The Era Of Sri Rama

BY VRINDAVAN DAS

EDITORIAL, Apr 18 (VNN) — Dear Friends, In regards to the dating of the Rama era to a 1000 years before Lord Krsna, here are a few points to consider. In the Ramayana there is a quote by Sri Lakshman, (Lord Rama's Brother) in which He describes the beauty of the Dandakaranya forest. He notes that the FOUR tusked elephants are breaking the ICE on the river in order to drink the water.

“Some Vedic Scholars even suggest that Ravana's Lanka was a huge land mass that included Madagascar, Seychelles, Mauritius etc.”

As we know the area of Dandakaranya is currently tropical and does not freeze at all what to speak of reaching a deep freeze cold enough to turn rivers to ice. I don't know how long ago it was that India's weather changed so drastically, but I know for a fact it was a lot longer than 6000 years ago. Also modern science has confirmed the existance of four tusked elephants in the far distant past and in the Ramayana they are mentioned along with many other extinct fauna and flora. Another point to consider is that the key figures in the epic are the Vanaras, or Apes, headed by Hanuman and Sugriva. In China a skeleton was discovered in a cave and when the scientists finished re-assembling it, they realized that they had discovered some kind of Ape figure. The scientists created a composite sculpture of the creature and it looked exactly like the current Indian artistic representations of Hanuman. It was larger than the modern day human or ape. I have not seen the video for some years and thus I don't have exact referances. However, if we accept that the Vanaras existed than we must date the Ramayana to a time when an ape species resembling them is known to have existed. We are all familiar with all the Ape like beings we have been told are our ancestors and we are expected to accept this theory yet we are laughed at when we suggest that perhaps these beings existed side by side with humankind.

THERE IS SOLID EVIDENCE THAT THEY DID BUT NO EVIDENCE TO SUPPORT THE THEORY THAT WE DIDN'T COEXIST.

Also the idea that modern day Sri Lanka is the Lanka of the Ramayana is pure speculation. It does not fit the geography of the Ramayana but rather goes against it. However, if you use the measurements from the Ramayana you will find that Hanuman's journey took him much farther than modern day Sri Lanka. That Island was traditionally known as Simhala/Ceylon and was actually attached to the Indian land mass quite recently, in geological terms. The real location of Ravana's Lanka was most probably about 800 miles south of India, near the modern day Chagos isles area and Diego Garcia. Some Vedic Scholars even suggest that Ravana's Lanka was a huge land mass that included Madagascar, Seychelles, Mauritius etc. Also along Hanuman's path there is reportedly a seamount that rises from the ocean floor. It has been suggested that this is the very mount that was offered to Hanuman for his rest, which he refused. It is interesting to note that the Seychelles islands are a mystery to modern science because, unlike most islands, they are made of continental rock rather than volcanic lava or coral. This suggests that they were part of a larger land mass in the distant past. When the first Europeans arrived there, the islands were inhabitted by huge oversize crocs and other rare beasts but supposedly no people. The largest coconuts in the world also come from Seychelles some weighing over 50 pounds. When a strong wind comes through, the coconuts fall to the ground making loud crashing sounds like thunder. So I hope I gave you some points to consider. The other theories that try to deny the evidences and descriptions of the Ramayana yet try to place the epic within a historical time frame are invalid. Their very logic is flawed and if accepted make the Ramayana into nothing more than a fairy tale not worth any serious historical consideration. Yet when a true scientific method is applied and all preconcieved notions like the modern theories of civilization and evolution are rejected we can actually get an accurate picture of planet Earth in the far distant past.