Mahabharata Chronology

[Karmadev]

Came across this.



Mahabharata Chronology

fair warning: This is very long. It has fifteen main points and several sub points.

Summary:
Krishna lived to age of 120.
Mahabharata happenned at his age 84 and Yudhishthara 92, Arjun 82.
Rajsuya Yagna happenned at Krishna age 70, Yudhishthara 78, Arjuna 68
Khandava Vana Incident happenned when Krishna age 51, Yudhishthara 59 and Arjuna 49

Indraprastha was established when Yudhishthara was 40, Krishna 32 and Arjuna 30
so Adi Parva: 59 years of Yudhishthara's life
Sabha Parva: 19 years
Vana Parva: 12 years
Virata Parva: 12 months plus
Udyoga Parva: Not specific but feels some significant time elapsed. by parva year length sequence it could 6 months
Bheeshma Parva: 10 days
Drona Parva: 5 days

Karna Parva: 2 days
Salya parva: 1 day
Sauptika, Stree, Anushasana and Shanti: 50 days
And here's why
What TIME or Samay elements are known from Mahabharata?
• Astrological descriptions are not time indicators other and repeat on regular basis. They may indicate day and month of the event not year.
• Fact One: Krishna was 120 years of age at his Vaikunthagaman. It is also listed as 125 in Harivarsha and Bhagvada. Let us use one date 120 years. I would hazard that 125 lunar years correspond to 121 plus solar years. A solar year is 11 days and few hours longer. In five years it becomes 2 months according to common calendar. In current calendar, every year, we have a mal masa of 11 to 13 days before dakhsinayan.
• Fact Two: Yadava civil war happened 36 years after Mahabharata War.
o Krishna was 84 at Mahabharata War.
• Fact Three: Khandava van Daha took place 33 years before Udyoga parva.
o Krishna was 51 at Khandava Van daha.
o Sabha was built in 14 months.
o Rajasuya was conducted few months before Dyuta kreera.
• Fact Four: Vanvas and AgyatVas period was 13 years 5 months and 6 days.
o Krishna was around 70 at Dyuta Kreera or better still at Rajasuya yagna.
o Sabha construction to Rajasuya period is 18 years. This is not same as Indraprastha period. Indraprastha period would be these 18 plus 12 of Arjuna plus more years.
• Fact Five: Arjuna uses Gandiva for total of 65 years and he acquires Gandiva at Khandava Vana incident. He did not “use” Gandiva at Abhira apaharana incident.
o If we use the date to mean possession of Gandiva, then Arjuna gave up Gandiva 36 years after Mahabharata. So, he acquired Gandiva 16 years before going on Vanvaas. So Sabha construction to Rajasuya period is 16 plus years. So Fact 4 and Fact 5 ballast each other. (One maybe listing lunar and other solar years so 17 and 18 years, is not a major difference.)
• Fact Six: Abhimanyu and Five Draupedeyas were born before Khandava vana daha.
o The fact ballasted by their acting as Royal escorts at Rajasuya Yagna. They would be adults as described in early Sabha parva and Dhrishtadamyun backed by Abhimanyu and Draupedeyas are ready to fight just after Dyuta not only 13 years later.
o Abhimanyu is mentioned as fighting 16 year old. Drona and Bheeshma are similarly described as fighting 16 year olds. 16 year old Abhimanyu gives lie to Rajasuya descriptions and Udyoga Parva. So we cannot use this fact. It is same as Seven Maharathis killing him together. Poetic but inaccurate.
• Fact Seven: Arjuna travels for 12 years. This happened before Khandava vana daha. He marries Subhadra at end of these 12 years. Subhadra is marriageable age at this point.
• Fact 8: Krishna was 8th son of Devaki. Devaki was imprisoned by Kansa. Devaki would be in Jail for 8 years when Krishna was born on lowest count. Harivarsha reported that Kirtiman was born and was a young kid when Narada came to Kamsa playing with Kirtimana, his nephew, and took 8 balls and arranged them one after another and then in a circle, indicating to Kamsa that 8th son could be anyone of the sons in a circle (mala) and Kamsa then cruelly kills Kirtimana. Kamsa was killed by 16 to 18 year old Krishna.
