In the Fourth Edition we have discussed how the "Great Deluge" is an inseparable part of all the important of the world. Now we may discuss the possible historical periods in which the flood would have occurred:

According to the Bibliographers, the world is only around 7 thousand years old i.e. 5000 years before Christ and 2000 odd years after Christ. As per this line of thinking, the flood would have occurred possibly about 3000 BC (approx). An American crew which succeeded in recovering the 'Titanic' from under the ocean is likely to undertake, as per news reports, the search of Noahs Ark in the Red Sea. SRIKRISHNAMANGAL does not agree with this view point and is sure that the search for the Noahs Ark will be fu tile the reasons for such disagreement are as follows:

i) Christian Research Scholars have an obsession for the number 7. The phrase Seven times seven, occurring in the Holy Bible and the dreams of Daniel have been very liberally misinterpreted to presume that, since the advent of Adam, every forty-nine years some major occurrences have taken place. So the Biblical Chronology is based on these assumptions.

ii) Further it is presumed that all the characters mentioned in the Jewish legends have lived one after another in chronological order as "Fathers and Sons". However this is not the case in the case of characters mentioned in the legends from any part of the world, including Hindu Legends.

As per the Hindu Calendar, the number of years in each Yuga are as follows:

Yuga	Length
Kruta Yuga	17,28,000 Years
Treta Yuga	12,96,000 Years
Dwapara Yuga	8,64,000 Years
Kali Yuga	4,32,000 Years
Total (Chatur Yugas)	43,20,000 Years

Such Chatur Yugas constitute what is known as a MANVANTARA, started after the name of one popular Manu. There are such 14 Manvantaras in a KALPA, which is the biggest time unit for the beings of the world. The creation of the world heralds the beginning of a KALPA and at the end of a Kalpa there is PRALAYAM (which will be explained in a later edition). The unit of Kalpa is equivalent to the Day time of BRAHMA and another unit of Kalpa make the night time of Brahma. 360 such Brahmic days (2 Kalpas) constitute one Brahmic year and 100 such years Brahmas Life Time. The present Brahma is in his 51st year on the first day of the first months. The Kalpa in which we are living is called the Swetavaraha Kalpa. In this Kalpa 6 Manvantas have already elapsed. The seventh one is called Vaivasvata Manvantara. In this Manvantara, we are in the 28th Chatur Yuga, first quarter. All these can be ascertained easily from our day to Sankalpa. To quote ADYA BRAHMANAH, DWITEEYA PARARDHE SWETA VARAHA KALPE VAIVASVATA MANVANTARE, ASHTHAVIMSATI TAME KALI YUGE PRATHAME PADE etc.

At the end of the 28th Chatur Yuga, 12,09,60,000 years (28 x 43,20,000) would have passed. But as on today we are in the 5105th year of Kali Yuga. Subtracting the remaining, 4,26,896 years of KALI YUGA from the above, we arrive at the figure of 12,05,33,104 years as the number of years which have elapsed since the start of the Vaivasvata Manvantara. As Vaivasvata Manu is the Hindu equivalent of Noah, we can safely assume that the Great Deluge could have occurred 12,05,33,104 years ago.

As already mentioned above, 6 Manvantaras have elapsed before the Deluge or the beginning of the Vaivasvata Manvantara. That means 1,84,03,20,000 years ( 6 x 71 x 43,20,000) have been completed before the Deluge and 12,05,33,104 years after the flood. Thus from the beginning of the Kalpa, or the present creation, 196,08,53,104 years have passed - which therefore, is the age of the world.

Recently scientists have claimed to have proof that the present world is 13.5 billion years old, whereas the Hindu calculation date it as 19.6 billion years. The difference of 6.1 billion years may be bridged in the course of time through research and availability of further scientific and Pouranic data being unearthed time and again.

Though Bible does not specify any particular place as the place Noahs Ark where was built, but it is widely believed that it was at the banks of Euphratis River (present day Iraq). And the nearest ocean is Red Sea.

As per the Hindu Puranas the Fish Incarnation of Bhagwan Vishnu (Matsyavatara) occurred in GHRUTAMALA RIVER or Neyyattrankara probably in Kerala. TheOcean concerned in the confluence of Indian Ocean and Arabian Sea.

SRIKRISHNAMANGALs VIEW - the flood could have occurred either in Iraq or in Kerala or a third place for that matter. Since human beings have been journeying constantly from place to place, it is highly probable that they have transplanted the legends they brought with them in their memories with local names in their new surroundings. Hence any conclusion regarding the place of the Flood can at the most be only a speculative venture in the absence of any concrete evidence.

As per the Bible, the flood gates opened on the 17th day of the second month. As per the Hindu calendar, Matsya Jayanti is celebrated on Chaitra Krishna Dwadasi (Lunar Waning Twelfth day of the first month) which occurs on some day in April. As per the Official Calendar accepted by the Government of India, this date occurs in Vaisakha which is the 2nd month of Hindu Calendar. We have already discussed in the editorial of theIV Edition that March April were the first two months of the year throughout the world once upon a time. Thus though the year of the flood and place of the flood is undecided, the month and the date are fairly in agreement.

Concluding remarks: According to SRIKRISHNAMANGAL, both the fish and ark or boat should not be understood in the literal sense but only in symbolic or figurative sense. Hence our doubts raised on finding the Noahs arc in physical form. However, we may safely conclude that there was a big flood in the month of April, millions of years ago which destroyed everything in the world except a few who started the creation once again from the scratch with the blessings of God.

Hence since the Ancestor who was saved by God from the floods in April was common to all mankind, I invite all devout Hindus, Muslims, Christians and Jews to come together and celebrate Noahs or Vaivasvata Manus deliverance from the Flood by Gods grace on a Common acceptable date in APRIL every year.

In the present situation am I asking for too much?