Centuries before the emergence of modern mathematics, Vedic chants were literally about counting the numbers. In the absence of a written script for a long time, Vedic knowledge primarily transmitted orally, relied on precise memorisation that mention Zero through the use of the decimal system with a base of 10, and also show familiarity with very large numbers.
For, instance, the phrases, ‘... ayutay swaha, niyutay swaha…’, from Yajurveda, literally translates to ‘... hail to ayuta (ten thousand), hail to niyuta (hundred thousand)...’ indicate the knowledge of large numbers. And similarly for other smaller and larger numbers — sata (hundred), sahasra (thousand), nyarbuda (hundred million), samudra (billion), and so on. The script used for this Sanskrit text, sourced from the Bhandarkar Oriental Research Institute in Pune, Maharashtra, is Devanagari, officially in use from the 8th century CE. Such details are present in other manuscripts also on display at the exhibition, ‘South Asia’s Contributions to Mathematical Thinking’, organised under the India International Centre’s (IIC) project, SAMHiTA (South Asian Manuscript Histories and Textual Archive). The exhibition is on view till September 14, at the India International Centre.
Seven chapters of knowledge
The exhibition is divided into seven categories: Inceptions (emergence of numbers and zero), Breakthroughs (trigonometry and calculus), Form and Pattern (mathematics integrated in architecture and music), Diffusions (spread of Indic texts to East and West Asia), Crystallisation of Regional Traditions (regional works), Renewals (Sanskrit works rendered in Arabic and Persian), and Applications (accounting, measurement, and record-keeping).
The curated manuscripts date back from Sulbasutras text in 8th century BCE, to the establishment of the five Jantar Mantars in the 18th century, during the reign of Maharaja Sawai Jai Singh.
Text written on thin, brown, palm leaves preserved over centuries lie stacked at the gallery. Sanskrit is the dominant language of these texts. However, the scripts vary widely. Among the works exhibited are Ganitasarasangraha balabodha vyakhya by Daivajnavallabha, Ganitasarasangraha by Mahaviracarya, Bijapallava by Krsna-daivjna, and Lilavati by Bhaskaracarya (Bhaskara II), written in Grantha script. Others, such as the Bijaganita vyakhya (author unknown) and Ksetraganita by Ganesa, are inscribed in Telugu.
As SAMHiTA director Sudha Gopalakrishnan explains, palm leaves were commonly used in southern India, and birch bark in the north. Scholars in the eastern corner of the country scribbled on sanchi pat, made from the bark of the Sanchi tree. Despite careful preservation, time has left its marks. The centuries-old palm leaves appear fragile, some frayed at the edges, others “moth-eaten,” and urgently need preservation, as Gopalakrishnan puts it.