o Vasudev was in prison at least for 24 years. His brother in law was Pandu and his extended family had great warriors who could not rescue him. Ergo, His brother in law was not King when Vasudev was imprisoned. His other brother-in-laws were allies of Kamsa and are also anyway much younger than him. Damghosha‘s son Shishupala was born 17-18 years after Krishna.
This is my speculation. Soora, conquered Mathura from Shatrughana’s descendents but fell in love with tribal girl Marishi (Naag kanya in Mahabharata) and gave up that kingdom to Devaka his cousin to marry this lower caste lady. This sacrifice for love tallies well with what Vasudev did and eventually the true idol of love, Radhaswami, Soora’s grandson.
o Krishna was student for 64 days and then goes to get Sandipani’s sons from Yam raja. So Krishna was 17-18 at this time.
o Krishna faced 18 annual (specifically mentioned annual in couple of slokas) Magadhan invasions and then settled Dwarka. He would be 35 at that time.
• Fact Nine: Shishupala was born and then Krishna held the baby in his hands, Shishupala is at least 17 years younger than Krishna, and Rukmini would be same age as Shishupala as his intended bride.
o Shishupala’s daughter married Nakula and her son Nirmitra is born before Dyuta. Sisupala is atleast 50 plus at his death, being a grandfather. Krishna is 70 at death of Shishupala. This ballasts fact four.
o Pradyumana at Draupadi swvamvyar is an anomaly. Krishna would be 60, if the poet means a son of Krishna then Krishna is atleast 40. Either way Adult sons of Krishna are an anomaly at Draupadi Swvamvyar.
• Fact 10: Kamsa did not kill Subhadra so Subhadra was born after Kamsa’s death. Subhadra is 17 years younger than Krishna atleast if not more. Subhadra was married at marriageable age, Subhadra married when Arjuna finishes his travels. Subhadra was not born in prison as 9th child; remember the story of Narada, Kamsa in a mala formation.
Krishna’s life is more temporally detailed so I used that. Now, let us look at Dharmaraj.
• Fact 11: Dharmaraja was 16 when he came to Hastinapur. Not exactly mentioned in Mainstream editions, Dakshinatya has 16 years, Kamla Subramaniam came up with 15.
o Main point is to align the Krishna and Yudhishthara Time facts to get Mahabharata chronology.
o Easiest would be to use Bhima is older than Krishna and Krishna is older than Arjuna so Krishna is born within 2 years of Yudhisthara. We have one synchronism; Yudhisthara and Krishna are 2 years apart. Chatursen goes with that in absence of any direct evidence.
Alternate synchronism:
o Vasudev on hearing the glad tidings of Kunti’s pregnancy send Kasyapa Brahmin to do Yudhishthara’s birth rituals. The Brahmin could not return. It is just a small line in Chapter 123 of Adi Parva. This swamibhakta Brahmin then stayed on and did the naming rituals for all Pandavas and taught them and was in the train when they all went to Hastinapur. A whole life of service hidden in few slokas. Vasudeva was a free man when Yudhishthara was born. Assuming, he spends his next 24 years in prison, which corresponds to youth and training for his nephew Yudhishthara.
Pandavas attacked Drupada as their first exploit. Their first target would be Kamsa if he was still alive. (In Wayang, it is older brothers Bhima, Balaram Sankarshana, Yudhishthara who actually do the major damage allowing Krishna to kill Kamsa.).
As great follower of Dharma, Yudhishthara would not have abided by his cousins being slaughtered and Kamsa ruling few days ride away from Hastinapur unless Yudhishthara was not capable of fighting or was stopped by dharma itself, in this case following dictates of his king Dhritrashtra.
Pandu would have moved heaven and earth to rescue his brother-in-law (saari Khudai ek taraf, Joru ka Bhai ek taraf) unless Pandu had no army to move heaven and earth, he was in vana. Pandu defeats Dirgha of Magadha, predecessor to Jarasandh earlier so Kamsa was small fry compared to him. So, Vasudeva went to prison just after Yudhishthara’s birth or just before and Pandu was in vana. Actually, BRC Mahabharata showed the Pandu vijay and Kamsa vijay episodes so close that people got confused why didn’t Pandu just beat Kansa up.
