Descriptive Catalogue of Govt Collections of Manuscripts Part 5 Ten Appendices

SR No.: 018045
Original Sutra Author: N/A
Author: Hiralal R Kapadia
Publisher: Bhandarkar Oriental Research Institute
Publication Year: 1954
Total Pages: 330
Language: English, Sanskrit
Classification: Catalogue & Catalogue
File Size: 11 MB

Page 13

Preface
or Jaina scriptures e. g. sky standing for zero, earth for 1, jewel for 3, sage for 7, self-control for 17 & so on. This sort of system was developed and perfected in India in the early century of the Christian era.
In the Vedas we find that numbers denote things. For instance, in the Rgveda ( VII, 103, 1 ) dvādaśan’ signifies year, and in the Athar van Veda (1, 1, 1) seven stands for a group of 7 objects7 seas etc. Satapatha Brahmaņa (XIII, 3, 2, 1) and Taittiriya Brahmana ( 1, 5, 11, 1) which are about 2000 B. C. old, furnish us with examples where a word denotes a whole number and not a fractional one as is the case with sapha=}, kuştha = 1 and kala= 1. Chandogya Upanişad, Vedanga-jyotisa ( 1200 B.C. ) and the Srautasütras of Kātyāyana and Lāțyāyana sail in the same boar.
Agni-purana (chs. 122, 123, 131, 140, 141 & 328-335 ) seems to be the first work where word-numerals with place-value are met with. Puliša-siddhanta ( from which quotations are given by Bhațțotpala in his commentary on BỊhat-sambila ) is practically the next work to use such a word-system.
Word-chronograms occur in inscriptions. Two of the oldest Indian inscriptions of this type are dated 813 A. 1). and 842 A. D. respectively.
Writers on Mathematics and Astronomy have used " wordchronograms" in their Sanskrit works in verse as far back as the fourth century A. D. Later on, other writers, too, have done so. So it is no wonder if we find word-chronograms in Jaina works written in Sanskrit, Prakrit & Gujarāti. Here words mostly represent values according to the popular--mythological conceptions of the Vaidika Hindus e. g. indra signifying 14. In some cases the Jaina conceptions are taken into account. For instance yakșa stands for 13 as there are 13 varieties of this demi-god and sariyama (self-control ) for 17.
At times we come across certain word-numerals which are assigned a particular value but the reason for doing so is not so very well known. So I may say a few words about them.