What was going on when I was born?

The head of the state's largest Civil Service union accused the Cuomo administration yesterday of reneging on a deal that would have prevented layoffs of state employees. The charge, made by William L. McGowan, head of the Civil Service Employees Association, came as 1,220 state workers were dismissed in the first wave of 3,400 layoffs called for in the state budget. Mr. McGowan said that he had been promised that layoffs would be reduced if more than 4,200 state workers retired early. At least 7,500 state workers have filed early retirement papers, 3,300 more than the state had predicted. Therefore, Mr. McGowan said, there was no reason to dismiss any more than 100 workers at the most.

Thirsty Soviet's grand design: tap Arctic waters A2 Soviet assails Iran's crackdown on Communists A3 Demonstrators in Paris skirmish with the police A4 Around the World A5 Socialist International's stand on Puerto Rico angers U.S. A6 Close Senate vote seen on aid to anti-Sandinists A7 Proposed new constitution is in- troduced in South Africa A9 Hussein-Arafat talks reported at ''a final end'' A10 A Reporter's Notebook: The wait for an Israeli-Lebanese accord A12 Government/Politics Ruckelshaus plans few major policy changes A15 Three Democrats bid for trade unions' Presidential support A16 U.S. to reduce number of high- ways for double-trailer trucks A18 Jersey Assembly passes bill on teacher contracts B2 Top New York court limits sub- poenas of physicians' records B3 Senate votes $1.8 billion for health insurance for jobless B6 Washington Talk Pentagon: Chief of Naval Opera- tions on morality and weapons A32 Competing for the capital's lux- ury hotel market A32 Briefing A32 Religion Eastern Orthodox Christians pre- pare to observe Easter D15 PARKING REGULATIONS Because of Eastern Orthodox Good Friday, alternate-side parking is sus- pended in New York City today. All other rules remain in effect. Weekend Weekender Guide C1 Rhinebeck, a village that time passed by C1 New arts flourish in new spaces C1 Theater: Broadway C2 ''The Caine Mutiny Court-Mar- tial'' is back C5 ''The Provoked Wife,'' a comedy from London C30 Screen: At the Movies C10 ''The White Rose,'' dissident students in Nazi Germany C13 ''Routes of Exile,'' documen- tary on Diaspora and Morocco C15 Music: Horszowski, a legend in living sound C5 Stan Freberg joining six-hour ''salute'' in Hackensack, N.J. C32 The original Impressions in town on reunion tour C6 Art: Works from Royal Academy shown here C23 Auctions C26 Keith Sonnier at P.S. 1 in Long Island City C22 Art People C25 Books: Publishing C29 Restaurants C20 TV Weekend C30 Style The Evening Hours A20 Wives of lawyers aid Harlem youths A20 Cartier: Art Deco for the 80's A20 General Around the Nation A14 Defense lawyer stresses political points at Brink's trial B3 New evidence found against de- fendant in CBS murder trial B7 Health/Science Routine contact may spread rare immunological disease A21 Obituaries James Henry Breasted Jr., art historian D15 Sports Pages Leconte, seeded 13th, upsets Lendl in 2 sets at Forest Hills A23 Bruins rout Islanders, 5-1, and cut series lead to 3-2 A23 Two horses withdrawn from Ken- tucky Derby; field at limit of 20 A23 Strawberry answers Mets' call A23 Yankees' ''big bats'' pressing A24 Braves defeat Astros, 6-3 A24 Scouting: Nolan Ryan's secret A24 George Vecsey on Common Sense A25 Islanders' Bossy shadowed and stymied by a Bruins rookie A26 Outdoors: Alewives are fun to catch A26 Features/Notes Questions and Answers: The shutdown of Indian Point A1 Sports People A22 New York Day by Day B3 News Analysis Matthew L. Wald discusses U.S. ruling on Indian Point plants B5 David Shribman on the House vote on a nuclear freeze B6 Editorials/Letters/Op-Ed Editorials A30 The bishops and the Bomb The real politics of guns Fair, and foul, on the street Letters A30 Flora Lewis: The climb to the summit A31 Tom Wicker: Voting against ideas A31 Steve H. Hanke: Wise use of Fed- eral land A31 Arturo Cruz Sequeira: Blame the C.I.A. and the Sandinists A31

An article in Metropolitan Report on Monday about the decline of sex-related businesses and felony crime complaints in midtown Manhattan incorrectly described the affected area. It extends from 30th to 50th Street and from the East River to the Hudson.

The transportation issues led the stock market to its second consecutive broad advance yesterday in continued heavy trading. Turnover on the New York Stock Exchange soared to 107.9 million shares from 101.7 million shares the day before with many of the secondary issues attracting most of the buyers' attention. ''Volume in recent days has been climbing because many individual and institutional buyers are now increasing their purchases of stocks that are still selling at bargain prices rather than the high-priced blue chips,'' said Theodore H. Halligan, first vice president of Piper, Jaffray & Hopwood. At the conclusion of the trading day, advancing issues on the New York Stock Exchange outscored declining equities by more than a 2-to-1 ratio, about the same margin as on Wednesday.

