RAMA AND KRISHNA

Rama and Krishna are historical character and not mythological personalities as has been taught over centuries by the vested interest groups, even after independence. One Millennium of darkness - period of Muslim invaders rule followed by British colonialism , sponsored historian and religious groups made all possible attempts to demean India’s ( Hindu ) history , their glorious past and achievement in all areas - literature, architecture, temple carving, Kingdom administration , World level Universities like Taxila & Nalanda , town planning , roads & cities , maritime etc. etc.

This game continued even after independence of the country by the pseudo secular & intelligentsia group to please their Masters and receiving gratification in exchange. They ignored all the later archeological discoveries, proof forwarded by IIT research, writing of international scholars and many other things. All their attempts were to demean India.

In this booklet I have tried to summarize the findings of the experts – historian, archeologists, scientists, computer analysts and others to clearly establish the historicity of both characters.

RAMA his Historicity, Mandir and Setu by B. B. Lal

( Professor B. B. Lal was the Director General of the Archaeological Survey of India. He is world renowned archaeologist. His excavations cover a very wide range Kalibangan (Harappan Civilization), Hastinapur (Kernel truth in Mahabharata), Ayodhya (Ramayana basis of history). He was awarded Padma Bhushan & written many books ).

Was Rama a Real – life Person or Mythical ?

A verse in the PURANANURU collection states that when Ravana, after abducting Sita, was carrying her away, she dropped down her ornaments so that these may lead to her being traced out. This very theme forms the subject-matter of a terracotta representation ascribable to the 2^nd-1^st century BCE.

The written version of Valmiki Ramayana may have commenced around the 3^rd century BCE. The text, as available to us now, has about 24,000 slokas (verses) and is divided into seven Kandas (Cantos), namely Bala, Ayodhya, Aranya, Kiskindha, Sundra, Yuddha, and Uttara Kandas. At the same time, it is also held that the first and last – named Kandas are later additions, there being originally only five. However, along with these two Kandas, the entire text appears to have completed by the end of the third century CE. 

However, the earliest Ramayana in Bengali language is that of Krittivasa who according most scholars, was born in 1389 CE. The earliest known work in Gujarat relating to the Ramayana story seems to be the Bhatti Kavya, assignable to sixth century CE. Ramacharitamanasa of the saint-poet- Tulasidasa written in Hindi (while there is some debate about the date birth of Tulsidasa, it is well recorded that he passed away in 1623 CE). 

Akbar (1556 – 1605) directed Badauni to translate the Ramayana in Persian. Writes Badauni: “In the month of Jamada’1-Awwal of the year 997 [A.H.] I finished the translation of the Ramayana which has taken me four years. I wrote it all in couplets and brought it to the emperor. “

Akbar issued gold and silver coins bearing the figures of Rama and Sita and inscribed with the legend Rama Siya. 

A coin issued by Akbar, portraying Rama and Sita along with their names. 

The capital of Kiskinda was Pampa which lay in the region of Tungabhadra. In this context it is important to note that the author of Ramachandracharita, Nagachandra, records a tradition that the ancient inhabitants of Kiskindha were not monkey but a tribe whose banner carried the insignia of a monkeys. 

Life story in Kannada language is in the Chavundaraya Purana ascribable to circa 978 CE. Pampa Rayamayana, by an eleventh-century poet named Nagachandra. 

Kasakudi plate inscription of Nandivarman, dated to 752-53 CE, in which the king’s skill in archery has been compared with that Rama. This inscription also refers to the predecessors of Nandivarman, namely Narasimhavarman, as having “surpassed the glory of the valour of Rama by (his) conquest of Lanka”. 

As would be discussed a little later, this very theme forms the subject-matter of a terracotta representation form Kousambi, ascribable to the 2^nd – 1^st century BCE. We may now to Kamban, the most celebrated poet of Tamil Nadu. While some scholars think that he lived in the 9^th century CE, others put his period in the 12^th century his Ramayana is held in great respect even today. 

In the Buddhist literature there are the Jatakas, three of which deal with the story of Rama. The most noteworthy of these is the one called Dasaratha Jataka. However, as the Jataka story goes, when Bharata-kumara went to meet Rama-pandita (as refered in Jataka) during the course of the latter’s exile and communicated to him the news of their father’s death. 

The Jain Ramayanas are not only in Sanskrit, but also Prakrita, Apabhramsa and even Kannada. A canonical work, Anuyogadvara, supposed to date back to the 2^nd century CE lists many other works including Ramayanam. Pauma-chariyam by Vimala Suri, assignable to the 5^th century CE, is the earliest rendering of the life story of Rama. Another noteworthy Ramayana text is Vasudevahindi, also assignable to the 5^th century CE. The Jain tradition holds that the Vidyadharas were human beings, and were the descendants of Nami and Vinami, sons of Risabhadeva; and the Vanaras were a section of the Vidyadharas, who adopted the insignia of the monkey. 

So much attracted was Akbar (1556-1605 CE) by the life-story of Rama that the asked Quader Badauni to translate the Ramayana in Persian, adding that the work be finished within four years; and the later duly complied. Akbar’s example was followed by his son and successor, Jahangir. During his reign, Sa’dilla Masihi Panpati produced an excellent translation of the Ramayana in Persian. And what is no less interesting is that in order to learn Sanskrit, Masihi Panpati spent twelve years in Banaras (now called Varanasi). Many Hindu poets too composed the Ramayana in the Persian language. Amongst them, mention may be made of Amanat Rai Layalpuri and Girdhardas. 

