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294
THE INDIAN ANTIQUARY
[ DECEMBER, 1917
An interesting peculiarity of the years of the Malava era deserves to be notiood here. The second date in the Mandagor inscription of Kumaragupta I and Bandhuvarman is the Malava year 529 expired, Phålguna sukla 2. The equivalent Saka year is 394 expired. Deduct 394 from our present Saka year 1839 in Western India. The result is 1445. Add 1445 to 529%; the result is 1974. This will be our MAlava or Vikrama year on Phalguna fukla 2 next (April 14,1918) in Western India. This is true according to our almanac. Let us now turn to the Mandasor inseription25 of Yasodharman, where the expired MAlava year 589 with the season of Vasanta is thus mentioned
पञ्चस शतेषु शरद बातेब्वेकाननवतिसाहतेषु । मालवगणस्थितिवशारकालज्ञानाब लिखितेषु ॥ यस्मिन्काले कलमृगिरां कोकिलानां प्रलापा मिन्दन्तीव स्मरधरनिभाः प्रोषितानां मनांसि | भृङ्गालीनां ध्वनिरनुरतं नारमन्द्रय बस्मिसाधूतव्यं धमुरिव नदच्छूयते पुष्पकेतोः॥
प्रियतमकुपितानां रामबन्बद्धरागं किसलयमिव मुग्धं मानसं मानिनीनां । उपनयति नभस्वान्मानभाव बस्मि
कुसुमसमयमासे तत्र निर्मापितोबम् ॥ Here the date is the qसम्त. ie and वैशाख of the expired MAlava year 589, कुसुमसमय or पुष्पसमय being synonymous with वसन्त (AmaraI,3.18). To-day is अक्षयतृतीया, i.. वैशाख शुरू of the Saka year 1839 (April 24, 1917) in Western India. The expirer! Målava year 589 is 60 years later than the expired Malava year 529. Add 60 to the expired Saka 394. The result is the expired Saka 464 corresponding to Milava 589. Now deduct 454 from our present Saka year 1839; the remainder is 1385. Add 589 to 1385 and we get Mâlava year 1974 corresponding to our present Saka year on अक्षयवतीया. But our Vikrama-samvat today is 1973 because it is a frantf and will be found to be identical with the Mâlava year 1974 on our next Phâlguna śukla 2, as has been shown above. This may be illustrated by the following diagram
Expired Málava Expired Saka Expired Malaya Expired Saka 529 394
529 = 394
फाल्गुन शु.२ __ + 60 years
Saka
Malava
589
वसंत
+1385 years
+ 1445 years
Mâlava
1974
MAlava
Vikramat samvat s
Saks
1839 भक्षकृतीबार
19720 पर्स
1974126
फाल्यानJSaka expired
शु.२. 1839 "
Vikrama: samvat
Gupta Inscriptions, p. 184. 26 The Northern and southern Vikrama 1974 and 1973 as well m Baka 1839 are expired years. D. Flot's view that expired; Bake years are used owing to the adoption of the Baka era by astronomer is thus untenable.