Mahabharata Quiz - 113

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Question – 113

Mars positioned in Scorpio along with the Sun was seen to have made retrograde movement which is impossible to happen. Was that appearance also the result of the sway of the earth caused by the comet-hit?

Answer:

Yes. Mars was present in Scorpio in the month of Karthika says the text. This means the Sun was in Scorpio. Mars, the outer planet, cannot retrograde while seen on the side of the sun. It will regress only when it is on the opposite side of the sun.

The exact verse spoken by Karna can be translated as follows:

“The planet Angaāraka (Mars), wheeling, O slayer of Madhu, towards the constellation Jyeṣṭha, approacheth towards Anurādha, indicating a great slaughter of friends.” (MB: 5.141.8).

Scorpio appears as follows. Venus and Mars were also present close to that constellation at that time in Karthika.

After sunset, the constellation was on the western horizon, about to disappear soon. Mars was near Jyeshtha, but it appeared to move backwards towards Anuradha which cannot happen in real terms in the month of Karthika with the Sun present close by.

But Karna reporting this to Krishna before Krishna departed Hastinapur after the failed peace mission shows that this was witnessed because of the sudden sway in the earth.

Such sway was not physically felt but palpable by the way the closely placed celestial entities appeared tilted. Scorpio in the western sky must have been visible for more than a month in a particular fashion. On that day it appeared tilted giving an impression the Mars descended lower than normal by which it was said to have moved towards Anuradha.

Indeed, these observations are unique indicating how the sky with its stars and planets will appear differently when the earth is rattled by a heavy impact.

Thus, all the three changed appearances of stars and planets were abut closely placed ones –Arundhati and Vasishtha, Dhruva aligned to the Saptarishi Mandala and Mars near Jyeshtha, the red star which is quite bright to be visible clearly.