Decoding India's epic timeline: Mahabharata through science | Nilesh Oak- Author

⚔️Did the Mahabharata actually happen – Nilesh Oak on Evidence, Astronomy & India’s Ancient Timeline 🌌📜

For over a century, scholars have debated when the Mahabharata actually happened — with hundreds of conflicting dates and theories.

In this episode, researcher Nilesh Nilkanth Oak joins Roshan Cariappa to break down his evidence-based method for dating India’s greatest epic using astronomy, geology, logic, and textual analysis.

Oak explains why most previous attempts fall apart, how ancient sky observations narrow the timeline, and why understanding “time, place, and context” is essential to interpreting our epics correctly.

This conversation explores ancient Indian knowledge systems, the limits of Western Indology, the Ramayana–Mahabharata chronology, and why a scientific approach can reshape our civilizational memory.

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⏱️ Chapters

00:00 – 01:00 • Introduction
01:00 – 05:00 • Why His Mahabharata Research Resonated With Youth
05:00 – 10:30 • Why Most Previous Dates Are Wrong
10:30 – 15:30 • The Arundhati–Vasishtha Breakthrough
15:30 – 20:00 • Bhishma’s Arrow Bed & Mars Observations
20:00 – 26:00 • Criticism, Logic & Scientific Method
26:00 – 32:00 • STEM vs Indology: Why Approaches Differ
32:00 – 38:00 • Ancient Indian Astronomy & Precision
38:00 – 43:00 • Evidence for Ramayana & Mahabharata
43:00 – 48:00 • What Counts as “Historical Proof”?
48:00 – 52:30 • Why Dating the Epics Matters
52:30 – 57:00 • Aryan Invasion Theory & Genetics
57:00 – 01:03:00 • Scientific Tests for Chronology
01:03:00 – 01:09:00 • Life Lessons from India’s Epics
01:09:00 – 01:15:00 • Faith, Logic & Evidence
01:15:00 – 01:19:00 • Closing Thoughts

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👤 Guest – Nilesh Nilkanth Oak

📘 Books: https://www.amazon.in/When-Did-Mahabharata-War-  Happen-ebook/dp/B005CDXTTO

https://amzn.in/d/cDhMexJ

📢 Twitter/X: https://x.com/NileshOak

📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nileshoak5561?utm_source=ig_web_button_share_sheet&igsh=ZDNlZDc0MzIxNw=

👤 Host – Roshan Cariappa

📢 Twitter/X: https://x.com/RoshanCariappa

📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/carygottheblues/