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364
THE INDIAN ANTIQUARY.
(DECEMBER, 1888.
the era did not date from the accession of a (expired), the full bearing of which has been king, or from any particular historical event. explained at page 141 f. above. And he selected this particular year on the If the Sixty-Year Cycle was in use at all at assumption, -based apparently on a suggestion the time of the commencement of the Gupta thrown out by Dr. Bhau Dajis in 1864,- that era, then, in Northern India, and in connection the comniencement of the era was regulated with a northern era, - which the Gupta era only by the completion of four of Jupiter's emphatically was, - the only system that can Sixty-Year Cycles from the commencement of have been followed is the regular mean-sign the Saka era, in order that there might be system, according to which the cycle is truly always an even and convenient difference of an astronomical cycle, and the sashvatsaras are two hundred and forty years between the Saka regulated entirely and only by the passing of and Gupta dates. This, however, could be Jupiter from one sign of the zodiac into arranged only by applying the Sixty-Year another. By Mr. Sh.B. Dikshit's calculations, Cycle as used now in Southern India, where it from the Súrya-Siddhanta, at the commenceis not in reality an astronomical cycle at all; ment of Saka-Samvat 1 current (A.D. 78-79), since there the cyclic years run on in regular the sainvatsara was Sukla, the third in the succession, without any adjustment of them to cycle; and it was followed by Pramoda, the the motion of the planet, with reference to his fourth, on the full-moon day of the month sign-passing or his heliacal rising, by the omis- Pausha, in December, A.D. 78. And, at the sion of a year on certain occasions, and are commencement of Saka-Sarovat 241 current taken, for the civil reckoning, as commencing (A.D. 318-19), the samvatsara was Angiras, and ending with the luni-solar years. Accord the sixth in the cycle; which was followed by ing to the present southern luni-solar system, Srimukha, the seventh, on the ninth lunar day Saka-Samvat 1 current (A.D. 78-79) was the of the bright fortnight of the month Phålguna Bahudhânya sanvatsara; and Saka-Samvat 241 in February, A.D. 319. Thus, four complete current (A.D. 318-19) was again the same cycles, and three sasivatsaras over, passed becyclic year, Bahudhânya; and, by this means, tween Saka-Samvat 1 and 241; and the epoch some justification might be found for Mr. of the Gupta era, unless it were placed three Fergusson's view. But I have now shewn years earlier, in A.D. 315-16, could not be deterthat the real epoch of the Gupta era was mined by any consideration of this kind. A.D. 319.20, which does not correspond to Saka- Nor can it have been determined by the Samvat 241 current; so that there was, in Twelve-Year Cycle of Jupiter, the years of reality, a completion of four cycles and one which may be regulated either by the passing year, even by the southern luni-solar system ; | of Jupiter from one sign of the zodiac to and this, alone, is fatal to his view on this point. another; or, as was the more ancient custom, by And, in addition to this, amongst other inscrip- his heliacal rising in a particular lunar mantions, the Waņi grant of the Rashtrakata king sion.36 Taking first the mean-sign system, Mr. Govinda III., which records that in Saka- Sh. B. Dikshit finds that, at the commenceSamvat 733 the Vyaya sanhvatsara was current ment of Saka-Samvat 1 current (A.D. 78-79), on the full-moon day of the month Vaisakha the warmvatsara was Maha-Akvayaja, the twelfth (April-May), and the Râdhanpur grant of the in the cycle; which was followed by Mahasame king, which records that the Sarvajit Kárttika, the first of the next cycle, on, as before, samvatsara, the next in the cycle, was current the full-moon day of the month Pausha, in on the new-moon day of the month Sråvaņa December, A.D. 78. While, at the commence(July-August) in the same year, shew very ment of Saka-Samvat 241 current (A.D. 318plainly that the present arrangement was not 19), the savivatsara was Maba-Pausha, the the original one, even in Southern India; as third in the cycle; which was followed by also, still more pointedly, does another grant Maha-Màgha, the fourth, on, as before, the of the same king, dated in Saka-Samvat 726 ninth lunar day of the bright fortnight of the
35 Jour. Bo. Br. R. As. Soc. Vol. VIII. p. 246. 34 ante, Vol. XI. p. 159, line 46 f. * ante, Vol. VI. p. 68, line 53 f.
56 See Mr. Sh. B. Dikshit's paper, published at pp. 1 ff. and 312 ff. above.
