Rāmāyaṇa is one of the two great Indian epics in Indian literature. It relates to the life, activities, trials and achievements of Śrī Rāma. The great epic of Ramayana is traditionally attributed to Maharṣi Vālmīki, who is considered to be the first poet of India. Ramayana presents the story of Śrī Rāma. The great epic comprises of 24000 couplets in seven books which give an account of the royal birth of Rama and his other three brothers, the loss of his throne and his victory over evil.
Date of Birth of Śrī Rāma:
ततो यज्ञे समाप्ते तु ऋतूनां षट्समत्ययु:।
ततश्च द्वादशे मासे चैत्रे नावमिके तिथौ।।1.18.8।।नक्षत्रेऽदितिदैवत्ये स्वोच्चसंस्थेषु पञ्चसु।
ग्रहेषु कर्कटे लग्ने वाक्पताविन्दुना सह।।1.18.9।।प्रोद्यमाने जगन्नाथं सर्वलोकनमस्कृतम्।
कौसल्याऽजनयद्रामं सर्वलक्षणसंयुतम्।।1.18.10।।
विष्णोरर्धं महाभागं पुत्रमैक्ष्वाकुवर्धनम्।“Six seasons (one year) passed after the completion of the sacrifice. In the twelfth month of Chaitra on the ninth day (of the bright fortnight), with Aditi as presiding deity when the star Punarvasu was in the ascendant and the five planets Sun, Mars, Saturn, Jupiter and Venus, were exalted in their own house in karkata lagna, when Brihaspati was in conjunction with the Moon, Kausalya gave birth to a son: a facet of Viṣṇu, Lord of the entire universe who received obeisance from all the worlds and was adorned with all auspicious signs, the venerable one to perpetuate the Ikṣvāku race.”
What do we understand from this?
Sun in Aries
Saturn in Libra
Jupiter in Cancer
Venus in Pisces
Mars in Capricorn
The lunar month of Chaitra
Ninth day after Amavasya
Lagna as Cancer
Moon near the star Punarvasu (Pollux) in Gemini Constellation.
Moon & Jupiter were shining together in Cancer.
This when put in a planetarium software, with the latitude/longitude of Ayodhya (25°N 81°E) gives 10th January 5114 BCE
Converting the solar calendar to a lunar calendar, its seen that this date is the 9th day of Śukla Pakṣa in ‘Caitra’ month and the time is around 12 to 1 noontime. This is precisely the time and date when Rāma Navamī is celebrated all over India to date.
Date of exile of Śrī Rāma:
अवष्टब्धं च मे राम नक्षत्रं दारुणैर्ग्रहैः।
आवेदयन्ति दैवज्ञाः सूर्याङ्गारकराहुभिः।।2.4.18।।प्रायेण हि निमित्तानामीदृशानां समुद्भवे।
राजा हि मृत्युमाप्नोति घोरां वाऽऽपदमृच्छति।।2.4.19।।“O Rāma astrologers also tell me that formidable planets Sun, Mars and Rāhu have afflicted my birth star. When such ominous signs appear, usually the king either meets with death or faces a grave calamity.”
This shows that Daśaratha wanted to make Śrī Rāma the king because Sun, Mars and Rāhu had surrounded his Nakṣatra and normally under such planetary positions the king dies. This planetary position was prevailing on the 5th of January 5089 BC and it was on this day that Śrī Rāma had to leave Ayodhyā for 14 years. Thus he was 25 years old at that time (5114–5089) and there are several shlokas in Vālmīki Rāmāyaṇa which indicate that Śrī Rāma was 25 years old when he left Ayodhyā for his 14 years of exile.
Eclipses in Rāmāyaṇa:
कबन्धः परिघाभासो दृश्यते भास्करान्तिके।।3.23.11।।
जग्राह सूर्यं स्वर्भानुरपर्वणि महाग्रहः।प्रवाति मारुतश्शीघ्रं निष्प्रभोऽभूद्दिवाकरः।।3.23.12।।
“Ketú appeared like an iron beam near the Sun. Although it was not the fullmoon or newmoon day, Rāhu eclipsed the Sun. Wind blew hard and the Sun was lustreless.”
This refers to the solar eclipse at the time of war with Khar-Duśana in the latter half of the 13th year of Śrī Rāma’s stay in the forests. Vālmīki has also mentioned that it was Amāvásyā (new moon) day and the planet Mars was in the middle. This hints at the solar eclipse on 7th October, 5077 BCE (Amāvásyā day) which could be seen from Paṃcavaṭī (20° N; 73° E). On that date, the planetary configuration was the same as has been described by Vālmīki.
स तु रोषपरीताङ्गो वाली सन्ध्याकनकप्रभः।
उपरक्त इवादित्यस्सद्यो निष्प्रभतां गतः ।।4.15.3।।“Overcome with anger, Vālī looked pale like the eclipsed Sun with the golden radiance faded from his face.”
This refers to the solar eclipse on the day Vālī was killed. This refers to the solar eclipse on 3rd April 5076 BCE which was the only solar eclipse during the entire year.
Only six of the twelve constellations remain above the horizon at the same time. Vālmīki Rāmāyaṇa contains graphic and poetic details of eight constellations during Hanumāna’s return journey from Śrī Laṅkā to Sunābh Hill in the middle of the sea which took about four and a half hours from 6:30 AM to 11 AM. All these details of planets and Nakṣatras concerning eight constellations described in Sarga 57 (1, 2, 3) of chapter five tally exactly with the sky view generated by the software for the morning of 14th September 5076 BC from Laṅkā.
Based on planetary configurations described in various other chapters of Vālmīki Ramayan, the date on which Rāvaṇa was killed, works out to be 4th December 5076 BC and Śrī Rāma completed 14 years of exile on 2nd January, 5075 BC and that day was also Navamī of Śukla Pakṣa in Caitra month. Thus Śrī Rāma had come back to Ayodhyā when he was 39 years old.
But didn't the Rāmāyaṇa take place in the tretā-yuga? Well, the Yuga theory is not a description of literal history. I have explained this in detail in the article about the Kālacakra. In fact, the Vedāṅga jyotiṣa considers only 5 years as a yuga because only the sun, moon, and earth are considered in that cycle. the conjunction of these three only. The large time scales emerge in the Surya Siddhanta, Aryabhattiya and Puranic literature. In the Sūrya Siddhānta, we’ve conjunctions of multiple ‘grahas’ which occur after different periods. The more grahas you consider, the broader your period becomes. Higher values of yuga are simply the increase in the computational capabilities of Indian astronomy and mathematics.
We should take pride in the fact that the Indian civilization is the most ancient civilization surviving on planet Earth. It is certainly more than 5,000 years old and has been growing and developing indigenously.
~eclpise
