History of Dharmashastra (Ancient and Mediaeval Religious and Civil Law in India) v4.c63.t2.754

v4.c63.t2.754

¹⁷⁶⁶ That the months in North-west India were pūrṇimānta in the Kharoṣṭhī records drawn up in Kaniṣka's era is shown in E. I. vol. 18 p. 266 and E. I. vol. 19 at p. 10. Aparārka (p. 423) quotes a verse from ब्रह्मपुराण 'अन्वष्टककृष्णपक्षे तु श्राद्धं कार्ये दिने दिने' and remarks that Bhādrapada dark half is in that verse said to be the dark half of Āśvina. In the Bhaviṣyapurāṇa (Uttara-parva, chap. 132. 17) the Full Moon of Phālguna is said to be the end of the month' (किमर्थ फाल्गुनस्यान्ते पौर्णमास्यां जनार्दन। उत्सवो जायते लोके ग्रामे ग्रामे पुरे पुरे॥). In the Matsyapurāṇa (159. 4-6) it is said that Skanda and Viśākha were born on the 15th of the dark half of Caitra, that in the bright half of Caitra itself on the 5th Indra made one boy out of the two and on the 6th crowned him as Lord. This shows that in the Matsya Caitra was pūrṇimānta and not amānta. When the month is pūrṇimānta, the first fortnight ending with amāvāsyā is assigned to a month which is one month in advance of the *amānta* reckoning i. e. what is Kārtika dark half with amānta reckoning becomes Mārgaśīrṣa dark half with the pūrṇimānta reckoning. On Jai. VI. 5. 31 Śabara quotes a Vedic passage about गवामयन 'पुरस्तात्पौर्णमास्याश्चतुरहे दीक्षेरन्। ऋतुमुखं वैषा पौर्णमासी संवत्सरस्य या चैत्री पौर्णमासी', which seems to indicate that the year began with the Full Moon of Caitra and that the pūrṇimānta reckoning was not unknown.