Where was Jupiter?

I saw that Shri. Oak mentions in his comments that I have not gone into Jupiter’s position. It is true. I have been looking at each reference from Mahabharat, one at a time and have missed something there, in my earlier comments.

Let us take a look at Jupiter. According to Shri. Oak Jupiter was in Moola nakshatra one year prior to war and on first day it was ‘in the region of Moola- Uttarashadha’. At another place he says Jupiter near Shravan! Actually with a 12 year orbit Jupiter will move through more than two nakshatras in one year. So if it was in Moola, one year prior to war, on first day of war, the description ‘in the region of Moola – Uttarashadha is vague. Jupiter in Shravan is obviously the correct position.

1. Now according to Shri. Vartak and Shri. Oak both Jupiter and Saturn should be in near Vishakha. I have already written about Saturn. Jupiter also, is in Shravan, nowhere near Vishakha but 6 nakshatras away.

2. On 17th day, Jupiter was still in Shravan only. Shri. Oak says, at the end of the day, it was on western horizon. If first day was Jyeshtha Amavasya, Sun on that day was in Jyeshtha. In 17 days it would move to Purvashadha. So when sun set on 17th day, Jupiter, in Shravan , 2 nakshatra behind, would be close to western horizon . Rohini, 9 nakshatras behind, wont be on eastern horizon but about 45 degrees above. Reference 12 says that Jupiter afflicted Rohini and became same colour (bright) as Sun and Moon. The relative positions of Jupiter and Rohini do not justify the claim that Jupiter was afflicting Rohini. In case of Saturn, it was ‘somewhere in the Eastern sky’ when Rohini was setting. On the other hand, Jupiter was setting and Rohini was ‘somewhere in the eastern sky’. Yet both are claimed to be afflicting Rohini! So Jupiter is another shy first year student making a pass at college queen Rohini from a safe distance!

3. Yet another reference to Jupiter is in ‘मघासु अंगारको वक्रः श्रवणेच बृहस्पतिः’ Jupiter was in Shravan on first day OK. Shri. Oak has proposed a new interpretation of Vakra Motion of planets - ‘crossing of ecliptic’ Both Mars and Jupiter are said to have done it. Dates for Mars crossing the ecliptic are given by Shri. Oak which show that Mars crossed the ecliptic before the war date so Vyasa refering to it, in past tense, is correct. In case of Jupiter however the dates of crossing ecliptic are in April and Sept 5560 BCE, i.e. 6 months and one year after first day of war. I have already raised the question as to how Vyasa can refer to it in the same breath with Mars in the Past Tense. Another question is Jupiter would move through at least two nakshatras in the one year and so would no longer be ‘श्रवणे’, (‘in Shravan’) when it went Vakra but would be in Dhanishtha / Shatataraka. So the claim Jupiter went Vakra in Shravan is not justified.

Regarding the new definition of Vakra motion, I wonder whether it would be possible to observe a planet crossing the ecliptic with Naked Eye. Ecliptic is not a line marked in the sky. The Nakshatras provide only a broad band of reference generally along the Ecliptic as all Nakshatras are not bang on the ecliptic. So could Vyasa and his contemporaries have meant what Shri. Oak has proposed, by Vakra motion? Hardly likely.They did not have Voyager and computers, nor powerful telescopes.

I am afraid, Jupiter also, like Saturn, does not favour Shri Oak.(Both are Vakri!)