Life in Ancient India as Depicted in the Jain Canons, with Commentaries: An Administrative, Economic, Social and Geographical Survey c13.s2.9

c13.s2.9

The early Jain and Buddhist texts provide ample testimony to the progress made by *jyotiṣa*. The science was otherwise known as *nakkhatta-vijjā*.⁸²ᵃ The experts in *joisa* were required to make forecasts of all coming events. It is said that Mahāvīra was versed in arithmetic and astronomy.⁸³ Arithmetic (*gaṇiya*) is counted among the seventy two arts already referred to, which is said to have been taught by Usabha to Sundarī.⁸⁴ *Gaṇita* is also described as one of the four expositions of the principle (*anuyoga*) in the Jain texts.⁸⁵ The *Thāṇaṅga* mentions ten kinds of science of numbers, *viz* *parikamma* (fundamental operation), *vavahāra* (subject of treatment), *rajju* ("rope" meaning geometry), *rāsi* ("heap" meaning measurement of solid bodies), *kalāsavanna* (fractions), *jāvam tāvam* ("as may as" meaning simple equations), *vagga* ("square" meaning quadratic equation), *ghana* ("cube" meaning cubic equation), *vaggavagga* (liquidratic equation) and *vikappa* (permutation and combination).⁸⁶