Representing Numbers using Varnas in Sanskrit Works as per ryabhaya

- N. Siva Senani

This note is based on the book called ryabhaya written by Aryabhata. The second verse
explains the system:

4l llT 4 54l llT Tl6

Wl 4
Ul3B4T ~l B4 4 54 B4l4 4l

9(=( - 4l llT, 4 , 4l llT, Tl6

, Wl , 4, Ul3B4T , ~l, B4, 4 , 4 , B4,

4 , 4l

l69(ll
4l llT = T, U, . . . P 94 ~P

9l4 Hl6 The twenty-five letters from T to P

4l llT = 4, , . . . ( l6 9l The eight letters from 4 to (
4 = Varga places denote the place of units, hundreds, ten-thousands etc. Example. In the number
9,87,54,321, the varga places are underlined. The varga-aksharas are to be used in the
varga places.
= The places of tens, thousands, lakhs etc. In the above example, those which are not
underlined are avarga places. The avarga-aksharas are to be used in the avarga places.
= From , numbers 1 to 25 are assigned. Therefore, we have:

= 1 = 2 = 3 = 4 = 5
= 6 = 7 = 8 = 9 = 10
= 11 = 12 = 13 = 14 = 15
= 16 = 17 = 18 = 19 = 20
= 21 = 22 = 23 = 24 = 25


= , i.e and , i.e 5 and 25 (using the values of above Table) = 30.

= = 30 and by extension, = 40, = 50, = 60, = 70, = 80, = 90, = 100.
Under this system, = 31, = 32 etc. Actually by itself without , i.e. ,
stands for 3 only, but because it is an [, it has to be written only in the place
of tens, thousands etc. and when written in the place of tens, it denotes 30.

= ''in the two nines ( ) of zeros or places or space ()''. Two zeros are
written together and within those two, the above system is used to represent two-digit
numbers. These are written to teach place values to children. So, instead of zero, the
sense of 'space' is also valid. They are as below the names for the first ten are
given.

Avarga Varga Avarga Varga Avarga Varga Avarga Varga Avarga Varga Avarga Varga Avarga Varga Avarga Varga Avarga Varga
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

H
u
n
d
r
e
d
-
c
r
o
r
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s

-

4

T
e
n
-
c
r
o
r
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s

-

(
P

C
r
o
r
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s

T
l
l

T
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n
-
l
a
k
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-

6
P

L
a
k
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s

-

l
B
4

6
P

T
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n
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t
h
o
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s
a
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-

6
P

T
h
o
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-

B
(

H
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d
r
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-

H
6
P

T
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s

-

(
H

U
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s

-

9
T
P

= nine
= vowels, i.e. , , , , , 9, 9, , . It may be noted that denotes as well; and so
on.
4 4 = are used to indicate place values in both varga and avarga place. Thus, (or ) = units
place when used with varga letters and tens place when used with avarga letters; (or
1) = hundreds place when used with varga letters and thousands place when used
with avarga letters and so on. When a consonant is combined with a vowel, the vowel
indicates the number-place where the consonant has to be written. Thus where 4T =
31, 4lT = ka,ya,0 = 130; l4lT = ya,ka,0,0 = 3100; and l4lTU = ya,ka,ra,kha = 3142.
Following this notation, 4 = ya,0 = 30. The use of varnas to denote numbers is then:

Avarga Varga Avarga Varga Avarga Varga Avarga Varga Avarga Varga Avarga Varga Avarga Varga Avarga Varga Avarga Varga
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
9 9 7 3
T
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C
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T
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l
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k
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L
a
k
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T
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t
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s
a
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T
h
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s
a
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H
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T
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= The meaning is not clearly known. Different commentators and modern
scholars offered different interpretations, but others have found flaws in that. Clark (pp. 5, 6)
discusses some of the differing interpretations. However, since the alphabetical notation is
employed only in the Daagtika. In other parts of the treatise [Arabhatiya], where only a few
numbers of small size occur, the ordinary words which denote the numbers are employed (Clark,
8), we need not be bothered about the phrase.

Examples

T ? - splitting into varnas, we can write as

l* lH H T ? (the vowel 7 applies to both 9

and U

). Rearranging as per place values,

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Avarga Varga Avarga Varga Avarga Varga Avarga Varga Avarga Varga Avarga Varga Avarga Varga Avarga Varga Avarga Varga
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
9 9 7 3
T
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r
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C
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T
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L
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k
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T
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T
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H
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T
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U
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Now substituting the values of the letters, we get


15 8 2 0 23 5 0 0
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Avarga Varga Avarga Varga Avarga Varga Avarga Varga Avarga Varga Avarga Varga Avarga Varga Avarga Varga Avarga Varga
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
9 9 7 3

i.e., 158,22,37,500 (Shukla, 5). Note that T denotes 15 in the place of ten-crores and hundred-
crores. Similarly H denotes 23 in the place of ten-thousands and lakhs. Simiarly, every where a pair
of avarga letter and varga letter denote the place value of two adjacent places. The number denotes
the number of rotations of Earth (i.e. days) in a yuga (=43,20,000 years). If we calculate the number
of days per year, then we get 366.25868. The modern value for the number of days in a sidereal year
is 365.256363051 days
1
.

4ll4* H pP is another examples. First by separating the letters we get 4 l l4 * H P .
Rearranging, we get

P H * l4 l 4 = 5,77,53,336.

5 7 7 5 3 3 3 6
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Avarga Varga Avarga Varga Avarga Varga Avarga Varga Avarga Varga Avarga Varga Avarga Varga Avarga Varga Avarga Varga
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
9 9 7 3


These are the number of revolutions of moon in one yuga, that is a period of 43,20,000 years. The
number of years in an yuga is represented as ~ in Verse 3 (as per Shukla, Verse 1 as per Clark).
The numbers which may be tried to test ones understanding of the system are: 7 l#7, lH and

1 Apparently this number varies over long periods. The value given is valid as of noon on 1 Jan, 2000 according to
Fundamental Astronomy edited by Hannu Karttunen and others, 5
th
ed., Springer, New York. p.134. Accessed on
Google Books on 1 Aug 2013.
l]PH

B U - respectively the number of revolutions of Saturn, Jupiter and Mercury in a yuga

(from verse 3).



References


Bhatadipika or The ryabhaya with the Commentary Bhaadpik of Paramdvara. Edited by H.
Kern. E. J. Brill, Leiden, 1874. Accessed at www.archive.org on 1 Aug 2013.
Clark, Walter E. The ryabhaya of ryabhaa: An Ancient Indian Work on Mathematics and
Astronomy Transl. with Notes by Walter Eugene Clark. Chicago: The Univ. of Chicago Pr,
1930. Print.
Gongol, William J. (University of Northern Iowa ) The Aryabhatiya: Foundations of Indian
Mathematics. December 14, 2003. Internet article. Accessed on 1 Aug 2013 at Gongol.com
Kripa S. Shukla, and K V. arma. ryabhaya of ryabhaa. New Delhi: the Indian National
Science Academy, 1976. Print.