The Magic of Vedic Maths

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The Magic of Vedic Maths

Part 1: What is Vedic Math?

What does mathematics have to do with Hinduism? Well, just as the

basic principles of Hinduism lie in the Vedas, so do the roots of

mathematics. The Vedas, written around 1500-900 BCE, are ancient

Indian texts containing a record of human experience and knowledge.

Thousands of years ago, Vedic mathematicians authored various theses

and dissertations on mathematics. It is now commonly believed and

widely accepted that these treatises laid down the foundations of

algebra, algorithm, square roots, cube roots, various methods of

calculation, and the concept of zero.

 

Vedic Mathematics

"Vedic Mathematics" is the name given to the ancient system of

mathematics, or, to be precise, a unique technique of calculations

based on simple rules and principles, with which any mathematical

problem — be it arithmetic, algebra, geometry or trigonometry — can

be solved, hold your breath, orally!

 

Sutras: Natural Formulae

The system is based on 16 Vedic sutras or aphorisms, which are

actually word-formulae describing natural ways of solving a whole

range of mathematical problems. Some examples of sutras are "By one

more than the one before", "All from 9 & the last from 10",

and "Vertically & Crosswise". These 16 one-line formulae originally

written in Sanskrit, which can be easily memorized, enables one to

solve long mathematical problems quickly.

 

Why Sutras?

Sri Bharati Krishna Tirtha Maharaj, who is generally considered the

doyen of this discipline, in his seminal book Vedic Mathematics,

wrote about this special use of verses in the Vedic age: "In order to

help the pupil memorize the material assimilated, they made it a

general rule of practice to write even the most technical and

abstruse textbooks in sutras or in verse (which is so much easier —

even for the children — to memorize)... So from this standpoint, they

used verse for lightening the burden and facilitating the work (by

versifying scientific and even mathematical material in a readily

assimilable form)!"

 

Dr L M Singhvi, the former High Commissioner of India in the UK, who

is an avid endorser of the system says: "A single sutra would

generally encompass a varied and wide range of particular

applications and may be likened to a programmed chip of our computer

age". Another Vedic maths enthusiast, Clive Middleton of

vedicmaths.org feels, "These formulae describe the way the mind

naturally works, and are therefore a great help in directing the

student to the appropriate method of solution."

 

A Simple & Easy System

Practitioners of this striking method of mathematical problem-solving

opine that Vedic maths is far more systematic, coherent and unified

than the conventional system. It is a mental tool for calculation

that encourages the development and use of intuition and innovation,

while giving the student a lot of flexibility, fun and satisfaction.

Therefore, it's direct and easy to implement in schools — a reason

behind its enormous popularity among educationists and academicians.

 

Try These Out!

 

If you want to find the square of 45, you can employ the Ekadhikena

Purvena sutra ("By one more than the one before"). The rule says

since the first digit is 4 and the second one is 5, you will first

have to multiply 4 (4 +1), that is 4 X 5, which is equal to 20 and

then multiply 5 with 5, which is 25. Viola! The answer is 2025. Now,

you can employ this method to multiply all numbers ending with 5.

 

 

If you want to subtract 4679 from 10000, you can easily apply the

Nikhilam Navatashcaramam Dashatah sutra ("All from 9 and the last

from 10"). Each figure in 4679 is subtracted from 9 and the last

figure is subtracted from 10, yielding 5321. Similarly, other sutras

lay down such simple rules of calculation.

 

The Magic of Vedic Maths

Part 2: Its History & Origin

"The world owes most to India in the realm of mathematics, which was

developed in the Gupta period to a stage more advanced than that

reached by any other nation of antiquity. The success of Indian

mathematics was mainly due to the fact that Indians had a clear

conception of the abstract number as distinct from the numerical

quantity of objects or spatial extension."

~ A.L. Basham, Australian Indologist in The Wonder That Was India

 

Born in the Vedic Age, but buried under centuries of debris, this

remarkable system of calculation was deciphered towards the beginning

of the 20th century, when there was a great interest in ancient

Sanskrit texts, especially in Europe. However, certain texts called

Ganita Sutras, which contained mathematical deductions, were ignored,

because no one could find any mathematics in them. These texts, it's

believed, bore the germs of what we now know as Vedic Mathematics.

