Page:Sewell Dikshit The Indian Calendar (1896) proc.djvu/47

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THE HINDU CALENDAR.
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Vaiśâkha. Thus it happens that half of natural pûrṇimânta Vaiśâkha comes before, and half after, the intercalated month.[1]

Of the four fortnights thus having the name of the same month the first two fortnights are sometimes called the "First Vaiśâkha," and the last two the "Second Vaiśâkha."

It will be seen from Table II., Part i., that amânta Phalguna kṛishṇa is pûrṇimânta Chaitra kṛishṇa. The year, however, does not begin then, but on the same day as the amânta month, i.e., with the new moon, or the beginning of the next bright fortnight.

Having discussed the lesser divisions of time, we now revert to the Hindu year. And, first, its beginning.

Years and Cycles.

52. The Hindu New-year's Day.—In Indian astronomical works the year is considered to begin, if luni-solar, invariably with amânta Chaitra śukla 1st,—if solar with the Mesha saṅkrânti; and in almost all works mean Mesha saṅkrânti is taken for convenience of calculations, very few works adopting the apparent or true one. At present in Bengal and the Tamil country, where solar reckoning is in use, the year, for religious and astronomical purposes, commences with the apparent Mesha-saṅkrânti, and the civil year with the first day of the month Mesha, as determined by the practice of the country (See above Art. 28). But since mean Mesha-saṅkrânti is taken as the commencement of the solar year in astronomical works, it is only reasonable to suppose that the year actually began with it in practice in earlier times, and we have to consider how long ago the practice ceased.

In a Karaṇa named Bhâsvatî (A. D. 1099) the year commences with apparent Mesha saṅkrânti, and though it is dangerous to theorize from one work, we may at least quote it as shewing that the present practice was known as early as A. D. 1100. This date coinciding fairly well with Śrîpati's injunction quoted above (Art. 47) we think it fair to assume for the present that the practice of employing the mean Mesha saṅkrânti for fixing the beginning of the year ceased about the same time as the practice of mean intercalary months.

The luni-solar Chaitrâdi[2] year commences, for certain religious and astrological purposes, with the first moment of the first tithi of Chaitra, or Chaitra śukla pratipadâ and this, of course, may fall at any time of the day or night, since it depends on the moment of new moon. But for the religious ceremonies connected with the beginning of a samvatsara (year), the sunrise of the day on which Chaitra śukla pratipadâ is current at sunrise is taken as the first or opening day of the year. When this tithi is current at sunrise on two days, as sometimes happens, the first, and when it is not current at any sunrise (i.e., when it is expunged) then the day on which it ends, is taken as the opening day. For astronomical purposes the learned take any convenient

  1. ↑ Such an anomaly with regard to the pûrṇimânta scheme could not occur if the two rules were applied, one that "that pûrṇimânta month in which the Mesha saṅkrânti occurs is always called Chaitra, and so on in succession," and the other that "that pûrṇimânta month in which no saṅkrânti occurs is called an intercalated month." The rules were, I believe, in use in the sixth century AD. (See may remarks Ind. Ant., XX., p. 50 f.) But the added month under such rules would never agree with the amânta added months. There would be from 14 to 17 months' difference in the intercalated months between the two, and much inconvenience would arise thereby. It is for this reason probably that the pûrṇimânta scheme is not recognised in naming months, and that pûrṇimânta months are named arbitrarily, as described in the first para. of Art. 51. This arbitrary rule was certainly in use in the 11th century A.D. (See Ind. Ant., vol. VI., p. 53, where the Makara-saṅkrânti is said to have taken place in Mâgha.)

    After this arbitrary rule of naming the pûrṇimânta months once came into general use, it was impossible in Northern India to continue using the second, or Brâhma-Siddhânta, rule for naming the months. For in the example in Art. 45 above the intercalated month would by that rule be named Chaitra, but if its preceding fortnight be a fortnight of Vaiśâkha it is obvious that the intercalated month cannot be named Chaitra. In Southern India the practice may have continued in use a little longer. [S. B. D.]

  2. ↑ Chaitrâdi, "beginning with Chaitra"; Kârttikâdi, "beginning with Kârttika"; Meshâdi, with Mesha; and so on.
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