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Mathematics in Ancient and Medieval India c6.s6: Technical Terms in the Śulba sūtras

Mathematics in Ancient and Medieval India c6.s6

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Technical Terms in the Śulba sūtras

c6.s6.1

The technical geometrical terms found in different treatises of the *Śulbasūtras* of Baudhāyana, Āpastamba and Kātyāyana are tabulated below.

c6.s6.2

| Terms in the *Śulbasūtra* | English Equivalents |
| 1. *akṣa* or *akṣṇayā* | Diagonal. |
| 2. *anta* | Point of intersection. |
| 3. *bhūmi* | Area. |
| 4. *caturasra* or *sama-caturasra* | Square. |
| i) *animata caturasra* | Isosceles trapezium. |
| ii) *dīrghacaturasra* | Rectangle. |
| 5. *iṣu* | Arrow, altitude. |
| 6. *karṇa* | Angle. |
| i) *eka-karṇa* | A geometrical figure of one angle. |
| ii) *dvi-karṇa* | A geometrical figure of two unequal angles. |
| iii) *pañca-karṇa* | Pentagon. |
| iv) *tri-karṇa* | Triangle. |
| 7. *karaṇī* | (a) The side of rectilinear geometrical figure (Geometry). (b) Square root (Arithmetic). |
| i) *dvikaraṇī* | (a) Diagonal of a square. (b) √2 |
| 8. *kṣetra* | Plane figure. |
| 9. *kṣetra-jñāna* | (Familiar with) the knowledge of the plane figures. |

c6.s6.3

| Terms in the *Śulbasūtras* | English Equivalents |
| 10. *madhya* | Centre of a circle. This term is also used in more general sense for the middle most point of a square, or a rectangle. |
| 11. *maṇḍala* or *parimaṇḍala* i) *vṛtta* | Circle. Circle. |
| 12. *pariṇāha* | Circumference of a circle. |
| 13. *pārśvamānī* | Longer side of a rectangle or side of a square which falls on the *prācī* or goes parallel to *prācī*. |
| 14. *rekhā* or *lekhā* | Line. |
| 15. *ṛju–lekhā* | Straight line. |
| 16. *śakaṭamukha* | Isosceles triangle. |
| 17. *saṃdhi* | Point of intersection. |
| 18. *saviśeṣa* | (a) ( Simply ) a diagonal of a square. (b) Calculated value of a diagonal of a square. Symbolically, *saviśeṣa* of a=a+a/3+a/3.4-a/3.4.34. (For details, vide B. Datta’ *The Science of Śulba*, p. 196–200.) |

c6.s6.4

| Terms in the *Śulbasūtra* | English Equivalents |
| 19. *srakti* | Corner or angle. |
| i) *catuḥsrakti* | Square. The term is very old and is found in the *Taittirīya Saṃhitā.* 6. 6.10. 1; |
| | *Vājasaneya Saṃhitā.* 38.20; *Śatapatha Brāhmaṇa.* 2.6.1.36; Āpastambha *Śrautasūtra.* 7.5.1. |
| 20. *tiryak* | The breadth of a rectangle or any side of a symmetrical figure which is perpendicular to *prācī.* |
| 21. *tulya* | Equal. |
| 22. *vakrāṅga* | Having curved face or elliptical. |
| 23. *viṣama caturasra* | Quadrilateral. |
| 24. *viṣkambha* | Diameter of a circle. |
| 25. *vyāsa* | Diameter of a circle. |

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