Centre for Ancient History and Culture (CAHC)

National Seminar
on

Intellectual Traditions of Ancient India

(August 27 29, 2015)
Book of Abstracts

CAHC
319, 17th Cross, 25th Main,
6th Phase, J P Nagar, Bangalore - 560 078

National Seminar on Intellectual Traditions of Ancient India

27-29 August 2015
Time

27th August, 2015 Thursday

8:30-9:30
9:30-11:00
11:00-11:30
11:30-12:30
12:30-1:30
1:30-2:15
2:15-3:45
3:45-4:00
4:00-5:00

Registration
Inauguration
Tea
Prof. M. Danino Harappan Roots of Some Indian Knowledge Systems
Prof. K. Ramasubramanian Beauty and Richness of Sanskrit Grammar
Lunch
Prof. Padmavathamma Importance of Mathematics in Jaina Tradition
Tea
Prof. K. Ramasubramanian Calculus Inlaid in Prose and Poetry
Smt. Anupama Hoskere

5:00-6.30

Legend of Avakra, Story Telling Tradition through Puppets

28th August, 2015 Friday

9:00-10:00
10:00-11:00
11:00-11:30
11:30-12:30
12:30-1:30
1:30-2:30
2:30-3:30
3:30-4:00
4:00-6:30

Prof. M. Vahia Origin and Growth of Astronomy in India

Prof. M. Danino Rediscovery of the Sarasvati River
Tea
Prof. K.S. Kannan Chandas: an Introduction
Prof. M.D. Srinivas Combinatorial Techniques in India I: Chandas-stra
Lunch
Prof. Alex Hankey
Biophysics of Meditation in light of Complexity Biology

Tea
Dr. R. Shankar, Avadhna, Tradition of Parallel Processing
29th August, 2015 Saturday

9:00-10:00
10:00-11:00
11:00-11:30
11:30-12:30
12:30-1:30
1:30-2:30
2:30-3:30
3:30-4:00
4:00-4:30
4:30-5:30

Prof. K. S. Kannan Cryptographic Poetry in Sanskrit

Prof. M. D. Srinivas Combinatorial Techniques in India II: Sagta stra
Tea
Prof. R. N. Iyengar The Science Behind Rga Music.
Prof. M. Vahia
Simulating Aspects of Harappan Civilisation
Lunch
Dr.Amba Kulkarni
How Relevant is Pini Today?
Sri Viswanath Perspectives of an IT Professional
Tea
Concluding Session: Feedback. Panel discussion and What Next?

Harappan Roots of Some Indian Knowledge Systems

Michel Danino
Guest Professor, IIT Gandhi Nagar
[Email: micheldanino@gmail.com ]
Date: 27 th August 2015; Time: 11:30-12:30
Abstract
The Indus-Sarasvat Civilization or Harappan civilization was once assumed to have
disappeared without a trace, leaving little impact on the subcontinent until the advent of the
Ganges civilization of the 1st millennium BCE. Considerable evidence now exists to show that
this picture (partly the result of the Aryan invasion/migration theory) is both simplistic and
inaccurate. Among examples of Harappan legacy to early historical and classical India, this
presentation will focus on aspects of architecture, town-planning and sanitation, water
management, rudimentary mathematics, religion and yoga, crafts, metrology and iconography. It
will show that Indian knowledge systems undeniably have some of their roots going all the way
to the first civilization on Indian soil: archaeological evidence has moved away from the concept
of a cultural discontinuity or hiatus (the so-called Vedic Night or Dark Ages of the 2nd
millennium BCE) to that of a rich cultural continuum that made a major contribution to
classical Indian civilization.

