North Indian Inscriptions

THE GUPTA ERA

Saṁvatsara was current on the given date. And the result gives Śaka-Saṁvat 451 current (A.D. 528-29), as the equivalent of the given current Gupta year.

        As a matter of fact, the Mahā-Āṡvayuja saṁvatsara was current on the given date, Chaitra ṡukla 13, in the following year, Śaka-Saṁvat 452; as well as in Śaka-Saṁvat 451. . . .”¹ Here also, as has been shown above several times, the Gupta Saṁvat 209 has to be taken as an expired year. It equivalent therefore is Śaka-Saṁvat 451 expired (529-30 A.D.). After the Volume of Fleet’s Gupta Inscriptions was published, two more copper-plate inscriptions of this family came to light. One of these was the Betul grant of the Mahārāja Saṁkshōbha, which gives, for calculation, Mahā-Mārgaṡīrsha-saṁvatsara on the tenth tithi or lunar day of the month Kārttika in Gupta-saṁvatsara 199.² Unfortunately, the lunar fortnight, to which this tithi belonged, has not been specified. But F. Kielhorn has conclusively pointed out that it is “the 10th tithi of the dark half probably of the pūrṇimānta Kārttika of our Tables, but that possibly it may be the 10th tithi of the dark half of the pūrṇimānta Āśvina of the Tables. On the first alternative the date would correspond to Monday, the 15th October, 518 A.D., when the 10th tithi of the dark half of the pūrṇimānta Kārttika ended 8 h. 26 m. after mean sunrise; on the second alternative, to Saturday, the 15th September 518 A.D., when the 10th tithi of the dark half of the pūrṇimānta Āṡvina (i.e. possibly, the first pūrṇimānta Kārttika) ended 13 h. 30 m. after mean sunrise. It will be shown now that, in either case, the Jupiter’s year in which the date fell was a Mahā-Mārgaṡīrsha year, as required by the wording of the original date.”³

       â€œThe late Mr. S. B. Dikshit”, continues Kielhorn, “has fully explained that a Mahā-Mārgaṡīrsha year occurs when Jupiter at his heliacal rising (i.e. his first appearance in the morning after his conjunction with the sun) is in either of the nakshatras Mṛigaṡiras and Ārdra, i.e., when at his heliacal rising his true geocentric place (or true longitude), according to the equal space system, is between 53° 20' and 80°, according to the Brahma-siddhānta between 52° 42' 20" and 72° 28’ 12.5", and according to Garga between 53° 20' and 73° 20'. Now, in the time immediately preceding the 15th September (and the 15th October) A.D. 518, Jupiter was in conjunction with the sun at mean sunrise of the 11th May A.D. 518, when his own true longitude was 51° 3’, and that of the sun 51° 2’ 52”. And his heliacal rising after the conjunction took place before sunrise of either the 25th May, when his true longitude was 54° 21' (while that of the sun was 64° 23’ 35"), or the 26th May, when his true longitude was 54° 35' (while that of the sun was 65° 20’ 31"). Whichever of the two days may be absolutely correct, it is clear that before sunrise of the 25th or the 26th May A.D. 518, Jupiter—since his true longitude in either case was more than 53° 20' –by all three systems of the nakshatras rose heliacally in the nakshatra Mṛigaṡiras, and that, therefore, the year which then commenced was a Mahā-Mārgaṡīrsha year. That year of course included both the 15th September and the 15th October A.D. 518; for Jupiter’s next conjunction with the sun only took place some time before sunrise of the 17th June A.D. 519, and his next heliacal rising about the 1st July A.D. 519, when a Mahā-Pausha year commenced. I may add that, according to Mr. Dikshit’s calculations, a Mahā-Māgha year commenced on the 3rd August A.D. 520, and a Mahā-Phalguna year on the 4th September A.D. 521.

       The result is that the month Kārttika of the Gupta year 199 which is quoted in the date must have fallen in A.D. 518, and that the date probably corresponds to Monday, the 15th October A.D. 518, but may possibly correspond to Saturday, the 15th September A.D. 518.”
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¹ CII., Vol. III, 1888, Intro., p. 177.
² Ep. Ind., Vol. VIII, p. 287, lines 2-3.
³ Ibid., pp. 289-90.