Ramayana - 12: Why Ramayana shows the same Month- Season as it is now?

After the death of Vaali, Rama retired to a cave in Mt. Prasavana and stayed there for four months when the rainy season was on. It was the month of Shravana when it rains even in the current times. Rama described the rainy season in the 28th sarga of Kishkindha Kanda and the Sharad season (autumn that followed the rainy season) in the 30th sarga of the same Kanda. 

The description of rainy season by Rama gives important revelations on the month-season of those times. Those who use western astronomy simulator for dating Ramayana have turned the zodiac halfway. According to them the month of Caitra occurred in Sharad season because the simulator shows so, but Ramayana says in many verses that Caitra was associated with spring (Vasanta) season only. Similarly, the rainy season started in Shravana only.

Rama, after killing Vaali did not start the search operation to find out Sita. He told Sugreeva,

पूर्वो अयम् वार्षिको मासः श्रावणः सलिल आगमः |

प्रवृत्ताः सौम्य चत्वारो मासा वार्षिक संज्ञिताः || ४-२६-१४

Meaning: “The four-month period specified for rainy season has commenced, oh gentle Sugreeva, and this is Shravana, the first month of rainy season that brings many showers.” (VR: 4-26-14)

He also asked him to wait till Karthika month when the rainy season would be over (VR: 4-26-17, 18a)

Saying this, Rama went to a cave on the mountain of Prasavana which was high on the west and slopy on north and east and thus avoided the entry of the monsoonal rains inside the cave! (VR: 4-27-12).

This will prevent rainfall entering the cave from the south west. Even today, the monsoon rains are realized from Southwest monsoon in Shravana in Karnataka where Kishkindha is situated.

The Catur Masya Vrata followed by the Vedic people is also mentioned by Rama. This vrata covers the period of rainy season starting from Ashadha Shukla Ekadasi and ending on Karthika Shukla Ekadasi. In this period, Bhagawan Vishnu is said to be sleeping (Yogic sleep). Vishnu is said to start His sleep on Ashadha Shukla Ekadasi which is recognized as “Vishnu Shayana Ekadasi” even today. Rama refers to this in his description of the rainy season.

निद्रा शनैः केशवम् अभ्युपैति

“These days sleep is slowly getting closer to Vishnu (Kesava), rivers are rapidly getting closer to oceans, cranes are gleefully getting closer to clouds, and women are passionately getting closer to their beloveds.”  (VR: 3-28-25)

In the month of Bhadrapada in the rainy season, Saama Vedic people perform upakrama even today. The same is said by Rama.

मासि प्रौष्ठपदे ब्रह्म ब्राह्मणानाम् विवक्षताम् |

अयम् अध्याय समयः सामगानाम् उपस्थितः || ३-२८-५४

Meaning: “The month of Bhaadrapada, is the time for learning the singing of Sama Veda, and this is the time that has come for those Brahmans who concern themselves for learning the singing of Sama Veda.” (VR: 3-28-54)

This verse enables us to date this event because Saama Upakarma is performed on Hasta nakshatra in the month of Bhadrapada.

              Date of Saama Upakarma in the 14^th year of exile

Rama was speaking about Saama Upakarma in the 14^th year of his exile (5077 BCE) while he was waiting for the rainy season to end. The year was Subhanu. Hasta nakshatra in that month occurred on 15^th May, when it was Shukla Panchami.

This occurs on Shukla Caturthi in some years when we celebrate Ganesh Caturthi. (Ganesh Caturthi was initiated during Krishna’s period after he was absolved of the blame for the loss of Syamanthaka gem.)

In the very next verse Rama mentioned that Bharata must have undertaken the Catur Masya Vrata on the Full Moon day of Ashadha (VR: 3-28-55)

Analysis of the verses of the 30th  chapter shows that sharad season (autumn) had started. This season has Aswayuja and Karthika months. The eulogy of the Sharad season by Rama must have taken place in Aswayuja month because later we find Angada stating that the Vanaras started the search for Sita in Aswayuja month. In this sarga Rama talked about the stoppage of rains and the bright moon illuminating the sky. His description of the shining moon rising at twilight confirms that it was the Full moon in Aswayuja month.  The date is decipherable as follows:

Rama’s talk on Aswayuja Full Moon

The date was 23^rd June, 5077 BCE, Subhanu, Aswayuja Pournami. 

Rama grew impatient as there was no sign of Sugreeva taking steps to search for Sita.

Lakshmana rebuked Sugreeva and Tara pacified Lakshmana.

Sugreeva apologized and started the search operations.

Though I planned to end this part here, I thought I need to do some explanation on the similarity of month-season in Rama’s time.

