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According to the Indraloka Gamana Parva, Vana Parva, Mahabharata, when Arjuna goes to Svarga during his 13 years exile before the war, he lived there for five years. Now if we take this calculation in earthly terms, 1 year of the devas is 360 years for us. So five years would be 5x360=1800 years on earth! Yet Arjuna was gone only for five earth years, which would mean five days on Svarga.

There is an alternate possibility of Arjuna having visited the city of Indra on the Meru Mountain, which is on earth. But this is not described in the Mahabharata. So how is this time difference reconciled?

Keshav Srinivasan
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Surya
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  • Where is Mount Meru? – user3547 Nov 28 '15 at 00:03
  • It is supposedly in the centre of the earth. Presumably North Pole. But others say near Himalayas. – Surya Nov 28 '15 at 09:28
  • If you believe Kannappa as reincarnation of Arjuna and if you know (year) when Kannappa was born and Arjuna died, you can calculate how many earthly years he stayed in heaven. – The Destroyer Nov 29 '15 at 05:41
  • @Anil I am not talking about the time between his rebirth as Kannappar. I am talking about when he goes to svarga during his vanavasa. – Surya Nov 29 '15 at 05:59
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    The Vana Parva says "And those brilliant regions that are seen from the earth in the form of stars, like lamps (in the sky)--so small in consequence of their distance, though very large--were beheld by the son of Pandu, stationed in their respective places, full of beauty and effulgence and blazing with splendour all their own." http://www.sacred-texts.com/hin/m03/m03042.htm So clearly this wasn't a city on Mount Meru. – Keshav Srinivasan Dec 05 '15 at 16:21
  • @Keshav Those brilliant regions that are seen from the earth in the form of stars, like lamps - are these the same as the hot balls of helium and hydrogen which constantly are produced in nebulae? – Surya Dec 09 '15 at 04:34
  • I think if you are talking about his time between his rebirth as Kannappar, you must calculate his time in hell as well. As I believe all Pandavas except Yudhisthira , went to both hell and heaven. Yudhisthira just got a glimpse of hell because of one lie he said. He saw his 4 brothers in hell suffering and duryodhana in heaven. But that was only for a brief period of time. After which duryodhana went to hell and the 4 brothers to heaven for an extended period of time. I think all of us go to both hell and heaven based on our good and bad deeds. – user3750229 Dec 09 '15 at 05:15
  • @user3750229 I am talking about the time during his 13 years exile in the forest before the war. I am not talking about after he died. – Surya Dec 09 '15 at 05:18
  • @Surya I think it may just refers to the different solar systems, although I still maintain that Bhuloka covers the entire physical Universe and other Lokas are in separate Universes. By the way, you maybe interested in chapter 48 of the Kurma Purana, which describes different mountains in or near the Himalayas: http://www.indianscriptures.com/Content/Articles/PDFs/30620/79_chapter_48.pdf – Keshav Srinivasan Dec 09 '15 at 06:09
  • @Keshav While that us your idea, my idea is that each galaxy is a Brahmanda. – Surya Dec 09 '15 at 07:59
  • @Surya I, on the other hand, am skeptical that multiple Brahmandas even exist. The notion of Kshirodakashayi Vishnu, Garbhodakashayi Vishnu, etc. come from the Satvata Tantra, which is a supposed Pancharatra text that pretty much only Gaudiya Vaishnavas accept. (Not to be confused with the Satvata Samhita, which is a Pancharatra text par excellence.) In any case, do you think that it is possible to go to Devaloka in a spaceship? – Keshav Srinivasan Dec 09 '15 at 08:16
  • @Keshav I don't know that seems pretty much what Arjuna did. – Surya Dec 09 '15 at 08:59
  • @Surya I think when Vimanas go from one Loka to another, they do so by magical means. I don't think they just travel spatially. I think that if you took a spaceship and traveled in any direction, you'd never come across Devaloka. – Keshav Srinivasan Dec 09 '15 at 09:35
  • Arjuna went to Swarga for five earth years. But, in the ongoing TV serial, Surya Putra Karna, it is shown that Arjuna visited Swarga for 12 years. That is wrong. – Indu Bhusan Nath Feb 24 '16 at 06:06
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    The answer to your question is in your question itself! He lived there for 5 years according to Mahabharata. What else do you want to know? – Pinakin Feb 24 '16 at 13:33
  • @Chinmay I want to know the duration within heaven, considering the conversion factor of 1 earth-year=1 svarga-day. – Surya Feb 24 '16 at 16:45
  • @Keshav Srinivasan Bhagavatam 10.14.11 confirms multiple Brahmandas exist... Kshirodakshyai Garbodhkasyai concept is also mentioned in Bhagvatam 2.6.42 and 3.8.10... – Tezz Apr 18 '16 at 07:17
  • @Tejaswee While the reference to multiple Brahmandas is true the reference to Karanodakashayi and Garbhodakashayi are translations by Srila Prabhupada. The original Sloka doesn't give these names, although you can argue that it is referring to them (but since Keshav doesn't follow Prabhupada he won't accept those translations.) – Surya Apr 18 '16 at 07:42
  • @Keshav So now do you accept multiple Brahmandas? – Surya Apr 18 '16 at 07:42
  • @Surya oh thanks... means in the original translation there is no name such as kshirodakshyai or garbodakshyai?...That translation says chapter 3.8 as Chapter Eight "Manifestation of Brahma from Garbhodakasayi Visnu"... what is the exact translation of that chapter? – Tezz Apr 18 '16 at 07:49
  • @Tejaswee Garbhodakashayi Vishnu is Vishnu sleeping on the waters of creation, but since I also accept the concept of Garbhodakashayi and Karanodakashayi, you have to ask Keshav, since he doesn't accept this concept so surely he will have another terminology. – Surya Apr 18 '16 at 07:58
