Patterns, Recursions and Iterations in Saṃskṛta Poetry

This course is a glimpse into the birth of binary mathematics and how various recursive and iterative algorithms were discussed in the Bhāratīya subcontinent through the subject of poetry. We take Piṅgala’s Chandaḥśāstra and understand how Piṅgala brought forth a branch of mathematics that is now considered a part of Computer Science, at least two thousand years prior to its Western contemporaries.

Suggested minimum age: 13 years

Prerequisites: basic understanding of place value, powers and exponents, and arithmetic

Mathematics is considered a subject with polar views. Many are averse to the subject because of the way it is presented. Piṅgala’s Chandaḥśāstra provides an opportunity to present topics of permutations and combinations, and binary mathematics through an art form, thus making the subject more relevant and easier to grasp. Today, topics such as iterations, recursions, optimisation, etc. are considered as areas that fall under Computer Science. Concepts such as Fibonacci sequence, Binary sequences, etc. seem alien or disconnected from real-life for most students. However,  when viewed through the lens of music and poetry, these topics bring a different flavour altogether to the subject. 

In this course, we will look at the birth of ideas like iterations and recursions in Saṃskṛta poetry. We will also see how some mathematical ideas are wrongly attributed to Western names, even though the same ideas were discussed in Bhārata centuries, if not millennia ago.

This workshop is the first part of a potentially larger series. This part deals with the birth of binary mathematics and recursions and iterations in Bhārata through varṇa-vṛttas (syllabic metres). The later part of the series can focus on mātrā-vṛttas, tāna-prastāra and tāla-prastāra, covering combinatorics in music and percussion instruments.