Sunday, November 24, 2013

Mathematics in Yajur Veda


A sloka in Yajur Veda describes how mathematics was used since the time immemorial, even by a layman. 2nd sloka in Chapter seventeen of Yajur Veda is a sloka on prayers to increase the number of cattles. Cattles represent the wealth of a person in those days. Thus, the sloka was used to pray for  a person's success in worldly  life which will lead him to the higher level. Success in worldly life is important for a person to lead a proper karmik  and dharmik life for attaining moksha.

The sloka/prayers sound in such:-
"Our number of cattles ought increase from one to ten, ten to hundred, hundred to thousand, thousand to ten thousand, ten thousand to hundred thousand, hundred thousand to one million, one million to hundred millions, hundred millions to thousand millions, thousand millions to mahapadmam, mahapadmam to shank, shank to samudram, samudram to madyam, madyam to prarthk, prarthak to the higher number that lead me to a wealthy life here and hereafter. To guard the wealth, let it give me the strength and punya that equal to the bricks that guards the homa fire"

This shows that how the Hindu mathematics calculation (probably Yajur Veda was compiled 1400-1000 BCE) at ancient time is outnumber recent mathematics figures of millions, billions, trillions and zillions. 

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