Mahabharata as Military History

[dadeechi]

 

[dadeechi]

Rules of Engagement:

1) Persons equally circumstanced must encounter each other, fighting fairly. And if having fought fairly the combatants withdraw (without fear of molestation), even that would be gratifying to us
2) Those who engaged in contests of words should be fought against with words
3) Those that left the ranks should never be slain
4) A car-warrior should have a car-warrior for his antagonist; he on the neck of an elephant should have a similar combatant for his foe; a horse should be met by a horse, and a foot-soldier should be met by a foot-soldier.
5) Guided by considerations of fitness, willingness, daring and might, one should strike another, giving notice. No one should strike another that is unprepared or panic-struck.
6) One engaged with another, one seeking quarter, one retreating, one whose weapon is rendered unfit, uncased in mail, should never be struck.
7) Car-drivers, animals (yoked to cars or carrying weapons) men engaged in the transport of weapons, players on drums and blowers of conches should never be struck.

The following para is with regards to Vyasa providing Sanjaya Divya Drishti (Celestial Vision). What is this device which includes Night vision and Mind reading?

"Upon his not wishing to see the battle but wishing to hear of it, Vyasa, that lord of boons, gave a boon to Sanjaya. (And addressing Dhritarashtra he said), 'This Sanjaya, O king, will describe the battle to thee. Nothing in the whole battle will be beyond this one's eyes.' Endued, O king with celestial vision, Sanjaya will narrate the battle to thee. He will have knowledge of everything. Manifest or concealed, (happening) by day or by night, even that which is thought of in the mind, Sanjaya shall know everything. Weapons will not cut him and exertion will not fatigue him. This son of Gavalgani will come out of the battle with life.

Moral:

Everything springeth from the earth and everything, when destroyed, mergeth into the Earth. The Earth is the stay and refuge of all creatures, and the Earth is eternal. He that hath the Earth, hath the entire universe with its mobile and immobile population. It is for this that longing for (the possession of the) Earth, kings slay one another.'"

 

[Ankit Kumar]

Rules of Engagement:

1) Persons equally circumstanced must encounter each other, fighting fairly. And if having fought fairly the combatants withdraw (without fear of molestation), even that would be gratifying to us
2) Those who engaged in contests of words should be fought against with words
3) Those that left the ranks should never be slain
4) A car-warrior should have a car-warrior for his antagonist; he on the neck of an elephant should have a similar combatant for his foe; a horse should be met by a horse, and a foot-soldier should be met by a foot-soldier.
5) Guided by considerations of fitness, willingness, daring and might, one should strike another, giving notice. No one should strike another that is unprepared or panic-struck.
6) One engaged with another, one seeking quarter, one retreating, one whose weapon is rendered unfit, uncased in mail, should never be struck.
7) Car-drivers, animals (yoked to cars or carrying weapons) men engaged in the transport of weapons, players on drums and blowers of conches should never be struck.

The following para is with regards to Vyasa providing Sanjaya Divya Drishti (Celestial Vision). What is this device which includes Night vision and Mind reading?

"Upon his not wishing to see the battle but wishing to hear of it, Vyasa, that lord of boons, gave a boon to Sanjaya. (And addressing Dhritarashtra he said), 'This Sanjaya, O king, will describe the battle to thee. Nothing in the whole battle will be beyond this one's eyes.' Endued, O king with celestial vision, Sanjaya will narrate the battle to thee. He will have knowledge of everything. Manifest or concealed, (happening) by day or by night, even that which is thought of in the mind, Sanjaya shall know everything. Weapons will not cut him and exertion will not fatigue him. This son of Gavalgani will come out of the battle with life.

Moral:

Everything springeth from the earth and everything, when destroyed, mergeth into the Earth. The Earth is the stay and refuge of all creatures, and the Earth is eternal. He that hath the Earth, hath the entire universe with its mobile and immobile population. It is for this that longing for (the possession of the) Earth, kings slay one another.'"

I read somewhere about the " Numbers " involved in the war but lost that link. If you can come up with the numbers and statistics , please tag me.

 

[Bornubus]

These moral rules of warfare is look good on paper or when fighting with a enemy with similar rules, unfortunately, Hindu armies followed these rules against Yavan invaders,who had no rules or their own - Hindu scriptures should had rules regarding War Booty including women and slaves.

