCE, justifying the date of the Kurukshetra war to have been fought
about 5000 years ago, as the tradition itself and most Hindus have always said.
This again identifies
the year of 3102 BCE. However, the Mahabharata itself does not describe
when Kali-yuga began. All it says is that the war took place some time during
the interval of Dvapara and Kali-yugas, and it certainly took place before Lord
Krishna left this world. But there is evidence that Kali-yuga had already begun
before Lord Krishna disappeared.
In the Bhagavata
Purana (1.15.36) it is explained, "When the Personality of Godhead
Lord Krishna left this earthly planet in His selfsame form, from that very day
Kali, who had appeared partially before, became fully manifest to create
inauspicious conditions for those who are endowed with a poor fund of
knowledge."
Therefore, Kali-yuga had
already appeared, but it was only due to the presence of Lord Krishna who was
holding back its influence. But after He left this world, Kali’s full potency
took effect, which is also stated in the Kali-raja Vrittanta. Thus, the
war is most likely to have been in 3067 BCE and the beginning of Kali-yuga
accepted as 3102 BCE.
Some people, such as Max
Muller and others, have had trouble accepting this date as the time of the Mahabharata,
because they felt that the descriptions of the planetary positions of the
Saptarishis (Ursa Major) were not real. However, a similar description is also
given in the second chapter of the twelfth canto of the Bhagavata Purana,
which helps verify the time of the Mahabharata.
One particular point to
consider is that it has been shown that the positions of the Saptarishis, as
explained in the work of Anthony Aveni, noted author of The Empire of Time:
Calendars, Clocks and Cultures, that in many cultures, even in Africa and
American Indian cultures, it is believed that the entire solar system revolves
through the galaxy of the Milky Way, around the brightest star of the Pleiades,
in the Taurus constellation. These are known as the Seven Sisters or Krittikas
in the Vedic tradition. The brightest star in the Pleiades is Alcyone, and the
sun completes one revolution around this star in approximately 3000 years. This
has made the Pleiades a sacred object in the sky in many cultures. But the
point is that it is this periodic revolution that is why the Saptarishis repeat
their positions described in the Bhagavata Purana every 2700 years.
Thus, when calculations are based on the position of these stars, we have to
realize that the Vedic texts, including the Ramayana and the
descriptions therein, could be relating to time periods much earlier than we
think.
Additional evidence that
can help establish the time of Lord Krishna was in Mohenjodaro, where a tablet
dated to 2600 BCE was found which depicts Lord Krishna in His childhood days.
This shows that Lord Krishna was popular at least prior to this date. 7
We also have records
from Greek travelers who came to India following Alexander’s invasion which
have left references to Krishna. Authors like Pliny referred to Krishna as
Heracles, based on Hari Krishna. They record that Heracles (Krishna) was held
in special honor by the Sourseni tribe (Shuraseni, based on Shura the father of
Vasudeva and grandfather of Lord Krishna) in such places as the major city of
Methora (Mathura).
The Greek records go on
to record that Heracles (Krishna) lived 138 generations before the time of
Alexander and Sandrocottas, which was about 330 BCE. This then calculates,
based on about 20 years per generation, to roughly 3090 BCE, which is about the
right time considering 3102 BCE is the date when Kali-yuga began. Thus, Lord
Krishna was a genuinely historical figure who lived about the time of 3200-3100
BCE, having lived to 125 years of age.
WHEN LORD KRISHNA LEFT THIS WORLD
The above information
leads us to the approximate date when Lord Krishna left this world. As B. N.
