Questionnaire on the Dating of the Mahābhārata


Questionnaire on the Dating of the Mahābhārata

A. Astronomy & Computational Methods

  1. Which modern software or astronomical models support inverse ephemeris (i.e., finding the date from planetary positions)?

    • What are their limitations?

    • How far back can they reliably compute?

    • Why do these limitations exist (numerical instability, chaos, precession modelling, etc.)?

  2. What is the typical margin of error in long-term planetary simulations (using models like VSOP87, JPL DE431/406, Laskar, etc.)?

    • How do small modelling errors affect deep-history dating?

  3. How reliable are the astronomical verses in the Mahābhārata?

    • Are some likely to be interpolations or corrupted?

    • Do different recensions (Krit, Bombay, Southern) show variation in these verses?

  4. When using astronomy for dating, how do scholars avoid “curve fitting” planetary positions to match preconceived dates?

B. Arundhatī–Vasiṣṭha Phenomenon

  1. What is the scientific basis of the Arundhatī–Vasiṣṭha (Alcor–Mizar) observation mentioned in the epic?

    • Is there any period in the last 10,000 years when Arundhatī appears ahead of Vasiṣṭha?

    • If such a reversal occurs, how often would it happen?

    • In the present epoch, which star appears ahead?

  2. Do ancient Indian astronomical texts mention this phenomenon elsewhere, or is it unique to the Mahābhārata?

C. Astronomical Events Described in the Text

  1. How many ślokas in the Mahābhārata explicitly mention planetary positions or astronomical events connected to the war?

  2. Which specific astronomical events in the text are considered scientifically testable?
    Examples:

    • Solar and lunar eclipses

    • Mars retrogression

    • Saturn in Rohiṇī

    • Comet sightings

    • Seasonal and lunar day references

  3. Is the famous “double eclipse within 13 days” astronomically feasible within any proposed date range?

  4. Which astronomical references are unambiguous and which may be poetic, symbolic, or metaphorical?

D. Textual Transmission & Internal Literary Evidence

  1. Which Mahābhārata recension (Northern, Southern, Critical Edition) is considered most reliable for astronomy-related verses?

  2. What criteria do scholars use to identify later astronomical insertions or corruptions in the text?

  3. Do early commentaries (e.g., Neelakantha, traditional tikās) provide independent astronomical details relevant for dating?

E. External Literary, Puranic & Genealogical Evidence

  1. What external literary sources (Purāṇas, early commentators, Buddhist/Jain records) help contextualize the date of the Mahābhārata war?

  2. How reliable are the Puranic genealogical lists (Sūryavaṃśa and Chandravaṃśa) for chronological estimation?

  3. Does linguistic analysis of the Mahābhārata suggest multiple layers of composition?

  • If yes, what does this imply for dating the core narrative?

F. Archaeology & Material Culture

  1. What does archaeology from Hastināpura, Indraprastha, Kurukṣetra, and related sites tell us about possible timelines for the epic events?

  2. Does the material evidence of the Painted Grey Ware (PGW) culture align with any proposed dates of the war?

  3. Are there inscriptions or archaeological markers that independently reference events or figures from the Mahābhārata?

G. Comparison of Different Dating Theories

  1. Why do scholarly conclusions about the date of the Mahābhārata vary so widely—from ~3000 BCE to ~1500 BCE?

  2. What are the most common methodological mistakes made by researchers who attempt astronomical dating of the epic?

  3. Do astronomical simulations alone suffice for dating, or should astronomy be used only in combination with archaeology, linguistics, and textual criticism?

  4. Is it possible that the war happened at one time, but the astronomical sections were updated or recalculated in later centuries?

  • How do scholars evaluate this possibility

     

    H. How did you arrive at the dating

  • Please explain how you arrived at the dating of the Mahābhārata.

  • Please explain in non-technical words so that a layman like me can understand.

    Mr Nilesh Oak does mention of search papers that coincide with the sea level rise in ~5000 BCE, he also mentions about the search paper that speaks about the sudden fall in population close to ~5000 BCE  what i.s your opinion on that

    Are there any such modern research that can support your dating, like research on rise of the sea level, analysis of comet falling etc. 

     

    I. Eclipse, Illusion, and the Jayadratha Episode

  • In the Jayadratha episode, Krishna momentarily covered the Sun with his Sudarshana Chakra, causing darkness, which made Jayadratha think sunset had occurred—leading him to come out of hiding and be killed by Arjuna.

  • Was this event a real astronomical eclipse, or a divine illusion created by Krishna?

  • If it was an eclipse, how could people of that time—who were highly skilled astronomers—fail to predict it?

  • If it was an illusion, how should such supernatural elements be treated when using astronomical data to date the Mahābhārata?

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