Page:Sewell Dikshit The Indian Calendar (1896) proc.djvu/70

worked by that or by the Original Surya-Siddkanta, the First Arya-Siddhanta, or the Present SuryaSiddhanta with the bija. We think, therefore, that the list of true added and suppressed months and that of the mean added months as given by us is finally reliable.

92. Cols. 13 to 17 or to 17a. The solar year begins from the moment of the Mesha saṅkrânti and this is taken as apparent and not mean. We give the exact moment for all years from A.D. 300 to 1900 by the Ârya-Siddhânta, and in addition for years between A.D. 1100 and 1900 by the Sûrya-Siddhântas as well. (See also Art. 96). Every figure has been independently tested, and found correct. The week-day and day of the month A.D. as given in cols. 13 and 14 are applicable to both the Siddhântas, but particular attention must be paid to the footnote in Table I., annexed to A.D. 1117—18 and some other subsequent years. The entries in cols. 15 and 15a for Indian reckoning in ghaṭikâs and palas, and in cols. 17 and 17a for hours and minutes, imply that at the instant of the sankranti so much time has elapsed since mean sunrise at Ujjain on the day in question. Ujjain mean sunrise is generally assumed to be 6.0 a.m.

93. The alteration of week-day and day of the month alluded to inthe footnote mentioned in the last paragraph (Table I., A.D. 1117—18) is due to the difference resulting from calculations made by the two Siddhântas, the day fixed by the Sûrya-Siddhânta being sometimes one later than that found by the Ârya-Siddhânta. It must be remembered, however, that the day in question runs from sunrise to sunrise, and therefore a moment of time fixed as falling between midnight and sunrise belongs to the preceding day in Indian reckoning, though to the succeeding day by European nomenclature. For example, the Mesha saṅkrânti in Śaka 1039 expired (A.D. 1117) took place, according to the Ârya-Siddhânta on Friday 23rd March at 58 gh. 1 p. after Ujjain mean sunrise (23 h. 12 m. after sunrise on Friday, or 5.12 a.m. on Saturday morning, 24th); while by the Sûrya-Siddhânta it fell on Saturday 24th at 0 gh. 51 pa. (= 0 h. 20 m. after sunrise or 6.20 a.m.). This only happens of course when the saṅkrânti according to the Ârya-Siddhânta falls nearly at the end of a day, or near mean sunrise.

94. In calculating the instant of the apparent Mesha-saṅkrântis, we have taken the śodhya at 2 d. 8 gh. 51 pa. 15 vipa. according to the Ârya-Siddhânta, and 2d. 10 gh. 14 pa. 30 vipa. according to the Sûrya-Siddhânta. (See Art. 26.)

95. The figure given in brackets after the day and month in cols. 13 and 19 is the number of that day in the English common year, reckoning from January 1st. For instance, 75 against 16th March shows that 16th March is the 75th day from January 1st inclusive. This figure is called the "date indicator", or shortly (${\displaystyle d}$), in the methods of computation "B" and "C" given below (Part IV.), and is intended as a guide with reference to Table IX., in which the collective duration of days is given in the English common year.

96. The fixture of the moments of the 1600 Mesha-sankrantis noted in this volume will be found advantageous for many purposes, but we have designed it chiefly to facilitate the conversion of solar dates as they are used in Bengal and Southern India.^[1] We have not given the moments of Mesha-saṅkrântis according to the Sûrya-Siddhânta prior to A.D. 1100, so that the Ârya-Siddhânta computation must be used for dates earlier than that, even those occurring in Bengal. There is little danger in so doing, since the difference between the times of the Mesha-saṅkrântis according to the two Siddhântas during that period is very slight, being nil in A.D. 496, and only increasing to 1 h. 6 m. at the most in 1100 A.D. It is, however, advisable to give a correction Table so as to ensure accuracy, and consequently we append the Table which follows, by which the difference for any year lying between A.D. 496 and 1100 A.D. can be found. It is