Vedic theory of to and fro oscillation of the equinoxes

Western science believes that the earth’s axis is precessing continuously. This is not so according to Vedic Thought which is expressed in many Siddhanta-s including Surya Siddhanta. Today, many  enthusiasts attempt to decipher the calculations given in Surya Siddhanta believing that they are applicable for all ages but conveniently ignore an important concept given in the Siddhanta-s that the equinox doesn’t precess forever; it moves forward and backward for a distance of 27° on each side of the midpoint of the zodiac which is the beginning of Aries.

It also says that the planetary positions are to be located with reference to the midpoint of the zodiac. Whenever the equinox moves backward as it does now – going to Pisces, the distance it travelled from the midpoint must be deducted from the current location of the equinoctial sun. Whenever the equinox is on the other side of the midpoint the difference from the midpoint must be added.

The difference known as ‘Ayanamsa’ is deducted even now for all utilities of planetary positions – be they for constructing horoscopes or fixing the ritual days. People easily call this deduction as ‘Nirayana’ and the western zodiac as ‘sayana’ (with ayanamsa because ayanamsa is not deducted) without realizing the implication of it or why we should do it. In a continuously precessing equinox, there is no need to deduct the difference (ayanamsa) because how long one will be deducting is a question. Western astronomy assumes that the equinox goes round for 360°; deducting the difference for all the period looks idiotic because at one time one will be deducting 360° !!

It is unfortunate that it is rare to come across an Indian to think why should we deduct the difference unless the movement is for limited duration.

The limited duration of 27° on either side of the midpoint of the zodiac results in less difference in the season. For example, the zodiac will appear as follows when the equinox is at the mid point.

                        The equinox at zero-degree Aries / midpoint (VE= Vernal equinox)

At this time, the month-seasons will be like this:

Caitra and Vaiśāka = Vasanta

Jyeṣṭha and Āṣāḍha = Grīṣma

Śrāvaṇa and Bhādrapada = Varṣa

Aśvina and Kārtika = Śarada

Mārgaśira and Puṣya = Hemanta

Māgha and Phālguna = Śiśira

 

When the equinox is at the western end as it is now:

                                              The equinox at 27° to the west of Aries

The month- season will be like this: There will be early spring starting in Pisces and cold season will be short such that there is no Shisira ritu

Phālguna and Caitra = Vasanta

Vaiśāka and Jyeṣṭha = Grīṣma

Āṣāḍha and Śrāvaṇa = Prāvṛiṣ

Bhādrapada and Aśvina = Varṣa

Kārtika and Mārgaśira = Śarada

Puṣya and Māgha = Hemanta

 

When the equinox is on the other side of the midpoint, the zodiac will look as follows:

                                            The equinox at 27° to the east of Aries

The month- season will be as follows then: Spring season will begin in Vaishakha and there will be extended winter with Hemanta and Shishira being cold months.

Vaiśāka and Jyeṣṭha = Vasanta

Āṣāḍha and Śrāvaṇa = Grīṣma

Bhādrapada and Aśvina = Varṣa

Kārtika and Mārgaśira = Śarada

Puṣya and Māgha = Hemanta

Phālguna and Caitra = Śiśira

 

So, the gradual change is from early spring as it is now to late spring in Vaishakha.

Of the three configurations, the middle illustration that is running now was also running in Rama’s time. It takes 3600 years for the equinoctial sun to reach from one end to another end. To come back to the same end it takes 7200 years.

7200 years ago Rama lived when the equinox was at the western most end of the equinoctial path.

Today we are in the same point as where Rama was. That is why we find the same seasonal months in the Ramayana.

We are seeing the same pole star as Rama saw.

Today we are seeing Polaris as the northern pole star.

Rama also had seen the same.

It was known as Dhruva nakshatra.

The three positions are shown in the following diagram.

Dhruva seen by us today was also seen by Rama which we will discuss in another part.

Meanwhile, request the readers to have clarity about the way equinoxes move and how the month-seasons do not change greatly. They did not change during Ramayana period because the sun and the earth were facing the same part of the sky then as they are now.

If anyone continues to say that Caitra was in Sharad season in the Ramayana, tell them the truth.

With this we are moving on to the next part in the search for Sita.

(Cont’d)

Ramayana – 10: Abduction of Sita

After Rama eliminated Khara, Dushana and Trishira along with 14,000 demons, the terrible news about this carnage was delivered to Ravana. Ravana approached Mareecha for advice, but Mareecha turned him back. Now Surpanakha on her part provoked Ravana to avenge Rama by bringing Sita and marrying her. Ravana thus provoked, went back to Mareecha again. Mareecha’s saner counsel fell into the deaf ears of Ravana. After Ravana threatened him, Mareecha agreed to go in disguise as a golden deer to lure Rama away from Sita so that Ravana could abduct her when she was alone.