Beauty and Richness of Sanskrit Grammar

K.Ramasubramanian
Professor, IIT Bombay
[Email: mullaikramas@gmail.com]
Date: 27 th August 2015; Time: 12:30-1:30
Abstract not received

Importance of Mathematics in Jaina Tradition

Padmavathamma
(Retd.) Professor Mathematics, University Of Mysore,
[Email: padma_vathamma@yahoo.com ]
Date: 27 th August 2015; Time: 2:15-3:45
Abstract
Mathematics is one of the important branches of Science from times immemorial.
Being an inseparable part of science, it has retained its privileged place as the Queen of all
sciences. The contribution of Indian mathematicians towards the development of mathematics
is unique and valuable. Zero was first introduced in place value system of notations by Indians.
The contributions of ancient Indian mathematicians ryabhaa, Bhskara, Brahmagupta,
Mahvrcrya and Bhskarcrya are world famous even today. Many Jaina mathematicians
have saliently contributed. It is perceived among common people that mathematics is difficult
to learn. The skill of explaining such difficult material in simple and exact forms is one of the
specialties of Jaina mathematicians. Tattvrthdhigama Stra, Sthnga Stra, Jambdvpa
Prajapti, Tiloypannatti, Ketrasamsa, Gaitasrasagraha and Vyavahragaita are important
ancient Jaina mathematical works. The object of the present talk is to explain some of the
above works.

Calculus inlaid in prose and poetry

K.Ramasubramanian
Professor, IIT Bombay
[Email: mullaikramas@gmail.com]
Date: 27 th August 2015; Time: 4:00-5:00
Abstract
Starting from the representation of numbers, through the way of arriving at the solutions
of indeterminate equations, to the development of sophisticated techniques in handling the
infinite and the infinitesimals, there has been a wide variation in the working style which
includes formulation of the problem, visualizing its solution, representing it using the local
language, and the like of mathematicians of different cultures. In India, mathematics like any
other branch of knowledge, used to be composed in the aphoristic (sutra) style in the very early
periods, as evident from ulbastra-s. However, starting from at least 5th century CE, much of it
has been handed down in the form of beautiful metrical composition. As the transmission of
knowledge was primarily oral, these verses/aphorisms used to be memorized and passed on
orally from generation to generation, traces of which can be seen even today in several parts of
India. The Indian mathematicians were so adept in metrical composition that even infinite
series expansions of and other trigonometrical functions have been inlaid in the form of
enchanting verses, which at times even have a double entendre. Without being much aware of
the tradition, and also without making a careful study of the source works and the commentaries
written on them (which try to bring out the intricacies laid therein), several historians have been
making outright rejection of the idea that origins of calculus could be attributed to Indians.
During our talk, we would like to show how the subject got evolved over centuries starting from
ryabhaa and Brahmagupta (5th and 7th cent), passing through Bhskara and Mdhava (12th
and 14th cent), and finally culminating with the works of Jyehadeva and akaraVariyar in the
16th century. As we make the journey through the past, it would also be interesting to note how
the processes involved in the basic arithmetic to the derivation of complex infinite series has
been beautifully couched in the form of poetry.

Avakra
Puppet Play by Dhaatu Puppet Theater, Bengaluru
Directed by - Anupama Hoskere
[Email: dhaatu@gmail.com]
Date: 27 th August 2015; Time: 5:00-6:30
Language- English with songs in Kannada & Sanskrit
Puppet style- String & Rod puppets of Karnataka
Storyline: This is a story from the Mahabharata set in Upaniadic times. Uddlaka Mahari has
given Chndogya Upaniad to the world. In his rama a physically challenged child is born to
his daughter Sujt. Kahola, the husband has disappeared after a debate in King Janaka's court.
How do they deal with this? A glimpse into the Gurukula system of education and the fabled
scholastic debate in the court of King Janaka between young Avakra and Vandi, description
of Vasanta tu (influenced by Klidsa) are showcased in this puppet play.

