The creation of Brahma is taken as its commencement and each of his days is an epoch. They assert that when 70 kalps are completed, each consisting of 4 Yugs* and the total of these being 4,320,000 years, a Manu appears. He is the offspring of the volition of Brahma and his co-operator in the creation. In each of his days fourteen* successive Manus arise. At this time which is the beginning of the 51st year of the age of Brahma, there have been six Manus, and of the seventh, 27 kalps have elapsed, and three Yugs of the 28th, and of the fourth Yug, 4,700 years. In the beginning of the present Yug, Rájá Judhishthira conquered the universe and being at the completion of an epoch, constituted his own reign an era and since that time to the present which is the fortieth of the Divine era, 4,696 years have elapsed. It continued in observance 3,044 years. After him Bikramájít* reckoned from his own accession to the throne and thus in some measure gave relief to mankind. He reigned 135 years. In this year 1652 years have since then gone by. They relate that a youth named Sálbáhan,* was victorious through some supernatural agency and took the Rájá prisoner on the field of battle. Since the captive was not deserving of death, he treated him with consideration and asked him if he had any request to make. He replied that though all his desire was centred in retirement from the world and in the worship of the one Supreme Creator, he still retained the wish that his era might not be obliterated from the records of the age. It is said that the boon was granted, and although he introduced his own era, he did not interfere with the observance of the other. Since this era, 1517 years have expired, and they believe that it will continue in use for 18,000 years more, after which Rajah Bijiyábhinandan will institute a new era from his own reign which will last 10,000 years. Then Nágá Arjun will come to the throne and promulgate another era which will continue for 400,000 years, after which Kalki,* whom they regard as an avatar, will establish a fresh era to last 821 years. These six are considered the principal eras and are called Sáká, for there were many epochs and each termed “Sanpat.”* After the invasion of Sálbáhan, the era of Bikramájít was changed from “Sáká” to “Sanpat.” After the expiration of these six, the Sat* Yug will re-commence and a new epoch be instituted.

The Hindú astronomers regard the months and years as of four kinds— 1st, “Saurmás,” which is the sun's continuance in one sign of the Zodiac, and such a year consists of 365 days, 15 ghaṛis,* 30 pals, and 22½ bipals; 2nd, “Chándramás,” which is computed from the first day of the moon's increase to the night of the new moon. This year is of 354 days, 22 ghaṛis* and one ‘pal.’ The beginning of the year is reckoned from the entry of the sun into Aries. This month consists of 30 lunar days (tithi). Each twelve degrees of the moon's course, reckoning from its departure from conjunction* with the sun is a tithi: and from the slowness or speed of the moon's progress there is a difference in the number of ghaṛis from a maximum of 65 to a minimum of 54. The first, tithi is called Pariwá; the second Dúj; the third Tíj; the fourth Chauth; the fifth Panchamíṇ; the sixth Chhaṭh; the seventh Saptamíṇ; the eighth Ashtamíṇ; the ninth Naumíṇ; the tenth Dasmín; the eleventh Ekádasi; the twelfth Duádasi; the thirteenth Tirúdasi; the fourteenth Chaudas: the fifteenth Púranmási; and from the 16th to the 29th, they use the same names up to the 14th. The 30th is called Amáwas. From Pariwá the 1st to the 15th they call Shuklapachch, and the other half Kishnpachch. Some begin the month from the 1st of Kishnpachch. In their ephemerides generally the year is solar and the month lunar.

And since the lunar year is less than the solar by ten days, 53 ghaṛis 29 pals and 22½ bipals, on the calculation of a mean rate of motion of the sun and moon, the difference, after 2 years, 8 months, 15 days and 3 ghaṛis, would amount to one month, and according to the reckoning in the ephemeris would occur in not more than 3 years or in less than 2 years and one month. According to the first calculation, there is this difference in every twelve months and in such a year they reckon one month twice: according to the latter system, in every solar month when there are two conjunctions;* and this must necessarily occur between Chait and Kuár (ásin) and does not go beyond these seven months. They term this intercalary month A´dhik (added), vulgarly called Laund.*

The third kind of month is Sáwan Más. They fix its commencement at any day they please: it is completed in thirty days. The year is 360 days.

The fourth, Nachhattar, is reckoned from the time the moon quits any mansion to her return thereto. This month consists of 27 days and the year of 324.

The number of the seasons is, with them, six* and each they call Ritu. The period that the sun remains in Pisces and Aries, they term Basant: this is the temperate season: when in Taurus and Gemini, Girekham, the hot season; in Cancer and Leo, Barkha, the rainy season; in Vírgo and Libra, Sard, the close of the rainy season and the beginning of winter; in Scorpio and Sagittarius, Hemant, winter; in Capricornus and Aquarius, Shishra, the season between winter and spring.

They divide the year likewise into three parts: to each they give the name of Kál, beginning from Phágun. They call the four hot months Dhupkál; the four rainy months Barkhakál and the four cold months Sítkál. Throughout the cultivable area of Hindustan, there are but three seasons. Pisces, Aries, Taurus and Gemini are the summer; Cancer, Leo, Virgo, Libra, the rains; Scorpio, Sagittarius, Capricornus and Aquarius, the winter. The solar year they divide into two parts. Tne first beginning with Aries to the extreme of Virgo they term Uttargól, which is the sun's progress to the north of the Equator, and from the beginning of Libra to the extreme of Pisces, Dakkhangól, the sun's course to the south of the Equator. Also from the first of Capricorn to the end of Gemini, they call Uttaráyan, the sun's northern declination (the summer solstice): and from the 1st of Cancer to the end of Sagittarius Dachchhanáyan, or the sun's southern declination (the winter solstice). Many events, occurring in the first of these divisions, especially death, are deemed fortunate.

The Nycthemeron they divide into 60 equal parts and to each they give the name of ghatis, more commonly ghaṛi. Each ghaṛi is subdi­vided into the same number of parts, each of which they call pal. In the same way they apportion the pal, and each part they term nári and also bipal. Each nári is equal to six respirations of a man of an equable tem­perament, undisturbed by running, the emotions of anger and the like.

A man in good health respires 360 times in the space of one ghaṛi, and 21,600 times in a Nycthemeron. Some affirm that the breath which is respired, they term Swás and that which is inspired Parswás, and both together they called a parán. Six paráns make a pal, and 60 pals a ghaṛi. An astronomical hour which is the 24th part of a Nycthemeron is equal to 2½ ghaṛis. Each night and each day is again divided into 4 parts, each of which is called a pahr, but these are not all equal.