2024, Vol. 10, Issue 6, Part A

author(s)
N Kannan and V Shivnarayan

abstract
Srī Vaiśnaviṭe Acāryā स्वामी श्री वेदान्त देशिक (Svāmī Srī Vedānta Deśika) has given various amounts of Mathematical theories in his scholarly work “श्री अष्टभुजाष्टकम्” (Śrī Aṣṭabhujāṣṭakam). It is believed that the title of ‘Vedānta Deśika’ was awarded by Lord Ranganatha Himself, the presiding Deity of Srirangam, as he debated with many scholars, and established supremacy of the path of ‘surrender (prapatti-mārga)’. In this poem, he has praised the Lord who possesses eight hands and thus protects the world. We attempt to decode one such embedded Mathematical concept to understand the poet’s genius. There is significance for the number eight in Vedic religion. Devi Srī Lakshmi is worshipped in eight forms, known as Ashta Lakshmi. Eight is also the number of the cardinal and ordinal directions, which are ruled over by a set of eight Gods, the Ashta Dikpalas or Guardians of the Directions. स्वामी श्री वेदान्त देशिक (Svāmī Srī Vedānta Deśika) has included the Mathematical concept in the first verse of the poem श्री अष्टभुजाष्टकम् (Śrī Aṣṭabhujāṣṭakam) itself.