The Mahabharata Supports the Flat Earth Theory.

• The Mahabharata Supports the Flat Earth Theory
• The Vishnu Purana supports the Flat Earth Theory
• How to tell that the Earth is round without NASA’s help.

The Mahabharata Supports the Flat Earth Theory
November 25, 2019

I was actually quite dismayed to have discovered this. After all, India was and is a source of great mathematicians right? What we know of as Arabic numerals should be rightly called Hindu numerals right?

How then is it possible, for any text purporting to be a “Hindu” text (and a highly respected one in modern times) spout statements like these:

Mahabharata: Bk 1: Adi Parva: Astika Parva: Section XXXVI:
“Sesha said, ‘O divine Lord of all creatures, O bestower of boons, O lord of the Earth, lord of every created thing, lord of the universe, I will, even as thou sayest hold the Earth steady. Therefore, O lord of all creatures, place her on my head.’ “Brahman said, ‘O best of snakes, go underneath the Earth. She will herself give thee a crevice to pass through. And, O Sesha, by holding the Earth, thou shalt certainly do what is prized by me very greatly.’ “Sauti continued, ‘Then the elder brother of the king of the snakes, entering a hole, passed to the other side of the Earth [the Pacific Ocean?] and holding her, supported with his head that goddess with her belt of seas passing all round.’ “Brahman said, ‘O Sesha, O best of snakes, thou art the god Dharma, because alone, with thy huge body, thou supportest the Earth with everything on her, even as I myself, or Valavit (Indra), can.’ “Sauti continued, ‘The snake, Sesha, the lord Ananta, of great prowess, lives underneath the Earth, alone supporting the world at the command of Brahman.

MB: Bk 3: Vana Parva: Markandeya-Samasya Parva: Section CLXXXVIII
It is I who, assuming the form of Sesha support (on my head) this earth bounded by the four seas and decked by Meru and Mandara. And O regenerate one, it is I who, assuming the form of a boar, had raised in days of yore this earth sunk in water.

MB: Bk 3: Vana Parva: Draupadi-harana Parva: Section CCLXX
Vishnu he is the Preserver, and in his form as Rudra, he is the Destroyer of the Universe! O king of Sindhu, hast thou not heard of the wonderful achievements of Vishnu, described to thee by the Munis and the Brahmanas learned in the Vedas? When the world was thus reduced to one vast sea of water, with only the heavens above, the Lord, like a fire-fly at night-time during the rainy season, moved about hither and thither in search of stable ground, with the view of rehabilitating his creation, and became desirous of raising the Earth submerged in water. What shape shall I take to rescue the Earth from this flood?–So thinking and contemplating with divine insight, he bethought himself of the shape of a wild boar fond of sporting in water. And assuming the shape of a sacrificial boar shining with effulgence and instinct with the Vedas and ten Yojanas in length, with pointed tusks and a complexion like dark clouds, and with a body huge as a mountain, and roaring like a conglomeration of clouds, the Lord plunged into the waters, and lifted up the Earth with one of his tusks, and replaced it in its proper sphere.

MB: Bk 12: Santi Parva: Rajadharmanusasana Parva: Section XLVIII
The Vedas have declared thee to be the divine word. Salutations to thee in thy form as the word! Assuming the form of a boar whose limbs were constituted by sacrifice, thou hadst raised the submerged earth for the benefit of the three worlds.

MB: Bk 12: Santi Parva: Section CCCXLIII
Hence am I called by the name of Suchisravas. Assuming, in days of old, the form of a boar with a single tusk, O enhancer of the joys of others, I raised the submerged Earth from the bottom of the ocean. From this reason am I called by the name of Ekasringa. While I assumed the form of mighty boar for this purpose, I had three humps on my back. Indeed, in consequence of this peculiarity of my form at that time that I have come to be called by the name of Trikakud (three-humped).