Later,Only Maratha was good at fighting according to Yavan Rules.

 

[Eminent Mainstream Media]

These moral rules of warfare is look good on paper or when fighting with a enemy with similar rules, unfortunately, Hindu armies followed these rules against Yavan invaders,who had no rules or their own - Hindu scriptures should had rules regarding War Booty including women and slaves.

Later,Only Maratha was good at fighting according to Yavan Rules.

looting and women booty makes military weak in long term- A better example would be Khalsa organized by Guru Govind Singh which was based on self discipline and righteousness-

Also Mahabharat has very good lessons on war which can be applied even today- Which includes everything is fair in war including cheating your own family members- among other things like letting the guard down even after one has almost won the war can be extremely costly and to the extent of losing your future gen- as was the case with Ashwathama killing all Pandav children in sleep and grand son of Arjun who was the last of the Kurus- there might be many more like stupidity of Duryodhan etc-

 

[dadeechi]

I read somewhere about the " Numbers " involved in the war but lost that link. If you can come up with the numbers and statistics , please tag me.

Here is one source on the numbers

Place Names of Mahabhaarata
Dwaraka, Krishna's capital city by the sea. Same as modern Dwaraka in Gujarat.
Dwaitavana Lake, the lake near Kamyaka forest where some Gandharvas fought and defeated the Kauravas.
Ekachakrapura, The place where Bhima slayed Bakasura.
Hastinapura, The capital of the Kauravas (the Kurus). Near modern Delhi.
Indraprastha, The capital of the Pandavas (the Pandus) whence they ruled for 36 years.
Kampilya, Capital of Panchala ruled by Drupada.
Kamyaka, the forest where the Pandavas spent the 12th year of forest exile.
Kurujangala, the kingdom ruled by Janamejaya.
Kurukshetra, (lit. the plain of the Kurus) the battlefield where the Great War was fought. Now a village in Haryana, between Delhi and Chandigargh.
Upaplavya, a territory of Matsya kingdom.
Varanavata, The Pandavas were sent to live here in a fire-trap.
FACTS, FIGURES AND DATES
HOW MANY FOUGHT IN THE WAR?
• Vyasa says that 18 Akshunis (divisions) fought in the battle. An
akshauni is 21, 870 chariots, 21, 870 elephants, 65, 610 horses and 109, 350 foot soldiers.

• Assuming two people per chariot, two per elephant and one rider per horse, this approximates to 2 x 21,870 + 2 x 21, 870 + 65, 610 + 109, 350 = 183 680 fighters per akshauni (division).
• With 18 divisions, this comes to 183, 680 x 18 = 3, 306, 240 men in arms.
• Adding a few more for logistical services such as cooks, barbers, cleaners, stable hands, and so on, we get a round figure of 4 million people in the armed services. This is larger than the number of people in the armed services of India today.
WHEN WAS IT FOUGHT?