Documents containing the Tibetan version of the Ramayana were discovered by Aurel Stein and Paul Pelliot and are now kept in the Bibliotheque National in Paris and the India Office Library, London. Rama’s story found its way into China through Buddhism and occurs there in the form of two Jatakas. Thus, for example, in the Jataka of the Unnamed King, Rama is called a Bodhisattava. 

The Anamaka Jataka found its way into Japan as well. Amongst the south-eastern countries, Thailand seems to have witnessed the maximum influence of the Ramayana story. For example, one of its capitals was even named as Ayodhya, wherefrom kings of various dynasties ruled from 1350 to 1767 CE. However, dated to a still earlier time (1292 CE) is an inscription of the reign of King Rama Khamhaeng, which refers to the story of Rama. 

Even though largely populated by Muslims now, Malayasia has retained the Rama tradition, both through literature as well as orally. The literary aspect is represented by Hikayet Seri Rama (Seri being equivalent of Sanskrit Sri). The puppet shows are accompanied by ballads sung with great gusto. 

The famous temple of Ankor Vat contains several representations from Rama’s life. No visitor to Java can afford to miss the excellent performance of dance dramas based on the Ramayana story.  Ramayana story as such is in the form of an inscription (732 CE) of king Sanjaya whose digvijaya (conquest) is compared to that of Raghu, an ancestor of Rama. Most breathtaking is the superb portrayal of a number of scenes form the Ramayana in the temples at Prabanam, dated to the 9th century CE. In Philippine mention may be made of Maharadin Lawana which is a brief version of the Ramayana. 

A reference may be made to the Arthashastra, the well-known treatise by Kautilya, Achaarya of Chandra Gupta Maurya the king of Magadh during whose time (4th Century BEC) this was written. That means Arthashastra was earlier then Ramayana of Valmiki. 

In Arthashastra Kauitlya begins by citing the example of “Bhoja, known also by the name of Dandakay, who, making a lascivious attempt on a Brahmana maiden, perished along with his kingdom and relation”. 

Proceeding further on, he states “Ravana, unwilling under the influence of vanity to restore a stranger’s Wife, as well as Duryodhana to part with a portion on his kingdom”. Taking the logic further, if, according to Kautilya, Ravana was a historical figure, the historicity of Rama gets established ipso facto.

Archaeology comes into picture 

Harappan Civilization ranged in date from circa 2600 to 2000 BCE.

I began exploring some ancient sites in western UP. At many sites I found distinctive pottery, grey in colour and painted in black pigment with a variety of geometric, linear and curvilinear designs. It was given a proper name the Painted Grew Ware (PGW). In the naturally exposed vertical sections of the mounds concerned it was also observed that this ware lay in almost the lowest levels, much below the material known to the 6^th-5^th centuries BCE.  

After the washing away of the site of Hastinapura by the Ganga, (the then ruler) Nichaksu will abandon it and move (the capital) to Kausambi. Udayana was twenty-fifth from Nichaksu. It is well known that Udayana was a contemporary of Buddha, whose commonly accepted date is 565-487 BCE. In other words, Udayana may have been ruling around 500 BCE.  Date of Nichaksu would be around 850 BCE. Mahabharata war may broadly be placed around the 10^th century BCE. Anyway, the important point is that literary and archeological evidences have both converged to establish the historicity of the Mahabharata, though clearly it is nobody’s claim that each and very detail mentioned therein is archeologically verifiable. 

It was only after voluntary retirement form the Survey in 1972 that I could plan to take up this project, to begin with at the Jiwaji University, Gwalior, and later with full attention at the Indian Institute of Advanced Study  at Shimla  which ran from 1977 to 1998, by deputing the staff of its Excavations Branch, which for most of the time was headed Shri K. N. Dikshit.

Ayodhya  -  These included certain well known localities like the Janma-Bhumi, Hanuman garhi, Kausilya Ghata, Nala-Tila etc. The excavations revealed that the settlement at Ayodhya began with a phase when very distinctive and deluxe pottery called the Northern Black Polished Ware (NBPW). 

Tools of iron, beside those of copper, also characterized the NBPW levels. These could be used for domestic chores, agriculture and even for warfare. In due course of time, weights of fine-grained stones made their appearance, as did a system of coinage. the NBPW-period weights are cylindrical in marked contrast to those of the Harappan Civilization. 

The coins were the earliest to be produced in the country. These made of silver or copper and bore on their surface punched marks. Harappans did not have any coinage. 

Whereas some parts of Ayodhya were deserted after the Gupta period, Hanuman–garhi and Janma-Bhumi areas were reoccupied during the 11-12^th century CE. In the latter area, the upper most levels of a trench that lay immediately to the south of Babri Masjid, a series of brick-cum-stone basis were discovered over which there evidently once stood stone pillars. In this context it may be mentioned that affixed to the piers of the Masjid there were stone pillars bearing Hindu motifs and sculptures. 

Sringaverapura

Unlike Ayodhaya , Sringaverapura had an earlier beginning.

However, during heavy floods in the Ganga, the water-level is so high that the floodwater goes upstream in the nullah for a considerable distance. Noticing this phenomenon year after year, the local engineers decided to harness the flood water and store it in a 250-metre long tank-complex. Thus, they cut a channel into this nullah and, through it, diverted the floodwater to an area where they had planned to construct the reservoir. Without going into the details, it may briefly be stated that this tank-complex had all the constituents that a modern engineer would ask for, namely, a silting chamber, a silting tank, the main tank, a ritual tank and finally the waste-weir, from where, by means of an exit channel, the excess water was sent back to the Ganga. 

It is the NBPW that ties these sites together. The next relevant question is: how early do these NBPW strata go in terms of absolute time? The scientific technique that helps in determining this is known as the Carbon-14 method. 

Charcoal samples collected by the present writer, which were from the supper NBPW levels at Ayodhya, gave a date range from the 6^th to 3^rd centuries BCE. But the lower levels remained properly dated. This very important lacuna has since been filled up by putting to test the charcoal samples collected from the lower NBPW levels by the Archaeological Survey during its renewed excavations (2002-03) in the Janam-Bhumi area (short-named AYD-1). The dating was done by the laboratory of the Birbal Sahni Institute of Palaeobatany, Lucknow. The relevant details of their findings, as quoted by S. C. Saran (Saran 2006:25), are given in the book. 

I don’t know if the sample bearing BS No. 2154 comes from the lowest level. In any case, the NBPW do go back to a period well indicate that the before 1000 BCE. 

Terracotta 

The earliest terracotta representation of a Ramayanic scene is that from Kausambi in Uttar Pradesh. Though not inscribed on stylistic grounds it is ascribable to the 2^nd-1^st century BCE. It depicts Ravana carrying Sita away, after having abducted her. 

We then pass on to a terracotta representation of Rama himself. At present it is lodged in the Los Angeles County Museum, USA but it is said to have come from Nachara Khera in Haryana. It has been executed in what is known as the Kushan style of art. The right hand is in the abhaya-mudra. Behind the back on this very side may also be seen the upper part of the quiver filled with arrows. However, what is most important is that the figure bears an inscription. It is located on the lower part of the garment. Written in the Brahmi script of circa 4^th century CE, it reads Rama, thereby not leaving any doubt about its identification. 

Terracotta panel showing Rama, Sita and deer comes from Nachara Khera. Coming from another site in Haryana, namely Jind, is a terracotta panel which depicts the destruction of a part of the Asohka Vatika by Hanuman, after having met Sita. Though somewhat defaced, the panel clearly shows the destruction of the Ashoka Vatika by Hanuman. 

Down South, at Nagarjunakonda in Andhra Pradesh, there is a very fine Portrayal of the meeting of Bharata with Rama at Chitrakuta. It shows Rama seated, while Bharata, standing in front of the former, entreats him to return to Ayodhya. Behind Bharata is his entourages. It belongs to what is known as the Iksvaku School and is assignable to the 3^rd century CE. What is no less important is that this depiction constitute a part of the Dasaratha Jataka, emphasizing once again that Rama’s life-story is not confined of the Brahmanical religion but also attracted the attention of the Buddhists. A scene in a 5^th century temple at Nachana-Kuthara in Madhya Pradesh shows Ravana, in the guise of an ascetic, standing in front of the cottage of Sita. 

A scene from the famous temple at Ankor Vat, Cambodia is very intricately carved and within the carvings is scene which depicts Ravana carrying Sita away, after abducting her. The temple is ascribable to the 11^th century CE. Prambanam, in Indonesia, has a 9^th century temple which is full of scenes form the life-story of Rama.

Evidence of Literature 

But quite independently of the Brahmanical Ramayana of Valmiki, the Jatakas, which constitute an important part of the Buddhists literature, do narrate the life-story of Rama. Why should have the Buddhists included in their texts the life-story of Rama in such detail, unless they had accepted it is as a real-life happening? 

More telling than the foregoing is the evidence of a purely secular , non-religious text, namely Arthasastra of Kautilya, ascribable to the 4^th century BCE.

Manadravanah paradaranaprayachchhan;

Duryodhano rajyadamsam cha, 

Which means “Ravana [perished because he was] unwilling, under the influence of vanity, to restore a stranger’s wife and so also Duryodhana [ because he too was unwilling ] to part a portion of his kingdom”. 

In the late 1970’s and early 1980’s I took up a field-project named ‘Archeology of the Rayamana Sites’. 

The lowest cultural deposits common to all these sites were characterized by the Northern Black Polished Ware (NBPW) whose other associated features have also been described in the preceding pages. On the basis of the Carbon – 14 dates provided by the Birbal Sahni Institute of Paleobotany, Lucknow, the duration of the NBPW period at Adyodha ranges from somewhere in the 13^th century BCE to about the 4^th century BCE. 

I dug about half-a-dozen trenches through this flat piece of land and to my good surprise found structures of the Gupta period right below the surface. And as we went down, we encountered the Northern Black Polished Ware in the lower levels. But there was an amazing difference between the NBPW-yielding strata at Ayodhya and those at Bharadvaja Ashrama. Whereas at Adyodha there were successive floors and overlying occupational deposits, at Bharadvaja Ashrama there were no floors nor regular occupational levels. On the other hand, what we met with there was a thick deposit of sandy loam within which shreds of the NBPW were found only sporadically. 

Here we must recall that the Ramayana of Valmiki was composed sometime between the 3^rd century BCE and 3^rd century CE. In another words, the Ramayana was not a figment of the imagination of the poet but was based on a true story carried down over the centuries by word of mouth. 

In so far as the representation of the story of Rama in store is concerned, we may recall the exuberant sculptures from Nagarjunakonda in Andhra Pradesh (3^rd century CE), Nachana Kuthara in Madhya Pradesh (5^th century CE) and Pattadakala in Karnataka (7^th-8^th century CE). No less remarkable are the portrayals of Rama’s life outside India, e.g. at Prambanam in Indonesia (9^th century CE) and at Ankor Vat in Cambodia (11^th century CE). However, for our present discussion more noteworthy are the delineations of the life of Rama in terracotta. 

Finally, we shall refer to terracotta from Kausambi in Uttar Pradesh. Ascribable to circa 2^nd century BCE, it depicts a scene in which Sita, after her abduction, is being carried away by Ravana. She is throwing ornaments down on the ground in the hope these may be picked up by someone, leading ultimately to her whereabouts. 

Temple in the Janma-bhumi area at Ayodhya before Babari Masjid 

Of the trenches laid out in this area, one was immediately to the south of and almost parallel to the boundary wall of the Babari Masjid, the intermediary space being hardly four meters. The lowest levels in this trench were characterized by an early stage of Northern Black Polished Ware, and on the basis of the Carbon-14 dates provided by the Birbal Sahni Research Institute of Paleobotany, Lucknow, the beginning of the settlement at Ayodhaya would appear to go back to the last quarter of the 2^nd millennium BCE.

In the uppermost levels of this trench, hardly 50 centimeters below the surface, were encountered rows of pillar-bases, squarish on plan and made of brick-bats sometimes intermixed with a few stones. While most of these bases were well within the trench, a few of them lay underneath the edge of the trench towards the boundary wall of the Masjid. Associated with the pillar-base-complex there were successive floors made of time mixed with brick jelly. No coin or inscription was found on these floors but on the basis of the associated pottery and other antiquities the entire complex could be dated from the twelfth to fifteenth centuries CE. 

Attached to the piers of the Babari Masjid there were twelve stone pillars which carried out not only typical Hindu motifs and mouldings but also figures of Hindu deities. It was self-evident that these pillars were not an integral part of the Masjid but were foreign to it. 

However, since these pillar-bases raised a question about their relationship with the pillars affixed to the piers of the Masjid, which evidently had originally belonged to a Hindu temple, these draw public attention. Some historians took recourse to publishing all sorts of unsavory comments in the newspapers. However, when they were told that the pillar-bases were not someone’s fantasy but their photographs (along with the negatives), taken at the time of the excavation, did exist in the photo-archives of the Excavations Branch of the Archaeological Survey of India, they gave up their first exercise in denial. 

What an ingenious thesis to explain away the purpose of these bases which were associated with successive floors, made of a fine combination of lime and brick-jelly! In this context it needs to be added that, after a recent order of the Lucknow Bench of the Allahabad High Court, the Archaeological Survey of India carried out excavation in the area which earlier lay underneath the Babari Masjid and has discovered that the series of pillar-bases continues all over the area. What kind of a cow-shed does this learned professor envisage now? 

The demolition, ( Babari Masjid ) …… brought to light a great deal of archaeological material from within the thick walls of the Masjid. From the published reports it is gathered that there were more than 200 specimens which included many sculptured panels and architectural components which must have once constituted parts of the demolished temple. Besides, there were three inscriptions, of which two are illustrated here. 

The inscription is composed in high-flown Sanskrit verse, except for a small portion in prose, and in engraved in the chaste and classical Nagari script of the eleventh-twelfth century AD. It has yet to be fully deciphered, but the portions which have been fully deciphered and read are of great historical significance for our purpose here. It was evidently put up on the wall of the temple, the construction of which is recorded in the text inscribed on it. Line 15 of this inscription, for example, clearly tells us that a beautiful temple of Vishnu-Hari, built with heaps of stone (sila-samhati-grahais) and beautified with a golden spire (hiranya-kalsa-srisundaram) unparalleled by any other temple built by earlier kings. 

The inscription makes it abundantly clear that there did exist at the site a temple datable to circa 11^th-12^th century CE. the sculptures and inscribed slab that came out from within the walls of the Masjid belonged to this very temple. 

On the other hand, a reputed journal, India Today, published in its issue dated December 13, 1992 a photograph which shows the Kar Sevaks carrying on their shoulders a huge stone-slab sculpted with a long frieze, after having picked it up from the debris. 

Some historians have also alleged that the inscription has been forged. This is behaving like the Village School Master of Oliver Goldsmith, who, ‘though vanquished would argue still’. So many eminent epigraphists of the country have examined the inscribed slab and not even one of them is the view that the inscription is forged. Anyway, to allay any misgivings, I append here a Note form the highest authority on epigraphically matters in the country, namely the Director of Epigraphy, Archaeological Survey of India, Dr. K.V. Ramesh (Appendix II). In it first gives a summary of the inscription, then an actual reading of the text and finally an English translation thereof. While scholars would certainly like to go through, the Note, it may straightaway be stated here that according to it this temple was built by Meghasuta who obtained the lordship of Saketamandala [ i.e. the Ayodhya region] through the grace of a senior Lord of the earth, viz Govinda Chandra of the Gahadavala dynasty, who ruled a vast empire, from 1114 to 1155 CE. 

 In this entire context, it also needs to be added that there exist hundreds of examples, all over the country, of the destruction of temples and incorporation of their material in the mosques during the mediaeval times. For example, right in Delhi there is the Quwwatu’1-Islam Mosque (‘Might of Islam’) near the Qutab Minar, which incorporated parts of a large number of temples that had been wantonly destroyed by Qutub-ud-din Aibak. Shows, standing within the mosque complex, a colonnade which was constructed by using sculpted pillars of the demolished 27 Hindu and Jain temples. 

This fort was conquered and this Jami Masjid was built in ( the months of ) the year 587 [1191-92 AD] by the Amir, the great and glorious commander of the army, (named) Qutb-ud-daulat-wa-didin, the Amir-ul-umara Aibak Siltani, may God strengthen his helpers. The material of 27 temples, on (the erection of) each of which 2,000,000 Deliwals had been spent, were used in (the construction of) this mosque. May God the great and glorious have mercy on him who should pray for the faith of the founder of the good (building).

The evidence presented in the foregoing paragraphs in respect of the existence of a Hindu temple in the Janma Bhumi area at Ayodhya preceding the construction of the Babari Masjid is so eloquent that no further comments are necessary. 

Rama Setu 

A map assignable to the 16^th-17^th century CE shows a land-link between India and Sri Lanka. It is held that up to 1480 CE this land-link functioned as a bridge between India and Sri Lanka. 

Thus, for example, the Hampi inscription of Krishnadevaraya, dated to 1508 CE, refers many times to the Rama Setu. Just as nowadays, while referring to the extent of our country, we use the expression ‘Kashmir se Kanyakumari taka’ (i.e. ‘from Kashmir se Kanyakumari’, both of which are realities) in ancient times the phrase used such a context was ‘hemachalntadasetor’ i.e. ‘from the golden mountain (Meru) to the Setu’.  

The Hampi inscription of Krisnadevaraya , dated to 1508 CE , refers many times to the Rama Setu. 

Likewise, the coins issued by the Tamil kings of Nallur in Jafna, who ruled from the 13^th to 17^th century CE, affirm the existence of the Rama Setu, in the same manner as does the foregoing inscription. One such coin is illustrated here. It bears a human figure on the obverse, while on the reverse there is a sitting Nandi (bull, the vehicle of Siva) with a crescent-moon above it and the word ‘Setu’ in Tamil below it. It may, incidentally, be noted that this numismatic evidence comes not from the Indian side but from Sri Lanka. 

According to another estimate, in circa 8,000 BCE the sea-level may have been 60 meters below the present, while during the period between 4,000 and 5,000 BCE it may have been around 17 meters below the present. The most conservative estimate holds that the there has been a rise of 2mm per year, which makes it only 2 meters per 1,000 years. Anyway, what does become evident is that because of the warming up of the climate the sea-level has indeed been rising. 

If such drastic has been the story of the submergence of land-connections in Europe, why should it be surprising if a similar phenomenon took place in respect of the land-link between the southern tip of India and the northern tip of Sri Lanka? 

To return to the case to the Rama Setu. On a projection of even the minimum of the above-mentioned estimates, viz 2 meters per 1,000 years, it would follow that around 1,000 BCE, the sea-level may have been at least 6 meters below the present. while discussing the results of the excavations at Ayodhya we noted that, on the basis of the C-14 dates, the lower levels of the site are ascribable to a period from circa 1,200 BCE onwards. 

To achieve this, Rama did not need a “graduate degree from an engineering collage”, as demanded by an eminent political figure of the country Let us not lose our cool ! 

Dating the Era of Lord Ram by Pushkar Bhatnagar 

Sage Valmiki, a contemporary of Lord Rama, mentioned in his magnum opus Ramayana that when Lord Rama was born, the sun was located in Arise, Saturn was in Libra, Jupiter and the moon were shining in Cancer, Venus was seen in Pisces while Mars was located in Capricorn. Moreover, it was the ninth day of the increasing phase of the moon in the lunar month of Chaitra. 

Astronomical route 

If archeology cannot conclusively prove whether a temple existed at Ayodhya or a mosque, just 500 years ago, what help can it render in establishing the historical events, which happened more than 7000 years ago. ( p 1 ) 

Eternal existence and cyclical movement of the astronomical bodies in the sky is a matter of factual existence.  Their movements have been unswerving, unchanging and consistent for millions of years. (p 2)

Computer has made it possible to make such intricate and complicated computations easily. Valmiki Ramayana & computer software are easily available – manipulation of these two independent objects is just not possible. 

Three eclipses – 2 Solar & 1 Lunar, that sage Valmiki has stated to have occurred in 11 months span during 13^th / 14^th year of exile period of Lord Ram.  The software demonstrate that all these eclipses had actually taken place. Precisely on the days specified in the book. (p 2).

During the occurrence of 1st Solar eclipse, even the positions of 7 visible planets tally exactly with their description in the book. 

-  someone was actually present to witness the actual happening of these events and those got recorded in the story of Lord Ram. (p 4).

A group of Star is called a constellation – 88 such constellation has been identified. (p 5 )

Earth completes one revolution around the Sun in one calendar year.

Saturn     -      -30 years (29.46 years)

Jupiter     -12 years (11.86 years)

Mars       -      -1.88 years

Venus      -0.615 years 

Planets move in ecliptic path – imaginary circle around the earth, a circle of 360° around earth. 

Reference point in the sky needed to record changing position of planets, 12 constellation (Zodiac) were chosen. 

This served the purpose of click at a time when Calenders & watches were not in vogue. ( p 6 ) 

….. if the position of all-important planets is described in a comprehensive manner, then it can refer to one and only point of time.   Such comprehensive planetary configurations are not repeated for tens of thousands of years. 

Saturn takes 30 years to complete the full circle of Zodiac.

Take Jupiter (12 years) – these two will take 60 years to repeat their position. 

Now take Mars also in consideration – all three takes more than 180 years. 

In this manner, the time period goes on increasing

Sun completes the cycle in 25,920 years. ( p 7 & 8 ). 

Precession Cycle

In one year, Sun falls back in its path by about 0.0136°

In 2200 years – earth would fall backwards by one Zodiac (30°)

Any particular position of 9 planets in reference to the fixed Zodiacs would not repeat for tens of thousands of years again. ( p 9 ).

Nakshatras

To make astronomical observations more accurate & precise – ecliptic was divided into 27 equal divisions in such a manner that every day Moon moved roughly one division to other. ( p 9 ). 

The identification of 27 Stars as nakshatras gave birth to lunar Calander in which each day was named after one nakshatra – being the Star near which moon would be located. Of the 27 days, one day will be full moon day. The nakshatra near which the full moon occurred gave the name to the month of the lunar Calander “Purna–masi” – completion of the month Lunar year – 12 full moon days – of these, moon will always be near 12 Pre-identified stars or nakshatra. (p 10). 

Moon completes one month in about 29 days and appears to move from one Zodiac constellation to another. Sun moves from one zodiac to another in about 30 days. 

Twelve such months constitute a lunar year of 354 days, 8 h, 48 minutes & 36 seconds. The solar year is about 365.25 days. Thus, after about 2 ½ years the lunar year falls behind the solar year by about one full month. To help the lunar months coincide with solar year, extra or Adhik-mass was followed   by astronomers. 

60 Solar months = 62 lunar months. Adhik-mass is inserted every 30 solar months. It is highly scientific. 

This practice was prevalent in the times of the Rig Veda ( 1.25.8)

Rahu and Ketu are imaginary planets – refer to two points where every month, the moon cuts the path of the Sun. ( p 12 ).

The cyclical changes of length of days & nights take place because of the apparent movement of the Sun from the north in the summer to southward directions and from south in winter to northward direction – known as Daskshinayan & Uttarayan.

Sun appears to move between Cancer & Sagittarius is called Dakshinayan, and between Capricorn & & Gemini is called Uttarayan.    ( p 13 ). 

Software analyses route 

Planetarium Gold – powerful software is easy to use and it’s essential feature is that for any given point of time, whether in the past or in the future, it generates on the desktop the position of the stars and planets. Also shows phase of the moon on any given date. 

The software provides the option of displaying the scientific names and the conventional names of all the stars and thus help us in the identification of nakshatras. 

“the motions of the stars calculated by the Hindus before some 4500 years vary not even a single minute from the (modern) tables of Cassini and Meyer.- Sylvain Boilly  (French Astronomer ) .( p 15 ).

The ancient astronomers, sages and seers could accurately identify all the planetary bodies and they had comprehensive knowledge of their cyclical motion. 

Their obsession and lore for the astronomical bodies ensured that the planetary positions got recorded at several places whenever they composed any literature. In the same fashion Maharshi Valmiki has mentioned the position of stars and the planets, at various places in the Ramayana at the time of occurrence of certain specific events. 

For instance, the position of all the visible planets is given for the time of the birth of Lord Ram.

Valmiki Ramayan is immensely important from the point of view of astronomical dating is the fact that this book contains a series of planetary references in a sequential manner beginning with the date of birth of Lord Ram. ( p 20 ).

 

KRISHNA

                                   

Krishna, the mythical figure and historical personality, is unparallel in popularity and influence in India (primarily Hindus) & many parts of the world. Krishna has been and still continue to be the subject of study and Research, in different parts of the world as well as India, in many different languages. 

Krishna, the best ever known organizer & manager, diplomat, visionary, great warrior & destroyer of evil, friend & protector of weak of the society, unifier of small kingdoms to a nation that is Bharat , has continuously influenced philosopher and worshiped in Indian society for last about four millennium. 

Was he simply a mythical figure? Could an imaginary character have such deep wide-ranging prolonged effect on such a huge country & its population? Leave aside the image of God & Worshipping and digress into many reports / literature / researches on Krishna, the Savior. 

Krishna of Mahabharata is a historical person. He is a man, highly acclaimed political Leader. His peaceful dealing with patience on all matter, pleasant and attractive personality, political acumen, cleverness, knowledge of human character, able to influence even the adversaries, long planning and ability to asses future made him respected, feared, admired by all. 

Because of these quality and character, later days he was worshiped as God. Sharp edge intellect combined with sustained hard work enabled him to do impossible – combining small kingdoms all over the country to form a United Democratic Nation Bharat. Mahabharata is the oldest literature dealing with Krishna. A big portion of Mahabharata is full of stories which are not always historic facts. However, we can find Sri Krishna’s political role and activity in Mahabharata – Maharathi Krishna, the great leader, even superhuman character. 

