Sunday, April 25, 2021

The Śaka divisions of Kali Yuga (Supplement to Mahabharata date series: 13)

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Like Kali Yuga, Śaka (शक) era is the much mis-understood concept and interpreted at will by various people right from the time epigraphic evidences were compiled and recorded. With many inscriptions coming to the fore mentioning Śaka eras, there is all round confusion about what ‘Śaka’ means and the era indicated by that term. This part is aimed at removing the confusions caused by mis-interpretations of the Śaka Eras.

To begin with, let us first know the textual and the traditional wisdom on Śaka.

Kali Maha Yuga of 4,32,000 year duration is divided into sub-parts named as ‘Śaka’ eras. There are six Śaka divisions of Kali Yuga, of which we are now in the third. This was common knowledge among the people until the foreigners started interpreting our texts and traditions in the way they understood. It was further picked up by the present day writers.

The first Śaka of Kali Maha Yuga was “Yudhishthira Śaka” computed right from the first day of Kali Yuga, that is, 3101 years before the Common Era or at 3101 BCE (in terms of Gregorian years currently in use, with the zero-year included). Historically Yudhishthira did not step down exactly on the first day of Kali Yuga, but the era (Śaka) computation started right from the start of the first day, since the entire exercise is about maintaining the computation of time.

The second was “Vikrama Śaka ” that started after 3044 years of Yudhishthira Śaka. (3044 Kali years)

The third was “Salivahana Śaka” that started at the completion of 3179 Kali Years, which was 135 years after Vikrama Śaka. We are living in this Śaka.

Any reference to a Śaka while giving the time of composition of a Jyothisha Siddhanta could be about one of the Śaka eras of Kali Yuga. As written earlier in Part 2, these texts identify the time of composition from Kalpa or the nearest Yuga or the nearest Śaka of Kali Yuga – and never from the date of an individual king or a dynasty.

Textual evidence for Śaka eras of Kali Yuga.

The written evidence for the Śaka era appears in Jyothirvidabharana composed by Kalidasa who lived in the court of Vikramaditya of Paramara dynasty in the 1st century BCE.[1]  Not giving any doubt on the time period of this composition, the author had stated in the text itself that he started writing this in Visakha 3068 of Kali Era (33 BCE) and completed in Kartika month of the same year.[2]

Two salient features of relevance to the Śaka era are found mentioned in this text. (1) How a Śaka era and a Śaka-kāraka are identified. (2) The duration of all the Śaka eras.

1.     Who is Śakakāraka? 

Kalidasa says that whoever kills the Śaka-s in large numbers would become a Śakakāraka, i.e., the founder of a new Śaka era. By this the Śaka era running until then would be terminated and a new Śaka Era would begin, credited to this king. [3]

The deductions are:

·         A distinction is made between two ‘Śaka-s’ – a people or tribe called as ‘Śaka’ and an era called ‘Śaka’

·         Extinction of the race of Śaka-s by a king is the foremost requirement.

·         In other words, a Śaka era ends with the death of the king of Śaka tribes – who was an opponent king, not the king of the Śakakāraka lineage.

·         When this is done, the until-then running Śaka era comes to an end and a new Śaka era is begun by the king who killed the king of the Śaka tribes.

This gives rise to two ways of expressing a Śaka era in an inscription –

1.      the Śaka year starting from a new Śakakāraka

 

2.      the expiry or the lapse of the previous Śaka era.

In this context let me point out that the Śaka era references in the inscriptions listed down by Sri. Vedveer Arya, fall within the above two expressions.[4]



All the above references given by Vedveer Arya DO NOT run counter to each other if we understand the definition of Śaka era by Kalidasa.

However Vedveer Arya writes, “How can the totally different references“Śaka-nrpati-rājyābhisheka-samvatsara” and “Śaka-nrpa-kālātīta-samvatsara” lead to the same epoch?”

It is replied that,

·         The mention of “Śaka-nrpati-rājyābhisheka-samvatsara” counts the years from the new Śaka era founded by a Śakakāraka.

·         This is no way different from the expression “Śaka-nrpa-kālātīta-samvatsara” – that refers to the lapsed years of the current Śaka.

These two expressions talk about the same epoch. To explain this, assume that an inscription was made after100 years in a Śaka era. This can be written as ‘in 101st year of the Śaka-nrpati-rājyābhisheka-samvatsara” or “with 100 years of Śaka-nrpa-kālātīta-samvatsara” (having elapsed). Both refer to the same Era.

Further on, Vedveer Arya’s observation  that, “epigraphs that refer to “Śaka-nrpa-kāla” denote an older epoch than the epigraphs that refer to “Śaka-nrpa-kālātīta-samvatsara” is not true – irrespective of whether they are used in the same context or in different contexts.

·         First of all there is nothing to suggest an old epoch in “Śaka-nrpa-kāla”.

·         Śaka-nrpa-kāla – is the time of the Śaka under reference.

·         Śaka-nrpa-kālātīta-samvatsara – is the number of elapsed years of the Śaka era

·         If both are used in the same context they refer to the current Śaka era of the inscriber and the elapsed years of the previous Śaka – since both of them have the same boundary of demarcation with the “Śaka-nrpa-kāla” being the current and the “Śaka-nrpa-kālātīta” being the previous Śaka era. This interpretation depends on the overall meaning of the inscribed verse.

·         Śaka-nrpa-kālātīta” may also have been used in the current Śaka of the inscriber to denote the number of years elapsed in the Śaka of that time.

Whatever be the context the purport should not be lost that the Śaka era is founded by a Śakakāraka who had exterminated the Śaka tribes. The elapsed Era is not that of the slain king of the Śaka tribes, but the end of the previous Śaka era, going on for years.

2.     Duration of the Śaka Eras

Further clarification is obtained from the duration of the Śaka eras given by Kalidasa. He says that there are six Śaka eras in Kali Yuga.[5] They are

1.      Yudhishtira, 2. Vikrama, 3. Salivahana, 4. Vijayabhinandana, 5.Nagarjuna, 6. Bali.

These kings are the Śakakāraka-s of the respective Śaka eras. Kalidasa had also given the duration of each of these six Śaka eras as follows.[6]

The corresponding Gregorian year is given in the last column.

Two notable features of this split-up:

1.      The Yudhiṣṭhira Śaka that began at the 1st year of Kali Yuga when Krishna left did not include the 35 years of rule by Yudhishthira but it started with the abdication of the throne by Yudhishthira and the simultaneous crowning of Pariskhit. Even though Yudhishthira had left, his rule of law was prevailing. That was named as Yudhishthira Śaka. This went on for 3044 years. This was the first Śaka.

 

2.      Kalidasa had composed Jyothirvidabharana 24 years after the Vikrama Śaka had begun in 57 BC. So this Śaka classification was made well under the auspices of King Vikramāditya. The surprising element is the small duration of just 135 years for the Śaka of this king! If the classification of the work was done for the first time under the direction of King Vikrama, those working on it could be expected to have allotted a long duration for the Śaka era of this king. The next Śaka being given 18,000 years, it is surprising that a meager 135 years was given for Vikrama Śaka.


The only plausible reason is that the Śaka classification was neither a later development nor the work of the people of Vikrama’s time. Kalidasa had merely stated what was already prevailing at his time.

The Śaka classification must have been handed down by the ‘Purā-Vidah’ when they determined the date the Kali Yuga at the departure of Krishna! The knowledge of that classification had continued in Vikrama’s time. Kalidasa had only passed on the information for the sake of posterity.

This revelation further clarifies two issues:

1.      King Vikramāditya did not replace the then existing Yudhishthira Śaka on his own volition. As the date of the new era was nearing, the event of slaying the Śaka tribes must have been achieved by him. Recognizing these markers, the learned people of his time must have endorsed the change of the Śaka.

This change could not have started at the beginning of the regnal year of King Vikrama, but at the lapse of 3044 Kali Years before which he had subdued the Śaka tribes. He must have been crowned as “Śaka nṛpa” at the beginning of Caitra (lunar) or Citra (solar) for only then the number of years elapsed would tally with 3044 Kali years (= Yudhishthira Śaka). Expressions such as “Śaka-nrpati-rājyābhisheka-samvatsara” could only refer to the time of formal crowing as Śakakāraka.

2.      The identity of the king Shalivahana, the founder of the 3rd era being still elusive, it appears that this name was given by the ‘Purā-Vidah’ when they handed down the complete structure of Kali Yuga with its Śaka sub-divisions. Whichever king existed at the end of Vikrama Śaka and subdued the Śaka tribes must have been recognized as the Śakakāraka of the 3rd era of Shalivahana Śaka.

Shalivahana must have been an assumed name by the king who found himself qualified to be the Śakakāraka at that juncture. So it is futile to search for a king by name “Shalivahana” but would be rewarding to locate a king at the expiry of 135 years of Vikrama Śaka who was known to have defeated the Śaka tribes.

Next we must identify the Śaka tribes defeated by the Śakakārakas, namely Yudhiṣṭhira, Vikrama and Shalivahana to put rest the versions that there was an old Era initiated by Śaka people (Indo-Scythians) or Cyrus the Great before Shalivahana Śaka was introduced. As per this version, there was only one Śaka era before Shalivahana Śaka and that was initiated the Mlechas. Nothing can be more erroneous than claiming that the Śaka of Mlechas was used by the Bharatiya people. We will examine all these claims.

(To be continued)



[1] Jyothirvidabharana, Sloka 21 of chapter 22, Kota Venkata Chelam, “Vikramaditya of First Century B.C.--Kalidasa's Jyotirvidabharana”   http://trueindianhistory-kvchelam.blogspot.com/2010/01/vikramaditya-of-first-century-bc.html

[2] Jyothirvidabharana: Ch 22, verse 21

[3] Jyothirvidabharana: Ch, verse 89

[4] Vedveer Arya, “The Epoch of Sakaa Era: A critical study”  http://indiafacts.org/epoch-saka-era-critical-study/

[5] Jyotirvidabharana: 10-109

[6] Jyothirvidabharana: 10- 110-111