The Traditional Chronologyमहाभारत कालक्रम

The eldest of the brothers and the one raised outside the family. The tradition makes him sixteen years older than Yudhishthira, which places his birth well before Kunti’s marriage.

At midday, in the Abhijit muhurta, under Jyeshtha nakshatra with Sagittarius rising. This is the fixed point of the whole scheme: every later age is counted from it.

A year to the day after his eldest son’s birth.

In the afternoon, under Magha nakshatra. One year and nineteen days younger than Yudhishthira.

The tradition has the remaining ninety-nine Kauravas and their sister born on successive days thereafter. Hidimba, Baka and Kichaka are placed in the same stretch, between Magha and Swati.

By day, under Uttara nakshatra. One year, four months and twenty-one days after Bhima.

Just after midnight, with Taurus rising — the same samvatsara as Arjuna.

At midday, under Ashvini nakshatra. One year and fifteen days after Arjuna, completing the five.

Under Uttara nakshatra. Arjuna is fourteen years and seven days old; Yudhishthira sixteen years, six months and seven days.

Sixteen days after their father’s death. The funeral rites run twelve days, ending on Vaishakha, bright half, 10th.

From the end of the mourning to the same tithi thirteen years later. The whole of the cousins’ education, and their rivalry, belongs to this span.

The public trial at which Karna appears and is challenged over his birth.

Drona’s fee for the training. The campaign runs one year, four months and five days.

The decision that makes Duryodhana’s claim urgent, and the reason for what follows at Varanavata.

Five years, four months and twenty days, ending as the family is persuaded to leave for the festival at Varanavata.

Into the house built for them out of lac and resin.

In the third watch of the night. They cross the Ganga at first light on the new moon, and the world believes them dead.

The first of the forest encounters after the escape.

Bhima’s son by Hidimbi, grown to adulthood at once — and, forty years later, the one whose death spends the weapon Karna was keeping for Arjuna.

Bright half, 2nd, to bright half, 2nd.

Living disguised as brahmanas in a potter’s house.

Bhima takes the villagers’ turn at the demon’s tribute and ends the arrangement.

Forty more days at Ekachakra, then three days’ travel to Dhaumya’s ashram, fifteen days there, and arrival at the Panchala capital on the eighteenth day — Pausha, 7th.

Arjuna wins her at the bow, and the five brothers marry her. It is also the moment the family is recognised and the presumption of their death collapses.

One year and fifteen days, while Hastinapura decides what to do about sons-in-law it thought were ashes.

Five and a half years follow at the capital while Indraprastha is built.

At exactly forty-six years of age.

He leaves under one samvatsara and returns under another, marrying Subhadra on Pramodhoota, Vaishakha, bright half, 10th. Abhimanyu is born the same year.

The Mayasabha is begun with what Maya gives them for sparing him, and takes one year and two months to build.

The illusion-hall whose floors Duryodhana misreads, and never forgives.

The settled years, and the only long peace in the chronology.

Fourteen days of single combat; Jarasandha falls on the fourteenth evening, clearing the way for the imperial sacrifice.

The consecration that makes Yudhishthira emperor — and makes Duryodhana’s humiliation unbearable.

Four days. The kingdom, the brothers, Yudhishthira himself and finally Draupadi are staked and lost, and the second game sets the terms of exile.

Kirmira is killed on the third day, the dark half’s 10th.

Twelve years to the tithi.

At Virata’s court, in disguise, on the condition that discovery restarts the whole term.

At night, by Bhima; his brothers the following day. The killing is what draws Kaurava attention to Virata’s kingdom.

Thirteen lunar years carry five intercalary months and twelve days, which on the lunar count completes the term — the reckoning Bhishma and Yudhishthira hold to. Duryodhana argues for solar years instead, and the tradition treats that as the unacceptable move.

Arjuna reveals himself first, the term having ended the day before. He tells Uttara he has carried the Gandiva thirty years, from Pramodhoota to Sarvari, and will carry it thirty-five more.