Origin and Growth of Astronomy in India

Mayank Vahia
Professor , TIFR, Mumbai 400 005
[Email: mnvahia@gmail.com]
Date: 28 th August 2015; Time: 9:00-10:00
Abstract
The origin of astronomy itself is an important landmark in the evolution of human brain.
No other animal formally looks at the sky and is largely unaware of its existence. Only humans
have noticed the location of the rising and setting of the Sun and its impact on the seasons. To
keep track of these movements, they built elaborate stone structures that have stood the test of
time. This was important to the early humans once they had settled down since seasons and
farming depended on their knowing the monsoon. Astronomy is therefore one of the earliest
sciences and provides an important window to several aspects of the intellectual evolution of a
civilization. The growth of astronomy in India can be divided into four distinct phases of early
astronomy, settlement astronomy, astronomy of civilization and modern astronomy. Each has its
own characteristic and importance and we will use this to map the growth of Indian civilization.
We will discuss the remnants of each stage of the intellectual growth of the Indian civilization
and the emphasis put on different aspects during different periods.
The early phase is marked by the recording of the movement of the sun and its relation
to the seasons. This is followed by the second stage where the settlement astronomy which
include making of calendars, recognition of constellations and zodiacs etc. The third phase of
astronomy of civilization begins with ryabhaa in India. This phase is both, highly
mathematical and also of high precision. This phase eventually leads to the modern astronomy
with all its trappings of multi-wavelength studies, high precision and space-based
instrumentation and interplanetary travel. These stages of evolution did not occur in isolation.
They involved parallel growth in other branches of human learning a certain support from the
rulers and the population as well as cultural exchanges. Sophistication in the astronomical
understanding therefore provides a window to the general intellectual environment of the
people and population.
In the present talk, we will take stock of the origin and evolution of astronomy. We will
then discuss its impact and interaction to other aspects of human learning such as farming,
architecture, mythology and region. We will show that by knowing the complexity of any of these
aspects, it is possible to get an idea about the growth of any other aspect of the growth of Indian
civilization.

Rediscovering the Sarasvati River: 1855 to 2014

Michel Danino
Guest Professor, IIT-Gandhinagar
[Email: micheldanino@gmail.com ]
Date: 28 th August 2015; Time: 10:00-11:00
Abstract
In the g Veda, the Sarasvati is both a goddess and a rivera mighty river flowing
from the mountain to the sea, and the only one to be deified in the Vedic hymns. Yet it
4

disappeared in the post-Vedic erathe only major river to do so in northwest India. As it did,
Sarasvati, the goddess of speech, knowledge and the arts, grew in stature and became one of the
fountainheads of Indias classical civilization. But there is another side to the story, which began
in 1855 with the identification of the rivers dry bed, currently named GhaggarHakra. From the
1940s, archaeological explorations initiated by Marc Aurel Stein have unearthed hundreds of
Harappan sites in the Sarasvatis basin (the YamunaSutlej interfluve). Recent satellite,
climatic, geological and river studies have completed the picture, confirming in particular a
connection between the disappearance of the Sarasvati in its central basin and the break-up of
the IndusSarasvati civilization.

Chandas: an Introduction
K.S. Kannan
Professor, CAHC, Jain University
[Email: ks.kannan.2000@gmail.com]
Date: 28 th August 2015; Time: 11:30-12:30
Abstract
Poetry has, from times immemorial, held sway over human fascination. Indian poetry
dates back to the vast and accented literature of the Veda-s. Regulation in terms of rhythm and
metre constitute important characteristics of poetry. Chandas-stra, the science of Prosody, is a
vedga, a "limb" of the celebrated Vedic literature. It dates back to Pigala, identified
sometimes as the younger brother of Pini of the 5th Century BCE.
What is chandas ? How are verses "scanned? What are the metrical elements and how
are they conjoined? What are the ramifications and arrangements? To what effect are metres
employed? These are some of the issues dealt with in this talk, to the accompaniment of
numerous illustrations.

Combinatorial Techniques in India: Chandas and Sagta (Parts 1 &2)

M.D.Srinivas
Chairman, Centre for Policy Studies, Chennai
[Email: mdsrinivas50@gmail.com]
Part 1: Date: 28 th August 2015; Time: 12:30-1:30 &
Part 2: Date: 29 th August 2015; Time: 10:00-11:00
Abstract
The study of Combinatorics in India begins with work of Pigala (c. 300 BCE) on
Chandas or Sanskrit Prosody. In the eighth or the last Chapter of his Chandastra, Pigala
introduces six pratyaya-s for studying the combinatorics underlying Vedic and classical Sanskrit
metres. These pratyaya-s have played a major role in the development of combinatorics not only
in prosody but in music and other disciplines as well. Metre or a metrical pattern may be viewed
as a finite sequence of long and short syllables (guru and laghu). One of the basic things that
Pigala did was to present a way of enumerating all metres of a given length. This enumeration
is called prastra (or spreading) and has become a paradigm for all enumeration problems in
Indian combinatorics. Associated with a system of enumeration, there naturally arise two
standard questions called naa and uddia, namely, that of finding the pattern, which appears
5