• According to our ancient astrologers (as cited by Dr. Mahidhara Nalini Mohan, National Physical Laboratory), Kali Yuga started in 3138 B. C. and the Great Mahabhaarata War was fought in 3102 B. C. This is almost the same as that quoted by Dr. Veda Vyasa, IAS.
• According to Western indologists, the War took place no earlier than 12 B. C. This is far different from the calculations coming from Indian sources.
• How do we resolve this discripancy?
• Dr. Nalini Mohan says that one sure-shot of verifying these counter claims is to look for astrological evidence. For example, the death of Bhisma is an important events in Mahaabharata. Important for us because Bhishma deliberately waited for an auspicious moment to die. What is that auspicious moment? We know Bhisma waited for the Sun's northward journey. Did Vyasa mention anything else about the positions of stars in the sky that would be useful to us in fixing the date? Perhaps the muhoortham of Krishna's death was mentioned. How can these muhoorthams help us?
• For example, modern astronomy tells us that there is a natural phenomenon called the precession of the equinoxes. To make it simple, let me explain as fallows. We know that the Earth spins like a top. As it spins, its axis does not always point exactly in the same direction; it precesses. As a result, at a fixed moment of a year, say the Spring Equinox time, the Sun does not always rise in the same Raasi (constellation)year after year; it progressively shifts from Raasi to Raasi as time goes by. After about 26, 000 years the whole cycle repeats. For example, if we know that Bhisma died at a time when the Sun was rising, at the Spring Equinox time, in the constellation Taurus, then we know for sure that Bhisma died in 2050 B. C. This is modern scientific knowledge. If someone who really understands Mahabhaarata can tell us if there is any mention of the Raasi in which the Sun was rising during the Mahabharata times, we can tell when exactly the story took place.
• Less accurate way of establishing the date is by making some conjectures about population of India at the time of the War.
• Vyasa says that 18 Akshunis (divisions) fought in the battle. Vyasa also says that an akshauni is 21, 870 chariots, 21, 870 elephants, 65, 610 horses and 109, 350 foot soldiers.
• Assuming two people per chariot, two per elephant and one rider per horse, this approximates to 2 x 21,870 + 2 x 21, 870 + 65, 610 + 109, 350 = 183 680 fighters per akshauni (division).
• With 18 divisions, this comes to 183, 680 x 18 = 3, 306, 240 men in arms.
• Adding a few more for logistical services such as cooks, barbers, cleaners, stable hands, and so on, we get a round figure of4 million people in the armed services.
• How much of a population should a country have to support 4 million people in the armed forces? This is a hard question to answer. But, let me try the following approach - just for the fun of it.
• During World War II, the one great war we know well, the world's population was about 2.5 billion people. It was estimated that 50 million people died in that war. That is, one out of 50 people on this planet died during that war. That is 2% of world's population.
• If a great war's toll was the same then as it is now, then we can assume that 2% of India's population also died during the Great War. But, how many of the 4 million people serving in the armed forces died during the Mahabhaarata War? The poet says all of the fighting men died, save a handful. If this literal interpretation is true, then India's population in 2050 B. C. should be around 50 times 4 million, or 200 million. Is this possible?
• Recently released United Nations data tells us how the population of this planet grew since A. D. 1650. In fact U. N. says that world's populaion in A. D. 1650 stood at 0.5 billion. But, what we want is India's population in 2050 B. C. This is the beginning of the weakest link in the argument.
• We need two items to get what we want. First, what was the world's population in 2050 B. C.? Second, what fraction of it lived in India at that time? We really do not know the answer to these two questions.
• The crudest thing we can do is to assume that these ratios and proportions are more or less the same now as it had been then. Working backwards in time, we can estimate the World's population in 12 B. C. It comes to about 300 million people. Just like at WWII time, if every seventh person was an Indian (now, it is every sixth!), then India's population in 12 B. C. would have been about a seventh of 300 million or about 40 million. Can a population of 40 million support a war in which 4 million people fought and died? That is 10% of the population. In World War II only 2% ofthe population died.
• One of the unreasonable assumptions we have made earlier aws to say that ALL the soldiers died. Let us say that every 4th soldier (a high rate, though) actually died. That is, actually one million soldiers died. Now, can a poopulation of 40 million sustain the death of one million soldiers. This is 2.5%, a figure comparable to WWII death rate. This line of argument lends credence to the theory put forward by western indologists. Really, I do not know what their logic was.
• In 2050 B. C. my estimate of the World's population stands at 50 million people. Perhaps, India's share of this (every seventh person, once again) would have been seven million. Unless, something is amiss somewhere, I know that it is impossible to fight a war and lose 50% of the population. A possible way, credible or not, of justifying this scenario is to assume that all of the world's population of that time lived in India! An alternative explanation would be to suspect the sizes of the divisions given by Vyasa.
We know that at WWII time, every fifth person on this globe was an Indian. We also know that the world's population at that time was 2.5 billion. That is, at WWII time, India's population was about 0.5 billion, perhaps a little less.

