________________
96
THE INDIAN ANTIQUARY.
[APRIL, 1893.
Under these circumstances I appealed to Beneras, and have to thank Pandit Sudhakar Dvivêdi for solving the doubt. He says that the year referred to is Sambat 1643, not 1642, Sambat 1643 = KY. 4687, and the calculation (according to Jacobi's tables) is as follows:
4600 KY. 0 17.60 1 5 [12] Ind. • = 10-28
87 years. 4 2.12 240 [1] Ind. su. 5 = 15-28 4687 KY.
19.72 255 8th Phal. (solar) 2 14.97 250
6 4.69 505 13
[13]
C's an 505 eq.
13 Jan. 5:10
33 Jan. = 2 Feb. Accordingly, at the beginning of Friday, 8th Solar Phalguna, the 6th tithi was ronning, and the 5th tithi ended on the preceding day; or Thursday, the 2nd February, 1586 A. D.
* We are enabled to check this date by the fact that Tulsi Das mentions that he commenced his work in the Nakshatra Aévini.
Pandit Sudhakar Dvidêdî writes that in Tulsi Dâs's time, the Makaranda, a practical astronomy founded on the current Súrya Siddhanta, was popular in Benares. Calculating the Ahargana and the true longitudes and the true motions of the sun and moon respectively, we find that the 5th tithi ended at about 52 ghatikas and 37 vighafikás, and Révati Nakshatra ended (and Abvini began at about 20 ghatikds and 10 vighufikás after true sunrise at Benares. The same result follows from the $37 of Jacobi's tables. Tul'si Dâs's Nakshatra was Visakha and his Raši or Zodiacal sign was Tulá (the Scales). Hence, according to astrology, Revali was not a propitious nakshatra for him. Accordingly, the date given by the poet means that he began to write the Párbati Mangai after Révati had ended, and after Asviní had began, i. e., after 20 ghatikus 10 vighafikás after true sunrise at Benares, on Thursday, February 2nd 1586, A. D. I may add that on 5 Phálguna Sudi Sam. 1642, the moon was in Agvini at the beginning of the day. This is a further reason for assuming that by Jaya Sambat Tulsi Das meant Sam. 1643. For if it had been 1642, there would have been no reason for his mentioning the nakshatra then running: whereas, if it was in 1643, there was every reason for his doing so, part of the day being in Révati and unlucky, and part being in Asvini and lucky. The poet evidently wished to point out that he commenced the work at an hour of the day which was propitious.
One other fact follows. Phálguna Sudi 5 Sam. 1643, did not fall in Jaya Sambat. But the first day of Sambat 1643 did fall in Jaya. Therefore Tulsi Das gave the name of the Jupiter sixty-year-cycle year to the 7. Sambat year, which commenced within it. In other words, accortling to the accepted system of chronology, the V. Sambat took its name from the Jovian year which expired in it, just as the civil day took its name from the tithi which expired in it.
(e) Date of composition of the Ramagya. Chhakkan Lal says that in 1827 A.D., he made a copy of this work, from the original
* The Pandit calculated the year both according to the Indian system, and according to Jacobi. I gave the lattor calculation, as being more intelligible to my readers.
Chhakkan Lal's language may be noted. Sri Rahvat 165 Jah Budi 10 Rabibar kt likhi pusta Brl Goodin ke hasta-kamat ki, Prahlad ghat. Sri Kastil méi rahi. Us pustak par sd Sri pandit Ramgulam it ke satsangi Chhak. kan Lal Kdyasth Ramayant Mirjapur-bast tu apnd hath sé sarrat 1884 men likha tha;' It will be observed that it is distinctly claimed that the MS. was written by Tul'st Die's own hand, and that it certainly was written twenty five yours before his death. It may be presumed that it was the poet's original copy. It will subsequently appear that if the poem was composed in San. 1665, the Dohdball could not, as current tradition says it was, have been composed at Todar Mall's request. On this point, Pandit Sudhakar Dvivodi informs me that the M8. which Chhakkan Lal copied was in possession of a purohit named Ramakrishna. On one Occasion Ramakrishna took it