in the prastra, with a given row-number, and its converse. By his method of enumeration,
Pigala arrived in particular at a mnemonic for the binary expansion of any integer. Pigala also
introduced a tabular figure called meru as a device to compute the number of metres with a
given number of long or short syllables (lagakriy). His meru, as explained in the celebrated
commentary of Halyudha (c.10th cent), is indeed the earliest known version of the so called
Pascal triangle.
In view of the fact that it takes twice as much time to utter a guru as it takes to utter the
laghu, Indian prosodists also considered the enumeration of mtr-vtta-s, metres of value n
consisting of long and short syllables, assigning value 1 to laghu and 2 to guru, the value of the
metre being equal to the sum of the values of its constituent syllables. In his Prkta work,
Vttajtisamuccaya (c. 600 CE), Virahka showed that the number of rows in the prastra of
metres of some fixed value, is given by a sequence of numbers, which were rediscovered much
later in the 13th century by Fibonacci.
The approach of Pigala also became the prototype for discussing combinatorial
problems in diverse contexts, such as music, medicine, architecture etc. For instance, in the
chapter Gandhayukti of Bhatsahit which deals with perfumes, Varhamihira (6th century CE)
presents an alternative version of the Pascal triangle. His commentator Bhaotpala (10th
century) has explained how Varhamihira has also indicated a method of enumeration of all
possible combinations, where four perfumes are selected from a set of 16 basic perfumes. The
first extant text on music where the pratyaya-s are dealt with elaborately, both in connection with
patterns of musical phrases (tna-s) and patterns of musical rhythms (tla-s), is the
Sagtaratnkara of rgadeva (c.1225 AD). In the first chapter (Svaragatdhyya) of
Sagtaratnkara, rgadeva presents a systematic procedure for the enumeration all possible
of permutations of any subset of the seven basic musical notes (tna prastra). More generally,
given n distinct elements, rgadeva's method gives a rule by which we can systematically
enumerate all the n! permutations as an array or a prastra. The naa and uddia processes
here are indeed encoded in a certain unique representation of any integer in terms of sums of
factorials. rgadeva employs a tabular figure, khaa-meru, to essentially go back and forth
between any integer and its representation as a sum of factorials.
A general combinatorial study of musical rhythms (tla-s) is presented in the sixth
chapter (Tldhyya) of Sagtaratnkara. It is in fact a generalisation of the theory of pratyaya-s
for mtr-vtta-s, musical rhythmic patterns (tla) being made up of druta (of one time unit) and
laghu, guru and pluta, which are of 2, 4 and 6 durations respectively, in terms of the duration of
druta. Sagtaratnkara first presents a systematic method of enumerating all the tla-s of a
given time duration in a prastra, and follows this up with a complete mathematical theory of
naa and uddia, and other pratyaya-s such as the drutameru, laghumeru, etc. An interesting
feature of tla-prastra is that the total number of patterns (the sakhyka), if laid out in a
sequence, is characterised by a four term recurrence relation, and is generated by a generating
function which involves a polynomial of the sixth-degree.
In the work of Nryaa Paita, the Indian contribution to combinatorics seems have
attained its culmination. In the chapter Akapa of his Gaitakaumud (c.1356), Nryaa
reformulates most of the earlier work on combinatorics in a general mathematical setting.
However, Nryaa's theory of generalised mtr-vtta-prastra does not subsume the
complicated tla-prastra discussed in the Sagtaratnkara. Later musical treatises such as
Sagtasryodaya of Lakmnryaa (c.1525) and Tladaaprapradpik (in Telugu) of
Govinda (c.1650) generalised the tlaprastra of Sagtaratnkara to include also the tla unit
anudruta (with half the duration of druta) and also include the possibility of five different kinds
(jtis) of laghu tira, caturara, khaa, mira and sakra and corresponding variations in
guru and pluta. Subsequently, there have been discussions of tlaprastra-s which include yet
another tla unit, kkapda (with three times the duration of laghu).These instances of prastras in prosody and music show that in each case there is associated a unique representation of
6