But there’s more:

Mahabharata: Book 3: Vana Parva: Tirtha-yatra Parva: Section CIII
Vindhya, the foremost of all mountains, suddenly began to increase his height, from a wrathful competition with the sun (i. e., to rival him in altitude)……. Section IV: “Yudhishthira said, ‘O great saint! I am desirous of hearing in detail [[🙋🏻‍♂️ Me Too!!]] why it was that Vindhya, made senseless with wrath, suddenly began to increase his bulk.'”
“Lomasa said, ‘The sun between his rising and setting used to revolve round that monarch of mountains– the great Meru of golden lustre. And seeing this the mountain Vindhya spake to Surya saying, ‘As thou every day goest round Meru and honourest him by thy circumambulations, do thou even the same by me, O maker of light!’ Thus addressed, the sun replied to the great mountain, saying, ‘I do not of my own will honour this mountain by my circumambulations. By those who have built this universe hath that path been assigned to me.’ Thus addressed the mountain suddenly began to increase from wrath, desirous, O chastiser of foes, of obstructing the path of the Sun and the Moon. And all the assembled gods came to Vindhya, the mighty king of mountains, and tried to dissuade him from his course. But he heeded not what they said. And then all the assembled gods went to the saint, living in the hermitage, engaged in the practice of austerities, and the very best of persons devoted to virtue; and stated all that happened to Agastya, possessed of exceeding marvellous power.
“The gods said, ‘This king of hills, Vindhya, giving way to wrath, is stopping the path of the Sun and the Moon, and also the course of the stars. O foremost of Brahmanas! O thou great in gifts! excepting thyself, there is none who can prevent him; therefore do thou make him desist.’ Hearing these words of the gods the Brahmana came to the mountain. And he with his wife, having arrived there, came near Vindhya and spake to him, saying, ‘O thou best of mountains! I wish to have a path given to me by thee, as, for some purpose, I shall have to go to the southern region. Until my return, do thou wait for me. And when I have returned, O king of mountains, thou mayst increase in bulk as much as thou pleasest.’ And, O slayer of foes! having made this compact with Vindhya up to the present day Varuna’s son doth not return from the southern region. Thus have I, asked by thee, narrated to thee why Vindhya doth not increase in bulk, by reason of the power of Agastya.

Mahabharata: Bk 3: Vana Parva: Tirtha-yatra Parva: Section CLXII
Thus the worshipful Sun who dispelleth darkness, goeth round this (the Meru Mountain) obscuring other luminaries. Then having set, and passed the evening, that Maker of day, the Sun, taketh a northerly course. Then again nearing the Meru, the divine Sun (ever) intent on the good of all beings, again courseth, facing the east. And in this way, the divine Moon also together with the stars goeth round this mountain ……

https://www.storyofmathematics.com/indian.html
Golden Age Indian mathematicians [5th to 12th Centuries] made fundamental advances in the theory of trigonometry, a method of linking geometry and numbers first developed by the Greeks. They used ideas like the sine, cosine and tangent functions (which relate the angles of a triangle to the relative lengths of its sides) to survey the land around them, navigate the seas and even chart the heavens. For instance, Indian astronomers used trigonometry to calculate the relative distances between the Earth and the Moon and the Earth and the Sun. They realized that, when the Moon is half full and directly opposite the Sun, then the Sun, Moon and Earth form a right angled triangle, and were able to accurately measure the angle as 1⁄7°. Their sine tables gave a ratio for the sides of such a triangle as 400:1, indicating that the Sun is 400 times further away from the Earth than the Moon.

Maybe these Indians allowed themselves to be too influenced by Greek ideas.

MB: Bk 6: Bhishma Parva: Jamvu-khanda Nirmana Parva: Section VI
The foremost of luminaries, the sun, always circumambulates Meru, as also the moon with (his) attendant constellation, and the Wind-god too. The mountain, O king, is endued with celestial fruits and flowers, and it is covered all over with mansions made of furnished gold.

MB: Bk 6: Bhishma Parva: Bhagavat-Gita Parva: Section XLVI
And, O bull of Bharata’s race, the mighty-armed Bhishma, O king, with his standard which was made of silver and graced with the device of the palmyra with five stars, setting upon his great car, shone like the lunar orb under the peak of Meru.

And to show that the concept of large distances was well developed at this time:

MB: Bk 3: Vana Parva: Ghosha-yatra Parva: Section CCLIX
And there is that monarch of mountains the golden Meru extending over a space of thirty-three thousand Yojanas.

MB: Bk 6: Bhishma Parva: Jamvu-khanda Nirmana Parva: Section VI
Between these two (viz., Malyavat and Gandhamadana) is a globular mountain called Meru made of gold. Effulgent as the morning sun, it is like fire without smoke. It is eighty-four thousand Yojanas high, and, O king, its depth also is eighty-four Yojanas. It standeth bearing the worlds above, below and transversely.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mount_Meru
Mount Meru of Hindu traditions is described as 84,000 yojanas high (about 1,082,000 km (672,000 mi), which would be 85 times the Earth’s diameter. The Sun along with all the planets in the Solar System revolve around Mt. Meru as one unit.