Perhaps about 10% of Earth's population directly participated in the fighting. This also shows that the figures shown in Mahabharata are not completely out of line.
In World War II, about 50 million people died. This 50 million perhaps inclued civilians also. Let us assume that about a fourth, or 10 million, of the deaths are civilian and the rest, 40 million are battlefield deaths.
At that time, the population of this palnet was about 2 billion. That is, about 2% of the planet died while fighting in the War. Suppose we assume that a like number of casualties occurred during the Mahaabharata War. Now the approximate population of North India at that time can be estimated. That is 1 million represents 2% of the population from which the fighting men are drawn. This works out to about 50 million people. If India contained 50 million people, it would have the stamina to support a war of the magnitude we have been talking about.
In 2000BC, the Earth's population was about 100 million people.
Assuming that most of this population was concentrated in Europe and Asia and apportioning 2/3 of this to Asia and the rest to Europe, it looks like Asia had 60 million. Of this about 20% can be assigned to India. This comes to 12 million. We estimated 18 million.
Year Population
(in Billions)
2000BC ?? (50 million)
1000BC 0.1 (100 million)
1 0.3 (300 million)
1650 0.5
1850 1.131
1950 2.516
1975 4.079
1990 5.3111
2000 6.463
2025 10.978
2050 21.161
2075 46.261
2100 109.405
In 2000 BC, the Earth's population was about 100 million people.
Assuming that most of this population was concentrated in Europe and Asia and apportioning 2/3 of this to Asia and the rest to Europe, it looks like Asia had 60 million. Of this about 20% can be assigned to India. This comes to 12 million. We estimated 18 million.
Compare this with the situation at or around World War II. The world's population at that time is about 2.5 billion people. It was estimated that 50 million people died in that war. That is 2500/50 = 50. That is 1 out of 50 people died or 2%. Perhaps about 10% of Earth's population directly participated in the fighting. This also shows that the figures shown in Mahabharata are not completely out of line.
Time Scales
When Yudhishthira was 16, the Pandavas came back to Hastinapura
At this time Kunti (and Pandu) would have been 32
At this time Vichitravirya would have been 48
At this time Bhishma would have been 64
At this time Vyasa would have been 65
When Yudhishthira was 20, he performed Rajasuya at Indraprastha
When Yudhishthira was 22, he lost the game of dice
When Yudhishthira was 34, Pandavas rescued Kauravas from Gandharvas
When Yudhishthira was 34, Duhsala married Jayadratha, the Sindhu king
When Yudhishthira was 35, the Pandavas finished forest life
At this time the Great Battle took place
At this time Bhishma would have been 83
At this time Vyasa would have been 84
(Probably Vyasa wrote the story at this time)
At this time Abhimanyu would have been 16
At this time Parikshita would have been 0
When Yudhishthira was 71, the Pandavas left for the Himalayas
At this time Parikshita would have been 35 (or 17, if no Abhimanya)
At this time Vyasa would have been 119
(The claim is Kali Yuga started this year) 3105 B.C.
(The claim is Krishna died this year)
(The claim is Parikshita ruled for 60 years)
When P died Vyasa would have been 179
At this time Janamejaya would have been 19
It was stated that Parikshita ruled for 60 years. Then, he would have been 95 when he died due to a snake (Takshaka) bite. Then, when Parikshita died, Janamejaya would have been 79. Vyasa would have been 179, an impossibility
If Parikshita ruled only 25 years (if the scripture means until he reached 60), then Janamejaya would have ascended the throne at age 44. In this case, Vyasa's age at the time of the Snake sacrifice would have been 144, still an unbelievable age. (Remember the Pandavas and Krishna died at a human age. Why should Vyasa live this long?
To me it appears that someone has introduced a couple of nonexistent generations. Is it possible that Parikshita is the son of Arjuna?
According to Dr. Veda Vyasa, IAS, Ph.D
Mahabharata War took place in Sep. 3138 B. C.
Kali Yuga started at 2 hr. 27 m. 30 sec. on 20 Feb. 3105 B. C.
Janamejaya's Sarpa Yaga took place in 3045 B. C.

Places and numbers

 

[Bornubus]

looting and women booty makes military weak in long term- A better example would be Khalsa organized by Guru Govind Singh which was based on self discipline and righteousness-

Also Mahabharat has very good lessons on war which can be applied even today- Which includes everything is fair in war including cheating your own family members- among other things like letting the guard down even after one has almost won the war can be extremely costly and to the extent of losing your future gen- as was the case with Ashwathama killing all Pandav children in sleep and grand son of Arjun who was the last of the Kurus- there might be many more like stupidity of Duryodhan etc-

How do you see Martha warfare,their Pindary contingent had full freedom,when they entered and lay waste enemy territory.From looting and razing crops and taking women as booty was allowed,and sikhs armies never really followed the rules and regulation of Guru Gobind singh Ji,especially their Hindu allies and pahari Rajas,women were took captives and sold in hira mandi of lahore.

