History of Dharmashastra (Ancient and Mediaeval Religious and Civil Law in India) v4.c63.t2.773
History of Dharmaśāstra (Ancient and Mediaeval Religious and Civil Law in India) v4.c63.t2.773
- Language
- English
v4.c63.t2.773.1
There are other data in the Mahābhārata from which also the date of the Mahābhārata war is sought to be deduced. Before entering into details, some matters that are accepted by most scholars may be stated here. It is generally held that there were two eclipses, first, one of the moon immediately followed by a solar eclipse, that there was a fortnight of 13 days which was looked upon as very unusual and a very evil omen. Vide Bhīṣma 3. 28 quoted in n. 1767. In Bhīṣmaparva 3. 31-32 Vyāsa is reported as saying, 'I have known amāvāsyā occurring on the 14th, 15th or 16th day (of a pakṣa), but I do not know an amāvāsyā occurring on the 13th day (of a pakṣa); both the moon and the sun were eclipsed in the same month on the 13th day'. In the Mausala-parva¹⁷⁷⁹ 2. 18-19, when Kṛṣṇa, 36 years after the war, beheld certain portents it is said, "on observing those portents on the amāvāsyā occurring on the 13th day he declared 'Rāhu had made this (13th day) appear as the 14th and 15th (when usually there is amāvāsyā) when the Bhārata war took place; to-day it has again occurred for our destruction'. From these words it is clear that the occurrence of amāvāsyā at the end of a *pakṣa* of 13 days was looked upon as a very evil omen. Then many scholars hold that a comet had also appeared at the time of the great war. Bhīṣma 3. 13¹⁷⁸⁰ states, 'a very frightful comet stands in the sky covering the constellation of Puṣya'.
v4.c63.t2.773.2
There are grave doubts whether the statement is made from actual observation. The appearance of a comet has always been associated in ancient times with great calamities. Compare Kumārasambhava II. 32 'upaplavāya lokānām dhūmaketurivotthitaḥ'. As indicated above, the Mahābhārata gathers together several possible and impossible things to emphasize their significance as to impending calamities. Therefore the inclusion of a comet among portents does not establish that a comet had actually appeared at the time of the Bhārata war. Supposing for argument that a comet had appeared, that circumstance is of no help at all in settling the date. A large number of comets is included in the sun's retinue. The number of comets of long periods that approach the sun in a century is said to be 300. There is nothing to show what particular comet appeared at the time of the war and no one has data to connect the Mahābhārata comet with Halley's comet or any other comet well-known in modern times. Therefore the *datum* about a comet is entirely worthless for purposes of chronology. According to Bṛhatsaṁhitā 11. 5 and Utpala thereon the ancient writer Parāśara held the view that there were 101 *ketus* and Garga said that there were a thousand. The description in Bhīṣma 3. 13 states that the *perihelion* of the comet was in Puṣya. In Udyogaparva 143. 10 it is said 'since a *graha* specially afflicts Citrā, a great calamity is indeed approaching the Kauravas'. This may probably refer to a comet.
v4.c63.t2.773.3
Two other verses appear to have some bearing on this. Bhīṣma 3. 12 states¹⁷⁸¹ that the white *graha* stands traversing citrā (i. e. it is about to enter into *svāti*) and verse 16 says, 'the white *graha* is fiery like fire emitting smoke and stands occupying Jyeṣṭhā which is a bright star presided over by Indra'. What is meant by 'white graha'? The words 'śveto grahaḥ' should ordinarily denote Venus. Nīlakaṇṭha takes them to mean Ketu (node) in Bhīṣma 3. 12 and another comet in 3. 16. If this latter explanation be accepted there were two comets seen at the time. Even if we hold that Bhīṣma 3. 16 describes the tail of the comet mentioned in 3. 13, that is of very little help. All that would be meant would be that the tail of the comet was a very long one Bhīṣma 3. 17 has been taken to refer to Rāhu by Nīlakaṇṭha, while some modern scholars hold that it refers to a comet. It means, 'a cruel comet standing between Citrā and Svāti, afflicts Rohiṇī and also the sun and the moon'. The description of the Ketu called Śveta in Bṛhat-saṁhitā 11. 39 agrees very closely with the description in the Bhīṣmaparva and Parāśara quoted by Utpala thereon states that the Ketu called 'Śveta' becomes visible after 115 years and portends the destruction of two-thirds of the population.