A few days after Bharata left with his sandals, Rama found the sages living in that region move out, apprehending trouble from the demon, Khara. In their absence, he also decided to move out of the Chitrakoota. Rama went to the hermitage of sage Atri where Anasuya, the wife of the sage offered her jewels, apparel, and garlands to Sita.
Then, Rama shifted to Dandaka Forest and “stayed
there for nearly ten months at some place, elsewhere for one year, at somewhere
else for four months, and for five and six months at elsewhere, even at
somewhere else for more than a month, and for more than one and half months
elsewhere.” (VR: 3-11- 24 to 26). Thus, ten years of exile elapsed
(VR: 3-11- 26b, 27b).
Counted from the year Pramoda when he was exiled, he completed
ten years by the month of Caitra in Vikrama year. The year was 5080
BCE.
After the lapse of ten years, Rama shifted to Panchavati
on the advice of sage Agastya. This was the 11th year in
exile. He met Jatayu soon after, i.e., in the 11th year of
exile.
Rama lived in a Parna-shala in Panchavati for some
time, says Ramayana (VR: 3-15-31). How long they lived here is not mentioned.
From the later events we deduce that they lived peacefully for two full years
and certain events started in the 3rd year, i.e., in the 13th
year of their exile.
Hemanta ritu in the 13th year.
The talk between Rama and Lakshmana on a morning of Hemanta
ritu in the 13th year of exile is detailed in the next sarga after describing
how they settled down in Panchavati (VR: 3-16).
It is stated in the 1st verse of this sarga
– “sharad vyapaaye Hemanta ritur pravartate” With the Sharad ritu passing
off, the Hemanta ritu has set in.
The nature of Hemanta ritu is described in several
ways by Lakshmana of which two features stand out, enabling us to deduct the probable
date of that talk.
The context was pre-dawn time on a day in the Hemanta
Ritu when Rama, Sita and Lakshmana were walking towards river Godavri to
have bath and do the morning rituals. During the walk, Lakshmana was describing
the scenes around which are commonly found in Hemanta ritu. The sun was cool
and continued to be in the direction of Yama (means South), therefore in Dakshinayana
(VR:3-16-8). This information along with the mention of the offer of the first produce
(aagrayana - आग्रयण) do indicate the month as Margashira (VR:3-16-6).
This was not Makara sankaranti (Valmikiramayan.net says so) as Aagrayana is a
ritual done when the first harvest is done after the rainy season.
The full moon was already over (VR: 3-16-4), indicating
that they were in the waning phase of Margashira. The moon was lusterless due
to foggy nights (VR:1-16-13). The lotus ponds were seen with only the stalks of
lotuses with their petals withered and aged (VR: 3-16-26). Thus, the change
from Karthika to Margashira is beautifully expressed.
The time was the waning phase of Margashira which
started from 3rd September in 5078 BCE. The year was Chitrabhanu.
Rising of the Pushya star at night
In that conversation, Lakshmana talked about the rise
of the star Pushya in the early night which however could not be seen due to
foggy atmosphere. It was Margashira in the first half of the Hemanta ritu when
the sun used to rise in Sagittarius and set in Gemini (Mithuna). The star
Pushya is in the sign Kataka, that appears after Gemini.
The sun was in the beginning of Sagittarius when the
waning phase of the moon had set in. Daylight could last for about ten and a
half hours in that month. Sunset in that month used to occur at the early part
of Gemini and Pushya will rise 2 hours after sunset. By the time Pushya was
rising, a blanket of fog had spread, and it appeared as though Pushya was in a
deep sleep. When the fog cleared Pushya had moved well into the sky and there
was chilly weather thereafter for three ‘yaama-s’ until the time they were
walking towards the river.
निवृत्त आकाश शयनाः पुष्यनीता हिम अरुणाः |
शीता वृद्धतर आयामः त्रि यामा यान्ति सांप्रतम् || ४-१६-१२
(Meaning: Completely enveloped with tawny coloured
fog, the star Pushya had gone to sleep. Chillness continued for three Yaama
until now.)
The Yaama gives the clue that there was indeed foggy
weather in the early part of night sometime after sunset.
One Yaama is equal to 2 hours and 24 minutes. Three
Yaama-s make 7 hours and 12 minutes. After sunset at around 6.30 pm in their location in
Panchavati, Pushya must have risen after 8 pm. But by then it became foggy.
Assuming that the fog cover was seen from 8 to 10 pm when Pushya’s sign of
Kataka was rising, it is indicative of Mun-pani season, i.e., early
night fog. It would clear soon, and the night would continue to be cold.
Suppose the early night fog cleared by 10 pm, then for the next 7 hours and 12
minutes there was chilly weather. This lasted till 5-30 in the morning. By 5-30
am, it was pre-dawn and Lakshmana, Rama and Sita had woken up and started
walking to the river. On this walk, Lakshmana was describing how foggy it was
that they could not see Pushya rising and how cold it was for the rest of the
night. The description about ‘sleeping’ Pushya and the cold night are depicted
in the illustration.
This talk occurred sometime between 3rd September and 16th September 5078
BCE when the waning phase of Margashira was running.
Almost in the same phase, Surpanakha entered
their hermitage and was humiliated when she pounced on Sita with an intention
to kill her.
Surpanakha complained to her brother Khara.
