Indian Palaeography c3.8

c3.8

Both Brāhmī and Kharoshṭhī numbers accept the units of *four*, *ten*, *twenty* and *eighty*. I will try to show how these units are expressed in the symbols actually used. But before that is explained, it must be emphasized that the above units are clearly derived from human limbs: four hands, ten fingers or twenty fingers, and four twenties make eighty. This is absolutely clear in Kharoshṭhī numerals, which are based on quaternary system; e.g. four, four plus four make eight, four twenties make eighty. But disparity lies in ten and twenty. Here the unit is actually twenty, and not ten, although the basic form is of ten, which is clearly a fishhook sign, that stands for the first letter ‘*a*’ in Kharoshṭhī. This extra use of the symbol of ten is due to influence from other system. I maintain that this was due to the influence of the system in Brāhmī, although Brāhmī has its own particular characteristic. It is under the influence of Brāhmī that the signs for hundred and thousand have been formed in Kharoshṭhī. It is wrong to say that the Kharoshṭhī hundred has the form of Brāhmī *ta* (𑀢). Actually it is the unit of ten with an inclined stroke on the left: