Author: IANS
Publication: MSN India
Date: April 3, 2005
URL: http://autofeed.msn.co.in/pandorav3/output/NRI/5ee77123-77f5-4b61-b82a-09181803c433.aspx
A Canadian researcher of Indian
origin says on the strength of astronomical evidence that the Mahabharata
war was fought between the Pandavas and Kauravas in 2156 BC.
Anand Mohan Sharan, who teaches
in the faculty of engineering at the Memorial University in Newfoundland,
said he used computers and several kinds of software to reach the conclusion
about the epic Kurukshetra battle.
"The astronomical evidences proved
the historicity of the Mahabharata war by verifying the position of the
planetary configurations mentioned in the 'Bhishma Parva' of the Mahabharata,"
Sharan told IANS.
The Bhishma Parva is one of the
18 Parvas, or sections, that make up the Mahabharata. The Mahabharata was
authored by Sri Vyasa and is one of Hinduism's two major epics, the other
being Ramayana.
Sharan, who is visiting Bihar, insisted
that his research on the Mahabharata war proved that the epic was no fiction.
According to Sharan, the "evidences"
include Lord Krishna's departure for negotiations in a bid to avoid the
war on Revati day and the start of Balram's pilgrimage for 42 days along
the Saraswati river on Pushya day.
The drying up of the Saraswati river
is believed by many to have taken place around 1700 BC.
"My results confirm that the descriptions
in the Mahabharata are correct, and do not require re-organisation of the
'shlokas' as suggested by many researchers in the past," he said.
Sharan said his search time span
covered 500 BC to 4000 BC.
"This time span ensures that it
covers all possible dates of the Mahabharata war. The date so determined
were checked against other archaeological evidences such as the possibility
of the presence of iron in India on that date."
In the past, several astronomers
have made efforts to date the Mahabharata war.
