[INDOLOGY] Query

[Ashok Aklujkar]

Now that I know the context better, may I suggest that deva-var.sa may mean 'royal reign year.' deva is commonly used in addressing a ruler/king. One would expect documents to be dated in terms governments and local legal institutions would understand. Various inscriptions are so commonly dated in terms of regnal years.


On 2013-03-06, at 6:08 PM, Patrick Olivelle wrote:

Thanks to Ashok and Suresh for their thoughts. Unfortunately, this refers to a document where the year in which it is executed has to be written down. So a day of the gods (according to the yoga theory) or rain does not fit the bill. I thought of something like the Jupiter Cycle of 60 years, each of which has a specific name, but devavarṣa is not one of them!!

Patrick




On Mar 6, 2013, at 6:07 PM, Ashok Aklujkar wrote:

> Patrick,
> 
> The phrasing devo var.sati / vassati is common in Skt and Pali. deva-var.sa should be a noun based on it. Does a meaning like 'rain, shower' fit your context?
> 
> ashok
> 
> 
> On 2013-03-06, at 2:40 PM, Patrick Olivelle wrote:
> 
> The Smṛticandrikā at one place explains the need to put down the "varṣa" in a document as "devavarṣamityādi". I do not know what "devavarṣa" could be. It is not one of the 60 names of the Jupiter Cycle. Any help will be deeply appreciated. Thanks.
> 
> Patrick
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