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292
THE INDIAN ANTIQUARY
[ DECEMBER, 1917
395
»
154
531
That the Gupta year mentioned in this inscription, as well as the one mentioned in the Khoh grant of Mahârâja Hastin, referred to above is to be taken as expired is evident from the following inscription of Budhagupta, 20 Gupta-samvat 157 expired
गुप्तानां समतिकांते सप्तपंचाशदुत्तरे।
शते समानां पृथिवीं बधगुसे प्रशासति ॥ The general conclusion is that all the Gupta years including those given in the above table must be taken as expired.
This point can be further cleared up by a comparison of the five corresponding years of the Vikrama, Saka and Gupta eras exhibited in the following table Mâlava or Vikrama. Saka,
Gupta. 529 expired 394 expired
153 530 , 396
155 532 397
156 533 expired 398 expired 157 expired. The Gupta year 157 is specified as an expired year in the inscription of Budhagupta which has been quoted above. The difference between the expired Saka year 398 and the expired Gupta year 157 is 241. The difference between the Saka year 394 and the Gupta year 153 is also 241. The Saka year 394 is known to be expired; therefore the Gupta year 153 must be taken as expired. The conclusion that forces itself upon us is that all the Gupta years mentioned in inscriptions are expired years and can be converted into corresponding expired Saka years by the addition of 241.
We have here established five uniform equations between expired Gupta and expired Saka years, with a difference of 241 in each case. The last equation is most important.
Expired
} 157398 U
) Expired Gupta year
Saka year. This date of Budhagupta inscribed on two Buddha images is thus expressed 31_"When the year one hundred and fifty-seven of the Guptas had expired, on the 7th day of the month Vaisakha whilo Budhagupta is ruling the earth." The 7th of Vaisakha belongs to the current Gupta year 158 corresponding to the current Saka year 399
Current 168-309 Current Gupta year
Saka year. Thus the difference between current Gupta and current Saka years is also 241, the same as the difference between expired Gupta and expired Saka years. Now the Sårnath date of Budhagupta, expired Gupta year 157, is only 8 years earlier than the date of the same Gupta king given22 in the Eran pillar inscription
शने पंचषष्टयधिक वर्षाणां भूपती च बुधगुप्ते ।
TEHET[] et accufte II The date is " in the year 165, on the 12th day of the bright half of Aradha, on Thurdsay." We are now in a position to explain this date thusExpired
S 165=406
Expired Gupta year
Saka year.
20 Ibid, p
7.
11 Ibid, p. 7.
2 Gupta Inscriptions, p. 80..