natural integers in terms of the sakhykas associated with the prastra. It is this representation
which facilitates the naa and uddia processes in each of the prastra-s.
The vara-vtta prastra has associated with it the binary representation of numbers.
The mtr-vtta-prastra has associated with it a representation of numbers in terms of
(generalised) Virahka-Fibonacci numbers.
The tna-prastra or the prastra of permutations of rgadeva has associated with it the
factorial representation of numbers.
The tla-prastra of rgadeva has associated with it a representation of numbers in
terms of rgadeva numbers.
The prastra of combinations of r objects selected from a set of n, studied by Nryaa
Paita, where the sakhyka-s are the binomial coefficients nCr and there is an associated
representation of numbers as a sum of binomial co-efficients.

Biophysics of Meditation in the Light of Complexity Biology

Alex Hankey
Distinguished Professor, SVYASA University, Bangalore
[Email: alexhankey@gmail.com]
Date: 28 th August 2015; Time: 2:30-3:30
Abstract
Some in the Indian Yoga community declare that meditation is difficult and requires
effort and concentration. Such is not the case. Here we explain why those ideas are
misconceptions, and why, in the light of modern and traditional knowledge, the process of
meditation is effortless and automatic, and the approach to pure consciousness in samdhi
happens without effort. The basic concept of 'pure consciousness' has recently been fully
explained in terms of the concept of critical instabilities in the control structures of complex
biological regulatory systems. Complexity biology shows that the preferred locus of control of
systems in biological organisms including the mind is at critical feedback instabilities a
condition known as 'criticality', known to optimize regulatory function. The major principle of
complexity biology is the associated principle of 'self-organized criticality', meaning that when
free of strain and given sufficient opportunity, organisms will spontaneously return to their
preferred loci of control at criticality. Two papers have recently demonstrated that information
states at criticality have a completely new, hitherto unimagined structure. Their information
states consist of mixtures of information vectors, held together by an internal information loop,
<======O. This structure provides good explanations for the basic properties of
phenomenal experience outlined by phenomenologists since the 19th century: the internal
awareness of time passing, and the sense of being, both well known to deep meditation adepts as
characteristics of samdhi. The loop by itself, <O, represents a state of experience without
information content, affective, mental or intellectual, i.e. samdhi. Since criticality is
characteristic of pure consciousness, the principle of self-organized criticality means that the
mind will gravitate towards samdhi by itself, spontaneously, given the right opportunity to do
so: the process involves not the slightest 'concentration'. This has to be the case, since the way to
samdhi is effectively blocked by both buddhi and ahakra. In meditation, any effort, or the
slightest sense that 'concentration' is necessary, blocks the process because both will activate
ahakra, and that needs to be allowed to rest.

