Basic Mathematics

Author(s): L C Jain
Publisher: Rajasthan Prakrit Bharti Sansthan Jaipur

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CHAPTER 5.
CERTAIN COMMON TOPICS OF BASIC
MATHEMATICS
The Svetambara texts form the major portion of the knowledge of entire Jaina canon and works available are the first eleven anags, upāngas, prakirņakas, cheda sūtras, mūla sūtras, cūlikā sūtrās. The Digambara texts recognize only a very minor part of the twelfth anga, Dşstivāda, constituting works like the Satkhandāgama and the Kasāyapsāhuda sutta, as well as their commentaries. Thus the two traditions mutually supplement each other's knowledge, perhaps to a certain extent 80.
The Svetambara collection of the Jaina canonical literature comprising of eleven argas and fourteen pūrvas in fragmentary form was effected in the 3rd century B. C. by a council of monks at Pauliputra. The second council was organized for the same purpose in - 150 at Kumāriparvata near Bhuvaneshwar. The third council was organized in + 66, the fourth in + 300 and the fifth in + 466 at various places.
The Digambara tradition believes in the verbal transmission of knowledge of original twelfth arga from preceptor to disciple till the present recension of the minor works was redacted.
(a) Topics :
Sthānānga-sūtra, mentions ten topics in mathematics of Samkhyāna or calculation :
1. Parikarma (fundamental operations), 2. Vyavahāra (subjects of treatment), 3. Rajju (“rope”, perhaps geometry), 4. Rāśi (“set” or “heap", trai-rāśika), 5. Kalāsavanna (fraction), 6. Yavat-tāvat (“as many as” or “simple equations or similar
processes), 80. Cf. Jain, J. C., Prākrita Sāhitya Kā Itihāsa, 1961 E
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