गुप्त अभिलेख संग्रह (जे. एफ. फ्लीट - गुप्त सम्राटों एवं परवर्ती नरेशों के ऐतिहासिक पाषाण व ताम्रलेख)

108 CORPUS INSCRIPTIONUM INDICARUM, VOL. III.
since, the only variation between them is in respect of the saṁvatsara following the
saṁvatsara which was current on the given date of the present record.
Another point is, that, as the following saṁvatsara did not commence till Mârgaśîrsha
śukla 13 of Śaka-Saṁvat 399, the Mahâ-Vaiśâkha saṁvatsara was still current on the given
date, Kârttika śukla 3, in Śaka-Saṁvat 399, as well as in 398, which is the real equivalent
for the Gupta year. So, also, it will be seen that, in the case of D., the Mahâ-Âśvayuja
saṁvatsara was still current on the given date, Chaitra śukla 13, in Śaka-Saṁvat 452, as
well as in 451, which is the true equivalent for the Gupta year of that record. Consequently,
these two dates, A. and D., might be used to support a running difference of two hundred
and forty-three years between current Gupta and current Śaka years, as well as the true
running difference of two hundred and forty-two years. But, apart from the fact that we have
not obtained anything else to support such a result, there is no such alternative in respect
of B. and C.; the saṁvatsaras of those records are proved only with the running differ-
ence of two hundred and forty-two years. All the four cases together, therefore, not only
answer to, but also prove the running difference of two hundred and forty-two
years between current Gupta and current Śaka years.
A final point is, that, on the analogy of the Kaira grant of Dharasêna IV., of the
year 330, and with a year beginning with the month Kârttika next before the commencement
of the northern Śaka year, the given date of Kârttika śukla 3̄, in Gupta-Saṁvat 156, would
belong to Śaka-Saṁv. 397 current. But it would then fall a year, all but two days, ante-
rior to the commencement of the recorded saṁvatsara on Kârttika śukla 1 of Śaka-Saṁvat
398. This record, therefore, also disproves the possibility of our being concerned
with the scheme of the southern Vikrama year, beginning with the month Kârttika
next before the commencement of the northern Śaka year.
On the analogy of the same grant, and with a year, northern or southern, beginning
with the month Mârgaśîrsha next before the commencement of the northern Śaka year,¹
the given date would still belong to Śaka-Saṁvat 398. The possibility, however, of our
being concerned with such a year as this, is disproved by the results for the date of C. below,
in Gupta-Saṁvat 191.
By the mean-sign system, the Mahâ-Vaiśâkha saṁvatsara did not commence till
Vaiśâkha śukla 5 of Śaka-Saṁvat 399 current, corresponding to Wednesday, the 14th
April, A.D. 476; and consequently it was not current on the given date. The saṁvatsara
then current was Mahâ-Chaitra, which commenced on Jyêshṭha kṛishṇa 13 of Śaka-Saṁvat
398, corresponding to Saturday, the 19th April, A.D. 475.
With General Cunningham's epoch of A.D. 166-67, the given date would belong
to Śaka-Saṁvat 245 current ; and its English equivalent would be Sunday, the 30th Septem-
¹ See page 78 above.