Sambodhi 2000 Vol 23

Author(s): Jitendra B Shah, N M Kansara
Publisher: L D Indology Ahmedabad

Page 18

Vol. XXIII, 2000
VEDIC SOURCES OF THE 'VEDIC MATHEMATICS'
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written by Agastya, as is known from a statement to this effect appearing in the Prapanca-hrdaya.27 Like the Kalpasūtras of Āśvalāyana, Bodhāyana and Jaimini, the work of Agastya also contained treatment of distinctive Vedic rituals. The lost Srauta Sutra of the Paippalāda Sakhā may, however, be taken to have contained more sacrificial matters than what the Vaitāna Sutra of the Saunaka Sākhā does. The Paippalada Samhitā itself has a large number of sacrificial hymns which are not found in the Saunaka Samhitā. These hymns relate to the Srauta rites like the Darsa-paurnamāsa, Agnyādheya and Gostoma 28 Perhaps, the portion of the Atharvaveda known to BKTM as 'Ganita-sūtra' might belong to the Kalpasūtra part of this Srautasutra of Agastya. But, unfortunately, we have yet to come across a Sulba Sūtra attached to the Atharvaveda; none else, except BKTM, has as yet noticed any such work. The question of the location and the veracity of the 'Ganita-sūtra' being a part of some Kalpasūtra of the Atharvaveda, should remain open till we discover it with the help of some of the oral reciters of the Paippalāda Atharvaveda.
The culture of the Paippalāda Atharvaveda considered so long associated with Kashmir, but totally extinct from our country at the present time, is still a living force in the Eastern region of India. Thousands of Paippalādins residing in Orissa and the adjacent parts of Bihar and West Bengal have survived to this day unnoticed by the scholarly world. They have kept themselves away from the public eye and so much so that even the Sanskrit Commission appointed by the Government of India in 1956, unaware of their existence in the state of Orissa, was unable of their existence in the state of Orissa, was unable to locate them during its tours in the State. These people still follow their traditional rites and customs. Valuable Paippalāda works which could not, up to this time, be traced anywhere in the country, have been found carefully preserved in their safe custody.29 Now, as regards the Sulba Sūtras. They are the manuals for the construction of altars which are necessary in connection with the sacrifices of the Vedic Hindus. The Sulba Sutras are sections of the Kalpasutras, more particularly of the Srautasūtras, which are considered to form one of the six Vedāngas or “The Members of the Veda", and deal specially with rituals or ceremonials. Each Srautasūtra seems to have its own Sulba section. So there were, very likely, several such works in ancient times.30 Patañjali, the Great commentator