History of Hindu Mathematics: A Source Book v1.c7.s10.48

v1.c7.s10.48

a work which belongs to the earliest centuries of the Christian era. Bhaṭṭotpala in his commentary on the *Bṛhat-saṁhitâ* has given a quotation from the original *Puliśa-siddhânta*¹ (*c.* 400) in which the word system is used. The number expressed in this quotation is *kha* (0) *kha* (0) *aṣṭa* (8) *muni* (7) *râma* (3) *aśvi* (2) *netra* (2) *aṣṭa* (8) *śara* (5) *râtripâḥ* (1) = 1,582,237,800. There are in this work² several other quotations from the *Puliśa-siddhânta*, which contain word numerals. Later astronomical and mathematical manuals such as the *Sûrya-siddhânta* (*c.* 300), the *Pañca-siddhântikâ*³ (505), the *Mahâ-* and *Laghu-Bhâskarîya*⁴ (522), the *Brâhma-sphuṭa-siddhânta*⁵ (628), the *Triśatikâ*⁶ (*c.* 750), and the *Gaṇita-sâra-saṁgraha*⁷ (850), all make use of the word notation.⁸