Value of PI (3.1416 approx.) by Aryabhatt, in a form of Sanskrit Shlok (stanza) - pic.twitter.com/0I4IU2UzAC.
Right from ancient days, mathematicians have been trying to estimate the value of π, the transcendental number which represents the ratio of the circumference of a circle to its diameter, and from time to time, various formulae or expressions were given for estimating its value. Indian mathematicians were not lagging behind in their efforts at this venture.An interesting effort in this direction is indicated below:
Recently, in his treatise Vedic Mathematics, Swami Bharati Krishna Tirtha
has given a Sanskrit hymn which is in praise of Lord Siva and Lord Krishna, and which on the basis of the system of numeration in ancient Indian Sanskrit lore, called thekatapayadisankhya (under which numbers are allotted to the different letters of the Sanskrit alphabet), gives the value ofπ up to 32 digits. The hymn is as follows:
3141592653589793
GopibhagyamadhuvrataSringisodadhisandhiga
23 84 62643 3 832792
Khalajivitakhatavagalahaalaarasandhara
Unfortunately, perhaps due to some inadvertence, the 32nd digit is given as 2 in the above hymn denoted by the lettter ra, whereas actually it should be 5.
In the following new Sanskrit stanza, an attempt has been made to correct this error and give the correct value of π up to 32 digits:
3141592653589793
Lankabhagyamadhuvratamallamadandhasandhiga
23846264338 3 2795
Khagadambhachorarishabha gajadolarasandhama
(This stanza refers to Ravana, the ruler of Lanka, devoted to its welfare, and who was so much in tune blindly with the pride of his wrestlers, who stole and lay bare the pride of the bird Jatayu, and who kept under control the excitement arising from theexuberance of swinging on elephants.)
The following sentence in English will also be of great help as a mnemonic in recalling the 32 digits of π. (The number of letters in each word will give the number in the relevant digitalplace)
“How I wish I could construct an easier model for magic mnemonic featuring sweetly springing ode in the metrical garb gladly or recall the old puzzling hue of Nature’s numerical nanny.”
The number represented by pi (π) is used in calculations whenever something round (or nearly so) is involved, such as for circles, spheres, cylinders, cones and ellipses.