Did they as failed as military power ?

 

[Eminent Mainstream Media]

How do you see Martha warfare,their Pindary contingent had full freedom,when they entered and lay waste enemy territory.From looting and razing crops and taking women as booty was allowed,and sikhs armies never really followed the rules and regulation of Guru Gobind singh Ji,especially their Hindu allies and pahari Rajas,women were took captives and sold in hira mandi of lahore.

Did they as failed as military power ?

I get what you are trying to say- wealth, food and women are very good incentive for armies which have short term goals- Keeping large harems of women make the leadership corrupt and troops incompetent- they spend the wealth they looted on prostitutes etc- It may be good for a moving army on a conquest but for a standing army It is disaster- There have been many examples which show that the looter may be great conquers but they don't make great rulers and their empires fall away too quick-

An army should be disciplined and organized- And Its leaders need to set high morals for Its troops- a little looting and raping here and there can be allowed even British did such things and Americans too- But anything on the scale of what PA did in East Pakistan will do more harm than good-

 

[dadeechi]

Link between Mahabharata/Dwaraka with Sindhu & Saraswati -valley civilization - must watch

 

[Kompromat]

Its actually fiction.

 

[Eminent Mainstream Media]

Its actually fiction.

Yes It can be called as fiction as of now- But contains great strategies in politics, administration and military warfare- and family morals-

From what I can tell- Mahabharat has better strategies in politics- and Ramayan has better strategies of waging a war-

 

[Spectre]

Its actually fiction.

Same could apply to all texts and mythology having religious over-tones. Let's not insult anyone's faith.

 

[Eminent Mainstream Media]

Same could apply to all texts and mythology having religious over-tones. Let's not insult anyone's faith.

Lets not be them here- my faith is not as fragile-

 

[Ankit Kumar]

Here is one source on the numbers

Place Names of Mahabhaarata
Dwaraka, Krishna's capital city by the sea. Same as modern Dwaraka in Gujarat.
Dwaitavana Lake, the lake near Kamyaka forest where some Gandharvas fought and defeated the Kauravas.
Ekachakrapura, The place where Bhima slayed Bakasura.
Hastinapura, The capital of the Kauravas (the Kurus). Near modern Delhi.
Indraprastha, The capital of the Pandavas (the Pandus) whence they ruled for 36 years.
Kampilya, Capital of Panchala ruled by Drupada.
Kamyaka, the forest where the Pandavas spent the 12th year of forest exile.
Kurujangala, the kingdom ruled by Janamejaya.
Kurukshetra, (lit. the plain of the Kurus) the battlefield where the Great War was fought. Now a village in Haryana, between Delhi and Chandigargh.
Upaplavya, a territory of Matsya kingdom.
Varanavata, The Pandavas were sent to live here in a fire-trap.
FACTS, FIGURES AND DATES
HOW MANY FOUGHT IN THE WAR?
• Vyasa says that 18 Akshunis (divisions) fought in the battle. An
akshauni is 21, 870 chariots, 21, 870 elephants, 65, 610 horses and 109, 350 foot soldiers.

• Assuming two people per chariot, two per elephant and one rider per horse, this approximates to 2 x 21,870 + 2 x 21, 870 + 65, 610 + 109, 350 = 183 680 fighters per akshauni (division).
• With 18 divisions, this comes to 183, 680 x 18 = 3, 306, 240 men in arms.
• Adding a few more for logistical services such as cooks, barbers, cleaners, stable hands, and so on, we get a round figure of 4 million people in the armed services. This is larger than the number of people in the armed services of India today.
WHEN WAS IT FOUGHT?

