History of Dharmashastra (Ancient and Mediaeval Religious and Civil Law in India) v6.c82.637

v6.c82.637

⁹⁹¹ राजवर्षं मासा पक्षो दिवसश्च व्युष्टं वर्षाहेमन्तग्रीष्माणां तृतीयसप्तमा दिवसानाः पक्षा. शेषा. पूर्णाः पृथगधिमासक इति कालः । Arthaśāstra II 6 p. 60. This passage is variously interpreted by Fleet, Sham Sastri and others. The difficulty is due to the word 'vyuṣṭa', which literally means 'daybreak or light' and here means 'the first day of the year which is deemed to be very auspicious.' Vide 'तत्र च दीयते कार्यं भववत् । व्युष्टादिभ्योऽण्।' पा० V. 1 96-97. To the author it appears that this passage means 'the royal (or regnal) year, month, fortnight, day, the auspicious (first day of the year), the third and seventh fortnights of the three seasons viz rain, winter, summer have one day less (than thirty), the other fortnights are full (i e months have full 30 days each), an intercalary is a separate (period of time)-these are the times (the collector of revenue has to note). In ancient times, the year had six seasons, twelve months and 30 days in each month. The Arthaśāstra here says that there were six fortnights of 29 days each and so the (lunar year was of 354 days In order to bring it in line with the solar year an intercalary month had to be resorted to.