Number System in Sanskrit

by Dr. N. Ramamurthy

VedâEga Jyothica says - “Like the crest of the peacock, like the gem on the head of a snake, Mathematics is at the head of all knowledge”. Mathematics is an integral part of Vedas, whose origin is yet to be clearly specified. The Contributions to the world of Mathematics by Indian Mathematicians like Pingala, Âryabhama, Bhâskara, Brahmagupta, Kâtyâyana, Mahâvîrâcârya, Mâdhava, Srîdharâcârya, and Bhârati Krishna Teerthaji Maharâj in modern times are very great. They introduced the concepts like the place value system, importance of ‘Zero’, etc. They used different systems to represent numbers – the major three systems are Kamapayâdi SaEkhyâ, Bhûta SaEkhyâ and Âryabhamîya SaEkhyâ. These system of numbers were used to represent mathematics through poetic words – dual expertise. It is an ocean. This book tries to bring out a drop from this ocean.