⚔️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. ⸻ ⏱️ 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 ⸻ 👉 If you enjoyed this conversation, don’t forget to subscribe to Bharatvaarta! We bring you deep, thoughtful discussions on politics, policy, and culture every week. 📢 X (Twitter): https://x.com/bharatvaarta 📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bharatvaarta/ ⸻ 👤 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/