History of Dharmashastra (Ancient and Mediaeval Religious and Civil Law in India) v4.c63.t2.753.2

v4.c63.t2.753.2

Karandikar, editor of the ‘Kesari’ (Poona), contributed certain articles (in Marathi) which are now issued as a booklet (1939), in which he examines many of the astronomical references in the Mahābhārata and the Paurāṇic lists about the dynasties of ancient Indian kings and arrives at the conclusion that the Mahābhārata war was fought in 1931 B. C. Though I differ from him in important details, I think that the date arrived at by him appears to be one of the two probable or best authenticated dates among the several dates proposed by various scholars. Prof. P. C. Sen-Gupta contributed a paper to the Journal of the Bengal Asiatic Society in 1937, vol. III pp. 101-119, in which he discusses the date of the Mahābhārata war and arrives at the conclusion that the Bhārata war was fought about 2449 B. C. This also is a very probable date and has the authority of the tradition mentioned in the Bṛhatsaṁhitā that the śaka era is 2526 years after the era of Yuddhiṣṭhira. In J. A. S. B. for 1938, vol. IV pp. 393-413 Prof. Sen-Gupta again examines ‘Bhārata battle traditions’ and confirms the date 2449 B. C. already arrived at by him. Dr. K. L. Daftari delivered some lectures in the University of Nagpur on ‘the astronomical method and its application to the chronology of Ancient India’ which are published in book form (Nagpur, 1942).