1st Edition
The Gaṇitatilaka and its Commentary Two Medieval Sanskrit Mathematical Texts
The Ga¿itatilaka and its Commentary: Two Medieval Sanskrit Mathematical Texts presents the first English annotated translation and analysis of the Ga¿itatilaka by Sripati and its Sanskrit commentary by the Jaina monk Si¿hatilakasuri (13th century CE). Si¿hatilakasuri’s commentary upon the Ga¿itatilaka is a key text for the study of Sanskrit mathematical jargon and a precious source of information on mathematical practices of medieval India; this is, in fact, the first known Sanskrit mathematical commentary written by a Jaina monk, about whom we have substantial information, to survive to the present day.
In presenting the first annotated translation of these two Sanskrit mathematical texts, this volume focusses on language in mathematics and puts forward a novel, fresh approach to Sanskrit mathematical literature which favours linguistic, literary features and textual data. This key resource makes these important texts available in English for the first time for students of Sanskrit, ancient and medieval mathematics, South Asian history, and philology.
List of tables
Preface
List of abbreviations
Part 1: Introduction
Chapter 1. Introducing the Ga¿itatilaka and its commentary
1.1 Sanskrit mathematical writings in medieval India
1.2 Authorship and content of the Ga¿itatilaka
1.3 The Ga¿itatilaka, a work on pa¿iga¿ita
1.4 Si¿hatilakasuri, the commentator of the Ga¿itatilaka
1.5 The genre of mathematical commentaries
1.6 Aspects of style and language in Si¿hatilakasuri’s commentary
1.7 Reading the Ga¿itatilaka and its commentary
Chapter 2. On the edition of the Ga¿itatilaka and some methodological notes
2.1 The edition
2.2 The Sanskrit manuscript
2.3 Linguistic phenomena and oddities: between the manuscript and the edition
2.4 Lines of transmission and internal evidence
2.5 Methodological notes: a philological perspective
2.6 Theory and praxis of textual criticism
2.7 A new verse numbering system
Part 2: Translation
Some notes on the English translation
Editorial conventions
Chapter 3. Translation of the Ga¿itatilaka and its commentary
3.1 Homage to the Jina
3.2 Benedictory verse (ma¿galacara¿a) [GT 1]
3.3 Section on technical terms [GT 2¿12]
3.4 Arithmetical operations with integers [GT 13¿34]
3.5 Arithmetical operations with fractions [GT 35¿51]
3.6 Arithmetic of zero [GT 52]
3.7 Classes of simplification of fractions [GT 53¿63]
3.8 Type- problems of fractions [GT 64¿92]
3.9 Inverse operation [GT 93¿94]
3.10 Rules on proportion [GT 95¿117]
3.11 Rule of five (pañcarasika) [GT 107¿117]
3.12 Barter (bha¿¿apratibha¿¿a) [GT 112¿117]
3.13 The sale of living beings (jivavikraya) [GT115¿117]
3.14 Practices [GT 118¿133]
3.15 Commission to the moneylender (vyajopajiviv¿tti) [GT 120]
3.16 Rule on interest [GT 122]
3.17 Rule on time and double capital [GT 124]
3.18 Conversion of several bonds into one (ekapatrakara¿a) [GT 127]
3.19 Equating instalments of capital (samikara¿a) [GT 131]
Part 3: Text analysis
Chapter 4. Text analysis
4.1 Preliminaries
4.2 Benedictory section (ma¿galacara¿a) [GT 1]
4.3 Section on technical terms (paribha¿a) [GT 2¿12]
4.4 The eight arithmetical operations with integers [GT 13¿34]
4.5 The eight arithmetical operations with fractions [GT 35– 51]
4.6 Classes of simplification of fractions [GT 53¿63]
4.7 Type- problems of fractions [GT 64¿92]
4.8 Inverse operation [GT 93– 94]
4.9 Rules on proportion [GT 95¿117]
4.10 The rule of five (pañcarasika) [GT 107]
4.11 Barter (bha¿¿apratibha¿¿a) [GT 112]
4.12 The rule regarding the sale of living beings (jivavikraya) [GT 115]
4.13 Practices [GT 118¿133]
4.14 Commission to the moneylender (vyajopajiviv¿tti) [GT 120]
4.15 Rule on interest [GT 122]
4.16 Rule on time and double capital [GT 124]
4.17 Conversion of several bonds into one (ekapatrakara¿a) [GT 127]
4.18 Equating instalments of capital (samikara¿a) [GT 131]
Appendix 1: List of mathematical rules and sample problems supplied by the SGT and which are found in other works
Appendix 2: Rules and sample problems of the GT occurring in other works
Appendix 3: Glossaries
3.1 Glossary of mathematical terms (Sanskrit–English)
3.2 Glossary of mathematical terms (English–Sanskrit)
3.3 Glossary of measuring units
Bibliography
Index
Biography
Alessandra Petrocchi completed a PhD in Sanskrit and Classical Indian Studies at the University of Cambridge, UK, and is currently a Leverhulme Early Career Fellow in the Faculty of Linguistics, Philology and Phonetics at the University of Oxford, UK, undertaking research into the early vernaculars of Italy and the history of numerals in the Renaissance. She has published several papers on Sanskrit sources on mathematics, comparative and historical Indo- European linguistics, and Italian Renaissance literature. Her research interests include textual criticism, manuscript studies, textual traditions and networks of knowledge across the Mediterranean, and the language-culture-literature interface.