Through all this, there is no clue available to find out when the abduction took place. However, the probable time can be deduced from the later dates. For example, after confining Sita to the Ashoka Vana, Ravana offered her a period of 12 months to make up her mind (VR: 3-56-24). Further information found in Sundara Kanda shows that Hanuman met Sita in Ashoka Vana at the expiry of 10 months of confinement of Sita.

Month of abduction deduced from the Lunar eclipse when Hanuman met Sita.

When Hanuman reached Ashoka Vana to meet Sita, Ravana also came there and tried to persuade Sita. In that context, Ravana said that two more months were left for her to take a decision (VR: 5-22-8 & 9). We must find out in which month she was abducted and when the 12-month period was going to end.

While looking for an answer, we can spot a verse in Sundara Kanda soon after Hanuman landed, stating that a lunar eclipse was just over at that time (VR: 5-5-6). The hare-like spots on the moon were eclipsed (partial eclipse) and they became visible when Hanuman reached the city of Lanka. He saw the moon in the middle of the sky (VR: 5-5-1) when he arrived at the city. When I checked the Jhora simulator, it did show a lunar eclipse in the month of Magha, in the year Subhanu which was the 14^th year of exile. In tune with adding a tithi to the simulated date, the date was 20^th October, 5077 BCE. We will discuss this eclipse in detail while writing about Hanuman’s flight to Lanka.

The major input for our current discussion is the month, Magha, by which time 10 months of Sita’s confinement were over. From this, we can deduce the month of abduction.

The remaining two months are counted from the day Ravana spoke about it to Sita. Hanuman was also present in the scene, hiding behind the trees. And we know that it was a Full Moon Day (because moon was eclipsed in the early part of the night). By Caitra 2 months would be completed. This helps us to derive the month of abduction as the previous Caitra. That is, Sita was abducted in Caitra of Subhanu year.

Time of abduction indicated by Jatayu.

The time of abduction was told by Jatayu to Rama. This appears in the 68^th sarga of Aranya Kanda when Rama found Jatayu badly injured when Jatayu tried to stop Ravana from taking away Sita. 

Jatayu said,

“येन याति मुहूर्तेन सीताम् आदाय रावणः |

विप्रनष्टम् धनम् क्षिप्रम् तत् स्वामि प्रतिपद्यते || ३-६८-१२

विन्दो नाम मुहूर्तो असौ स च काकुत्स्थ न अबुधत् |”

(Meaning: The Muhurta in which Ravana had taken away Sita, known as ‘Vinda’ will cause the lost property to return to the possessor (that is Rama). Ravana was not aware of it) (VR: 3-68-12 & 13a)

There is a discussion in valmikiraayan.net about this verse, giving the names of the 15 diurnal Muhurta-s without stating the source. A Muhurta contains 2 Naadi (Nazhigai), i.e. 48 minutes (1 naadi = 24 minutes). The daytime and the nighttime are divided into 15 equal parts each, such that there are 15 diurnal and 15 nocturnal Muhurta-s. Muhurta-s can be auspicious or inauspicious and the choice of a muhurta to do a particular work depends on the nature of the Muhurta. Jatayu said that Ravana abducted Sita in Vinda Muhurta which would not benefit him because whatever was stolen in that Muhurta would be ultimately recovered by the owner.

When we checked the list of 15 Muhurta-s given on that website, they appear different from what are in vogue today. The names of the Muhurta-s can be read in the book ‘Muhurta’ by Dr. B V Raman. Vinda is not present in the currently known list of Muhurta-s. When I compared the present list with the one given on the website, I found a few of them matching in the same order (order of sequence of Muhurta-s is very important). For example, Maitra Muhurta and Vishvadeva Muhurta appeared in the correct order as the 3^rd and the 7^th diurnal Muhurta. This gave me the confidence that I can rely on the order of sequence for Vinda given in the website. It was the 11^th Muhurta. The 11^th in the present list is known as ‘Vahini’.

Vahini, the 11^th Muhurta is an inauspicious Muhurta particularly on a Tuesday. (Certain Muhurta-s are considered bad on certain days. Even Abhijit Muhurta, which is considered very auspicious, is bad on a Wednesday).

This gives us the clue that Sita could have been abducted on a Tuesday when Vinda Muhurta was on. This Muhurta runs between 2 and 3 pm every day. So, we can say that Sita was abducted between 2 and 3 pm on a Tuesday in Subhanu year. Since the talk of the remaining two months was done by Ravana on Magha Full Moon, we can gauge the day of abduction around the Full moon of Caitra. It should be a Tuesday, close to the Full Moon in Caitra.

Such a date was searched for in Jhora and we got 31^st December, 5078 BCE, Krishna Tritiya in Caitra with Tuesday running then. The previous Tuesday was on 24^th December, when Shukla Dasami was running. Compared to that, 31^st December with Krishna Tritiya was closer to Caitra Full Moon. The planetary / horoscopic details of 31^st December appear more suitable for a bad event such as abduction, than on 24^th December. The horoscopic details are shown below.

