Mathematics in Religion

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Number has become our true friend since the time we started thinking about the need to use it in our daily lives. Mathematics is omnipresent. Be it in business, architecture, designing, engineering, nature and even our religious text. The Vedas, Upanishads, Puranas, provide evidence for the use of large numbers, fractions, the concepts of infinity and zero. Advanced mathematical concepts are discussed in the two great Hindu epics, Ramayana and Mahabharata. Besides, there are many instances in the Bible, the Quran and many other scriptures which speak in volumes about their mathematical richness.

Many people are of the belief that math and religion are on opposing sides. However, in ancient times, math and religion always went hand ill hand and civilizations used math to explain the world around them. Mathematics in Religion demonstrates that the root of mathematics lies in religious texts. It is important to study these texts across religions, like Hinduism, Islam, Jainism and Buddhism, to discover the fascinating world of mathematical concepts hidden ill them.

Rajesh Kumar Thakur currently works as the Honorary Director at the National Vedic Maths Academy, a branch of the All India Ramanujan Maths Club (AIRMC), Gujarat, and is the Chairman of the Award Selection Committee of AIRMC. He is a postgraduate in three diverse subjects- Mathematics, Operational Research and Education-and is a Doctorate in Education on Vedic Mathematics.

Rajesh has been teaching secondary and senior secondary school students for the past fourteen years and has written more than 30 books and around 150 mathematics articles and dozens of research papers in national and international journals. He has conducted several talks and national- level quiz shows on the All India Radio and in National Mathematics Convention. He loves writing poems, dozens of which have been published in various magazines of repute.

Rajesh has received many awards, including the National Best Teacher Award by AIRMC in 2010, Appreciation Award (2012) and Mathematica Accolade of Honour (2014) by International Young Mathematicians' Convention (IYMC). In 2014, the AIRMC honoured him with a Special Achievement Award for conducting 125 free workshops on mathematics in the year 2012. He has also received the Lalit Kishore Pandey Yuva Lekhan Award 2015.

Like the crowning crest of a peacock and the shining gem in the cobra's hood, mathematics is the supreme Vedanga Sastra.

The contribution of Vedic literature in the field of mathematics is immense. The number 0 is the gift of the Hindus of antiquity to mankind. The concept itself was one of the most significant inventions in the history of mathematics. The place-value system, big numbers, decimal system, the concept of infinity and the geometrical concept of constructing altars in different two-dimensional shapes taught the world the very principle of Pythagoras theorem much before Pythagoras was born. The Vedas, Puranas, Upanishads, Ramayana, Mahabharata, and other religious texts of ancient times not only demonstrate the fabulous knowledge of Vedic scholars but also build a strong foundation of different mathematical concepts. No doubt the concepts of Pascal Triangle, Fibonacci sequence, Taylor series, Permutation and Combination, Trigonometry, Binomial Theorem, etc., were known to Indians even before Western mathematicians started working on it.

My book is based on research conducted over four years. I want readers, especially young ones, to understand that the root of mathematics lies in religious texts and that it is important to study them and discover the mathematical concepts hidden in them.

I am sure that I have not done enough justice with my research. I should have devoted about fourteen years, not just four, to study this topic. I do, however, believe that this book will get more young people to do research in this field. The government should work towards promoting this idea.

I would like to highlight that the purpose of this book is to showcase mathematical concepts hidden in the religious texts, and not to favour or hurt any religious sentiments.

I could have added a few more chapters on trigonometry and astronomy but decided to focus on them in the revised edition later based on the feedback of the readers.

I am thankful to my wife who was the constant support in writing the book; Anita Sharma, Principal of S.D. Public School, Pitampura; Chandramauli Joshi, Chairman of All India Ramanujan Maths Club, my parents, Vidya Patil (maths teacher at Sanskardeep Vidhyalaya, Ankleshwar in Gujarat); Rashmi Kathuria (PGT at Kulachi Hansraj Model School, Ashok Vihar in Delhi) for their support. I am also thankful to Virendra Kumar (rtd lecturer from Aligarh) who guided me while writing this book.

I would also extend my sincere thanks to the authors whose names and work have been acknowledged in the book. I have taken the help of more than 100 research papers, religious books of different religions and websites like Hindupedia and Wikipedia to gather information about this book.

I find myself privileged that R.K. Mehra of Rupa Publications has shown faith in me. I am extremely grateful to him for giving me the opportunity to learn about different religions in context of mathematics.

I do hope readers will encourage me by sending their valuable suggestions and feedback.