o Krishna was 8th son so Yudhishthara is atleast 8 years older than Krishna.
o Bhima is older than Krishna. What we know of Bhima’s birth.
Gandhari conceived and she bore the burden in her womb for two long years. It was then that she heard that Kunti had brought forth a son whose splendor was like unto the morning sun. And she was greatly afflicted at this. Impatient of the period of gestation which had prolonged so long, she struck her womb with great violence without the knowledge of her husband. And thereupon came out of her womb, after two years' growth, a hard mass of flesh like unto an iron ball. Dwaipayana, addressed the daughter of Suvala thus, 'What hast thou done?' ….. Vyasa then said, ‘Let a hundred pots full of clarified butter be brought instantly, and let them be placed at a concealed spot. In the meantime, let cool water be sprinkled over this ball of flesh.' "Vaisampayana continued, 'That ball of flesh then, sprinkled over with water, became, in time, divided into a hundred and one parts, each about the size of the thumb. These were then put into those pots full of clarified butter that had been placed at a concealed spot and were watched with care. The illustrious Vyasa then said unto the daughter of Suvala that she should open the covers of the pots after full two years.
So Duryodhana is about 2 to 4 years younger to Yudhishthara. The way slokas are written, the second line is to be read first ( and this is a several lines verse). The difference is atleast 2 years plus.
o Bhima and Duryodhan were born on same day.
o Arjuna is born after Pandu visits Gokula and sees that beautiful dark colored baby. (As described by Arjun to Uttara in Virata parva.) indicating Pandu saw Krishna, returns and asks Kunti for another son. He propitiates Lord Indra for One year and then Arjuna is born afterwards. So Arjuna is born within 2 years of Krishna and within 10 after Yudhishthara.
o This age gap between Older Kaunteyas and Arjuna is reflected well in later story telling as younger Arjuna is held back while Bhima handles the Lakshagraha and then forest demons. Arjuna slowly grows into his role as a hero and starts taking center stage. People complain about the Epic being too Arjuna centric (among them me too) but one forgets that it is Arjuna’s great grandson who is the main audience and is paying for the hawan, food and liquor, I mean somarasa. That’s why I like Wayang where Arjuna still does the great deeds but there are the Panokwans, the servants lead by Semar who keep him in check, “Yeah, great deed buddy, but Bhima would have done it faster, Yudhishthara cleaner, Nakula without effort and Sahadeva and Krishna know that they can make you do it anyway!!”).
So here we have the chronology:
• Yudhishthara was 128 when Dwarka was swallowed by sea. Arjuna was 118.
• Yudhishthara was 92 in the War. Arjuna was 82. Chatursena removed some events in sequence making them parallel and calculates Arjuna at 72. Several bhakti saints calculated Draupadi to be 76 in agyatvasa, assuming she emerged as 16 year old. Their explanations are not complete or credible.
• Yudhishthara was 78 at Rajasuya yajna. Arjuna was 68.
• Yudhishthara was 59 at Khandava vana daha. He was 60 when he introduced his sabha.
Now the early years:
• Fact 12: Yudhishthara was a student of Drona too. He was made crown prince a year after Drupada Vijaya. Historically coronations are done at 25 years of age, ab aap Snataka se Grihasthashrama mein pravesh kar rahen hain. So we can safely assume Dharmaraja was atleast 25 on becoming crown prince. I would hazard that he could be older too almost 30 at this time as stated in other post by Mina Sen. 120 year life spans means 30 year quarter cycles. Remember even Bahlika was with us and he is not special!