Political game and acumen ship of Shri Krishna’s time can still be seen in present Bharat and World – balance of power and cold war persisting. Essence of Shri Krishna ‘s teaching and political & social philosophy is manifested in Srimad Bhagavad Gita, unparalleled literature in the world. 

This has remained relevant over thousands of years and is still relevant to our society. 

Anybody interested to study Srimad Bhagavad Gita should refer to Sri Sankaracharya’s.  (Founder of Adyaitya School) “BhagwadGita Bhasya’. 

That the Gita seeks to liberate man to make him free by revealing the height of truth is indisputably clear from its carama – sloka whose climax is moksayisyami, I shall liberate you. 

Computer simulations using a software that recreates the skies as they would have been observed from Kurukshetra – the scene of the epic battle on any given day of any given year in history. 

Searches for all the years in which there was a conjunction of Saturn with Aldebaran and found one hundred and thirty-seven such conjunctions in history. Further searches for those dates on which Mars was retrograde before reaching Anteas resulted in just seventeen overlapping dates. Final search for those dates on which there was a lunar eclipse near Pleiades and was left with just a single date on which all three astronomical events happened simultaneously. From the exercise it is evident that the Mahabharata war must have occurred in 3067 BCE, around five thousand years ago. (The Krishna Key, Ashwin Sanghi   p 9 ).

When one superimposes the information that Bhishma, the grand-uncle of both the Pandavas and the Kauravas, died in the month of Magha, which occurs after the winter solstice, the only remaining date is 3067 BCE. This emerges as a unique date for the Mahabharata war.’( p 11 ).

 

Megasthenes, the Greek ambassador in the court of Chandragupta Maurya, made the first written reference to Krishna. In his account, Krishna is called Heracles. The Greeks renamed many Indian deities after their own, and the Greek usage of the name Heracles was influenced by the term Hari, the common expression used for Krishna. Now what does Megasthenes tells us about Heracles? He writes that the Sourasenoi held Heracles in high esteem. Who are these Sourasenoi?

 

Sourasenoi were actually the Shurasenas, the Yadava descendants of Vasudeva’s father, Shurasena. Krishna was a Yadava himself. (p 12 ).

Krishna is recorded by the Greeks as having lived a hundred and thirty-eight generations before the times of Alexander and Chandragupta Maurya. We may take the midpoint of Chandragupta’s reign as 307 BCE. Now, assuming twenty years per generation which is a fairly good average where ancient Indian dynasties are involved, Krishna should have lived 2,760 years before 307 BCE. ( p 12 ).

 

The Surya Siddhanta is an ancient work on astronomy that provides the foundation for all Hindu and Buddhist calendars. According to Hindu philosophy, the very first event to distance us from God was the death of Krishna was an avatar of Vishnu and his passing away symbolically marked the dawn of Kaliyuga. If we believe the Surya Siddhanta, the Mahabharata war took place around 3067 BCE, not 2183 BCE.’ ( p 13 )

 

Krishna’s departure – Revati – 26 Sep, 3067 BC

Krishna’s arrival in Hastinapur – Bharani – 28 Sep, 3067 BCE

Solar eclipse – Jyeshtha Amavasya – 14 Oct, 3067 BCE

Full moon lunar eclipse – Krittika – 29 Sep, 3067 BCE

Mahabharata War Starts – Saturn in Rohini, Jupiter in Revati –        22 Nov, 3067 BCE

 

Winter solstice – 13 Jan, 3066 BCE

Bhishma’s death – Magha shuklaashtami – 17 Jan, 3066 BCE

Balarama pilgrimage on Sarasvati behins – Pushya day – 1 Nov, 3067 BCE

 

Balarama returns from pilgrimage – Sravana day – 12 Dec, 3067 BCE

Ghatotkacha is killed – Moon Rise at 2 am  - 8 Dec, 3067 BCE.(p 60).

It is said that on the night before the passing away of Duryodhana, Krishna paid a condolence visit to Gandhari. Gandhari was grieving for her sons and in her grief,  she cursed Krishna for causing the utter destruction of the entire Kaurava lineage. She predicted that Krishna’s own lineage would cease to exist after thirty-six years. As per legend, thirty-six years later, there was a massive flood and the seawater rushed in to claim the city of Dwarka. Krishna took his Yadava tribes by boat to higher ground to a place called ParabhasPatan around two hundred kilometers away.

 

Parabhas was the ancient name for Somnath. ( p 167 ).

The earliest reference to Krishna is found in the Chandogya Upanishad. The passage that refers to Krishna says: Ghora of the Angirasas spoke to Krishna, the son of Devaki. My thirst has been quenched, he said. And till the very end of his life he upheld the three key principles: Krishna is aksita indestructible; Krishna is acyuta eternal; God is praanasamhita the very flow and essence of life! (Krishna is even mentioned in the Rigveda as the seer of Vedic hymn. He is once again mentioned in the Atharvaveda as the slayer of the Keshi demon. No, it would be impossible for Krishna to figure in these ancient works if a historical personality by that name did not exist.  ( p 167 ). 

The English rascals came to India and propagated the myth of an Aryan invasion. Significantly, there is no record of an invasion or migration in the Vedas, Puranas of Itihasas. The Western pseudo scholars were simply unwilling to accept the fact that ours was an amazingly advanced civilization that lay distinctly outside Europe, at a time far earlier than the one in which the patriarchs Abraham and Moses made their covenant with God!’ ( p 180 ). 