Consultations, the marriage of Abhimanyu and Uttara in Shubhakrit’s Jyeshtha, the mustering of armies, and the embassies of Draupadi’s priest and of Sanjaya. In Ashvayuja that year there are both a lunar and a solar eclipse, read as portents.

He sets out under Revati, reaches Hastinapura on the 13th, and talks until the dark half’s 8th. On the last day he shows the Vishvarupa. The talks fail.

Leaving, he tells Karna that in seven days — on the new moon, under Jyeshtha — both armies should assemble at Kurukshetra.

From Margashirsha, bright half, 2nd to the 12th is taken up with encampment and rehearsal of formations.

On the day before the fighting, while the armies are still rehearsing their formations, Arjuna’s resolve fails and Krishna answers him.

Under Bharani nakshatra.

On the tenth day. He does not die, and does not leave the field for another forty-eight days.

Aged thirty-two by this reckoning, from Pramodhoota to Shubhakrit. He had been married six months; Uttara is six months pregnant.

Arjuna’s vow, kept within the day. The fighting carries on into the night.

At noon, after he is told his son is dead and lays down his arms.

By Arjuna, with his chariot wheel in the ground.

At noon on the last day.

Struck down in the evening by Bhima’s mace; he dies the next morning.

Forty-two days by both the calendar and the stars, returning in time for the mace duel.

Ashvatthama kills Draupadi’s sons in their sleep and brings the news to the dying Duryodhana at dawn. He is defeated on Pausha, bright half, 1st.

Seven akshauhinis on the Pandava side, given as 5,51,33,83,260; eleven on the Kaurava side, given as 8,66,38,87,960; eighteen in all, 14,17,72,71,240. Yudhishthira later tells Dhritarashtra that more than ninety-four crore maharathis fell.

Bhishma about 1.27 akshauhinis; Drona about 1.00; Karna about 2.37; Shalya about 0.29; Ashvatthama about 0.09; the remaining warriors about 1.98 — seven in all, the whole Pandava force.

On the Pandava side the five brothers, Krishna, Satyaki and Yuyutsu. On the Kaurava side Kripa, Kritavarma and Ashvatthama. The epic gives no account of how the Pandava commanders disposed of the Kaurava host, beyond Abhimanyu’s half-akshauhini on the thirteenth day and Arjuna’s five on the fourteenth.

The mass cremations are on the fourteenth day, and the Pandavas leave for Hastinapura that evening.

The Yudhishthira Shaka era is counted from this day.

They attend him for a week, return to the capital for a fortnight, and come back. He is in meditation on the 8th to 11th and gives up his body on the 12th.

Fifty-eight days on the field in all — ten of war and forty-eight after — which is the figure he gives himself. Of it he says that lying on the arrow-points was like a hundred years, and that the bright fortnight still had three parts of ten to run.

Shortly before it, Uttara bears Parikshit — premature at eight or nine months, and stillborn until Krishna revives him. He is the last of the line.

Three years after that the Pandavas visit him; Vidura dies during the visit, and a month later Dhritarashtra, Gandhari and Kunti are caught in a forest fire.

Samba’s pregnancy produces an iron bolt, and the Yadavas begin to destroy themselves.

Reckoned at 2:27:30 p.m. on 20 February 3102 BCE. Yudhishthira has ruled thirty-six years, two months and fifteen days from his coronation, so the same instant is Yudhishthira Shaka 36-2-15.

The Saptarishis are placed in Magha, where the tradition has them for seventy-five years before the Kaliyuga and twenty-five after.

Six months and eleven days into the new age. Parikshit, thirty-six, is crowned at Hastinapura the same day.

The epic does not date it. The tradition puts it about twenty-six years into the Kaliyuga, and holds that Vyasa dictated the poem to Ganapati only afterwards — which would place the composition after that, and the Bhagavata before the sixtieth year of the age.

He crowns his son Janamejaya at twenty-five and dies — and it is to Janamejaya that the epic is recited.