History of Dharmashastra (Ancient and Mediaeval Religious and Civil Law in India) v6.c82.686

v6.c82.686

The names of the Bārhaspatya years occur rather early in Inscriptions Among the earliest references are two, one to Siddhārtha-saṁvatsara in the 5th year of the reign of the Cālukya king Mangaleśa (I. A 19 p 1 ff at p. 18) and the other is to Saumya-saṁvatsara in the Alas plate of Rāṣṭrakūṭa king Govinda in *Śake* 692 (E. I vol VI p. 209) How the saṁvatsara names were supposed to indicate different consequences for the years concerned can be illustrated by citing two verses from the Bṛhatsaṁhitā (8 28–29) 'when the saṁvatsara Prabhava starts there are drought, strong winds and destruction by fire and also other calamities (like excessive rain, locusts &c ), there are diseases due to phlegm, but still people are not distressed.' The consequences in the next four saṁvatsaras are auspicious, viz. the king rules over a kingdom which is full of paddy, sugarcane and barley and other crops, which is free from dangers, in which there are no hatreds, in which the people are joyous and free from the evil results of kaliyuga (such as *adharma*, poverty, accidental deaths &c ).