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Origins Of Zero Traced Back To The Bakhshali Pakistan Manuscript Dating From 3rd Century AD
origins-zero-bakhshali-manuscript-indian_2.jpg


POSTED BY: ALOK BANNERJEE SEPTEMBER 15, 2017

The invention of zero is often attributed to the Indians. Now the question naturally arises – how can zero be invented if we know it signifies nothingness? Well, zero was more of a conceptual embodiment that alluded to ‘nothingness’, even when used in mathematics. But the Indians were the first to treat zero as a digit (i.e., a number) and thus demonstrated its use in numerical calculations. This pretty much changed the course of the history of mathematics and so is rightly considered as one of the significant breakthroughs in the field. And this incredible scope can be traced back to the Bakhshali manuscript, a Sanskrit-written document inscribed on 70 pieces of birch bark, dating from 3rd-4th century AD.
Boasting hundreds of zero origin symbols, the Bakhshali manuscript (currently kept in Britain since 1902) was discovered in 1881, buried in a field in a village called Bakhshali, near Peshawar, present-day Pakistan. And after translations followed, it was determined that the manuscript was composed as a sort-of training manual for merchants operating along the Silk Route. Suffice it to say, the ancient document comprises specimens of practical arithmetics (that helped the merchants in their dealings), and these were complemented by proto-algebraic examples.
origins-zero-bakhshali-manuscript-indian_1.jpg

Notice the ‘zero’ dot in the last line of the text.

Now as for the zero origin symbols in the Bakhshali manuscript, it should be noted that these zeroes are denoted by placeholders in a number system, as opposed to their use as a true number. Other ancient cultures like the Babylonians and Mayans also used their own form of placeholders for the ambit of ‘nothingness’. However, in the case of this Sanskrit-written document, the placeholder used for the zero pertains to a dot, and it was this dot symbol that ultimately evolved into the hollow zero symbol we are familiar with today.

Additionally, the Bakhshali manuscript probably puts forth the earliest known notion of zero being used as a number, which was soundly demonstrated by Indian astronomer and mathematician Brahmagupta, in a text called Brahmasphutasiddhanta, dating from circa 628 AD. And interestingly enough, the very word ‘zero’ also has its etymological roots in Sanskrit. How so? Well, zero comes from Venetian zevero, a form of Italian zefiro. This, in turn, is derived via pre-Islamic Arabic ṣafira or ṣifr (cipher) – which ultimately comes from ‘sunya‘ in Sanskrit (meaning ’emptiness’).


Quite intriguingly, it was this Indian cultural propensity to ponder about and envisage the ’emptiness’ or void that possibly fueled the concepts of zero. As Marcus du Sautoy, professor of mathematics at the University of Oxford, said –

This becomes the birth of the concept of zero in its own right and this is a total revolution that happens out of India. This is coming out of a culture that is quite happy to conceive of the void, to conceive of the infinite. That is exciting to recognize that culture is important in making big mathematical breakthroughs. The Europeans, even when it was introduced to them, were like ‘Why would we need a number for nothing? It’s a very abstract leap.

And lastly, like many a renowned historical document, the Bakhshali manuscript has its own legacy of mysteries. To that end, in this latest study, researchers at Oxford acquired three samples from the document and had them analyzed at the Oxford Radiocarbon Accelerator Unit. And interestingly enough, the three samples were found to be dated from different time periods, with the first one dating from circa 224-383 AD, the second one dating from circa 680-779 AD and the last one dating from circa 885-993 AD. So, in other words, it can be hypothesized that the pages were compiled (and packaged) over a period of many epochs – which, in turn, suggests that the Bakhshali manuscript was the work of various Indian scribes and mathematicians from altogether different generations.

origins-zero-bakhshali-manuscript-indian_3.jpg

The Bakhshali manuscript will be displayed on 4 October, as part of the fascinating exhibition, Illuminating India: 5000 Years of Science and Innovation, at the Science Museum in London.

Source: The Guardian / Images Courtesy of Bodleian Libraries/ University of Oxford
So it were pakistani who invented zero.
 
