History of Dharmashastra (Ancient and Mediaeval Religious and Civil Law in India) v4.c63.t2.792

v4.c63.t2.792

Bhīṣma 3. 15 states that Venus¹⁷⁸⁶ having ascended (i. e. occupied) the Pūrvābhādrapadā nakṣatra shines charmingly and it looks up to Uttarābhādrapadā together with (?). The meaning of ‘parikramya sahitaḥ’ is not at all clear. However the first half is as clear as possible. Venus was in Pūrvā Proṣṭhapadā. If the Sun was in Jyeṣṭhā on Kārtika amāvāsyā, it is impossible that Venus could have been in the 8th nakṣatra from Jyeṣṭhā. Venus is never more than four nakṣatras from the Sun in the sky. This would completely knock on the head the principal statement that seven planets were near each other. Mr. Karandikar in desperation suggests that we should understand Pūrvāṣāḍhā for ‘Proṣṭhapade Pūrve’ and also that the word ‘Proṣṭhapade’ was an interpolation inserted by some busy body later on. As I have frequently said above, this is a most unjustifiable way of dealing with the so-called astronomical data in the Mahābhārata. ‘Proṣṭhapade Pūrve’ can never mean ‘Pūrvāṣāḍhā’. In the Tai. S. IV. 4. 10. 1-3, and the Tai. Br. I. 5. 1 and III. 1. 1 the word Proṣṭhapadā is expressly employed for Pūrvā Bhādrapadā. Why should one word in a verse be held to be interpolated? Is it because it does not agree with one’s hypothesis? In Śalya 11. 18 Venus and Mars are said to be in conjunction with the Moon. If the war started on Bharaṇī as the Bhāratasāvitrī says, then at the time of the mace-duel the moon might be in Jyeṣṭhā and therefore both Mars and Venus will have to be in Jyeṣṭhā. But this is opposed to two of the passages cited above referring to the position of Mars. If the war began on Jyeṣṭhā and Kārtika amāvāsyā, then on the 18th day the moon will be in Puṣya or Āśleṣā and both Venus and Mars would have to be in one of these two. In any case, if Venus was in Pūrvā-bhādrapadā at the beginning of the war, on the 18th day it can neither be in Jyeṣṭhā, nor in Puṣya nor in Aśleṣā. Besides, it is debatable whether Bhīṣma 3. 16 (where 'śveto grahaḥ' is mentioned) refers to Venus or not. Venus is often called 'Sita' in ancient astronomical works (e. g. in Bṛhat-saṁhitā 9. 42, 45).