Zero, One, two, Three...Infinity

Zero, One, two, Three...Infinity

The concept of zero originated in India. The concept of a number system with basis 10 was prevalent during Vedic times itself. Consider the following hymn from Atharvaveda.

Atharvaveda 5.15

(1) eka cha me dasha cha me apavaktara osadhe. Ritajata ritavari madhu me madhula karah.

(2) dve cha me vinshatishcha me apavaktara osadhe. Ritajata ritavari madhu me madhula karah.

(3) tistramcha me trinshachcha me apavaktara osadhe. Ritajata ritavari madhu me madhula karah.

(4) Chatasrashcha me chatvarinshachcha me apavaktara osadhe. Ritajata ritavari madhu me madhula karah.

(5) pancha cha me panchashachcha me apavaktara osadhe. Ritajata ritavari madhu me madhula karah.

(6) sat cha me sastishcha me apavaktara osadhe. Ritajata ritavari madhu me madhula karah.

(7) sapta cha me saptatishcha me apavaktara osadhe. Ritajata ritavari madhu me madhula karah.

(8) asta cha me ashitishcha me apavaktara osadhe. Ritajata ritavari madhu me madhula karah.

(9) nava cha me navatishcha me apavaktara osadhe. Ritajata ritavari madhu me madhula karah.

(10) dasha cha me shatam cha me apavaktara osadhe. Ritajata ritavari madhu me madhula karah.

(11) shatam cha me sahasram chapavaktara osadhe. Ritajata ritavari madhu me madhula karah.

Translation:

Atharvaveda 5.15

(1) O companion and embodiment of universal law, grant me sweetness. May revilers be one and ten.

(2) O companion and embodiment of universal law, grant me sweetness. May revilers be two and twenty.

(3) O companion and embodiment of universal law, grant me sweetness. May revilers be three and thirty.

(4) O companion and embodiment of universal law, grant me sweetness. May revilers be four and forty.

(5) O companion and embodiment of universal law, grant me sweetness. May revilers be five and fifty.

(6) O companion and embodiment of universal law, grant me sweetness. May revilers be six and sixty.

(7) O companion and embodiment of universal law, grant me sweetness. May revilers be seven and seventy.

(8) O companion and embodiment of universal law, grant me sweetness. May revilers be eight and eighty.

(9) O companion and embodiment of universal law, grant me sweetness. May revilers be nine and ninety.

(10) O companion and embodiment of universal law, grant me sweetness. May revilers be ten and hundred.

(11) O companion and embodiment of universal law, grant me sweetness. May revilers be hundred and thousand.

Following words are used for numerals in this hymn:

Eka	One	Vinshati	Twenty
Dva	Two	Trinshat	Thirty
Tisra	Three	Chatvarinshat	Forty
Chatasra	Four	Panchashat	Fifty
Pancha	Five	Sasti	Sixty
Sat	Six	Saptati	Seventy
Sapta	Seven	Ashiti	Eighty
Asta	Eight	Navati	Ninty
Nava	Nine	Shata	Hundred
Dasha	Ten	Sahasra	Thousand

A mantra from Yajurveda describes numbers increasing by a factor of ten up to a trillion.

"Ima me agna istaka dhenavah santveka cha dasha cha dasha cha shatam cha shatam cha sahasram cha sahasram chayutam chayutam cha niyutam cha niyutam cha prayutam charbudam cha nyarbudam cha samudrashcha madhyam chantashcha parardhashchaita me agna ishtaka dhenavah santvamutramusminlloke." Yajurveda 17.2

"O Agni! May these bricks be cows for me. One and ten, and ten and hundred, and hundred and thousand, and thousand and ten thousand, and ten thousand and hundred thousand, and hundred thousand and million, and ten million, and hundred million, and billion, and ten billion, and hundred billion, and trillion, O Agni, may these bricks be cows for me in this world and in the other world." Yajurveda 17.2

Following words are used for numerals in this mantra:

eka = one

dasha = ten

shatam = hundred

sahasra = thousand

ayuta = ten thousand

niyuta = hundred thousand

prayuta = million

arbuda = ten million

nyarbuda = hundred million

samudra = billion

madhya = ten billion

anta = hundred billion

parardha = trillion

Our Vedic ancestors didn't stop there, but took the concept of large numbers to all the way to infinity, as evidenced by the following mantra from Yajurveda.

"Purnamadah Purnamidam Purnatpurnamudachyate.

Purnasya Purnamadaya Purnamevavashisyate." Yajurveda, Shanti Mantra

meaning,

"That is Purna, this is Purna, Purna comes out of Purna.

If Purna is subtracted from Purna, still Purna is left." Yajurveda, Peace Mantra, Chapter 40

Purna is derived from root "Pri" meaning to fill. Thus Purna means full or complete. In this verse, Purna can also be interpreted to mean infinity. Second line then yields that the result of subtracting infinity from infinity is still infinity.

Source : http://home.ica.net/~roymanju/Infinity.htm