First of all I am not Great Brahmin. I am not going to apologize for someone else's actions. If the Indus is so great, why do you feel the need to insult and put down the history of the Gangetic plains so much? that too with so many historical accuracies. As I said before, the zero was discovered by Brahmagupta, who was likely born in Rajasthan and lived most of his life in Ujjain and worked under the Ganga based Gupta Empire. And not just the zero, many of the world's most important mathematical discoveries were made in the Gangetic Plain, like the decimal system, the quadratic equation, the most accurate calculation of pi, the Brahmagupta formula, the most accurate calculation of a year, and the dates of eclipses.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aryabhata
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brahmagupta
Not to mention some of the most ancient works of architecture still standing outside of Egypt and China, and the longest most intricate works of epic literature in the world, and created two of the world's largest religions.
Also did you know the world's first surgeries were conducted in The Gangetic Plains?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sushruta
http://columbiasurgery.org/news/201...ient-indian-nose-jobs-origins-plastic-surgery
Even the world's first ploughed field was in India
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kalibangan

Meanwhile what did your ancestors contribute? Nothing. The fact is your ancestors were a bunch of cave-dwellers who never created one indigenous Empire and got invaded by every foreigner to pass by, form the Alexander to the Kushans to the Mauryans, to the Mughals to the British, and have nothing to their name except some ruins. And guess what? We have ruins to , some of which are bigger and older than yours. The fact is you have little architecture to be proud of until the Mughal era, no literature until the likes of Iqbal Ali, who wrote in Urdu, a language developed in India. Not to mention, Indian culture and civilization has spread everywhere from Mauritius to Indonesia, and is highly respected around the world. Meanwhile, the only thing associated with Paksitan is terrorism lol. No wonder you guys have such a strong inferiority complex and hatred towards your superiors in the Ganges region who civilized you.

I had previously thought you would read the threads I have posted relating to Indian history and discuss the points I have made there civilly. It looks like you have not, so I willl take the liberty of posting them here myself. You should read them, you might actually learn real history for once.

https://defence.pk/pdf/threads/the-evolution-of-civilization-in-north-india.572122/
https://defence.pk/pdf/threads/ancient-south-indian-archeological-sites.571916/
https://defence.pk/pdf/threads/history-of-gujaratis.571529/
https://defence.pk/pdf/threads/history-of-odisha.573418/
https://defence.pk/pdf/threads/history-of-chhattisgarh.573837/
https://defence.pk/pdf/threads/history-of-urbanization-in-india.575467/page-2
https://defence.pk/pdf/threads/history-of-maharashtra.580632/

If you notice on my history of Chattisgarh thread some idiot Pakistani starts trolling my thread and gets angry when I smack him. That is because even a little-known state like Chattisgarh has as much if not more history than the entire country of Pakistan. Anyway, I regularly post new threads relating to Indian history, so you should check them out if you actually want to learn history. I always appreciate input, even form dissenting views. Kudos.


You have a point, but whenever I say India in a historical context I always refer to only modern day India. I usually make that pretty clear. Sorry if I have not clarified it that to you.


WE also have a history and culture of our own, and do not look up to invaders. Those things are pretty nice, you should try getting them.
Let us agree for the sake of argument that Ganges has a great innovative history and that Indus is a backwards loser.....why take the name "India" that belongs to the backwards loser? If Ganges is so great, make the name Bharat known to the world.
Bharat is free from "British India".
 
Let us agree for the sake of argument that Ganges has a great innovative history and that Indus is a backwards loser.....why take the name "India" that belongs to the backwards loser? If Ganges is so great, make the name Bharat known to the world.
Bharat is free from "British India".
i respect ancient pakistan history and the indus valley. what i dont respect are people like django. i was simply replying to him in his own tone.
 
Mubarak ho .


Pakistani history is indian history.
Not really. The two countries have very different countries and identities. if you want to know, the first mathematician to use zero as a number was Brahmagupta. He also came up with its properties, such as how subtracting a number from itself equals zero. So he is the discoverer of the modern integer zero and its properties. he wrote all this in the Brāhmasphuṭasiddhānta, which he wrote in Ujjain while he was working for the Gupta Empire.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brāhmasphuṭasiddhānta
But this thread has gone way off topic and has far outlived its purpose, and should be closed.
 
A coterminous Pakistani as was ancient genius Brahmagupta.
I hate to spoil your fun, but it is not known for certain where Brahmagupta was born. He was likely born in either Multan Pakistan or Bhillamala Rajasthan. What is known for sure is he lived most of his life in Bhillamela and Ujjain, where he later moved. So at best, Pakistan has the same claim to Brahmagupta as Germany does over Albert Einstein. Just like how the genius Einstein was a product of the US, the Genius Brahmagupta was a product of what is now India. Both of his major works were written in modern day India.