Avadhnam
R. Shankar
Research Scholar, NIAS, Bangalore
[Email: shankar_rajaraman@rediffmail.com]
Date: 28 th August 2015; Time: 4:00-6:30
Abstract
Avadhnam is an ancient Indian art-form that found patronage in royal courts. However
the art-form has survived the ravages of time and continues to enthrall the masses to this day.
Given that Avadhnam demands its practitioners to be good at multi-tasking, creativity,
linguistic capabilities, attention, concentration, memory and recall, it would be a gross oversimplification to call it, as some people do, just a task of memory or a literary game. Vmana,
the Sanskrit poetician, has defined avadhnam as cittaikgryam, the focusing of mind. As a
medium of mass-entertainment, however, it finds its first mention in the work of one Kavikma,
a Kannada poet. The tradition of performing avadhnam has been robust in both Andhra
Pradesh and Karnataka, though more so in the former. One can recognize two trends in the way
an avadhnam is performed. While one of these is heavily dependent on memory skills, the
other has creativity, especially in the linguistic domain, as its strong point. The former trend is
prevalent among some Jain monks and in parts of Tamil Nadu while the latter is the one that
finds favor in Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka. The poet/scholar who performs avadhnam is
called an avadhn. He is the centre of attention in any avadhnam performance. A panel of
equally talented poets/scholars, called pcchaka-s, pose questions pertaining to different creative
domains for which the avadhn is expected to provide spontaneous answers in a versified form.
These verses, at their minimum best, have to obey certain conventions of classical Indian poetry
such as being grammatically and metrically flawless. There is no specified upper limit to the
number of pcchaka-s (which can be even hundred, thousand or five-thousand although it is
almost impossible to find so many pcchaka-s. In such cases the number of questions are often
divided amongst the available few pcchaka-s) though in its most simplified form an avadhnam
is conducted with at least 8 pcchaka-s. Such an avadhnam is known as avadhnam. An
avadhnam is completed in four rounds. While five of the pcchaka-s in such a program pose
questions that demand versification, one among the remaining three sings/reads aloud verses
taken from the extensive corpus of literature (in the language that the avadhn is performing)
and the remaining two disturb the avadhns concentration at random intervals, for example, by
asking him absurd or funny questions and ringing a bell. The avadhn, in the above mentioned
scenario, not only provides reference to context for the verses sung but also gives humorous
answers to the funny questions posed and keeps a tag of the number of times the bell was rung
(which he/she must spell out at the end of the program). The following is a short note on the
various, commonly chosen, limbs of an avadhnam
a) Niedhkar - The pcchaka asks the avadhn to compose a verse in a specified meter
and on a specified subject. The avadhn has to provide one letter at a time. At every
juncture that the avadhn provides a letter, the pcchaka prevents him/her from using a
most probable letter next. The avadhn composes one line of a quartet in each of the
four rounds.
b) Samasyprti The pcchaka reads out one line of a quartet. The line given is often
absurd, meaningless, incoherent, grammatically flawed or obscene. The avadhn has to
provide the remaining three lines of the verse in such a way the absurdity,
meaninglessness etc of the given line is corrected. The avadhn composes one line of a
quartet in each of the four rounds
c) Dattapad - The pcchaka provides four words, often from a language that is different
than the one in which the avadhn is performing. The avadhn must, often by splitting

them into syllables, incorporate these words in his verse (on a specified subject). The
avadhn composes one line of a quartet in each of the four rounds
d) Citrakvya This involves composing a verse under extreme constraints, as for example,
using a single consonant throughout. Though not a part of the regular repertoire, there
are some avadhn-s (like Dr R. Ganesh and Dr Shankar Rajaraman, both from
Karnataka) who have still included this limb in their programs. The avadhn composes
one line of a quartet in each of the four rounds
e) ukvya Unlike in the four limbs mentioned above, the avadhn must
instantaneously compose an entire quartet on a subject specified by the pcchaka. This
limb tests the fastness with which an avadhn can compose verses
f) Kvyavcana The pcchaka sings/reads aloud a verse from the literary corpus of the
language in which the avadhn is performing and the latter has to provide reference to
context. The avadhn has to recognize four verses sung in the four rounds.
g) Aprastutaprasaga - The pcchaka hinders the avadhns concentration by posing funny
or absurd questions at random intervals (often when the avadhn is occupied with
answering to other queries) and the latter has to provide humorous answers for the
same.
h) Sakhybandha A three-digit number is provided at the start of the avadhnam and
the avadhn is asked to fill up a five-by-five square matrix at random intervals in such a
way that the sum of numbers in each row and column as well as across both diagonals
adds up to the number provided by the pcchaka.
The language in which the avadhn composes can vary but is mostly classical Telugu, Kannada
or Sanskrit. Sanskrit avadhn-s are by far the fewest of the lot. Avadhnam is worthy of being
called an Indian national treasure given such an art-form rarely has a parallel anywhere else in
the globe.

