History of Dharmashastra (Ancient and Mediaeval Religious and Civil Law in India) v4.c63.t2.773.1

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'.