Bīrūnī, Muḥammad ibn Aḥmad, Alberuni's India (v. 2)

(London :  Kegan Paul, Trench, Trübner & Co.,  1910.)

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CHAPTER LXII.
 

129
 

This is the method for the determination of the Page 267.
years of the shashtyabda, as recorded in their books.
However, I have seen Hindus who subtract 3 from
the era of Vikramaditya, and divide the remainder
by 60. The remainder they count off from the begin¬
ning of the great yitga. This method is not worth
anything. By-the-bye, it is the same whether you
reckon in the manner mentioned, or add 12 to the
Sakakala.

I have come across some people from the country ihesamvat-
of Kanoj who told me that, with them, the cycle of people of °
samvcttsarcts has   1248  years, each  single one of the    '*"°'''
twelve samvatsctras having   104 years.    According to
this statement we must subtract 554 from the Sakakala,
and with the remainder compare the following diagram.
In the corresponding column you see in which sctmvctt-
sctrct the year in question lies, and how many years of
the sctmvcttsara have already elapsed :—
 

The years ;          i.
 

Pllumant.

(?)
 

209.
Kadara.
 

313.
Kalavrinta.
 

417-

Naumand.

(?)
 

521-
Meru.
 

The years :        625.

Their      f     t^   -l.

i      Barbara,
names [
 

729.
Jamhu.
 

833-
Kriti.
 

937-
Sarpa.
 

1041.
Hindhu.
 

II4S-
Sindhu.
 

When I heard, among these pretended names of sctm-
vatsaras, names of nations, trees, and mountains, I con¬
ceived a suspicion of my reporters, more particularly
as their chief business was indeed to practise hocus-
pocus and deception (as jugglers ?); and a dyed beard
proves its bearer to be a liar. I used great care in
examining every single one of them, in repeating the
same questions at different times, in a different order
and context. But lo ! what different answers did I get!
God is all-wise!

VOL. II.                                                                 I
  Page 129