I suppose it is a tall skinny mountain that skewers the earth. 168,000 yojanas for its full length and 33,000 yojanas wide. 🙄

https://www.storyofmathematics.com/indian.html
As early as the 6th Century CE, the great Indian mathematician and astronomer Aryabhata produced categorical definitions of sine, cosine, versine and inverse sine, and specified complete sine and versine tables, in 3.75° intervals from 0° to 90°, to an accuracy of 4 decimal places. Aryabhata also demonstrated solutions to simultaneous quadratic equations, and produced an approximation for the value of π equivalent to 3.1416, correct to four decimal places. He used this to estimate the circumference of the Earth, arriving at a figure of 24,835 miles, only 70 miles off its true value. But, perhaps even more astonishing, he seems to have been aware that π is an irrational number, and that any calculation can only ever be an approximation, something not proved in Europe until 1761.

Notice that these types of statements are repeated in various sections, even across books of the Mahabharata. And for those who wish to claim that these statements should be taken figuratively, my question to you is, “How?“

MB : Bk 5: Udyoga Parva: Bhagwat Yana Parva: Section LXXV
At one time, thou (Bhima) hadst, in the midst of thy brothers, grasped the mace, uttering this oath, ‘As the sun is seen rising in the east displaying his radiance, and as he truly setteth in the west journeying around the Meru, so do I swear that I will certainly slay insolent Duryodhana with this mace of mine, and this oath of mine will never be untrue.‘

🤦‍♂️

Mahabharata: Book 3: Vana Parva: Tirtha-yatra Parva: Section CIII
If the Brahmanas are destroyed, the earth itself will meet with destruction, and if the earth cometh to an end, heaven also will cease to exist.

Wait, What? What about Alderaan?

The Vishnu Purana supports the Flat Earth Theory
March 13, 2021

https://archive.org/details/Vishnupurana-English-MnDutt/page/n32/mode/1up
Vishnu Purana: Book I : Chapter IV – Dutt Translation
PARACARA said,—”Thus hymned by the divinities, that supreme soul [[Vishnu in the form of a boar]], the holder of Earth, at once lifted her up, and set her on the mighty sea. And, resting on the sea like a giant bark, Earth did not sink in consequence of the flatness of her frame.

Now you may complain to me that in other translations the previous verses are rendered like this:

https://www.sacred-texts.com/hin/vp/vp038.htm
The orb of the earth is seen seated on the tip of thy tusks, as if thou hadst been sporting amidst a lake where the lotus floats, and hadst borne away the leaves covered with soil. – Horace Hayman Wilson Translation

Meaning that the text understands that the earth is round. Except that if we consider the analogy that occurs next, then don’t we have a flat surface/leaf covered by dirt?

Raised on thy razor-ends, all this Earth, Lord, seemeth like a lotus-leaf besmeared with mud on the tusk of an elephant that hath plunged into a pool of lotuses. – Dutt translation

And are we then to visualise a round (dry) ball of earth floating on the water like a beach ball tossed into a pool?

PARÁŚARA.–The supreme being thus eulogized, upholding the earth, raised it quickly, and placed it on the summit of the ocean, where it floats like a mighty vessel, and from its expansive surface does not sink beneath the waters. – Horace Hayman Wilson Translation

Bible: OT: Job 26:6 Sheol is naked before God, and Abaddon has no covering. 7 He stretches out the north over empty space; He hangs the earth upon nothing. 8 He wraps up the waters in His clouds, yet the clouds do not burst under their own weight.

How to tell that the Earth is round without NASA’s help.
February 23, 2017

Isaiah 40:22 He sits enthroned above the circle of the earth, and its people are like grasshoppers…..

Mahabharata: Bk 1: Adi Parva: Astika Parva: Section XXXVI
…Brahman said, ‘O best of snakes, go underneath the Earth. She will herself give thee a crevice to pass through. And, O Sesha, by holding the Earth, thou shalt certainly do what is prized by me very greatly.’ “Sauti continued, ‘Then the elder brother of the king of the snakes, entering a hole, passed to the other side of the Earth, and holding her, supported with his head that goddess with her belt of seas passing all round.’ “Brahman said, ‘O Sesha, O best of snakes, thou art the god Dharma, because alone, with thy huge body, thou supportest the Earth with everything on her, even as I myself, or Valavit (Indra), can.’ …

In a world where we have experienced misinformation from Governments, Medical & Business Community it is tempting, if not wise, to take what these organisations are saying with just a bit of salt (some would say a whole pot full!). The question becomes how much or how little distrust do we give the information that we receive?

