Book of Indian Eras, with Tables for Calculating Indian Dates c5.20

c5.20

In dealing with Indian dates there is one fact that must never be forgotten, namely, that every year that is mentioned by number, that number refers to years actually elapsed, just as Europeans reckon their ages. When a man says that he is 50 years old, he means literally that 50 full years have passed since his birth, and that he is then in his 51st year. So when a Hindu records the year 80 of the Vikrama Samvat, or any other era, he means that 80 full years of that era have actually elapsed, and that the current year is the 81st.