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THE INDIAN ANTIQUARY
Hemachandra, who owes his explanation to Sâkațâyana, says
उदितगुरोर्भाद्युतेन्दे (ii 2.5.)
afedt gegenkling i wwe werfenendturvary geksið mariner mens safe aqu tify: were: car | gebüfenger yo vê de vêy | vogelfiefengesage wege संवत्सरः | उदितगुरोरिति किम् | उदितशनैश्वरेण पुष्येण युक्तं वर्षमित्यत्र न भवति । भादिति किम् । उदितगुरुणः पूर्वत्रेण युक्तं वर्षम् | अब्द इति किम् । मासे दिवसे वा न भवति ।
From the Jaina grammatical sûtras and commentaries cited above it is obvious that Gunabhadra's expression are means "on the occurrence (R) of the union ( योग ) of मघा [नक्षत्र ] and a संवत्सर; that is to say, मघाभिर्युक्तः संवत्सरः माघ:. The word माघ, in the sense of a Mâgha-samvatsara, is formed from T, which takes the instrumental case, by the suffix ; the r of ur, being elided, is replaced by of the suffix s, while wr, the first vowel in r, undergoes. We have thus the expression . This is the teaching of Pujyapada, Sâkațâyana, Hemacandra and Gunanandin.
[DECEMBER, 1917
The occurrence of a Magha-samvatsara in purely literary records, apart from early inscriptions and astronomical works, is of unique interest; and its supreme importance from a chronological point of view we shall now proceed to show.
We have seen that 394 Saka years and 7 months had elapsed at the birth of Kalkirâja. The seven months completed belong to the current Saka year 395. The first day of the eighth month, Kârttika sukla 1, was the day on which Kalkirâja was born, since a Saka year commences with Chaitra sukla 1. The year that is actually mentioned by the Jaina writers is the expired Saka year 394. Let us convert this into an expired Vikrama year by the addition of 135 according to the rule
स एवं पंचामिकुभिर्युक्तः स्याद्विक्रमस्य हि ।
देवाया उत्तरे तीरे संवनाम्नेतिविश्रुतः || २ || Jyotigasara.
The result is13 the Vikra:na year (394 + 135) 529 expired. This expired Vikrama year is identical with the expired Mâlava year 529, given as the second and later date in the Mandasor Inscription of Kumâragupta I and his feudatory Bandhuvarman and is expressed 14 in the following words
वत्सरशतेषु पंचसु विंशं:य (विधाव्य) धिकेषु नवसु चान्येषु । यातेष्वभिरम्बतपस्वमास शुद्वितीयायां ॥
Vikrama Samvat 529 expired, Phâlguna sukla 2
Hence it is clear that the Mâlava era is the same as the Vikrama era of 57. B.C. In order to elucidate the point further, the expired Saka year 394 may be first converted into the corresponding Christian year by adding 78 thus-394+78-472 A.D.; and then this Christian year 472 can be converted into the Mâlava year 529 by adding 57; thus, 472+57=529, 472-529-57, or 394+78-529-57=A.D. 472.
It is thus evident that the Mâlava era is the era of 57 B.C., which is known to us as the Vikrama Samvat.
13 पंचामि = 135; भभि = 3, कु = 1. अंकानां वामतो गतिः ।
14 Dr. Fleet's Gupta Inscriptions, p. 83; ante, vol. XV, p. 198
