Ancient Vedic Math And Mental Math Controversies

Vedic Mathematics came out of the closet, so to say, in the middle twentieth century, thanks to the efforts of Sri Jagatguru Swami Sri Bharati Krsna Tirthaji Maharaja. His contribution to the understanding of Vedic mathematics as it stands today is phenomenal. In fact, the 16 Sutra he has culled from the enormous depth of the Vedas is unimaginable.

There is a debate among the scholars if it is at all possible to extract these Sutras from the Vedas. Controversies abound in this speculation. According to some Vedic experts, there is no mention of these Sutras in any of the Vedic texts. Some have even gone to the extent to say that it is all a figment of imagination and a decoy used by Tirthaji Maharaj. Now why should a spiritual person give credit to the Vedas for a work conceptualized by himself is not understood. The non believers contend that this may have been done to elevate the importance of this style of mathematics by claiming it to be of divine origin.

To some this argument seems to make sense. On the other hand there are Vedic scholars who straightaway dismiss these arguments as blasphemy. They say that Vedic knowledge is not only gained from a reading of the text but by spiritually gaining access to the knowledge. They claim that knowledge is multi dimensional and intuition plays an important part. It is not possible for a materialistic western thinking to fathom the intricacies of Hindu culture and thought.

There is no doubt in anyone's mind that mathematics evolved in ancient India not separately but as a tool. Sutra by itself means a thread used to measure the size and proportion of sacrificial alters. Later Indian mind ventured out to the skies and planetary positions assumed great importance; this eventually led to development of mathematics. Circular orbits of planets possibly resulted in the dire need of 'pi', without which no planetary position could be predicted with accuracy. The science of geometry took center stage and assumed astronomic proportions.

It is claimed that Vedic Math can not only solve complex equations but also solve differential equations and integration. The skeptics claim that it can only do so for specific cases and Vedic mathematics cannot be applied in a general case. The fact that asymptotes occur even in advanced modern mathematics is ignored by all.

The fact remains that the methods postulated by the sixteen sutras can lead to solutions of even complex arithmetic using plain memory, without recourse to a pen or paper. This by itself should impart a sense of wonder to this ancient art. Modern day children cannot even add two digits without the help of calculators. No one wants to spend time learning the multiplication tables. Where has this led to? The United States of America is no longer the front state in research and development. American universities are overflowing with Asian students who fare much better than the locals. The government is crying hoarse about the lack of native talent. If simple techniques of Vedic mathematics could be taught to school children, maths can become fun. Complex theories can be dealt with at a later stage. Vedic mathematics is not a new tool. It is ancient and time tested. It is time we realize its importance and apply it sincerely to solve our problems both literally and factually.

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