  • @Surya Yeah, barring some weird interpretation of the verse that I'm not thinking of, I provisionally accept that there are multiple Brahmandas. – Keshav Srinivasan Apr 18 '16 at 14:53
  • @TejasweePokhrel Yeah, as Surya said I don't dispute that there was a form of Vishnu who was lying down and that Brahma emerged from him. But I call that form of Vishnu by the name "Aniruddha". As a Sri Vaishnava the forms of Vishnu I accept are the ones found in the Pancharatra world view, in particular the four Vyuhas; see my answer here: http://hinduism.stackexchange.com/a/6923/36 Gaudiya Vaishnavas add an extra layer of complexity to the Pancharatra worldview, where in addition to the Vyuha forms you also have the "Purusha avataras"; see this flowchart: http://tinyurl.com/gaudiyaworldview – Keshav Srinivasan Apr 18 '16 at 15:02
  • @Keshav Srinivasan Thanks for your links and reply... I just read them... I was confused in how the soul concepts works in the case of Purnaavatar as Vishnu is in Vaikuntha in case of Purnavtar too... I think these concepts help me to answer such things... – Tezz Apr 18 '16 at 15:21
  • @Keshav I don't understand why Gaudiya Vaishnavas start from Krishna.. Lord Krishna came in this Kalpa after 27 chaturyugas... Only few trikaldarshi saints knew about Lord Krishna before this Dwapar age... Does this mean that most of the people of 27 chaturyugas were in utter darkness of ignorance? Why don't they start from Lord Vishnu? ..... I suppose this becomes like "What happened to people who born before Jesus or who died not hearing name of Jesus?" in Christian theology..as they assume person who dies without surrendering Jesus goes to eternal hell.. They can't nicely answer such q. – Tezz Apr 18 '16 at 15:37
  • @TejasweePokhrel Yeah, that's the weird part of the Gaudiya Vaishnavism, they think Vishnu is an incarnation of Krishna rather than Krishna being an incarnation of Vishnu. I suppose this sort of thing arises from people who become so devoted to a particular incarnation that they can't even imagine that there's anyone greater than him. By the way, there's a similar sect called the Ramanandi sect, which believes that Rama is supreme and Vishnu is an incarnation of Rama; see my question here: http://hinduism.stackexchange.com/q/10180/36 Tulsidas and Kabir belonged to that sect. – Keshav Srinivasan Apr 18 '16 at 15:42
  • @Keshav Srinivasan I have one more question too... As kshirodakshyai Vishnu enters in every atom as super soul... Does this mean that non living things also have soul ? (Personally I assume there is no such thing as non living... Everything have chaitanya kala to some extent...) – Tezz Apr 18 '16 at 15:44
  • @TejasweePokhrei Well, I don't believe in Kshirodakashayi Vishnu, but yes as a Sri Vaishnava I do believe that Vishnu resides as the Antaryami or inner self of all living and non-living entities. Antaryami is one of the five aspects of Vishnu in the Pancharatra worldview: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pancharatra#Divine_Manifestation – Keshav Srinivasan Apr 18 '16 at 15:47
  • @Tezz (Why did you change your username?) Vishnu is present in everything - that is why most saints pray that they are born in holy places as such things. For example Kulasekhara Azhvar prayed that he be reborn as the main step in Tirupati, so that thousands of devotees would place their feet on him, and he could forever see Venkateshvara's face. Similarly Oothukkadu Venkata Kavi prayed that he be born as a blade of grass or a stone in Vrindavana so that he could be perpetually bathing in the dust of the feet of Krsna and his devotees. – Surya Apr 18 '16 at 16:50
  • @Surya No specific reasons just changed... will again place original user name latter.... Yes, you are right... Also Ahilya was present in stone form which is non living.. – Tezz Apr 18 '16 at 16:55
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    To answer your original question. Yes you are correct this is obviously a mistake written in the scriptures. We see this a lot in mythology: things do not add up often. – Wikash_ Sep 29 '19 at 06:33
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    @Wikash_, or your interpretation could be faulty. If the verse meant 5 earth-years, that equals 5 deva-days, which adds up just fine. – ram Nov 01 '19 at 18:50

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Yes. It was mentioned by Vaisampayana in Indraloka Gamana Parva of Vana Parva that Arjuna spent full five years in heaven.

Vaisampayana said, "The gods and the Gandharvas then, understanding the wishes of India, procured an excellent Arghya and reverenced the son of Pritha in a hurry. And giving water to wash both his feet and face, they caused the prince to enter the palace of Indra. And thus worshipped, Jishnu continued to live in the abode of his father. And the son of Pandu continued all the while to acquire celestial weapons, together with the means of withdrawing them.

And he received from the hands of Sakra his favourite weapon of irresistible force, viz., the thunder-bolt and those other weapons also, of tremendous roar, viz., the lightnings of heaven, whose flashes are inferable from the appearance of clouds and (the dancing of) peacocks. And the son of Pandu, after he had obtained those weapons, recollected his brothers. And at the command of Indra, however, he lived for full five years in heaven, surrounded by every comfort and luxury.

We have to read study carefully the above paras. It is to be remembered that it was Vaisampayana, who was narrating the story. So, naturally, he narrated from his point of view only, i.e, on EARTHLY terms only.

Hence, Arjuna spent 5 years, according to EARTHLY terms, in Heaven.

Srimannarayana K V
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