Narahari Achar again describes: "According to the epic Mahabharata,
Krishna first appears [in the epic] at the time of Draupadi’s wedding, and His
departure is exactly 36 years after the war. No information about His birth is
available in the epic itself, although there is information about His
departure. Krishna observes omens (Mahabharata 14.3.17), similar to the
ones seen at the time of the war, now indicating the total destruction of the
Yadavas. [Astrological] Simulations show that in the year 3031 BCE, thirty-six
years later than 3067 BCE, there was an eclipse season with three eclipses. A
lunar eclipse on 20 October was followed by an annular solar eclipse on 5
November, followed by a penumbral lunar eclipse on 19 November, within an
interval of 14 days and at an aparvani time. Thus the date of departure
of Lord Krishna is consistent with the popular tradition that He passed away 36
years after the war. The information about His birth can be gathered from the Harivamsha
and the Bhagavata Purana.... It should be understood, however, that
the date of His departure from this world is established on the information in
the epic and on the basis of [astronomical] simulations, and it turns out to be
3031 BCE." 8
MORE PROOF OF THE EXISTENCE OF LORD KRISHNA
Sometimes there are
comments and even controversies amongst those who are less informed regarding
whether Christianity or Vedic culture came first. Some people point out that
the devotional elements within the Vedic tradition, especially in regard to the
Bhakti movements, must have come from Christianity first and then
appeared in the Vedic Vaishnava tradition, the followers of which exhibit much
love and devotion to Lord Krishna and Vishnu and His other avataras. But
this idea, that Vedic culture came from Christianity, which some Christian
preachers in India still try to use in their attempts to convert people, could
not be further from the truth. The fact is that there is archeological proof
that the Vaishnava tradition of devotion to Lord Vishnu existed many years
prior to the appearance of Christianity.
Not far from the
Buddhist site of Sanchi in Central India, we take a 45-minute ride on the very
bumpy road to Vidisha or Besnagar where we find the Heliodorus column, locally
known as the Khamb Baba pillar. This was erected by Heliodorus, the Greek
ambassador to India in 113 BCE. Heliodorus was sent to the court of King
Bhagabhadra by Antialkidas, the Greek king of Taxila. The kingdom of Taxila was
part of the Bactrian region in northwest India, which had been conquered by
Alexander the Great in 325 BCE. By the time of Antialkidas, the area under
Greek rule included what is now Afghanistan, Pakistan and the Punjab.
Heliodorus writes on the
stone pillar the time it was erected and the fact that he had converted to
Vaishnavism, or the worship of Lord Vishnu. The inscription on the column, as
published in the Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society, says:
"This Garuda column
of Vasudeva (Vishnu), the god of gods, was erected here by Heliodorus, a
worshiper of Vishnu, the son of Dion, and an inhabitant of Taxila, who came as
Greek ambassador from the Great King Antialkidas to King Kasiputra Bhagabhadra,
the Savior, then reigning prosperously in the fourteenth year of his kingship.
Three important precepts when practiced lead to heaven: self-restraint,
charity, conscientiousness."
This shows that
Heliodorus had become a worshiper of Vishnu and was well versed in the texts
and ways pertaining to this religion. It can only be guessed how many other
Greeks became converted to Vaishnavism if such a notable ambassador did. This
conclusively shows the Greek appreciation for India and its philosophy.
It was General Alexander
Cunningham who was doing an archeological survey in 1877 who first took notice
of the significance of the column. However, he did not attend to the
inscription that was on it because it was covered with vermilion. This was
because the pilgrims who worshiped had a custom to smear the column with
vermilion.
It was only in January
of 1901 when a Mr. Lake uncovered the paint from what he thought was some
lettering. Once the ancient Brahmi text was translated, the historical
significance of the column became ever more apparent.
The British
Sanskritists, due to their superior views of themselves, had developed the idea
that much of the Vedic traditions and legends of Lord Krishna had to have been
incorporated from the Bible and the stories of Jesus. However, this Heliodorus
column was the archeological discovery that proved to the disappointed British
that knowledge of Krishna and the Vaishnava tradition predated Christianity by
at least 200 years. The column indicated that the Indians did not adopt legends
of Christ to put in their Puranas to be used for the stories of Krishna
as the British had hypothesized since this gave proof that knowledge of Krishna
predated Jesus by almost 200 years.
Another point to consider
is that if a Greek official was so impressed with the philosophy of Vaishnavism
that he converted to it in 200 BCE, then it means that Vaishnavism and the
element of spiritual devotion to God, as found in the Bhakti tradition,
had to have originated several hundred years if not several thousand years
earlier in order for it to have developed to a stage wherein the Greeks were so
much impressed by it. So this is a serious historical site to see.
