The Science of the Shulba: A Study in Early Hindu Geometry c21.s1.5

c21.s1.5

In the *Mānava Śulba*,⁴ we find a few very strange and unusual instances where *dvi-guṇa*, *tri-guṇa* and *catur-guṇa* are employed to denote, respectively 1/2, 1/3, and 1/4. But there we also meet with such usual use as *dvi guṇa* = 2-times, *pañca-guṇa* = 5-times.⁵ The former are, indeed, highly ambiguous applications.