The Moonlight of Mathematics

Having bowed to the Lord original: "īśam", who is the cause of the swelling of the ocean of mathematics, the destroyer of the darkness of ignorance, and the stainless one; I shall state this Moonlight of Mathematics, which is the source of life and wealth for the many people who—like chakora birds The chakora is a mythical bird in Indian literature said to subsist only on moonbeams. Here, the author uses a poetic metaphor: his book is the "Moonlight" and the students of mathematics are the "birds" who find life and nourishment in its light.—seek it. ॥ 1 ॥

Now, the Definitions.

The decimal places are: Units, Tens, Hundreds, then Thousands and Ten-thousands, then Lakhs 100,000. Then Millions, then Ten-millions term: "Koṭi" (Crore), then Hundred-millions, Billions, Ten-billions, and then Hundred-billions. ॥ 2 ॥

Following these are the Trillion, Ten-trillions, then the Quadrillion, Ten-quadrillions, and the Quintillion. From that point follows the Ten-quintillion term: "Parārdha" (10 to the power of 17). These names are designated in a sequence where each is ten times greater than the last. ॥ 3 ॥

Twenty original: "Nakha" — literally "fingernails and toenails," a numerical code for 20 cowrie shells term: "Kapardikā" make one kākiṇī. Four of those make one paṇa. Twelve of those make one dramma, and by thirty-six original: "ṣaḍvargonmitaiḥ" — literally "the square of six" of those drammas, one niṣka is reckoned. ॥ 4 ॥

1. Here, the dramma and niṣka are different from those described in Bhāskara’s Pāṭīgaṇita A reference to the mathematician Bhāskara II and his work, the Līlāvatī. Bhāskara defines 16 panas to a dramma and 16 drammas to a nishka, whereas Nārāyaṇa Paṇḍita uses 12 and 36 respectively..