The big break in favour of Krishna’s antiquity came from a book called Indica written around three hundred years before Jesus Christ by Megasthenes, the Greek ambassador to the Mauryan Kingdom. Megasthenes described Mathura as a centre of Krishna-worship. Western scholars who had been claiming that Krishna was simply a story inspired by the Christian Bible now had to eat their own words because it turned out that the Krishna story had exited much before Jesus Christ. For first time ever, Indian Iiterary sources were reviewed to see if they could substantiate what was written in the Indica. As it turns out, the grammarian Patanjali had written of Kansa’s slaying by Krishna in the second century BCE; Kautilya’s  Arthashastra from the fourth century BCE mentioned Krishna several times; the greatest Sankrit grammarian, Panini, talked of Vishnu – worship and Bhakti in the fifth century BCE.It was thus firmly established that Krishna and Krishna worship predated Christianity by many centuries.( p 181,182).

 

The thermo luminescent dating of other relics in addition to carbon-dating at other Kurukshetra sites have yielded dates for older than the Indus Valley civilization. Euan Mackie, and English archaeologist, has even discovered a clay tablet depicting Krishna’s uprooting of Yamala Arjuna tress. Guess where the clay tablet was discovered? In Mohenjodaro! Once again: proof that the Indus-Saravati was indeed the very civilization that gave us the Vadas, the epics, the puranas and the Upanishads.’( p 193 ).

A great deal that is written about Krishna’s early life is fabrication. ‘Krishna was a great statesman and strategist. He probably led a rather serious life with much of his early life devoted to studying under Sage Sandipani. ( p 320,321).

 

 ‘The reality is that Krishna-devotion is so deeply entrenched in most of the region that it’s virtually impossible to distinguish history from myth. Most of the Krishna story, in art and music, revolves around the Krishna and Radha romance. But Radha is not mentioned even once in Srimad Bhagavatam. ( p 322 ).

 

Inscription tells us is that Heliodorus a Greek ambassador had become a devotee of Vishnu and was fully conversant with ancient texts as well as religious observances. ‘It is thus evident that several other Greeks would also have adopted Krishna-worship under the influence of their ambassador. Till then, British historians had held the view that Krishna was simply a corruption of Christ and that legends of Krishna had been absorbed from the Bible. The Heliodorus column proved all of them wrong. It proved that Krishna-worship and the Vaishnava tradition predated Christianity by many hundreds if not thousands of years.( p 352,353).

 

Uniting smaller Kingdoms under the leadership of Pandavas was the aim and thoughts of Krishna. To eliminate injustice, suffering & poverty from Bharat there was the need of a group (Pandavas) led by Krishna who needed might of Arjuna , strength of Bhima and law abiding & just man like Yudhisthir to create a democratic nation that is Bharat.

 

Today’s democratic republic of India is the dream sketched by Krishna. Uniting all these States to live together in peace, self respect, federal Character & not interfering in the internal matters under a strong Central Government was Krishna’s aim for which he fought relentlessly throughout his life. There lies Krishna greatness, elevating him to God level.

 

Krishna’s diplomacy was superlative of arguments & persuasion to assembled kings of Draupadi’s Swaymvar and deterring them from fighting among themselves when Arjuna won the Swaymuar, avoiding ugly situation by persuading Pandavas to accept Khandava Forest in place of Indraprastha and building a new Capital, marriage of sister with Arjuna, a political arrangement to get support of Yadava for Pandava which played vital role in war of Kurukshetra, diffusing Balaram’s anger when Arjuna abducted Shubhadra and many such situations.

 

Krishna's brilliance is reflected in Bhagvat Gita, arguably the best literature on human teaching. For the first time, in the 8th century AD, this book was taken out of that mighty epic, Mahabharata, by Sankaracharya, who wrote a great commentary in Sanskrit on it and placed before the people. Sankaracharya was on extraordinary creative personality. Subsequently, many great scholars wrote commentaries in different languages - Saint Jnanesvar, Lokmanya Tilak, Swami Vivekananda.

 

When circumstances go beyond control and Society becomes corrupt, in order to restore the moral values, a great power becomes manifest (Sankara) - Sambhami Yuge Yuge - Krishna. 

 Sri Krishna will say that non-violence is not a virtue in every case . Non-violence must be of a strong variety, a bold variety. Even Mahatma Gandhi would say "I don’t like the non-violence of the coward. Non-violence of the brave alone is non-violence. Vedanta tells us: Weakness and virtue can never go together. Virtue is strength; weakness is no virtue at all. Upanishads preach only one message: fearlessness and strength. Uttistithata Jagrata prapya Varan nibodhata" - arise, awake and stop not till the goal is reached - as translated by Swami Vivekananda. Bhagvat Gita is the essence of Life as explained by Krishna to Arjuna at the beginning of Kurukshetra war when Arjuna was reluctant to fight against Elders & Kins. 

Krishna says to Arjuna "whenever O descendant of Bharata, there is decline of Dharma and rise of Adharma, then I body myself forth (Chapter 4, Sloka 7). For the protection of the virtuous, for the destruction of the wicked and for the establishment of dharma, I come into being in every age (Sloka 8).