"Brahmagupta was born in 598 CE according to his own statement. He lived in Bhillamala (modern Bhinmal) during the reign of the Chapa dynasty ruler, Vyagrahamukha. He was the son of Jishnugupta and was a Shaivite by religion.[3] Even though most scholars assume that Brahmagupta was born in Bhillamala, there is no conclusive evidence for it. However, he lived and worked there for a good part of his life. Prithudaka Svamin, a later commentator, called him Bhillamalacharya, the teacher from Bhillamala.[4] Sociologist G. S. Ghurye believed that he might have been from the Multan or Abu region.[5]

Bhillamala, called pi-lo-mo-lo by Xuanzang, was the apparent capital of the Gurjaradesa, the second largest kingdom of Western India, comprising southern Rajasthan and northern Gujarat in modern-day India. It was also a centre of learning for mathematics and astronomy. Brahmagupta became an astronomer of the Brahmapaksha school, one of the four major schools of Indian astronomy during this period. He studied the five traditional siddhanthas on Indian astronomy as well as the work of other astronomers including Aryabhata I, Latadeva, Pradyumna, Varahamihira, Simha, Srisena, Vijayanandin and Vishnuchandra.[4]

In the year 628, at an age of 30, he composed the Brāhmasphuṭasiddhānta (the improved treatise of Brahma) which is believed to be a revised version of the received siddhanta of the Brahmapaksha school. Scholars state that he incorporated a great deal of originality to his revision, adding a considerable amount of new material. The book consists of 24 chapters with 1008 verses in the ārya metre. A good deal of it is astronomy, but it also contains key chapters on mathematics, including algebra, geometry, trigonometry and algorithmics, which are believed to contain new insights due to Brahmagupta himself.[4][6][7]

Later, Brahmagupta moved to Ujjain, which was also a major centre for astronomy. At the age of 67, he composed his next well known work Khanda-khādyaka, a practical manual of Indian astronomy in the karana category meant to be used by students.[8]

Brahmagupta lived beyond 665 CE. He is believed to have died in Ujjain."
 
I hate to spoil your fun, but it is not known for certain where Brahmagupta was born. He was likely born in either Multan Pakistan or Bhillamala Rajasthan. What is known for sure is he lived most of his life in Bhillamela and Ujjain, where he later moved. So at best, Pakistan has the same claim to Brahmagupta as Germany does over Albert Einstein. Just like how the genius Einstein was a product of the US, the Genius Brahmagupta was a product of what is now India. Both of his major works were written in modern day India.

"Brahmagupta was born in 598 CE according to his own statement. He lived in Bhillamala (modern Bhinmal) during the reign of the Chapa dynasty ruler, Vyagrahamukha. He was the son of Jishnugupta and was a Shaivite by religion.[3] Even though most scholars assume that Brahmagupta was born in Bhillamala, there is no conclusive evidence for it. However, he lived and worked there for a good part of his life. Prithudaka Svamin, a later commentator, called him Bhillamalacharya, the teacher from Bhillamala.[4] Sociologist G. S. Ghurye believed that he might have been from the Multan or Abu region.[5]

Bhillamala, called pi-lo-mo-lo by Xuanzang, was the apparent capital of the Gurjaradesa, the second largest kingdom of Western India, comprising southern Rajasthan and northern Gujarat in modern-day India. It was also a centre of learning for mathematics and astronomy. Brahmagupta became an astronomer of the Brahmapaksha school, one of the four major schools of Indian astronomy during this period. He studied the five traditional siddhanthas on Indian astronomy as well as the work of other astronomers including Aryabhata I, Latadeva, Pradyumna, Varahamihira, Simha, Srisena, Vijayanandin and Vishnuchandra.[4]

In the year 628, at an age of 30, he composed the Brāhmasphuṭasiddhānta (the improved treatise of Brahma) which is believed to be a revised version of the received siddhanta of the Brahmapaksha school. Scholars state that he incorporated a great deal of originality to his revision, adding a considerable amount of new material. The book consists of 24 chapters with 1008 verses in the ārya metre. A good deal of it is astronomy, but it also contains key chapters on mathematics, including algebra, geometry, trigonometry and algorithmics, which are believed to contain new insights due to Brahmagupta himself.[4][6][7]

Later, Brahmagupta moved to Ujjain, which was also a major centre for astronomy. At the age of 67, he composed his next well known work Khanda-khādyaka, a practical manual of Indian astronomy in the karana category meant to be used by students.[8]

Brahmagupta lived beyond 665 CE. He is believed to have died in Ujjain."
You should applaud coterminous Pakistan as it was this son of coterminous Pakistan who GAVE/GIFTED you dim Ganga-dwellers knowledge of brilliant abstract concept of ZERO (Which was devised in Ghandara centuries before this "HERO" of Multan was even born), he was as Gangadeshi as Prof Salam was an Englishman, now stop bootlicking our heritage, I would rather hold a burning rock than claim anything from forest aboriginals of Ganga (your forefathers), stay in your lane and we have no issue, claim what is my heritage and we have a problem!!!!..I promise you I will NEVER EVER claim any of your "puranic" culture, one could even put a gun to my head and I would decline.Kudos Gangadeshi
 