The Heliodorus column
also indicates that the Vedic tradition accepted converts at that time. Only
after the difficulties between Hindus and Muslims was there a hesitancy on the
part of Hindus to accept converts to the Vedic tradition. The Vedic religion
saw itself as universal and welcomed all people into its embrace. As
Raychaudhari writes: "The Beshnagar record testifies to the proselytizing
zeal of the Bhagavatas [Vaishnavas] in the pre-Christian centuries, and shows
that their religion was excellent enough to capture the hearts of cultured
Greeks, and catholic enough to admit them into its fold."
This evidence further
shows that Greece was but a part of Vedic culture and repeated what it and its
philosophers had learned from the Vedic sages rather than being a source of the
higher levels of philosophy as some people think. Furthermore, this evidence
bears witness to the fact that the Christian tradition and its main element of
devotion or bhakti to God was found in Vedic culture long before it
appeared within the confines of Christianity. In fact, much of the deeper
spiritual philosophy in Christianity is but a repeat of what had been
previously established and much more deeply developed in the older Vedic
tradition. So to fathom the deeper aspects of the different levels of devotion
to God, one can investigate the Vedic and Vaishnava tradition to learn the
finer details.
Additional archeological
finds include the Mora Well and Ghosundi Inscriptions, which tell us that the
rich and complex Vaishnava conception of God and full expansions of the Godhead
into the material universes were already well established in the first two
centuries before Christ. Seven miles west of Mathura in the small and
unimposing village of Mora, General Cunningham made another vital find
regarding the historicity of Vaishnavism. In 1882, on the terrace of an ancient
well, he discovered a large stone slab filled with inscriptions. Although more
than half of the writing had already peeled away on the right side, the
remainder was legible. It was transcribed, and a facsimile of the inscription
was published in the Archaeological Survey of India’s Annual Report. The
message was clear. Not only was Krishna worshiped in the centuries before
Christ, but also His expansions or associates, especially "the five heroes
of the Vrishni Clan." Scholarly research makes evident that these five are
Krishna (Vasudeva), Balarama (Sankarshana), Pradyumna, Samba, and Aniruddha.
This was the proof that
the complex theology, metaphysics, and cosmology of Sanatana-dharma and
Vaishnavism definitely existed in an advanced state centuries before Christ.
The Mora Well inscription is an important archeological proof of this
historical fact.
Furthermore, in the
village of Ghosundi in the Chitor district of Rajasthan is found the Ghosundi
Inscription, which largely duplicates the message of the Mora Well Inscription.
Kaviraja Shyamala Dasa first brought this evidence to light in The Journal
of the Bengal Asiatic Society. Today, the inscription can be inspected in
the Victoria Hall Museum in Udaipur.
The surviving part of
this inscription relevant to this chapter reads as follows: "[this]
railing of stone for the purposes of worship is [caused to be made] in the
Narayana-compound, [dedicated] to the Blessed Ones [bhagavabhyam] Samkarshana
and Vasudeva, the gods…"
The inscription is in a
form of Sanskrit script called Northern Brahmi script, which dates the
inscription as being from the second century BCE in either the late Maurya or
early Sunga periods. An almost identical inscription also was uncovered nearby
and is called the Hathi-vada Inscription. According to K. P. Jayaswal of the
Archaeological Survey of India, these inscriptions demonstrate that not only
the Kshatriyas but also the Brahmanas or priestly and intellectual class
worshiped Krishna as the "Lord of all," and, thus, Vaishnavism was
entrenched in the entire Indian society.
The same point is made
in the famous Nanaghat Cave Inscription in the state of Maharashtra, where
Vasudeva and Sankarshana (or Krishna and Balarama) are included in an
invocation of a Brahmana. On epigraphical grounds, this inscription is dated
conclusively as coming from the second half of the first century BCE.