Khara sent 14 demons to attack Rama. Rama killed all the 14 demons. On hearing
this, Khara himself decided to take 14,000 demons to attack Rama. At that time horrible
portents appeared. Ramayana refers to them as Utpaata (VR: 3-23-18 &
19). A full chapter is about the utpaata witnessed by Khara (VR: 3- 23)
An Utpaata is an omen or portent which is sudden, unusual
and unexpected indicating a calamity. There is no mention of any planetary position
in this chapter, but scholars like Pushkar Bhatnagar have interpreted
the utpaata as solar eclipse! Let us check verse by verse to know what was being
described.
This is from the 23rd chapter of Aranya
Kanda.
Verse 1: Clouds poured blood.
Verse 2: The horses of Khara’s chariot tottered in a trice even
though the surface was even and smooth.
Verse 3: Dark red halo surrounded the sun (the halo is called Parivesha)
while the sun appeared like a fireball.
Verse 4: An awful eagle perched on the flag of Khara’s
chariot.
Verse 5: Cacophonous and carnivorous predators and vultures
took over the nearby places of Janasthaana.
Verse 6: Jackals looked towards the sun and howled.
Verse 7: Sky filled with mountain like clouds having blood.
Verse 8: There was no brightness but sudden darkness of abominable, cataclysmic,
hair-raising nature.
Verse 9: The twilight glistened with the colour of blood-red.
Verse 10: Female jackals howled in front of Khara’s
army.
Verse 11: Near the sun, a club-like object was hanging
like a headless body (Kabandha). It appeared that the sun was eclipsed by Rahu out of season.
Verse 12: Wind blew, and the sun appeared sheen less. Stars appeared like fireflies
though it was not night.
Verse 13: At that moment fishes and waterfowls stood
still in lakes, lotuses have dried up, flowers and fruits have dropped from
trees as though it is night.
Verse 14: Without any puffing of wind dust in brownish red colour is
heaved up. Songbirds screamed.
Verse 15: उल्काः च अपि स निर्घोषा निपेतुः घोर दर्शनाः
Ulkaa means meteors. Meteors looking horrible
fell down with thunderous sound.
Verse 16: The earth with its mountains and forests quaked shakily.
Verse 17: Khara’s left shoulder quivered excessively (bad omen for men), and
his voice was shaky.
Verse 18: Tears shed from his eyes for no reason, his
head ached, and he could not be steady in his steps.
Until the 18th verse, only the omens were
mentioned. Thereafter Khara was described as ignoring these omens and
proceeding to attack Rama.
In the next chapter, Rama is described as expressing the
same kind of omens.
VR: 3-24-4: Reddish grey clouds are pouring blood.
VR: 3-24-7: Rama’s right hand repeatedly throbbed (good omen for
men)
Inference:
The entire description revolves around just one kind of
Utpaata, namely an asteroid-hit or a meteor shower. Red-coloured appearances
such as the rain of blood and dust in reddish hue are associated with NOx
created by a meteor-fall. The NOx mixed with any water content turns it red,
like blood. This kind of description was found in the Mahabharata too in the fall
of a Dhumaketu. All the associated occurrences in a meteor-fall as expressed in
the Mahabharata are found in the Ramayana too in this context. The earth
quaked. The whirls of winds blew. The rising dust dimmed the sunlight making the sun
appear dark reddish with a halo around it and a Kabandha next to it. Darkness
appeared in the daytime making the stars visible.
The description of the sun perhaps made scholars think
that there was a solar eclipse. It is specifically said in that context that it
was ‘aparvani’ – ‘out of season’ - which means there was no Amavasya
then for a solar eclipse to happen.
जग्राह सूर्यम् स्वर्भानुः अपर्वणि महाग्रहः
Swarbhanu refers to Rahu. The dullness of the sun gave
the impression that Rahu captured the Sun though it was not the time to capture
(means not Amavasya). Looking at the other description, it is understood
that the darkness was caused by the meteor hit, because no solar eclipse is
regarded as a Utpaata and no solar eclipse is associated with rains of blood,
bloody dust, whirls of wind, earthquakes and strange behavior of animals. The
Kabandha like cloud or the dark patch of atmospheric dust near the sun made Valmiki
compare it with Rahu capturing the sun.
Moreover, we can check with the GISP2 maps to check
whether a meteor or asteroid had fallen that year (5078 BCE) causing
considerable impact. A cosmic impact must/will/is always FOLLOWED by a decrease in global temperatures, and then rebound to higher temperatures
compared to the impact date. When I checked the GISP2 graphs for the period between 4050
BCE to 6050 BCE, a sudden and steep drop is found in the year 5078 BCE.
The close-up of the event period is shown below:
It is seen that exactly in the year 5078 BCE, the graph
shows a sudden and steep fall indicating a global drop in temperature. The steepness
shows that it was indeed a terrible impact. The exact location of the impact
might be elsewhere, but meteors had fallen in the Panchavati region, and the effects
had been substantial as known from rainfall in blood red colour. Such clouds
are induced by the cosmic impact and are considered as important markers for a
meteor or asteroid fall.
Nutshell
Exile started: Pramoda year, Caitra Shukla Ekadasi, Pushya, Monday,
18th December, 5091 BCE
Completed 10 years in Dandaka: Vikrama year, Caitra, 5080 BCE
Met Jatayu: 11th year, 5080 BCE.
Started life in Panchavati: 11th year, 5080 BCE
Encounter with Surpanakha : 13th year, waning Margashira (between 3rd
September and 16th September 5078 BCE)
Encounter with Khara: 13th
year, Hemanta ritu (may be Pushya month) 5078 BCE
Meteor- hit:
5078 BCE (after September 5078 BCE)
(cont’d)
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