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THE INDIAN ANTIQUARY,
A JOURNAL OF ORIENTAL RESEARCH.
VOLUME XIV.-1885.
THE PROBABLE INDIAN ORIGIN OF THE NAMES OF THE WEEK-DAYS.
BY MAJOR-GENERAL A. CUNNINGHAM, C.S.I. As the names of the week-days play a very Althongh the names of the week-days are A important part in the determination of clearly derived from those of the seven planets, Indian dates, it will be useful to have a list of yet nothing is actually known as to the date the principal appellations by which they are when they were first adopted, or as to the people known. They are all named after the seven who first made use of them. The Hebrewa planets, including the sun and moon. The had their weeks of seven days; but they never word vára, vúsara, or dina, "day," is usually got beyond the primitive plan of calling them added and inflected after the name of the by their numbers, as the first day," the planet, -as Ravi-váré, Ravi-visaré, Ravi-diné, "seventh day," &c. Dion Cassius says that ="on Sunday." But sometimes simply the the custom of naming the days after the name of the planet is ased in an inflected form, seven planets was first adopted by the as Ravau," on Sunday"; Some, "on Monday"; Egyptians, and had in no very long time Bhaumé," on Tuesday"; Budhe, "on Wednes- been communicated by them to all other day"; Gurau, " on Thursday"; Sukré, "on nations, especially the Romans. But this Friday"; Sanau, "on Saturday."
statement is open to much doubt; as we know The names of the planets which are most that the Egyptian months were divided into commonly used for the week-days, in Indian decades, or periods of ten days, and not into Inscriptions, are the following:
weeks, or periods of seven days. Dion Cassius SUNDAY-Aditya, Arka, Ravi, Bhanu, Bhas- wrote about A.D. 200,-long after the names kara, and Pashan. (Also Adivara, or the First of the week-days had been in common use day" or " Commencement-day"].
amongst the Romans. Thus Tibullus, B. C. 20, MONDAY-Soma, Chandra, Indu, Vidhu. mentions the Saturni sacra dies, or day sacred
TUESDAY--Mangala, Bhauma, Kuja, Mahija, to Saturn' (Eleg. I. 3-18). So also Jolius Mahtsuta.
-Frontinus, A.D. 70 to 80, in speaking of the WEDNESDAY-Budha, Saumya, Rauhiņêya. capture of Jerusalem, says that it took place
THURSDAY –Brihaspati, Guru, Suracharya, on the same day as "Saturni die quo eis nefas Angirasa, Váchaspati.
quidquam seriæ rei agere"( Strategematica, II. 1.) FRIDAY-Sukra, Usanas, Kavi, Daityaguru, I remember also having read that Julius Cægar Bhrigu, Bhargava.
esteemed the dies Veneris as his lucky day; but SATURDAY -Sani, Sauri, Sanaischara, Kri. tanta.
From these notices it seems certain that the