• According to our ancient astrologers (as cited by Dr. Mahidhara Nalini Mohan, National Physical Laboratory), Kali Yuga started in 3138 B. C. and the Great Mahabhaarata War was fought in 3102 B. C. This is almost the same as that quoted by Dr. Veda Vyasa, IAS.
• According to Western indologists, the War took place no earlier than 12 B. C. This is far different from the calculations coming from Indian sources.
• How do we resolve this discripancy?
• Dr. Nalini Mohan says that one sure-shot of verifying these counter claims is to look for astrological evidence. For example, the death of Bhisma is an important events in Mahaabharata. Important for us because Bhishma deliberately waited for an auspicious moment to die. What is that auspicious moment? We know Bhisma waited for the Sun's northward journey. Did Vyasa mention anything else about the positions of stars in the sky that would be useful to us in fixing the date? Perhaps the muhoortham of Krishna's death was mentioned. How can these muhoorthams help us?
• For example, modern astronomy tells us that there is a natural phenomenon called the precession of the equinoxes. To make it simple, let me explain as fallows. We know that the Earth spins like a top. As it spins, its axis does not always point exactly in the same direction; it precesses. As a result, at a fixed moment of a year, say the Spring Equinox time, the Sun does not always rise in the same Raasi (constellation)year after year; it progressively shifts from Raasi to Raasi as time goes by. After about 26, 000 years the whole cycle repeats. For example, if we know that Bhisma died at a time when the Sun was rising, at the Spring Equinox time, in the constellation Taurus, then we know for sure that Bhisma died in 2050 B. C. This is modern scientific knowledge. If someone who really understands Mahabhaarata can tell us if there is any mention of the Raasi in which the Sun was rising during the Mahabharata times, we can tell when exactly the story took place.
• Less accurate way of establishing the date is by making some conjectures about population of India at the time of the War.
• Vyasa says that 18 Akshunis (divisions) fought in the battle. Vyasa also says that an akshauni is 21, 870 chariots, 21, 870 elephants, 65, 610 horses and 109, 350 foot soldiers.
• Assuming two people per chariot, two per elephant and one rider per horse, this approximates to 2 x 21,870 + 2 x 21, 870 + 65, 610 + 109, 350 = 183 680 fighters per akshauni (division).
• With 18 divisions, this comes to 183, 680 x 18 = 3, 306, 240 men in arms.
• Adding a few more for logistical services such as cooks, barbers, cleaners, stable hands, and so on, we get a round figure of4 million people in the armed services.
• How much of a population should a country have to support 4 million people in the armed forces? This is a hard question to answer. But, let me try the following approach - just for the fun of it.
• During World War II, the one great war we know well, the world's population was about 2.5 billion people. It was estimated that 50 million people died in that war. That is, one out of 50 people on this planet died during that war. That is 2% of world's population.
• If a great war's toll was the same then as it is now, then we can assume that 2% of India's population also died during the Great War. But, how many of the 4 million people serving in the armed forces died during the Mahabhaarata War? The poet says all of the fighting men died, save a handful. If this literal interpretation is true, then India's population in 2050 B. C. should be around 50 times 4 million, or 200 million. Is this possible?
• Recently released United Nations data tells us how the population of this planet grew since A. D. 1650. In fact U. N. says that world's populaion in A. D. 1650 stood at 0.5 billion. But, what we want is India's population in 2050 B. C. This is the beginning of the weakest link in the argument.
• We need two items to get what we want. First, what was the world's population in 2050 B. C.? Second, what fraction of it lived in India at that time? We really do not know the answer to these two questions.
• The crudest thing we can do is to assume that these ratios and proportions are more or less the same now as it had been then. Working backwards in time, we can estimate the World's population in 12 B. C. It comes to about 300 million people. Just like at WWII time, if every seventh person was an Indian (now, it is every sixth!), then India's population in 12 B. C. would have been about a seventh of 300 million or about 40 million. Can a population of 40 million support a war in which 4 million people fought and died? That is 10% of the population. In World War II only 2% ofthe population died.
• One of the unreasonable assumptions we have made earlier aws to say that ALL the soldiers died. Let us say that every 4th soldier (a high rate, though) actually died. That is, actually one million soldiers died. Now, can a poopulation of 40 million sustain the death of one million soldiers. This is 2.5%, a figure comparable to WWII death rate. This line of argument lends credence to the theory put forward by western indologists. Really, I do not know what their logic was.
• In 2050 B. C. my estimate of the World's population stands at 50 million people. Perhaps, India's share of this (every seventh person, once again) would have been seven million. Unless, something is amiss somewhere, I know that it is impossible to fight a war and lose 50% of the population. A possible way, credible or not, of justifying this scenario is to assume that all of the world's population of that time lived in India! An alternative explanation would be to suspect the sizes of the divisions given by Vyasa.
We know that at WWII time, every fifth person on this globe was an Indian. We also know that the world's population at that time was 2.5 billion. That is, at WWII time, India's population was about 0.5 billion, perhaps a little less.