Additionally, Raychaudhuri reports:
The Nanaghat Inscription
shows further that the Bhagavata [Vaishnava] religion was no longer confined to
Northern India, but had spread to the south and had captured the hearts of the
sturdy people of Maharashtra. From Maharashtra it was destined to spread to the
Tamil country and then flow back with renewed vigor to the remotest corners of the
Hindu Vedic world.
There is also much
numismatic evidence that corroborates the antiquity of Krishna. For instance,
excavations at Al-Khanum, along the border of Afghanistan and the Soviet Union,
conducted by P. Bernard and a French archeological expedition, unearthed six
rectangular bronze coins issued by the Indo-Greek ruler Agathocles (180?-?165
BCE). The coins had script written in both Greek and Brahmi and, most
interestingly, show an image of Vishnu, or Vasudeva, carrying a Chakra and a
pear-shaped vase, or conchshell, which are two of the four main sacred symbols
of God in Vaishnavism.
DATE OF LORD RAMA
Another point we could
discuss is the approximate date of Lord Rama. Lord Rama appeared in the Solar
Dynasty, but even the time frame of His appearance may shed more light on the
antiquity of Vedic culture. Naturally, scholars have different views on when He
may have existed. Some say He was here a few thousand years before Lord
Krishna. In fact, in an April 2011 edition of the Times of India, Saurabh
Kwatra writes that using the zodiac and the recorded tithis, days marked
according to the phases of the moon, he calculated that the birth of Lord Rama,
as related in the Valmiki Ramayana, was December 4th, 7323
BCE. While using other forms of planetary computer software, others have come
up with other dates.
Though these may be some
of the more recent calculations, still the tradition places the era of Lord
Rama much earlier than that. For example, the Vayu Purana (70.48) says:
tretayuge chaturvinshe ravanastapasah kshayat I
ramam dasharathim prapya saganah kshayamlyavan II
This relates that the
misbehaving Ravana was killed with his kiths and kins in a war with Rama in the
24th Treta-yuga. We are presently in the 28th chaturyuga
(cycle of 1000 yugas) of the Vaivasvat manvantara.
Furthermore, this is corroborated by Rupa Goswami in his Laghu
Bhagavatamrita that Rama appeared in the Treta-yuga of the 24th
yuga cycle. There are 71 cycles of the four yugas in a manvantara period,
which would mean the appearance of Lord Rama would be about 18 million years
ago.
Another interesting
point is that in the Suderkand section of the Valmiki Ramayana (5.4.27)
elephants with four tusks are mentioned as standing at the gates of
Ravana’s palace. Also in 5.27.12 an ogress named Trijata sees in her dream Lord
Rama mounted on a great elephant with four tusks. The fact that they knew of
elephants with four tusks is very intriguing since, scientifically speaking, a
quick reference to the elephant with four tusks is called a Mastondontoidea,
which is calculated to have evolved around 38 million years ago, and is
suspected of becoming extinct around 15 million years ago. This would help
verify the ancient date of Lord Rama to be around 18 million years ago.
Interesting... isn’t it?
The more we look in the
right places for the right evidence, the more we see that the Vedic tradition
indeed holds the universal spiritual truths.
CHAPTER
NOTES
1. B. N. Narahari Achar,
Origin of Indian Civilization, Edited by Bal Ram Singh, Center for Indic
Studies, Dartmought, USA, 2010, p. 203.
2. Nicholas Kazanas, Origin
of Indian Civilization, Edited by Bal Ram Singh, Center for Indic Studies,
Dartmought, USA, 2010, p. 53.
3. B. N. Narahari Achar,
Origin of Indian Civilization, Edited by Bal Ram Singh, Center for Indic
Studies, Dartmought, USA, 2010, p. 225.
4. Ibid., p. 231.
5. Ibid., p. 244.
6. Nicholas Kazanas, Origin
of Indian Civilization, Edited by Bal Ram Singh, Center for Indic Studies,
Dartmouth, USA, 2010, p. 53.
7. V. S. Agrawal, India
in the Days of Panini, 1953.
8. B. N. Narahari Achar,
Origin of Indian Civilization, Edited by Bal Ram Singh, Center for Indic
Studies, Dartmought, USA, 2010, p. 246-7.
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