Mathematics In Chamakam

It has been very long since I wrote a post in this blog. But I am constantly researching about science in sanatana dharma. My brain is always inquisitive to learn more and more about our scriptures and the hidden meanings behind them. 

Some time back, I had an opportunity to attend "Maha Rudra Maha Yagna" in sanatana dharma temple, Artesia, California. Ridwiks chanted Rudram Chamakam throughout the yagna. Though I have heard Rudram Chamakam many times before, this particular yagna paved way to look at this great Mantra in an entirely different way. To give a brief idea, this mantra has numbers in it. It specifically talks about odd numbers from 1-33 and multiples of 4 from 4-48. So? What's so special about it? It is from Taitriya Samhita from Krishna Yajurveda. This mantra is taken from one of the 4 Vedas, (Vedas as such do not have a beginning or an end) and the concept of mathematics is discussed here, precisely in odd numbers and multiples of 4. It is really astounding to note this. We are in a belief that mathematics came into existence once humans are evolved (as per evolution theory) and when civilization started. But it was discussed in this mantra which originated from the Krishna Yajurveda. Sanatana Dharma time cycle is infinite and cyclical, so are the vedas. That makes it really special. 

Now lets venture deep into this specific mantra, as it is even more incredible to note the meaning. It comes in the Eleventh Anuvaka (chapter) of Chamakam. I will first provide the full mantra and it's literal meaning before we dive into the deep interpretation and the many possible theories. So, here it is :

Chamakam - Eleventh Anuvaka :

"Eka cha may, thisra cha may, panchas cha may, saptha cha may, nava cha may

Ekadasa cha may, tryodasa cha may, pancha dasa cha may, saptha dasa cha may, Nava dasa cha may, eka trimsathis cha may, tryovimsathis cha may,

Pancha vimsathis cha may, saptha vimsathis cha may, nava vimsathis cha may,

Eka trimsathis cha may, tryatrimsathis cha may, pancha trimsathis cha may,

Chathasras cha may, ashtou cha may, dwadasa cha may, shodasa cha may,

Vimsathis cha may, chatur vimsathis cha may, ashtaa vimsathis cha may,

Dwathrimasthis cha may, shat trimsas cha may, chatvarimsa cha may,

Chathus chathvarimsa cha may, ashta chatvarimsa cha may"

Literal meaning of the above mantra :

Let Rudra grant me these : one, three, five, seven, nine, eleven, thirteen,  fifteen, seventeen, nineteen, twenty one, twenty three, twenty five, twenty seven, twenty nine, thirty one and thirty three.

Let Rudra grant me these : Four, eight, twelve, sixteen, twenty, twenty four, twenty eight, thirty two, thirty six, forty, forty four and forty eight.

Traditional interpretation of the above mantra : This is the traditional interpretation of this Mantra as per various Scholars. They have associated the following properties to the Numbers in Chamakam.

Odd Numbers :

ONE : Nature or Parkriti

THREE : The three gunas, namely sattwa, rajas and tamas

FIVE : The five mahabhutas, or the five basic elements, that is, prithvi, apa, tejas, vayu and akasha, (earth, water, energy or agni or fire, wind and space).

SEVEN: The five sensory organs and the mind and intellect.

NINE : The nine openings in the human body (two eyes, two ears, two nostrils, one mouth, rectum and genitals)

ELEVEN: The ten pranas or life forces and the Sushumna nadi :

The ten pranas include five mahapranas and five laghupranas. The mahapranas are Prana (heartbeat and breath), Apana (excretion), Vyana (voluntary muscular action), Udana (voice), Samana (digestion and metabolism). The laghupranas are Naga (Burping), Koorma (Blinking) , Krikala (Sneezing), Devadatta (Yawning), Dhananjaya (Opening and closing of heart valves) The Sushumna Nadi correlates to the central nervous system.

THIRTEEN : Thirteen Devas of Vastu mandala namely Brahma, Apa, Savitri, Jaya, Rudra, Apavatsa, Savita, Vivudhadipa, Rajayakshma, Aryama, Vivasvan, Mitra, Prithvidhara. (From Chapter 253 of Matsya Purana)

FIFTEEN: The fifteen major nadis (out of the 350,000 nadis) of the nerve centres in the human body,including Ida, Pingala and Sushumna Nadis.

SEVENTEEN: These are the seventeen 'limbs' of the astral body or sukshma-sharira.  They consist of five attributes each from the three Gunas along with intelligence and mind. (5 positive Satwa attributes + 5 neutralizing Raja attributes + 5 negative Tama attributes + Intelligence + mind = 17)

NINETEEN: The 19 primary medicinal herbs of Ayurveda which include Saffron (Amlika), Terminalia Paniculata (Ashwakarna), Ailanthus Excelsa (Aralu), Lotus (Kamalam), Camphor (Karpooram), Salt Reed Grass (Kusa), Sesame (Tilam), Coconut (Narikelam) and Indian Laurel (Plaksha) among others.   

TWENTY ONE: The twenty one important vulnerable parts of the body. These may be the bridge of the nose; above the ear; the philtrum (groove between nose and upper lip); the point of the chin; Adam's apple; the clavicle (collar bone); the armpit; the solar plexus; the bottom ribs; the abdomen; the groin; the inner wrist; the shins; instep ( the arched part of the top of the foot between the toes and the ankle); the nape (which is the base of the cerebellum); the upper back; the coccyx (or tailbone); hollow of the knee; the calf; the Achilles tendon.