Perhaps about 10% of Earth's population directly participated in the fighting. This also shows that the figures shown in Mahabharata are not completely out of line.
In World War II, about 50 million people died. This 50 million perhaps inclued civilians also. Let us assume that about a fourth, or 10 million, of the deaths are civilian and the rest, 40 million are battlefield deaths.
At that time, the population of this palnet was about 2 billion. That is, about 2% of the planet died while fighting in the War. Suppose we assume that a like number of casualties occurred during the Mahaabharata War. Now the approximate population of North India at that time can be estimated. That is 1 million represents 2% of the population from which the fighting men are drawn. This works out to about 50 million people. If India contained 50 million people, it would have the stamina to support a war of the magnitude we have been talking about.
In 2000BC, the Earth's population was about 100 million people.
Assuming that most of this population was concentrated in Europe and Asia and apportioning 2/3 of this to Asia and the rest to Europe, it looks like Asia had 60 million. Of this about 20% can be assigned to India. This comes to 12 million. We estimated 18 million.
Year Population
(in Billions)
2000BC ?? (50 million)
1000BC 0.1 (100 million)
1 0.3 (300 million)
1650 0.5
1850 1.131
1950 2.516
1975 4.079
1990 5.3111
2000 6.463
2025 10.978
2050 21.161
2075 46.261
2100 109.405
In 2000 BC, the Earth's population was about 100 million people.
Assuming that most of this population was concentrated in Europe and Asia and apportioning 2/3 of this to Asia and the rest to Europe, it looks like Asia had 60 million. Of this about 20% can be assigned to India. This comes to 12 million. We estimated 18 million.
Compare this with the situation at or around World War II. The world's population at that time is about 2.5 billion people. It was estimated that 50 million people died in that war. That is 2500/50 = 50. That is 1 out of 50 people died or 2%. Perhaps about 10% of Earth's population directly participated in the fighting. This also shows that the figures shown in Mahabharata are not completely out of line.
Time Scales
When Yudhishthira was 16, the Pandavas came back to Hastinapura
At this time Kunti (and Pandu) would have been 32
At this time Vichitravirya would have been 48
At this time Bhishma would have been 64
At this time Vyasa would have been 65
When Yudhishthira was 20, he performed Rajasuya at Indraprastha
When Yudhishthira was 22, he lost the game of dice
When Yudhishthira was 34, Pandavas rescued Kauravas from Gandharvas
When Yudhishthira was 34, Duhsala married Jayadratha, the Sindhu king
When Yudhishthira was 35, the Pandavas finished forest life
At this time the Great Battle took place
At this time Bhishma would have been 83
At this time Vyasa would have been 84
(Probably Vyasa wrote the story at this time)
At this time Abhimanyu would have been 16
At this time Parikshita would have been 0
When Yudhishthira was 71, the Pandavas left for the Himalayas
At this time Parikshita would have been 35 (or 17, if no Abhimanya)
At this time Vyasa would have been 119
(The claim is Kali Yuga started this year) 3105 B.C.
(The claim is Krishna died this year)
(The claim is Parikshita ruled for 60 years)
When P died Vyasa would have been 179
At this time Janamejaya would have been 19
It was stated that Parikshita ruled for 60 years. Then, he would have been 95 when he died due to a snake (Takshaka) bite. Then, when Parikshita died, Janamejaya would have been 79. Vyasa would have been 179, an impossibility
If Parikshita ruled only 25 years (if the scripture means until he reached 60), then Janamejaya would have ascended the throne at age 44. In this case, Vyasa's age at the time of the Snake sacrifice would have been 144, still an unbelievable age. (Remember the Pandavas and Krishna died at a human age. Why should Vyasa live this long?
To me it appears that someone has introduced a couple of nonexistent generations. Is it possible that Parikshita is the son of Arjuna?
According to Dr. Veda Vyasa, IAS, Ph.D
Mahabharata War took place in Sep. 3138 B. C.
Kali Yuga started at 2 hr. 27 m. 30 sec. on 20 Feb. 3105 B. C.
Janamejaya's Sarpa Yaga took place in 3045 B. C.

Places and numbers

Thanks. It was similar to this. Thanks again

Its actually fiction.

You are free to believe whatever you want.

What matters is that ours faith is not as fragile.