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Re: Sri Rama's times

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Srinath Chakravarty • April 9, 2001 


sadagopan iyengar wrote:

> There is
> divergence to the extent  that some historians even
> place the Ramayana in the A.D.

[-- snip --]

> A similar argument, referring to
> the absence of any references to Sri Rama in the
> accounts of Fahien, the Chinese traveler who visited
> Ayodhya around 400 a.d., ascribe still later time
> slots to the epic.

I believe such historians need to go back to school.
Alexander's arrival on the frontier of NW India is
dated precisely at 326 B.C. and this fact is accepted
world-wide by every historian.  Alexander's own
scribe - Megasthenes, in his work "Indica" describes
life in the northern provinces of India during that
period, particularly the kingdom of Magadha (present
day Bihar/vihaara).  Megasthenes (in addition to the
caste system and other social norms) refers to the
existence of a distinct community of "Vaasudeva"
worshippers, which dates Krishnavataaram to be
*at least* one millennium prior to 3rd. century B.C.
So, unless we rewrite our itihaasas to move Raama
avataaram ahead of Krishnar, we have to accept that
the above statements about Ramayana are wrong.

Another cross-reference:  The period of gautama
buddha is placed in the 5th. century B.C., based on
Pali texts written during Asoka's time.  Certainly
raamavataaram predated buddhism.  These two
periods of (a) Alexander's arrival in NW India, and
(b) Siddhartha Gautama - are not disputed by most
Indo-european scholars/historians anymore.

Sri Vaishnavam point of view -- Vasisthar was the
rajaguru of Dasaratha.  According to sampradayam,
the veda was not divided into four - until the time of
vyasa maharishi.  During the time of vasishthar, a
brahmarishi - all the vedas were together, undivided.
Therefore the raamayana predates vyasa maharishi,
back to a period when vedam didn't exist in its four
partitions of rk, yajus, saama and atharva.

>  Coming to astrological pointers, based on the timing
> of the summer and winter equinoxes now and then, some
> scientists place the Ramayana around 9000 years ago,
> roughly in the 7th century b.c.

This sounds more like a period when the veda was still
undivided.  Just my personal opinion here!!  Learned
members may please respond to any of the above with
corrections/other inferences.

adiyEn,
-Srinath C.


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