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NothingVedicinVedicMathsTheHindu

OPINIONCOMMENT

Published:September3,201401:45IST|Updated:September3,201415:52IST
September3,2014

NothingVedicinVedicMaths
C.K.Raju

TheHindu
IllustrationbySatwikGade.
AdvocatingVedicmathematicsasareplacementfortraditionalIndianarithmeticishardlyanactofnationalismitonlyshowsignorance
ofthehistoryofmathematics
GujarathasmadeitcompulsoryforschoolstudentstoreadthetextsofDinanathBatra,endorsedbyPrimeMinisterNarendraModi.
Accordingtonewsreports,Mr.BatrahasnowproposedanongovernmentaleducationcommissionwhichwillIndianiseeducationthrough,
forinstance,Vedicmathematics.TheMinisterforEducationhasalsomentionedVedicmathematicsaspartofheragenda.
Ignorantoftradition
OneappreciatesthedesireofthesepeopletoworkforIndiantraditions.ButwhereintheVedasisVedicmathematicstobefound?
Nowhere.VedicmathematicshasnorelationwhatsoevertotheVedas.ItactuallyoriginatesfromabookmisleadinglytitledVedic
MathematicsbyBharatiKrishnaTirtha.Thebookadmitsonitsfirstpagethatitstitleismisleadingandthatthe(elementaryarithmetic)
algorithmsexpoundedinthebookhavenothingtodowiththeVedas.Thisisrepeatedonp.xxxv:Obviouslytheseformulasarenottobe
foundinthepresentrecensionsofAtharvaveda.Ihavebeenpointingthisoutsince1998.Regrettably,theadvocatesofVedicmathematics,
thoughtheyclaimtochampionIndiantradition,areignorantoftheactualtraditionintheVedas.Second,theydonotevenknowwhatis
statedinthebooktherealsourceofVedicmathematics.Third,theyareunawareofscholarlywritingonthesubject.Wheneducation
policyisdecidedbysuchignorantpeople,theyonlyendupmakingalaughingstockofthemselvesandtheVedas,andthusdoagreat
disservicetotheverytraditionwhichtheyclaimtochampion.
Everyonelearnshowtoadd,subtract,multiplyanddivideinschool.WhyshouldwereplacethosealgorithmswithVedicmathematics?Will
thatIndianiseeducation?No.ThestandardarithmeticalgorithmsactuallyoriginatedinIndia,wheretheywereknownbyvariousnamessuch
aspatiganita(slatearithmetic).However,thewordalgorithmcomesfromalgorithmus:theLatinisednameofalKhwarizmiofthe9th
centuryHouseofWisdominBaghdad.HewroteanexpositorybookonIndianarithmeticcalledHisabalHind.GerbertdAurillac(laterPope
SylvesterII),theleadingEuropeanmathematicianofthe10thcentury,importedthesearithmetictechniquesfromtheUmayyadKhilafatof
Crdoba.HedidsobecausetheprimitiveGreekandRomansystemofarithmetic(tiedtotheabacus),thenprevailinginEurope,wasno
matchforIndianarithmetic.However,accustomedtotheabacus(onwhichhewroteatome),Gerbertwasperplexedbyalgorithmsbasedon
theplacevaluesystem,andfoolishlygotaspecialabacus(apices)constructedfortheseArabicnumeralsin976CE.HencethenameArabic
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NothingVedicinVedicMathsTheHindu

numeralsbecausealearnedpopeamusinglythoughttherewassomemagicintheshapeofthenumeralswhichmadearithmeticefficient.
Later,FlorentinemerchantsrealisedthatefficientIndianarithmeticalgorithmsconferredacompetitiveadvantageincommerce.Fibonacci,
whotradedacrossIslamicAfrica,translatedalKhwarizmiswork,asdidmanyothers,whichiswhytheycametobeknownasalgorithms.
Eventually,after600years,IndianalgorithmsdisplacedtheEuropeanabacusandwereintroducedintheJesuitsyllabusaspractical
mathematicscirca1570byChristophClavius.ThesealgorithmsarefoundinmanyearlyIndiantexts,suchasthePatiganitaofSridharor
theGanitaSaraSangrahaofMahavira,ortheLilavatiofBhaskaraII.So,advocatingVedicmathematicsasareplacementfortraditional
Indianarithmeticishardlyanactofnationalism.Onthecontrary,itonlyshowsignoranceofthehistoryofmathematics.Spreadingthis
ignoranceamongfuturegenerationswillweakenthenation,notstrengthenit.
ThetechniquesofVedicmathematicsaredesignedformentalarithmetic,traditionallyusedbylowercasteartisanssuchascarpentersorby
peoplelikeShakuntalaDevi.Therearemanyothersuchsystemsofmentalarithmetictoday.Ifthatiswhatweintendtopromote,weshould
firstdoasystematiccomparison.WeshouldalsobehonestandrefrainfromusingthemisleadinglabelVedicwhichisthemainselling
pointofBhartiKrishnaTirthassystem,andwhichattractsgulliblepeoplewhoinfervaluejustfromthewrapper.
SuppressingrealMathematics
PromotingthewronglylabelledVedicmathematicssuppressesthemathematicsthatreallydoesexistintheVedas.Forexample,Yajurveda
17.2elaboratesonthedecimalplacevaluesystem(thebasisofIndianalgorithms)andsomeofthosenamesfornumbersarestillinuse,
thoughtermssuchasarab(arbudam)havechangedmeaning.ThatpassageshowsthattheplacevaluesystemextendsbacktoVedictimes,
anditwasalateacquisitiononlyinmathematicallybackwardEurope.
Likewise,thetheoryofpermutationsandcombinationsisbuiltintotheVedicmetre(andIndianmusicingeneral),asexplainedinvarious
textsfromPingalasChandahsutratoBhaskarsLilavati.TheaksasuktaoftheRgvedagivesabeautifulaccountofthegameofdice,whichis
thefoundationofthetheoryofprobability.TheromanticstoryofNalaandDamayantiintheMahabharatafurtherrelatesdicetosampling
theory(tocountthenumberoffruitsinatree).
MoredetailsareinmyarticleonProbabilityinAncientIndiaavailableonlineandpublishedintheElsevierHandbookofthePhilosophyof
Statistics.However,allthesescholarlyeffortsarejeopardised,fortheytooareviewedwithsuspicion.
WeneedtochangetheWesternandcolonialeducationsystem,especiallywithregardtomathematics.TraditionalIndianganitahasmuchto
offerinthisprocess,butVedicmathematicsisdefinitelynottherightway.
WrongsolutionslikeVedicmathematicspersistbecauseaninsecurepoliticaldispensationvaluesthepoliticallyloyaloverthelearnedwho
areloyaltothetruth.(Meritapparentlyisimportantonlyinthecontextofreservations.)Suchpoliticalprocessesarehistoricallyknownto
damagerealtraditions.
AsIwroteoveradecadeagoinmybookTheElevenPicturesofTime,thosewhoattainorretainstatepowerthroughreligionaretheworst
enemiesofthatreligion,whateverbethereligiontheyclaimtorepresent:Christianity,Islam,orHinduism.
(C.K.RajuisauthorofCulturalFoundationsofMathematics.Hewasprofessorofmathematics,andEditorialFellowoftheProjectof
HistoryofIndianScience,PhilosophyandCulture.)
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