What would happen if the two reactors at Indian Point were shut down because of yesterday's ruling by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission? The plant operators - the Consolidated Edison Company for Indian Point 2 and the New York Power Authority for Unit 3 - disagree sharply with opponents of the plants. Following are some questions and answers about the issues: Q. What would be the immediate consequences for customers? A. The utilities say their customers would have to pay for a cost amounting to $482 million a year, and they predict higher subway fares and the loss of thousands of jobs. Opponents of the plants say, however, that the cost would be far smaller, with less than a 1 percent increase in electric bills over 15 years.

Companies Two nuclear power plants at Indian Point will be shut down unless substantial steps are taken within 30 days to eliminate ''major deficiences'' in emergency plans, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission ruled. Con Edison and the Power Authority of New York, operators of the plants, said a shutdown would have enormous economic consequences for New York City and Westchester. (Page A1.) Chrysler plans to repay $400 million of its $1.2 billion in Government-guaranteed loans next month. The 14.9 percent notes are being paid to reduce interest costs and underscore the company's return to financial health, according to Lee A. Iacocca, chairman. (D1.)

Governor Cuomo submitted a bill today that would permit sweeping liberalization of investment rules for life insurance companies licensed to operate in New York State. The Governor's bill principally would allow the insurance companies to place more of their assets in riskier investments than state laws now allow. It would also permit New York State subsidiaries of insurance companies to go into a number of new businesses outside the insurance field, except banking. Under current law, any insurance company subsidiary within the state must limit its activities to insurance-related activities.

The wheel inspections that have delayed thousands of Metro-North commuters daily on the New Haven line over the last six months are expected to end by June 1, the president of the railroad said yesterday. The railroad president, Peter E. Stangl, told the Transportation Committee of the Connecticut General Assembly that new axle assemblies had been attached to 72 of the 244 cars on the New Haven line and that 10 or 12 more would be repaired by June 1.

A group of educators said yesterday that Federal money now going to bilingual-education programs should be used to promote proficiency in English, not to teach other academic subjects in a foreign language. The educators, members of a task force of the Twentieth Century Fund, a private research foundation, said the Federal Government should support programs that teach children to speak, read and write English as quickly as possible by ''immersing'' them in the language. They said the Government should not support bilingual programs that teach subjects such as mathematics and science in a student's native language, while the child learns English. Those programs, they said, should be supported by local and state authorities, if they want them.

Nine people died in a three-alarm fire in a Chinatown apartment building early this morning, the Fire Department said. The victims, none of whom were immediately identified, died during blaze that lasted more than an hour and destroyed the interior of the five-story brick building at 40 East Broadway, according to a department spokesman. The fire was declared suspicious by Deputy Chief John Rossi of the First Division ''because of the heavy volume of fire.'' ''There was heavy fire on all floors and in the halls,'' Chief Rossi said. Witnesses said that the fire, off Catherine Street and just below the Manhattan Bridge, gave off heavy smoke and burned intensely. Dirk Wan, an insurance broker with offices on the third floor of the building, said he saw flames coming from the windows and ''you won't believe how much smoke.''

Friday ONE-ACT MARTHON ON The annual marathon of new one-act plays at the Ensemble Studio Theater, 549 West 52d Street, has begun. Tonight's batch at 7:30 is ''Poisoner of the Wells'' by Brother Jonathan, a member of the Franciscan Order, about a murderer and a revenge seeker; ''Postcards'' by Carol K. Mack, a comedy about three lonely women at a resort, and ''Five Unrelated Pieces'' by David Mamet, which examines conversations. Tickets: $12 ($36 for all 14 plays). Reservations: 247-4982. BEST OF INDIA DYEING Centuries ago, artisans in India developed dyeing techniques that enabled them to produce intricate designs in vivid colors on cotton. They could also suit the tastes of customers in other countries. To demonstrate the range of their art from the 13th to the 19th century, the Asia Society, Park Avenue at 70th Street, is showing 70 pieces from collections around the world. The exhibition includes textiles found in 15th-century Egytpian burial grounds, Indian tent hangings and shawls, hip wrappers for the Indonesian market and gowns and hangings made for Westerners. Admission: $2. Information: 288-6400. Hours, 10 A.M. to 5 P.M., Tuesday through Saturday; Thursday nights to 8:30, and Sundays, noon to 5 P.M. Closed Mondays.

The Polish authorities are encouraging thousands of people they regard as potential political troublemakers to leave the country under an unspoken arrangement with more than half a dozen Western countries, Western diplomats here say. Although travel restrictions introduced under martial law make it impossible for most Poles to travel abroad, activists are being freely offered, and sometimes pressured to take, emigration passports - essentially one-way tickets out. So far the United States has admitted about 1,100 people under the program, a Western diplomat said, and the number is expected to reach more than 2,000 by the end of September. Activists Urged to 'Shop Around' On Thursday the State Department announced in Washington that as many as 400 Poles interned after the crackdown on Solidarity had left Poland and resettled in the United States.