Some anomalies in the Sulva Sutras ( a beloved text of the Chaddis)

by Guest Wed Feb 04, 2015 2:17 pm

Our point is : While there is a necessary connection between
tile technological problems and the mathematics in the Sulva
texts, there is no such connection between this mathematics
and the system of magico-religious beliefs. As a matter of fact,
the body of magico-religious beliefs is totally extrinsic to the
mathematics of the Sulva texts. This is clear from a few ob-
vious considerations.

First, the same mathematical problems would have remained
in tact had the same brick-structures been required to serve
some purpose other than the magico-religious ones. Thus, for
example, a very important form of these brick-structures is re-
quired to have the' shape of a falcon with specified size and
made of a specific number of bricks arranged in a specified
number of layers. According to the system of magico-religious
beliefs, the use of such a structure in the sacrificial ritual en-
sures for the yajamana or rich patron financing the sacrifice
the quick attainment of heaven. However, if we think of a
rich patron wanting to have the same bird-like brick structure
for some other purpose — say, as a decoration for his pleasure
garden or for the play ground of his children — the techno-
logical requirements along with the collateral mathemetical
problems would have remained identical, though without being
associated with the body of magico-religious beliefs.

Secondly, with all the importance seemingly attached to the
brick-structures for magically ensuring the desired results, the
priest-class recommending the construction of these tacitly ad-
mit that the same results could be magically ensured for the
yajamana withuwt the physical construction of the brick-struc-
tures. Thus, as we shall later see in some detail, the priests
prescribing the rituals themselves claim that the results may
as well be obtained with altars made only of spells (chandas-
citi) or mind-made altars (manomaya citi) which can only
mean imaginary altars as substitutes for physically constructed
ones. Thus the actual or physical construction of the struc-
tures are really not so essential for the magico-religious belief-
system as these are often thought to be. So also is the mathe-
matical knowledge, which, however, is essential for the physi-
cal construction of the structures, irrespective of the circumstance
of their serving magico-religious or any other secular
purpose.

https://archive.org/stream/DebiprasadChattopadhyayaHistoryOfSTInAncientIndiaCh5MathematicsInItsMaking/Debiprasad%20Chattopadhyaya%20History%20of%20S%20%26%20T%20in%20Ancient%20India%20Ch%205%20Mathematics%20in%20its%20Making_djvu.txt

by Guest Wed Feb 04, 2015 3:01 pm

The first question that occurs to us in this connection is :
Could it be that the Vedic peoples, though without the know-
how of making and using burnt bricks, were acquainted with
ready-made bricks, i.e. with bricks 'made and used by others
centuries before, or to be more specific, during the period of the
First Urbanization, when highly sophisticated brick-technology
was an accomplished fact, and when, therefore, the possibility of
the emergence of mathematics from this technology cannot be
prima facie impossible? If there be anything in such a pos-
sibility, the presumption would be that the roots of the mathe-
matics of the Sulva-sutra-s are to be traced back to the
Harappan culture, though we are yet to know how it was
transmitted and codified in the Sulva texts many centuries later.

The primary evidences for the making of mathematics in
Harappan culture are no doubt to be searched from the archaeo-
logical data. Before passing on to these, however, we may try
to review some circumstantial evidences of the later period
indicating the general possibility of the Vedic people being
acquainted with ready-made bricks of the Harappan period.

Some anomalies in the Sulva Sutras ( a beloved text of the Chaddis)

Some anomalies in the Sulva Sutras ( a beloved text of the Chaddis)

Re: Some anomalies in the Sulva Sutras ( a beloved text of the Chaddis)