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

THE GUPTA INSCRIPTIONS; INTRODUCTION. 113

this cycle may have been omitted. Thus, in Śaka-Saṁvat 273 current, Jupiter's rising
took place on Vaiśâkha kṛishṇa 6, corresponding to Friday, the 16th Mareh, A.D.
350; or, by the English calendar, on Saturday, the 17th March. His longitude then
was 345° 10'. By all three systems, he was then in Uttarâ-Bhâdrapadâ; and the
saṁvatsara which then began, must have been named Mahâ-Bhâdrapada. His next
rising took place on Vaiśâkha śukla 10 of Śaka-Saṁvat 274, corresponding to Monday,
the 22nd April, A.D. 351; or, by the English calendar, on Tuesday, the 23rd April. His
longitude then was 21° 35'. By the system of equal spaces, he was then in Bharaṇî; and
the saṁvatsara which then began, would be named Mahâ-Âśvayuja; and there would be
an omission of the following saṁvatsara, Mahâ-Kârttika. But, by the two systems
of unequal spaces, he was then in Kṛittikâ; and the saṁvatsara which then began, would
be named Mahâ-Kârttika; with an omission of the intervening saṁvatsara, Mahâ-
Âśvayuja. — With the same epoch, and with the proposed corrected reading of
Gupta-Saṁvat 173 (see Texts and Translations, page 102, note 1), the given date would
belong to Śaka-Saṁvat 286 current; and its English equivalent would be Tuesday, the 4th
March, A.D. 363. Here, Jupiter's rising, next before the given date, took place on Chaitra
śukla 9 of Śaka-Saṁvat 285, corresponding to Thursday, the 21st March, A.D. 362;
or, by the English calendar, on Friday, the 22nd March. His longitude then was 350°
11'. By all three systems, he was then in Rêvatî; and the saṁvatsara which then began,
must have been named Mahâ-Âśvayuja. Jupiter's next following rising took place
on Jyêshṭha kṛishṇa 12 of Śaka-Saṁvat 286, corresponding to Sunday, the 27th April,
A.D. 363; or, by the English calendar, on Monday, the 28th April. His longitude then
was 26° 35'. By both the systems of unequal spaces, he was then in Kṛittikâ; and the
saṁvatsara which then began, must have been named Mahâ-Kârttika. By the system
of equal spaces, he was then in Bharaṇî; and, by this system, the saṁvatsara which
then began, must have again been named Mahâ-Âśvayuja; which shews that, by this
system, there was at this period a repetition of a saṁvatsara. Accordingly, with this
epoch, and with the proposed corrected reading, the Mahâ-Âśvayuja saṁvatsara
was current on the given date. This, however, is a mere coincidence. And the pro-
posed correction of the original reading cannot be justified.
By the mean-sign system, and with the original reading of Gupta-Saṁvat 163,
the Mahâ-Âśvayuja saṁvatsara commenced on Kârttika kṛishṇa 1 of Śaka-Saṁvat 273 cur-
rent, corresponding to Wednesday, the 3rd October, A.D. 350; and it was followed by
Mahâ-Kârttika on Kârttika kṛishṇa 8 of Śaka-Saṁvat 274, corresponding to Sunday, the
29th September, A.D. 351; and consequently it was not current on the given date. The
saṁvatsara then current was Mahâ-Mârgaśîrsha, which commenced on Kârttika kṛishṇa
15 of Śaka-Saṁvat 275 current, corresponding to Thursday, the 24th September,
A.D. 352.—With the proposed corrected reading of Gupta-Saṁvat 173, the Mahâ-
Âśvayuja saṁvatsara commenced on Bhâdrapada śukla 7 of Śaka-Saṁvat 285 current,