The Science of the Shulba: A Study in Early Hindu Geometry c22.27

c22.27

The diagonal is called the *akṣṇa* or *akṣṇayā* ("that which goes across or transversely," that is, "the crossline'').¹ In relation to the instrument of measurement, it is sometimes designated as the *akṣṇayā-rajju* ("the diagonal cord")² and at other times the *akṣṇayā-veṇu* ("the diagonal bamboo-rod").³ The diagonal is also denoted by *karṇa*, meaning "the line going across the angle" or "the line going across from corner to corner."⁴