ARAS AND DATF.S. 323 



began to lay afide the the Poetic eeras altogether, and 

 to adopt the aitronomic sera of the Call yug , of which 

 near 2000 years were then expired. 



This circumftance of laying- afide the poetic aeras, 

 and adopting the aitronomic, it feems in the conrie 

 of ten or twelve centuries after became either totally 

 forgotten, or mifunderftood, ib , much fo in fact that 

 the. very adoption of the aftronomic sera has been 

 taken, by the modern Hindus for the actual beginning 

 of the Call yug itfelf. This erroneous notion, toge- 

 ther with thole which they entertained respecting the 

 duration of the different ages, the Satya, Treta, and 

 Dwapar yugs of their poets, which they firmly believe 

 to be the fame with the aftronomic periods of the 

 fame name, and to have ended accordingly before 

 the prefent Caliyug commenced, has been the caufe 

 of all the confufion which appear in their ancient hif- 

 tory and chronology. For finding the immediate 

 fuceftbr of Pari c skit mentioned in ancient hiitory 

 as reigning in the Call yug, they concluded, though 

 erroneouily, that Pari c shit mini therefore have 

 reigned at the clofe of the Dwapar yug ; and from 

 this circumftance, having removed Pa iuc shit from 

 the clofe of the Treta yug down to the clofe of the 

 Dwapar yug, they were then obliged to place Yun- 

 hishthir, Akjum, Crtshna, Raeimanyu, and 

 Vyasa, at the clofe of the Divaper yug alfo ; by 

 which means they feparate Vyasa, from Valmic 

 his contemporary and friend, and the reft who were 

 engaged in the war of Bhaeat from their proper 

 places in hiitory by 8(kOOO year of the poets. 



It is owing to the fame erroneous notions repecting 

 the Caliyug, that the modern Hindus- have thrown 

 the ancient hiitory and chronology of the kings of 

 Magadha or Bahar into confulion. For having dis- 

 covered that Sahadeva, the fon of Jarasandha, 

 was contemporary withYuDHisHTHiR, they concluded 



that 