Let’s take the question of “Is the earth a sphere?”

Now NASA says, “Yes” and they have the pictures and video to prove it. Now, suppose we say – NASA is a Big Organisation and we do not trust Big Organisations because we have issues with other Big Organisations and just as we don’t trust them, we’re not sure we can trust you either. What’s a skeptic to do?

One thing we need is an independent source of information. This can sometimes be tricky. If I am looking at a news story on the CNN or the BBC website, this doesn’t necessarily mean that I am sourcing my information from two independent sources of information. For sometimes, if I trace it back, both news outlets might actually re-transmitting the same news story from Reuters or the Associated Press. So what appears to be multiple news sources, might actually only be only one or two. If however, I look at media websites local to the area or country that I researching, then I am more likely to get independent sources of information as well as getting data from agencies closer to the source.

Are there any other countries with space programs? Yes. The Russian & Chinese come to mind (and yes, even the Indians https://www.space.com/topics/india-space-program). Do their agencies confirm that the earth is a sphere? If I spoke Russian or Mandarin and had opportunity to ask, I am certain that they will both say, “Yes, and we have the pictures and video to prove it.” However, one may argue that these too are Big Organisations and we do not trust Big Organisations because even though the Russian & Chinese are rivals to America and ought to be independent and not have any reason to lie, maybe there is some secret reason why their agencies are colluding together to fool everyone.

In the absence of information from Big Organisations, are there other people closer to the source that we can ask? Unfortunately, the only way to get direct information (pictures & videos) on the nature of the earth are from Big Organisations (whether Private of Public). So what’s a skeptic to do? Is there indirect evidence that we can access that can be of help?

Let’s pull back and look at the issue again. Either the earth is a sphere or it is not. If it is not a sphere, it might be a cube or a cone or it might be flat or it might be some other shape. To make the analysis simpler, we will look at two alternative scenarios – either the earth is a sphere or it is flat (If it is neither, we will then consider whether it is a cube, cone or other). If the earth is flat then there ought to be an edge. At this edge, we would either fall off, or be able to swing around the ledge and walk underneath, gravity permitting. In any event, anyone heading in a straight line ought to arrive at the horizon. Also, the further I got away from an object, the only thing I should observe is that it gets smaller generally until if vanishes out of sight.

How can we test this theory? Well we can get on a boat and head out in a straight line – somewhere in the ocean (it is not on land otherwise we would have found it already) we ought to come to the edge. Well, one might say – I do not have a boat, what’s a skeptic to do? Who can we ask? Well, shipping agencies cross the ocean transporting goods. These for the most part are independent private businesses. If we asked them – Is the earth a sphere or is it flat, what would they say? After recovering from laughing at you, they will say, “Yes, the earth is a sphere.” Then you ask, what evidence do you have, do you have pictures or videos of the earth to show that it is a sphere? Their reply will be no. But they then tell you that if one were to take binoculars and watch ships as they passed over the horizon, instead of simply getting smaller and smaller, they actually look like they are sinking into the water. First the lower half, gradually until only the cargo and top bits are visible, until the entire thing is out of sight. Further, the same is true when a ship leaves land looking the other way. For anyone on a ship looking back at port with binoculars, will see the lower part of the land lost from view until the entire continent or land mass appears to sink into the sea.

Or again, go to either to your eastern coastline in the morning or your western in the evening. Arrive in time either to watch the sun rise in the East or to set in the West. Does the sun look like it is sinking into a straight level ocean? (If it is too cloudy try again) If so, then where is the intervening land mass? For if I am in the Americas looking East, I should be able to make out the shadowy bumpy outlines of Europe & Africa and the Himalayan mountains on the horizon. And if I am in Europe or Africa looking West, I should be able to see the shadowy outline of the Americas. In fact if you have any intervening offshore islands that are far enough away, you won’t see them either. Explain that if you dare!

