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

70 CORPUS INSCRIPTIONUM INDICARUM, VOL. III.
A reference to Table III. on page 71 below, will explain at once the difference in the
schemes of these years, and the necessity for determining the question that we have under
consideration.¹
The Śaka years of both Northern and Southern India commence with the first day
of the bright fortnight of Chaitra, immediately after the new-moon conjunction. But, in
the scheme of the year, there is the important difference that, in the northern arrangement,
the dark fortnight of each month precedes the bright;² whereas in the southern year, it is
the bright fortnight that stands first. Popularly, and in Pañchâṅgs or Hindu almanacs,
the northern arrangement is called Pûrṇimânta, or 'ending with the full-moon,' and the
southern arrangement is called Amânta, or 'ending with the conjunction (of the sun and the
moon), i.e. with the new-moon;' and these terms will be found very convenient for practi-
cal use. The result of this difference of arrangement, is, that, in the northern year, the
dark fortnight of Chaitra stands at the end of the year, instead of in the place of the
second fortnight, which it occupies in the southern year; and that the dark half of the
southern Chaitra is the same lunar period as the dark half of the northern Vaiśâkha; and
so on all through the year. For dates in the bright fortnights of Śaka years, it obviously
is immaterial whether we follow the northern or the southern scheme. But, for dates in the
dark fortnights, it is as obviously essential, in order to compute them correctly, that we
should know exactly which scheme they conform to; since, for instance, the thirteenth
lunar or solar day of the dark fortnight of the lunar month Âshâḍha represents, if treated
as a southern date, an English day later by one complete lunation, or practically a month,
than the English equivalent of it as a northern date.
In the southern Vikrama year, the arrangement of the fortnights is the regular Amân-
ta southern arrangement. But the year commences seven lunations later than the equi-
valent Śaka year, and corresponding northern Vikrama year;³ viz. with the first day of the
bright fortnight of the month Kârttika (October-November). Here, again, for purposes
of computation, any date in a southern Vikrama year has to be treated as the same date
in the equivalent Śaka year. And a reference to the right-hand columns in Table III. on
page 71, will shew at once the way in which the years overlap; and will explain fully the
¹ Contrary to the hitherto prevalent custom, I enter the current Hindu years in the Table. It is,
under any circumstances, quite illogical to speak of, for instance, "Chaitra śukla 1 of, in, or belonging
to, Śaka-Saṁvat 500," when the Śaka year is intended as an expired year. And it is particularly
necessary to use the current Hindu years, when the object is to compare them with years of the
Christian era, of which the current years are always quoted; leaving it to any one who has to calculate
a date by Hindu Tables, to take the preceding expired year as the basis of the calculation.
² See Beal's Buddh. Rec. West. World, Vol. I. p. 71, where Hiuen Tsiang's account shews that
the arrangement was just the same twelve centuries ago.
³ This is the customary way of putting it. But the more correct statement would be, that the
Vikrama year of Northern India now commences, with the equivalent Śaka year, seven lunations
earlier than the corresponding southern Vikrama year (see page 66 above, note 2.)