Hi since Mr. Virarajendra has offered a postulate on a different timing for mahabarata i think its important that it is discussed under a seperate head.
I am very happy to know that at least now you are taking efforts to investigate into what I have highlighted.
I have made my inferences "from what is actually appearing in the original Sanskrit Mahabharatha of Viyasa" - and not anything cooked up by me. See my article in Maiyyam Website for the relevent chapters in Ganguli's translation where these appear.
It is left to you and others to investigate and conclude "whether all what has been said in Mahabharatha could be taken as correct or not"
I very kindly request you to "find the answers inline with the points I have raised", and see whether you could find good answers to them which will throw more light on the actual period of Mahabharatha to everyone.
what you have postulated is in contrast to the widely accepted beleifs for it also dates the mahabarata war, lord krishna and the bagawad gita much later than what was originally thought.
infact it rearranges the dasavathara order too.
and will have repurcussions on excavations in dwaraka too. dwaraka went into the sea according to the mahabarat and the ruins have been discovered in gulf of cambay and have been dated.
thats what i meant when i said if your postulate of mahabarata after ashoka was proved it would condemn many history books.
Yes there is an annual Mahabharat conference that happens in Bangalore, I used to attend when I used to live there. The last I attended I think somebody presented like 1424 BC as the time line for the epic. Dwaraka has been proven to go down in 1445 BC around that.
There are lot of references to dynasties and kings in the Mahabharat. There are also lots of fictitious chola/pandya kings who come up in various 'thala puranamas' who never existed. It was common practice in those days and even until recently to 'trace lineage' during a person's eulogy and add connections to kings/gods etc just as a form of praise. We must be aware not all of those things are facts although slight possiblity they may be.
Hi Venkat, yep, I was!! I must admit though atleast 15-20 years ago t hese conferences left much to be desired. Not everyone was allowed to attend, only selected, my uncle had an invite and seeing my interest took me along as his 'research assistant'! I remember sitting there and thinking Variyar swamigal and Pulavar Keeran knew much better Mahabharat than these researach fellows!! Things might have changed now.
I have attended conferences in comparative mythology in US also and am a member of Joseph Campbell library for study of world mythology. The perspective in US is widely different and very encouraging. There is no compelling need to differentiate 'facts' and datelines, and relate stories in linear fashion to modern life. Metaphysical and psychological connections are studied with great interest. I very much wanted to do ph d in world myth at Pacifica, a fantastic school on west coast, also got accepted without masters. But survival does not spare anyone, does it??? Not much of a living unfortunately studying all that, only great forums like this where it is possible to discuss, so thank you all for that!!