Cryptographic Poetry in Sanskrit

K.S.Kannan
Professor, CAHC, Jain University
[Email: ks.kannan.2000@gmail.com]
Date: 29 th August 2015; Time: 9:00-10:00
Abstract
Life presents many an occasion where, perforce, we have to veil our thoughts and
conceal our expressions, in order to shield our ideas from being gathered by others, especially
for fear of damage or sabotage. Rulers and administrators routinely need encryption especially
in the context of warfares. Ideas that are apparently puerile can sometimes be well-exploited for
technical purposes. One elementary technique that has been put into a high technical usage
leading to a very high economy of words in, and economy of, rule-making is the method of
dittoing, technically called anuvtti and adikra, in Pinis scheme. Adopting notations and
defined symbols, great strides have been made in mathematics exploiting valid modes of symbol
manipulation.
One reason why no easy spell-check can ever be devised for Sanskrit, is its sheer
versatility words that have never been attested by usage can be coined afresh, drawing upon
the deft databases and licit rules as defined millennia ago by Pini. This is also why cryptically
designed crossword puzzles in Sanskrit are never easily solved.
All the same, there is enough in Sanskrit to appeal to and tickle the puzzle instinct in
man, which is as instinsic as the humour instinct. Well did Thoreau (1817-1862) remark that, for
some enigmatic reason, humans require that things be mysterious. Rather than dwelling on
9

these issues, the talk showcases what has been demonstrated in Sanskrit citrakvya, rendered as
Pattern Poetry, where, apart from hidden geometrical patterns, certain string manipulations
leading to unexpected and unexpectable results are presented. Many illustrations mark this talk.

The Science behind Rga Music

R.N.Iyengar
Distinguished Professor and Director, CAHC,
Jain University, Bengaluru
[Email: RN.Iyengar@jainuniversity.ac.in]
Date: 29 th August 2015; Time: 11:30-12:30
Abstract
The concept of Rga in Indian classical music is remarkable for its aesthetic sensibility
and amazing variety. Each time a Rga is presented as lpana, the temporal evolution of the
sound pattern is fresh and different without disturbing the overall predefined structure of the
particular Rga. Whether a beginner sings an elementary level song or a maestro performs on
the stage the Rga gets identified by a trained ear. What is it that makes a Rga independent of
the singer, instrument, language and composition? How does the Rga acquire its invariance?
Usually this characteristic is attributed to the scale, or roha-avaroha. Can this be analyzed
further? This question leads one to study the theoretical basis of Rga as per ancient Indian
musicologists. Bharatas treatise on dance (3rd Cent AD or earlier) contains long discourses on
music also. Two key elements for the present study are his discovery of dvigubhva and the 22
ruti-s, which are known as svara-s in current parlance. Dvigubhva refers to the doubling
character of the first and the last note in an octave which in modern interpretation is doubling of
the frequency. How did Bharata arrived at this concept without measuring frequencies? Most
probably this followed from his brilliant experimental approach with two stringed instruments
called the Dhruva-v and the Cala-v. These were more like harps with strings of varied
lengths that could be tuned to the seven notes verified by careful listening. He must have noted
that the same note repeated whenever the length of the string in the Cala-v (movable or
changeable instrument) was half of that in the Dhruva-v (fixed or reference instrument)
except being at a higher sthy (level or state). rgadeva after referring to the string vibration
experiment of Bharata describes Rga as a pleasing succession of svar-s in time. This of course
is as complete as one can possibly attempt to describe in words the flowing river or the blowing
wind. He refers to the opinions of Bharata and Mataga for describing a Rga and lists further
ten principal elements, among them alpatva-bahulatva being the most intriguing but one which
is easily missed. Kallintha his commentator illustrates this property as relative frequency in a
chosen example. This description leads to characterize Rga as a random process or time series,
samples of which are provided extensively in ancient texts. Rga becomes a sample time series
of musical notes (svara) evolving as per a defined probability distribution over its sample space.
This not only provides a new model for Indian music but also gives new insights into the internal
correlation structure of graded compositions from the elementary to the complex.

