RAMAYANA AND GENOME STUDIES

Sky views, generated through Planetarium software, of planetary references in Valmiki Ramayana relate sequentially to the period around 5100 BC i.e. 7000 BP. There is some very interesting corroboration through DNA studies.

Indian history has recorded that Shri Ram s/o Raja Dashrath, belonged to Surya Vansh and he was the 64th ruler of this dynasty. Most of the names and other relevant particulars of previous 63 kings are listed in Vishnu Purana (Chaturth Ansha, Chapter 5), Srimad Bhagwat Purana (Navam Skandha, Chapter 13), Valmiki Ramayan (Baal Kaand, Sarga 70-71).

Manu was the first king, Iksavaku second, Harishchandra was 33^rd ruler, whereas Sagar was 40^th and Bhagirath was 44^th ruler of Suryavansha. There are also names of 62 successors of Lord Ram listed in these ancient books. Thus the dates of Suryavanshi rulers get pushed back by around 2000 years i.e. to 9000 BP. It is obvious that it would have taken at least 2000 years for the civilization to develop practices relating to agriculture and irrigation, trade and industry, navigation and shipping, urban planning and civil administration; leading to formation of large kingdoms and the institution of kingship. It would have taken a few thousand years, after the beginning of the Nutan Yug, for the evolving society to attain the level of intellectual, philosophical, cultural and scientific activity as is evident from the contents of Vedas and Ramayan.

Almost all the major Genome studies carried out for the Holocene (nutan yug) period, including those carried out by Kenneth A. R. Kennedy and Cavalli-Sfroza, have revealed an amazing correlation of the genealogy with the genetic profile of humans settled in Indian Subcontinent since the Holocene (about 11000 years). These have also corroborated the development of civilization revealed through Vedas and Epics. Almost all the Genome studies have concluded that genetic profile of people of the Indian subcontinent has remained the same for last more than 55000 years. For last 11000 years, this genetic profile is of culturally developing people who had started speaking a structured language and were taking cooked food. It has also been concluded that the Dravidians as well as north Indians have common ancestors and both are originals of India, have common genetic profile and had common ancestors.

A very interesting study was recently conducted by Dr. Gyaneshwar Chaubey of Estonian Biocentre. He scanned genepool of three most ancient tribes mentioned in Ramayana, i.e. Kol (e.g. Guh nishad), Bhil (e.g. Bhilni) and Gond, and compared the results with their neighboring populations and other world populations. It was concluded that the genepool of these tribes was primarily founded over indigenous component, having continuity for last over ten thousand years. Is it not a most emphatic rejection of Aryan Invasion theory, and corroboration of astronomical dates of Ramayana references?

  

Suggested Readings:-

1. Saroj Bala and Kulbhushan Mishra. 2012. Historicity of Vedic and Ramayan Eras: Scientific Evidences from the Depths of Oceans to the Heights of Skies. Institute of Scientific Research on Vedas. Abridged editions also available in English and Hindi.

2. Cavalli-Sforza LL, Feldman MW (2003) The application of molecular genetic approaches to the study of human evolution. Nat Genet 33 Suppl: 266-275.

3. Chaubey G, Metspalu M, Kivisild T, Villems R (2007) Peopling of South Asia: investigating the caste-tribe continuum in India. Bioessays 29: 91-100.(http://hdl.handle.net/10062/15240)

4. Chaubey G The demographic history of India: A perspective based on genetic evidence (http://hdl.handle.net/10062/15240). PhD. Universitatis Tartuensis, Evolutionary Biology;(2010)

5. Kazanas N (1999) The Rigveda and Indo-Europeans. Annals of the Bhandarkar Oriental Research Institute

6. Tiwari SK Tribal roots of Hinduism. Sarup & Sons; (2002)

7. Kapil Kapoor and Sheshagiri Rao, Encyclopedia of Hinduism (Vols. I and XI) India Heritage Research Foundation-USA

8. Rajaram N.S. and David Frawley, The Vedic"Aryans" and the origins of civilization : a literary and scientific perspective: World Heritage Press.