Debunking Nilesh Oak: ‘Caitra’ was in ‘vasanta’ during Rāmāyaṇa
One of Nilesh Oak’s so-called linchpins [sic] for his untenable and unscientific dating of the Vālmīki Rāmāyaṇa is that “Chaitra as the lunar month that occurred during Sharad season”.[1] To the best of my information, there is no textual evidence (direct or indirect statement) of this in the Vālmīki Rāmāyaṇa. From part two of Dr. Raja Ram Mohan Roy’s incisive, detailed, and specific 10-part critique of Nilesh Oak’s dating,[2] I came to know that Oak has taken blooming of flowers and upamās or rūpakas (similes or metaphors) involving autumn to conclude that the month of caitra was in the śarad season. Oak has not contradicted this specific claim of Dr. Roy, so I believe Dr. Roy (although I will read Oak’s book to go convince myself). Oak’s logic is not only simplistic but outright ludicrous. If Oak were to date Shakespeare’s sonnets, he would say sonnet 18 was written during the day in the English summer because it says with “Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day”. It is no surprise that Oak’s faulty logic leads to the wrong conclusion (as we will see in this article). On the other hand, Dr. Jayasree Saranathan’s logic[2] to show that caitra was in vasanta season at the time of Śrī-Rāma’s birth is not only brilliant but also leads to the correct conclusion.
Why do I say that Oak’s logic leads to the wrong conclusion and Dr. Jayasree Saranathan’s logic reads to the right conclusion? Because the month of caitra was indeed in the vasanta season during the time of the Rāmāyaṇa. There are multiple direct, specific, and unequivocal statements to this effect in the first sarga of the Kiṣkindhā-kāṇḍa. As described by Vālmīki, Śrī Rāma himself says at multiple places in this sarga that it is the time of vasanta and the month is caitra. No stretch of imagination, data analysis, or astronomical software is needed to grasp this. Even a logical argument (like that of Dr. Jayasree Saranathan) is not needed to grasp this. All that is needed is an elementary knowledge of Sanskrit (which Oak does not have) and an open mind (which Oak refuses to have).
The context of the first sarga of Kiṣkindhā-kāṇḍa is this — Śrī-Rāma and Lakṣmaṇa have reached the Pampā lake. Śrī-Rāma is feeling the pangs of separation from his beloved on seeing the beauty of the Pampā lake and nature. He is speaking to Lakṣmaṇa. Here are the relevant verses (all numbers refer to the Gita Press edition) —
(1) In verse 4.1.22 (ayaṃ vasantassaumitre nānāvihaganāditaḥ, sītayā viprahīnasya śokasandīpano mama/अयं वसन्तस्सौमित्रे नानाविहगनादितः, सीतया विप्रहीनस्य शोकसन्दीपनो मम), Śrī-Rāma says that this vasanta (अयं वसन्तः, i.e., this vasanta) is kindling his grief. This is a direct statement about the season vasanta, not a simile, metaphor, or a poetic trope involving vasanta. The time is that of vasanta season. There are several other direct references to the vasanta season in this sarga but we will not touch them as this verse is as clear and unequivocal as it gets.
(2) A few verses later, in verse 4.1.35 (māṃ hyadya mṛgaśāvākṣī cintāśokabalātkṛtam, santāpayati saumitre krūraścaitravanānilaḥ/मां ह्यद्य मृगशावाक्षी चिन्ताशोकबलात्कृतम्, सन्तापयति सौमित्रे क्रूरश्चैत्रवनानिलः), Śrī-Rāma says that the cruel forest breeze of caitra month is tormenting him. The slightly different reading in the commentary of Govindarāja is krūraścaitro vanānilaḥ/क्रूरश्चैत्रो वनानिलः, which means the cruel caitra month and the forest breeze are tormenting him. Any reading one prefers, this is a direct statement about the month caitra. It is not a simile, metaphor, or a poetic trope involving caitra. The time is that of the caitra month.
Put together, these two verses are sufficient to prove that the description of Śrī-Rāma’s visit to Pampā lake was during the season of vasanta in the month of caitra, as the time was both of vasanta and caitra as per the words of Śrī-Rāma himself.