TWENTY THREE: The twenty three devas controlling serious diseases

TWENTY FIVE : The twenty five primary Apsaras in heaven

TWENTY SEVEN: The twenty seven tribes of Gandharvas.

TWENTY NINE: Vidyut Devas, the embodiment of lightning, electricity or electromagnetic energy.

THIRTY ONE: Thirty one worlds, including the traditional 14 worlds in our material universe.

THIRTY THREE: The thirty three Devas (composed of eight Vasus, eleven Rudras and twelve Adityas along with Indra and Prajapati) (Brihadraranyaka Upanishad 3.9)

Multiples of Four :

FOUR: The four ideals of human life, namely dharma, artha, kama and moksha,

EIGHT: The four Vedas (Rigveda, Yajurveda, Samaveda, Athavaveda) and the four corresponding upavedas(Ayurveda, Dhanurveda, Gandharvaveda and Arthasashtra

TWELVE: Six Vedangas (Shiksha, Kalpa, Vyakarana, Nirukta, Chandas and Jyotisha) and six Darshana Shastras (Yoga, Saankhya, Purva Mimamsa, Uttara Mimamsa, Vyesheshika and Nyaya) .

SIXTEEN: The sixteen attributes that one can seek from God.

1. Daya – Compassion

2. Dharjya – Patience

3. Kshama – Forgiveness

4. Nyaya – Justice

5. Nirapeksha – Impartiality

6. Niraskata – Detachment

7. Tapasya – Meditation and Spiritual Powers

8. Aparchitta – Invincibility

9. Danasheel – Beneficience, Bestower of all wealth in the world and nature.

10. Saundarjyamaya – Beauty Incarnate

11. Nrityajna – Best of Dancers

12. Sangitajna – Best of Singers

13. Neetibadi – Embodiment of Honesty

14. Satyabadi – Truth Itself

15. Sarvagnata – Perfect master of all arts, such as poetry, drama, painting etc.

16. Sarvaniyanta – Controller of All

TWENTY: The Mahabhutas associated with the primary elements of Akasha (space), Vayu (air), Agni (fire), Aapa (water) and Prithvi (earth).

TWENTY FOUR: The number of letters in the Gayatri chhanda or metre.

 (It is a metre of three feet or padas, of eight syllables each, giving a total of twenty four syllables. The three pada length is unusual. Thus, it is sometimes also called as Tripada-Gayatri. However, in some non-vedic hymns, it can also manifest as four padas (usual length) of six syllables each.)

TWENTY EIGHT: The number of letters in the Ushnik chhanda or metre.

(This metre is named after the 7th horse pulling Surya's chariot. It is of four padas of seven syllables each. Thus, resulting in a twenty eight syllable stanza.)

THIRTY TWO: The number of letters in the Anushtup chhanda or metre.

(This metre is the one which is usually used at the beginning of sanskrit hymns. It is of four padas of eight syllables each. Thus, resulting in a thirty two syllable stanza. )

THIRTY SIX: The number of letters in the Brihati chhanda or metre.

(This metre is also of four padas. However, all the padas are not of equal length. The third pada is of twelve syllables while the rest are of eight syllables each, resulting in thirty six syllables in a stanza. )

FORTY: The number of letters in the Pankti chhanda or metre.

(This metre is of five padas, instead of the usual four. Each pada is of eight syllables each. Thus, resulting in a forty syllable stanza.)

FORTY FOUR: The number of letters in the Trushtup chhanda or metre.

(This metre is of four padas. Each pada is of eleven syllables each. Thus, resulting in a forty four syllable stanza.)

FORTY EIGHT: The number of letters in the Jagati chhanda or metre.

Connection to Science :

The purpose of this blog is to see the science behind Sanatan Dharma concepts. Hence I always try to research when I find unique notions. As such, the projection of numbers in Chamakam kindled my curiosity. Why only odd numbers until 33? Why only multiples of 4 from 4-48? Why not other numbers? Is there a reason for this? or just coincidence? According to me, nothing is said simply in our scriptures (This is my faith and you can very well disagree) but they have deep hidden meanings. As such, these numbers should also have something hidden in them. So I went online to do some research. What I found really amazed me. Take a look :

According to Dr Sasidharan :

"These numbers represent a polymer chain of molecules that form apa or water that enables evolution of life and intelligence, and apa is nothing but the nitrogenous base pairs of the DNA.   The numbers 1 to 33 represent the 33000 base pairs of mitochondrial base pairs of DNA.  The numbers 4 to 48 represent the 48 million nuclear bases of DNA.  The two sets of DNA bases combine to provide sustenance of human well being and onward evolution of human life. When the devotee prays for the blessing of these numbers, actually he is praying for bestowing on him all these DNA bases which conduce to sustenance of human well being and happiness."

Water is the basis of everything. All of our scriptures emphasize the importance of water. Creation starts and ends in water. "Mantra pushpam" also emphasizes water as the base for everything. It is interesting to note that this mantra is also from the Yajurveda. You can read the literal meaning here.

http://connectsciencetodivinity.blogspot.com/2015/04/mantra-pushpam-chants-from-yajurveda.html


There is no proof as of now to prove this theory that states that there is a link between Chamakam and DNA. But if a meticulous research is conducted by one who is well versed in both traditional Vedas and modern Science, I am sure that we can easily figure out the exact link between these numbers and what they represent. The purpose of this blog is to make youngsters understand our scriptures in a logical and scientific way so that they take pride in their tradition and have curiosity to do more research on the scriptures rather than terming them as superstitions. The Vedas and other scriptures are very rich in terms of knowledge and these should be passed to our future generations. It is just a small effort from my side. Thank you all for reading.