You should applaud coterminous Pakistan as it was this son of coterminous Pakistan who GAVE/GIFTED you dim Ganga-dwellers knowledge of brilliant abstract concept of ZERO (Which was devised in Ghandara centuries before this "HERO" of Multan was even born), he was as Gangadeshi as Prof Salam was an Englishman, now stop bootlicking our heritage, I would rather hold a burning rock than claim anything from forest aboriginals of Ganga (your forefathers), stay in your lane and we have no issue, claim what is my heritage and we have a problem!!!!..I promise you I will NEVER EVER claim any of your "puranic" culture, one could even put a gun to my head and I would decline.Kudos Gangadeshi
I agree it is not nice to claim others history and culture. See, I knew we can agree on something. So it would be nice if you would stop claiming the great Indian mathematician Brahmagupta, unless you can prove Bhillamala and Ujjain are in Pakistan, If he is your heritage, why don't you visit the cities where he worked? wouldn't it be nice to visit Bhillambal, Rajastha, the city where he became the first man in human history to use the zero as a number and write its properties? Don't even bring your passport or a visa, Bhillamala is obviously in Pakistan. And so is Ujjain, the city where he died and was likely buried. Lol.

BTW, I like how as usual you did not bring up any facts to counter my evidence. Even Chinese sources disprove your fantasy lol. I admit, he MAY have been born in Multan and maybe spent his early life there. That is what a few historians believe. Similar to how Einstein was born in Germany. And frankly, I don't care if Pakistanis want to claim it based on that possibility. Still, it is hilariously pathetic for some Paksitanis to think he was a product of the Indus, when he literally wrote ALL his major works in Bhillamela and Ujjain. That is the equivalent of Germany denying America's claim to Einstein because the land he was born on happened to be in Germany lol. So let me know how your trip to Bhillamela went. Extra credit if you make it to Ujjain, where he died after writing his works on astronomy. It should be easy, right? After all both of those cities are in Pakistan.

And you should have some respect. Those "aboriginals" of the Ganges created one of the world's most advanced and ancient civilizations that still survives after almost 10000 years, You should thank the Ancient civilization of the Ganges, as it was in modern-day India dominated by the Ganges that Brahmagupta used zero as a number and wrote its properties. Even if he was born in Multan, which is disputable. Without the Gangetic Plains, Brahmagupta would never be in the history books. Of course that would mostly be our loss, since he was never yours to begin with.

You can keep on screaming your garbage, but deep down inside you are jealous that our ancestors not only created one of the world's most advanced and ancient civilizations that has made more contributions to humanity in fields such as math, science, and medicine than your tiny brain can even hope to imagine(zero is just scratching the surface0, but we have maintained that civilization for over 10000 years. And I am not just talking about the Gangetic Plains, but India as a whole(my ancestors actually are not even from the ganges region). Its ok that you are jealous of us, but please don't let out your jealousy by constantly trying to insult us and steal our history. It just is not going to work. kudos.
 
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i respect ancient pakistan history and the indus valley. what i dont respect are people like django. i was simply replying to him in his own tone.
I get the tone...but my point still stands, no? If the Gangetic civilisation is so great, why use the name "India" at least in English to refer to it. Make the glorious name of BHARAT know to Mankind. You are free from British India and Mughal Hindustan....
 
I get the tone...but my point still stands, no? If the Gangetic civilisation is so great, why use the name "India" at least in English to refer to it. Make the glorious name of BHARAT know to Mankind. You are free from British India and Mughal Hindustan....
India means Bharat in English. Most Indians call it Bharat or Hindustan. Similarly, Germans do not call their country Germany, yet that is the official name of their country. Chinese people also do not call their country China, but The peoples Republic of CHina is still its official name. BTW, the Indian Constitution says that India and Bharat are the same thing in regards to the country's name. India=Bharat=Hindustan. Same thing in three different languages. English, Sanskrit, and Urdu.
 
India means Bharat in English. Most Indians call it Bharat or Hindustan. Similarly, Germans do not call their country Germany, yet that is the official name of their country. Chinese people also do not call their country China, but The peoples Republic of CHina is still its official name. BTW, the Indian Constitution says that India and Bharat are the same thing in regards to the country's name. India=Bharat=Hindustan. Same thing in three different languages. English, Sanskrit, and Urdu.
Yeah I get it, but what I am talking about is the origin/meanings of the words. The word India does not come from Bharat. India comes from Indus. Hind comes from Sindh. Indus and Sindh ain't in (Republic)"India".
I mean Pakistan could change her constitution tomorrow and call herself Bharat in theory and say in Persian it is Pakistan and in Sanskrit it is Bharat. PAKISTAN=BHARAT.
Or more plausible Pakistan could say in English we will refer to ourselves as India.

You have a great name BHARAT. Make it known. Do not use a word that comes from another's river. And also it would be more honest as well.

***only a tiny bit of the Indus is in Bharat and that through disputed territory.
 
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