• Fact 14: During Dharmaraja’s crown princeship: Bhima and Arjuna go on three war expeditions and Pandavas stay at Varanavrata for 1 year. This period between the coronation and insurance fraud describes events which give the feel like 3 to 5 years elapsed IMHO. Let us assume Yudhishthara is 5 years older or 35 at Lakshagraha.
o Ghatotkacha is born, Yudhishthara is 36. Baka is killed, Yudhishthara is 37. Draupadi swvyamvar, Yudhisthara is 37-38. Ghatotkacha’s adult sons are mentioned as participating in battle.
• So Yudhishthara gets Indraprastha around the age of 40. Let me also mention Fact 13. There is a throwaway sloka that 13 years elapsed when Narada visits Pandavas and tells the story of Sunda-Upsunda. That is anomalous. Why wait thirteen years before telling them the story? They are already living with their queen for more than a decade!! I think Narada’s story is the anomaly. A sop to the social male ego that Drauapdi lived with the brothers by turn rather than her choice. That is giving too much power to the Women. Anyway, in chronology, then Arjuna goes on his 12 year bender. Then Khandava vana. This would be 13 years (fact 13) plus 12 (fact 7) plus 18 (fact 4& 5) aka 40 plus years in Indraprastha. We had reached 40 years as age of Yudhishthara when he became king and we had 78 when he did Rajasuya!
• Fact 10, Subhadra. Assuming when Arjuna left for his whambam thank you mam sojourn immediately after Indraprastha founding then he would be a seasoned 40 plus year old marrying young 20 year Subhadra. Which is not bad, Forty is the new thirty and thirty is new twenty, anyway!
For a show told to whole of India for the first time by Mr. Samay, the fact is that most of mainline editions does not have specific time statements. There are just 2 in whole of Virata and Udyoga for example. We do not have time periods for lot of events between Lakshagriha and Indraprastha founding. Ok, there are many in Pandava Puranas (Jain editions of Pandava charita, Nemi Charita and Harivansha) but those are non-traditional. We do not know exactly when the kids were born or which sequence. Only thing we know is that Shrutkarmma was born after Arjun returned home, Sootasoma was an elected King of Udyendupur before Rajsuya and Prativindhya was a King before Dyuta. We do not have clear time for childhood events also. Wayang, the Indonesian version has some of that. In Geeta, Arjuna laments that he would be killing his grandchildren demonstrating clearly the time elapsed between the start of hostilities when little Bhima and Duryodhana fired up the little Einsteins rocket with pat-clapping their thighs to trying to clap each other’s thighs with bigger batons.
As stated above, there is no specific time gap for Karna and Yudhishthara. We can only deduce it. The Hindunet site posted back in 1998 was speculative and without any real sources.
This is what happenned very very fast
• Pandu marries Kunti, Bheeshma goes and gets Madri as second wife, 30 days later Pandu goes east expedition. Next year, Pandu goes west expedition and even fails against Yavana king. Then the money is used to hold 5 huge sacrifices. Then Pandu retires literally. Yudhishthara is born within 2 years of that.
• So minimum time between Kunti giving birth to Karna and Yudhishtara is 5 years. I would hazard 8 to 10 years if the schedule seems too tight.
• Why 16 years gap between the 2 older sons of Kunti seems too large: Kunti would be atleast child bearing age to give birth so she would be atleast 16-17 when Karna was born. If she is married after 5 years and Pandu retires to forest after ten years then it does not make sense, why didn’t Pandu’s wives or Gandhari conceive in that decade. Well it may work and be explained, it is India after all, they were just producing daughters all along and none of the writers were interested in those unless they marry five men or the village idiot!