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Simulating aspects of Harappan civilization

Mayank Vahia
TIFR, Mumbai 400 005
[Email: mnvahia@gmail.com]
Date: 29th August 2015; Time: 12:30-1:30
Abstract
The entire evidence for Harappan Civilization is archaeological with its cryptic writing still not
understood. In the present talk we will show that various ideas of computer science can be
invoked on the presently available data to extract different aspects of the civilisation in order to
understand it better.
The methods that can be used are as follows:
1) Simulation of movement of people in the subcontinent from beyond
2) Study of the layout of the Harappan Civilization over the time period of its evolution
3) Study of the network of the growth of township
4) Study of the various parameters that define a civilization
5) Study of the grammar of the unread script
6) Modeling of evolution of various stages of the civilization.
We will discuss each of the above aspect by example showing how the people entered and
moved into the subcontinent and how different populations interacted with each other. We will
then show that time scale of evolution of different parts of the Harappan Civilization permits
identification of different subcultures within the Harappan Civilization. We will then discuss
how the different townships of the civilization for further subcultures within the civilization. We
will then discuss the sociological aspect of the growth of a civilization. We define 26 important
parameters that define and impact a civilization and the interaction of these parameters to
create a network map of the growth of human culture from the early nomadic to the civilization
phase and discuss their relative importance. We will then look at the Indus Script and the
information it reveals about the approach of Indus people to writing. Even though
decipherment is still a complex problem, we will show that the grammar of writing and its
uniformity itself provide important clues to the Harappan people. We will then combine all
these aspects to show that the broad growth of the evolution of the civilization can be extracted
from these studies to provide a comprehensive map of a civilization, whose only concrete
information is the archaeological sites left behind.

How Relevant is Pini Today?

Amba Kulkarni
Professor, Department of Sanskrit Studies
University of Hyderabad
[Email: ambapradeep@gmail.com]
Date: 29th August 2015; Time: 2:30-3:30
Abstract
Pini's Adhyy, dated to around 500 B.C., is the oldest existing grammar of Sanskrit.
The importance of Adhyy is three fold. The first one is as an almost exhaustive grammar for
any human language with meticulous details yet small enough to memorize. It is often admired
for its simplicity and the completeness of its coverage of the then prevalent Sanskrit language.
Presented in less than 4000 stra-s (aphorisms) with around 7000 words, it has been described by
Bloomfield as one of the greatest monuments of human intelligence. Many scholars of
Adhyy believe that though Adhyy is written to describe the then prevalent Sanskrit
language, it provides a grammatical framework which is general enough to analyze other
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languages as well. This is evident from the fact that this grammar has theoretically influenced
the Western linguistic theory (which is less than two centuries old) in many ways. The linguists
admit that many of the insights of Pini's grammar still remain to be captured. This makes the
study of Adhyy important from the point of view of concepts it uses for language analysis.
The third aspect of Adhyy is its organization. The set of less than 4000 stra-s is similar to
any computer program, with one major difference, the program being written for a human brain
and not for a machine, thereby allowing some non-formal or semi-formal elements which
require a human being to interpret them. This makes Pini as the foremost informaticien, 25
centuries before computers came into existence. Pini paid utmost attention to the way
information is coded in Sanskrit and used this insight not only to describe the grammar of
Sanskrit but he also used these features in his meta-language to formulate the grammar of
Sanskrit. The intricate system conventions governing rule interaction and rule application, the
linear arrangement of partially ordered sets in the form of ivastra-s, the linearized
representation of hierarchical relationships, use of markers to trigger the application of sutras
are some of the techniques found in the organization of Pini's grammar. In this talk I will
illustrate with examples how these three aspects of Pini are relevant today.

Perspectives of an IT professional
S.Viswanath
[Email: viswanath1168@yahoo.com]
Date: 29th August 2015; Time: 3:30-4:00
Abstract
As technology continues to enable human evolution in unimagined ways, it presents
various opportunities, challenges and grand scale problems. The phenomenal needs, problems
and challenges require approaches beyond our current generational capabilities and knowledge.
While new ways of addressing these needs are being explored, and are being derived from
current practices, we have still not been able to reference, interpret and leverage Ancient
Intellectual Traditions (AIT) on a sustainable scale. Centuries of gap in generational
transmission coupled with lack of contemporary holistic appreciation could have been the
primary reasons for our continued disconnect with AIT. Technological conveniences offer
opportunities for a reconnect with AIT. A successful and sustained reconnect has the potential
of beginning a new interface ecosystem capable of matrix connecting heterogeneous AIT
disciplines and Technology centers of excellence. We can dare to dream the results.

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