This principle guides the practice of having what is called a crow’s nest on pre-satellite/radar sailing vessels. For if one watches old pirate movies (and I mean, movies about pirates!) then one often comes across a scene where a sailor posted up high on the mast, shouts down, “Land Ho” or spots some enemy vessel approaching and shouts a warning below. This is because someone high up on the mast will be able to see further over the curvature of the earth than someone on the deck of the ship. If the earth were flat, this would not be the case. So long as the ship observers were both high enough over the waves (and they would be unless the ship was sinking), there would be no advantage to being high up on the mast.

The other piece of evidence would be – “We have found no edge.” This would be an example of negative evidence. Now one could always argue – Are you sure? Maybe an edge exists but you just haven’t visited that particular spot. To which their reply would be, “We have been sailing miles and miles, all about, to and fro, for centuries. We have Not found an Edge!” Then taking a deep breath, they continue with their final concluding piece of evidence, “Furthermore, some of our cargo ships circumnavigate the earth – leaving China, crossing the Pacific Ocean, squeezing though the Panama Canal, crossing the Atlantic, sailing though the Mediterranean, gliding though the Suez Canal, though the Indian Ocean and back to China again! We have Not found an Edge!”

But, you may still decide, that shipping companies are also Big Organisations and we do not trust them either because they are all in on the conspiracy because, because, because of some top secret reason that we don’t know about. Let’s tally – we do not trust NASA, Roscosmos, CNSA, and Thousands of Independent Shipping Agencies and their staff because these are all Big Organisations and we do not trust Big Organisations. Let’s look at the size of our unbelief. We do not trust the CEO’s of these organisations (couple handfuls of people). They might be lying – and that’s possible. We do not trust the ship captains and other technical staff of these organisations either (hundreds?) – this is getting shaky. We do not trust the crewmen and cooks on the ships – they are all in on the conspiracy. So my question is why and how are they able to maintain this conspiracy among all these different independent agencies (in different countries) and among thousands of persons without a single one breaking ranks and leaking the information to the media for a nice fat payout!

Let’s proceed. Who else can we talk to find out if the earth is a sphere or if it is flat. Well we could also talk to airline pilots (We will exclude passengers and stewardesses because they can neither look forward or back without obstruction and we can’t trust their observations) – but they are also members of “Big Organisations” so we will just cut to the chase and add all of these other independent organisations to the pile of false witnesses because they will also confirm that the land appears to rise and sink into the horizon as they fly about and they will also confirm that “We too have never seen an edge!” and “Some of us have circumnavigated the earth, flying from Hong Kong to London to New York to California and across the Pacific Ocean back to Hong Kong and we saw no edge.”

Who else can we talk to? Well we can talk to owners of yachts and private planes and passengers on cruise ships. What will they say, “Oh for crying out loud. YES. The Earth is a sphere! We also have flown and sailed about to and fro and some of our members have circumnavigated the earth – starting from one point and continuing either east or west or north or south and have ended up back where they started. No-one encountered an edge or a point or anything of the kind. The Earth is a sphere.”

Do you still disbelieve? If so, then you go out and look to the horizon with your binoculars or book transoceanic cruises and travel the world and see the evidence with your own eyes.

Well, you say – suppose the earth is really flat but somehow or the other it has no edge!

Mark 16:14 Later as they were eating, Jesus appeared to the Eleven and rebuked them for their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they did not believe those who had seen Him after He had risen.

Proverbs 26:4 “Do not answer a fool according to his folly, or you yourself will be just like him.”

Proverbs 26:5 “Be sure to answer the foolish arguments of fools, or they will become wise in their own estimation.”

Then, if the earth is flat, let the one who believes that explain time-zones and how it is that in some countries it is still nighttime while in others it is already daylight.

I saw someone mention elsewhere the idea that the sunlight could be focused like a spotlight. That in the same way that a flashlight with a narrow beam might light up a small spot on the wall while leaving the rest of the space dark, that this was how time-zones could exist. But remember that everyone sees sunrise and sunset at the horizon. If the sun acted like a flashlight crossing the sky, then persons would see sunrise and sunset up in the air somewhere and not solely at the horizon. I’m not even sure how moonlight and its phases will work in this scenario. Oh wait, I forgot:

Mahabharata: Book 1: Adi Parva: Sambhava Parva: Section LXV
And Sinhika gave birth to Rahu, the persecutor of the Sun and the Moon, and to three others, Suchandra, Chandrahantri, and Chandrapramardana.