Hi, Everybody,

First of all, I wish all the colleagues on the Indology list a very
happy year 2021.
The fact that aṅgula is defined in the BaudhŚulb. as 14 aṇu (I,3-4
Thibaut numbering) or 34 tila (I,5) is not to be taken too seriously.
The last one has something to do with the approximate value given by
BaudhŚulb. I,62 to the dvikaraṇii (square root of 2, in a modern view)
as 1 + 1/3 + 1/12 - 1/(12.34) and the first one with MānŚulb 10.1.2.6-7
(Van Gelder), that implies an approximate value of 7/5. I developped all
this in my book "Les mathématiques de l'autel védique" (Droz, 2016) and
in a previous article : « Quadratures, circulature and the approximation
of square root of 2 in the Indian Śulba-sūtras », Centaurus
(International Magazine of the History of Mathematics, Science and
Technology), vol.47 (2005), pp.60-71.

All the best,

Jean Michel Delire,
Lecturer on Science and civilization in India - Sanskrit texts, IHEB
(University of Brussels)


Le 14.01.2021 18:15, Michaels, Axel via INDOLOGY a écrit :
> Dear Patrick,Jacob and all,
>
> If _aṅgula_ would be ca. 2 cm, the length of a man (_puruṣa_)
> would be acc. to BaudhŚulvS I,19 together with I,16 and 1,7 approx.
> 190 cm, which might be too much. If you calculate anthropometrically
> in a realistic way, assuming that the average length of the male was
> between 160 and 175 cm, _aṅgula_ would be approx. 1,6 cm. This
> implies that _aṅgula_ might not be the breadth of a thumb but of the
> middle fingertip, see also MānŚS VIII,13,7 (_aṅgulaparvan_).
>
> Another calculation could be based on palaeobotanic grounds: In the
> Śulvasūtras and other texts, 1 _aṅgula_ is often equal to 34
> _tila_ (Sesamum indicum) or 14 _aṇu_ (Panicum miliaceum) or 6 resp.
> 8 _yava_ (prob. Hordeum hexastichon). Whether this leads to a better
> result, depends on whether it is measured broadside or longside,
> whether the seeds are shucked or not, and whether the present seeds
> are genetically manipulated or not. No easy task.
>
> More on this in my _ Beweisverfahren in der vedischen Sakralgeometrie_
> (Wiesbaden 1978), pp. 156-7.
>
> Best,
>
> Axel Michaels
>
> FROM: INDOLOGY <indology-bounces@list.indology.info> on behalf of
> "indology@list.indology.info" <indology@list.indology.info>
>  REPLY TO: "jacob@fabularasa.dk" <jacob@fabularasa.dk>
>  DATE: Thursday, 14. January 2021 at 17:03
>  TO: "indology@list.indology.info" <indology@list.indology.info>
>  SUBJECT: [INDOLOGY] Aṅgula
>
> Dear list,
>
> Is there any consensus on what an aṅgula corresponds to in the
> metric
>
> system? Or should we not consider it an absolute standard, but rather
>
> take it literally as the breadth of a finger (with all the
> uncertainties
>
> that follow)? There are a lot of suggestions floating around on the
>
> internet, but I would be interested in any scholarly references.
>
> Best,
>
> Jacob
>
> Jacob Schmidt-Madsen
>
> Postdoctoral Researcher in Indology
>
> Department of Cross-Cultural and Regional Studies
>
> University of Copenhagen
>
> Denmark
>
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