1 week ago
Experts Challenge Maharashtra Textbook’s Depiction of Vedic Mathematics
A Maharashtra schoolbook says that people in India knew special math tricks thousands of years ago.
It points students to a book called Vedic Mathematics.
That book was written by Shankaracharya Shri Bharati Krishna Tirtha in the 20th century.
Experts say the book’s formulas do not come from the ancient Vedas.
They also say the formulas are different from the mathematics taught by famous Indian mathematicians.
The textbook’s author says the section was added to connect history with mathematics.
She says it was placed in a separate box and was not meant to describe the Vedic period.
The textbook is now being reviewed by the state textbook bureau.
Maharashtra’s Class 6 History textbook says Indians knew formulas for solving large-number sums thousands of years ago.
The textbook cites Vedic Mathematics by Shankaracharya Shri Bharati Krishna Tirtha and its 16 mathematical sutras.
Sanskrit and mathematics experts say the formulas are not found in Vedic texts or traditional Indian mathematics.
Balbharti author Priya Gohad said the material was added as an interdisciplinary feature, not as a description of the Vedic period.
Balbharti said the textbook is under review, while earlier editions had references to zero, decimal notation, Aryabhata and Brahmagupta.
- Who
- Maharashtra’s Class 6 students, Balbharti textbook officials and authors, and Sanskrit and mathematics experts.
- What
- Experts have questioned the textbook’s presentation of Vedic Mathematics as an ancient Indian mathematical tradition.
- Where
- In Maharashtra’s state-board Class 6 History textbook.
- When
- The textbook’s new version was introduced this year; the review is currently in process.
- Why
- The textbook included the material to provide an interdisciplinary connection between history and mathematics, but experts disputed its historical accuracy.
Textbook Authors and Officials
Sanskrit and Mathematics Experts
Historical classification
Textbook Authors and Officials
The authors said the section was not intended to describe the Vedic period and was included separately for an interdisciplinary approach.
Sanskrit and Mathematics Experts
Experts said describing the formulas in connection with Vedic Mathematics gives an inaccurate impression of their historical origins.
Source of the formulas
Textbook Authors and Officials
The textbook identifies Bharati Krishna Tirtha’s book and its author, presenting the material as a way to discuss mathematical developments.
Sanskrit and Mathematics Experts
Experts said the formulas are absent from Vedic texts and from the later traditional mathematics associated with Aryabhata, Brahmagupta and Bhaskaracharya.
Future of the content
Textbook Authors and Officials
Balbharti said the textbook is being reviewed and the matter will be considered by the relevant committee.
Sanskrit and Mathematics Experts
The experts’ comments indicate that the passage should be corrected to avoid attributing modern formulas to ancient Vedic mathematics.
Key facts
- Textbook subject
- Class 6 History
- State
- Maharashtra
- Cited book
- Vedic Mathematics
- Cited author
- Shankaracharya Shri Bharati Krishna Tirtha, who lived from 1884 to 1960
- Formulas cited
- The book presents 16 mathematical sutras
- Expert criticism
- Experts said the formulas are not found in Vedic texts, including the Atharvaveda’s Parisista
- Textbook review
- Balbharti said the issue will be discussed by its concerned committee
Quotes
Madhav Deshpande
Professor Emeritus of Sanskrit and Linguistics at the University of Michigan
“The only known works that deal with Mathematics in the form of practical methods of building the sacrificial altars are found in texts called Sulbasutras. None of them contain Swamiji’s mathematics.”
indianexpress.com
“It was mainly to start the lesson with an interdisciplinary approach. How gradually from modern to ancient times these developments take place. That is why it is a separate box completely.”
indianexpress.com
Sources
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