________________
Concept of Śünya (Zero) in Jaina Canons : (131)
variable between infinity to infinitesimal. This gave some idea about utilising zero for all powers of ten. 5. Representation of Numerals and Zero
The Indian system has developed three systems of representing numerals during different times between 1000 - 200 BC. They are:
(a) Symbolic words (b) Alphabets or consonant and vowels (c) Digital numerals or numbers
The scripts for these representations were developed from the oldest script of India known as Brāhmi, which could be written in 18 different forms." There were two scripts for mathematical use- scripts using (i) letters and (ii) numerals. Both were used for different occasions utilising the above three systems. Ganitasāra-sangraha of Mahāvīrācāryagives symbolic words representing numbers from zero to 27. They include not only the deities but other common entities also whose numeration was popularly known during those times as shown in Table 2.
Table 2: Representation of Numbers by Words S.No. Jaina Representation
Hindu
Number
Representation 18 Space, Ambar, Antariksa Candra (moon)
Agni (fire-god) Cakşu (eyes), Kara (hands) Aśvins Bhuvana (world), Ratna (gems) Vişnu Kasaya (Passions), Gati
Soma (destinity) Indriya (senses)
Puşan
5 and so on. It is seen that the Jaina symbolic words for numerals are quite in contrast with the Vedic symbolic words for them. The presence of symbol for zero here indicates that it was quite popular in ninth century at least. The second system for numerical representation is denoted by the use of alphabetic consonants and vowels. They were used popularly in the days much before Āryabhața (478 CE). ! However, it seems that the Jainas developed their own notations different from Aryabhata and much earlier than him as shown in Table 3.
inimo
Jain Education International
For Private & Personal Use Only
www.jainelibrary.org