Abduction date

In Caitra Shukla Paksha of Subhanu year, the 13th year ended (The software shows the previous year Chitrabanu by default until December. It shows Subhanu from 1^st January). Swati was the star of the day indicating that the 14th year of exile had started by then. This shows that the abduction took place in the beginning of the 14th year.

An important revelation from this horoscopic combination is that it helps us to decipher the birth star of Sita!

Sita’s birth star

The position of Jupiter in Sita’s Janma rasi (moon sign) at the time she was kept in confinement is part of ancient folklore / poetry.

"ஜென்ம ராமர் வனத்திலே சீதையை சிறை வைத்ததும்

It says that Rama went to the forest when Jupiter was transiting his Janma rasi; similarly, Jupiter was in Sita’s Janma rasi when she was kept under confinement at Ashoka Vana. We found it to be true in the case of Rama; so, it must be true for Sita too. Looking at the abduction time horoscopy, Jupiter was in Leo (Simha) indicating that one among Magha, Purva Phalguni or Uttara Phalguni must have been her birth star.

Before going into those details, let us examine the validity of the planetary combinations for abduction assuming that her moon-sign was Leo. The lord of the sign, Sun had gone to the 8^th house while the 8^th lord Jupiter had been transiting the sun’s house. Thus, there is parivartana between the 1^st and the 8^th lord with the 8^th lord positioned in the 1^st house (moon-sign) in retrogression. This is a sure sign of death-like calamity at that point of time. Moreover, the 8^th house and the Janmesa (Sun) are receiving cruel aspects from the enemy planets Saturn and Rahu.

12^th house indicates confinement. It was occupied by Ketu (though Ketu’s position cannot be true as written earlier, it would however continue to be in the 12^th house looking at its degrees). The 12^th house is aspected by Saturn (6^th and 7^th lord) joined with Rahu thus perpetuating confinement. The 12^th lord Moon is in Kemadruma Yoga (bereft of planets in the company of or both sides of the moon) and is receiving the 10^th aspect of Saturn. It causes a complete change in her status from being a princess to a prisoner (in this context).

With so many indicators in support of the trauma she underwent then, we are sure that the date is correct. When checked for next and the previous month, planetary combinations were not indicative of the trouble she faced.

Having established that the Moon sign was true (noted by the Janma Guru), we must deduce her birth star.

Throughout Ramayana, we find importance given to stars only, particularly to Tara Balam. The star of the marriage day has been clearly stated in Valmiki Ramayana. It was Uttara Phalguni which is one of the stars positioned in Leo. It could not be the birth star of Sita because marriage is not conducted in one’s birth star. Of the remaining two stars, namely, Magha and Purva Phalguni, Magha does not match with Rama’s Punarvasu. Only Purva Phalguni matches with Punarvasu as, Punarvasu is the 6^th star in the 3^rd paryaya of Purva Phalguni. In other words, Sita’s Purva Phalguni matches with Rama’s Punarvasu. Therefore, Purva Phalguni must have been Sita’s birth star.

At the time of exile, Saturn was transiting her moon sign, but at the time of abduction Jupiter was transiting her moon sign. Additionally, it was in retrogression (vakra).

Nutshell:

Abduction of Sita deduced from the lunar eclipse when Hanuman came to meet her in the Ashoka Vana.

Abduction date: 31^st December, 5078 BCE, Subhanu year, Caitra Krishna Tritiya, Tuesday.

The exile year during abduction: 14^th year of exile

The time of abduction: Vinda Muhurta (between 2 and 3 pm) as told by Jatayu.

Jupiter at the time of abduction: In Sita’s moon sign.

Sita’s birth star: Purva Phalguni

(Cont’d)

Ramayana – 9: Asteroid-hit indicated by bad omens before the war with Khara

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 11^th year in exile. He met Jatayu soon after, i.e., in the 11^th 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 3^rd year, i.e., in the 13^th year of their exile.

Hemanta ritu in the 13^th year.

The talk between Rama and Lakshmana on a morning of Hemanta ritu in the 13^th 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 1^st 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 3^rd 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 3^rd September and 16^th 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 23^rd 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 18^th 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, 18^th December, 5091 BCE

Completed 10 years in Dandaka: Vikrama year, Caitra, 5080 BCE

Met Jatayu: 11^th year, 5080 BCE.

Started life in Panchavati: 11^th year, 5080 BCE

Encounter with Surpanakha : 13^th year, waning Margashira (between 3rd September and 16th September 5078 BCE)

Encounter with Khara: 13^th year, Hemanta ritu (may be Pushya month) 5078 BCE

Meteor- hit: 5078 BCE (after September 5078 BCE)

(cont’d)