There are some more direct references to the month of ‘caitra’ in the ‘sarga’, and I provide them here as additional references —
3) In verse 4.1.10 (sukhānilo’yaṃ saumitre kālaḥ pracuramanmathaḥ, gandhavānsurabhirmāso jātapuṣpaphaladrumaḥ, सुखानिलोऽयं सौमित्रे कालः प्रचुरमन्मथः, गन्धवान्सुरभिर्मासो जातपुष्पफलद्रुमः), Śrī-Rāma says it is the time of surabhi-māsa, or the month known as surabhi. Which month is surabhi? While the word surabhi has many meanings, as the name of a month it refers to caitra alone. This is confirmed by multiple dictionaries. As per six Sanskrit-English dictionaries (Shabda-sagara, Yates, Wilson, Apte, Monier-Williams, and Benfey), one of the meanings of the word ‘surabhi’ is the Chaitra month. As per both the Śabdakalpadruma and the Vācaspatya, one of the meanings of the word surabhi is चैत्रमासः, or the month of caitra.
4) In verse 4.1.42 (mama tvayaṃ vinā vāsaḥ puṣpamāse sudussahaḥ/मम त्वयं विना वासः पुष्पमासे सुदुस्सहः), Śrī-Rāma says that it is very difficult for him to live in the puṣpa-māsa. Which is this puṣpa-māsa, or the puṣpa month again? Those who know Sanskrit would have no pain in guessing that it is again the month of caitra. This is indeed confirmed by the Apte Sanskrit-English dictionary, as per which the word puṣpa-māsa means “the month of Chaitra”. The meaning given by Apte is also given by the Śabdakalpadruma and the Vācaspatya.
5) In verse 4.1.91 (himānte paśya saumitre vṛkṣāṇāṃ puṣpasambhavam, puṣpamāse hi taravassaṅgharṣādiva puṣpitāḥ/हिमान्ते पश्य सौमित्रे वृक्षाणां पुष्पसम्भवम्, पुष्पमासे हि तरवस्सङ्घर्षादिव पुष्पिताः), there is a reference to both the current month and the previous season. Śrī-Rāma asks Lakṣmaṇa to look at the flowers that have bloomed at the end of winter (himānte/हिमान्ते) and in the puṣpa-māsa, which we just saw is nothing but the month of caitra.
To conclude, as per the first sarga of the Kiṣkindhā-kāṇḍa, it was the time of both the vasanta season and the caitra month (also called the surabhi-māsa and the puṣpa-māsa by Vālmīki) when Śrī-Rāma and Lakṣmaṇa visited the Pampā lake. This direct evidence from the Rāmāyaṇa contradicts Oak’s far-fetched claim (arrived at using faulty and weak logic) that the month of caitra was in the season of śarad during the time of the Rāmāyaṇa. In addition, this evidence validates Dr. Jayasree Saranathan’s conclusion (arrived at using correct and strong logic) that the month of caitra was in the season of vasanta during the time of the Rāmāyaṇa.
PS: I do not expect Oak to provide a specific response or rebuttal to this article. If he does, I will be happy. But going by past experience on this forum, here are the things he might say in response (1) “you want to be famous using me” (2) “you are using Vitanda” (3) “you are doing GIGO” (4) “you don’t know astronomy” (5) “this is impossible as then Rāmāyaṇa would be later than my own date of Mahābhārate” (actually the date of Rāmāyaṇa is to be in accordance with the text of Rāmāyaṇa and nor the other way round) (6) “I am happy this ‘manthan’ is happening” (7) “come for a live video debate on this channel” (8) “you are rattled by my date, hence uniting with everybody” (9) “you ran away with your tail between your legs” (10) “Shivo’ham shivo’ham”. In short, all mumbo-jumbo and nothing concrete.
References
[1] https://nileshoak.wordpress.com/.../astronomy-lynchpins.../, accessed 13 July 2021
[2] https://rajarammohanroy.medium.com/refutation-of-nilesh..., accessed 13 July 2021