 

Bharati Krishna Tirthaji's Discovery

 

Vedic math was rediscovered from the ancient Indian scriptures

between 1911 and 1918 by Sri Bharati Krishna Tirthaji (1884-1960), a

scholar of Sanskrit, Mathematics, History and Philosophy. He studied

these ancient texts for years, and after careful investigation was

able to reconstruct a series of mathematical formulae called sutras.

 

Bharati Krishna Tirthaji, who was also the former Shankaracharya

(major religious leader) of Puri, India, delved into the ancient

Vedic texts and established the techniques of this system in his

pioneering work — Vedic Mathematics (1965), which is considered the

starting point for all work on Vedic math. It is said that after

Bharati Krishna's original 16 volumes of work expounding the Vedic

system were lost, in his final years he wrote this single volume,

which was published five years after his death.

 

Development of Vedic Math

Vedic math was immediately hailed as a new alternative system of

mathematics, when a copy of the book reached London in the late

1960s. Some British mathematicians, including Kenneth Williams,

Andrew Nicholas and Jeremy Pickles took interest in this new system.

They extended the introductory material of Bharati Krishna's book,

and delivered lectures on it in London. In 1981, this was collated

into a book entitled Introductory Lectures on Vedic Mathematics. A

few successive trips to India by Andrew Nicholas between 1981 and

1987, renewed the interest on Vedic math, and scholars and teachers

in India started taking it seriously.

 

The Magic of Vedic Maths

Part 3: Its Growing Popularity

"In Vedic times, it is believed, math formulae were often taught

within the context of spiritual expression (mantra). Thus while

learning spiritual lessons, one could also learn maths. How is that

possible?" Discuss it

http://forums.about.com/n/mb/message.asp?webtag=ab-

hinduism&ctx=&cacheTag=48-13&msg=125.1

 

"India was the motherland of our race and Sanskrit the mother of

Europe's languages. India was the mother of our philosophy, of much

of our mathematics, of the ideals embodied in Christianity...of self-

government and democracy. In many ways, Mother India is the mother of

us all."

~ Will Durant, American Historian 1885-1981

 

Interest in Vedic maths is growing in the field of education where

maths teachers are looking for a new and better approach to the

subject. Even students at IIT (Indian Institute of Technology) are

said to be using this ancient technique for quick calculations. No

wonder, a recent Convocation speech addressed to the students of IIT,

Delhi, by Dr. Murli Manohar Joshi, Indian Minister for Science &

Technology, stressed the significance of Vedic maths, while pointing

out the important contributions of ancient Indian mathematicians,

such as Aryabhatta, who laid the foundations of algebra, Baudhayan,

the great geometer, and Medhatithi and Madhyatithi, the saint duo,

who formulated the basic framework for numerals.

 

Vedic Maths in Schools

Quite a few years ago, St James' School, London, and other schools

began to teach the Vedic system, with notable success. Today this

remarkable system is taught in many schools and institutes in India

and abroad, and even to MBA and economics students.

 

When in 1988, Maharishi Mahesh Yogi brought to light the marvels of

Vedic maths, Maharishi Schools around the world incorporated it in

their syllabi. At the school in Skelmersdale, Lancashire, UK, a full

course called "The Cosmic Computer" was written and tested on 11 to

14 year old pupils, and later published in 1998. According to Mahesh

Yogi, "The sutras of Vedic Mathematics are the software for the

cosmic computer that runs this universe."

 

Since 1999, a Delhi-based forum called International Research

Foundation for Vedic Mathematics and Indian Heritage, which promotes

value-based education, has been organising lectures on Vedic maths in

various schools in Delhi, including Cambridge School, Amity

International, DAV Public School, and Tagore International School.

 

Vedic Math Research

Researches are being undertaken in many areas, including the effects

of learning Vedic maths on children. A great deal of research is also

being done on how to develop more powerful and easy applications of

the Vedic sutras in geometry, calculus, and computing. The Vedic

Mathematics Research Group published three new books in 1984, the

year of the centenary of the birth of Sri Bharati Krishna Tirthaji.

 

Plus Points

There are obviously many advantages of using a flexible, refined and

efficient mental system like Vedic math. Pupils can come out of the

confinement of the 'only one correct' way, and make their own methods

under the Vedic system. Thus, it can induce creativity in intelligent

pupils, while helping slow-learners grasp the basic concepts of

mathematics. A wider use of Vedic math can undoubtedly generate

interest in a subject that is generally dreaded by children.