ब्राह्मस्फुटसिद्धान्त (ब्रह्मगुप्त - शून्य, कुट्टक, बीजगणित एवं सम्पूर्ण २१ अध्याय सान्वय सटीक)

TECHNICAL TERMS 199
Power
Since long, the word varga has been used for the second
power; the word also stands for square (Uttarādhyayana Sūtra¹,
B. C. c. 300). The third power is similarly known as ghana, the
fourth power as varga-varga (square-square), the sixth power as
ghana-varga (cube-square) and the twelfth power as ghana-varga-
varga (cube-square-square). In later days, the fifth power was
called vargaghana ghāta (here the word ghāta means product; the
term means product of cube and square). The former system was
multiplicative, rather than additive; wheras the latter was on the
additive system. The seventh power on the additive system was
known as varga-varga-ghana-ghāta (product of square-square and
cube). Brahmagupta, however, uses a more scientific system for
expressing the powers more than four. He calls the fifth power
as Pañca gata (literally meaning, raised to the fifth), the sixth
power as ṣaḍ-gat (raised to the sixth) and so on, thus adding the
suffix gata to the name of the number indicating that power.²
Bhāskara II has followed the system of Brahmagupta almost consi-
stently for powers one and upwards.
Equation
Perhaps Brahmagupta has for the first time used the term
samakaraṇa or samīkaraṇa (literally meaning making equal) or
simply sama (equal or equation)³. Pṛthūdaka Svāmī (860)
employs the term sāmya (equality or equation) for equation⁴.
The equation is said to possess two Pakṣas⁵ (sides) Itara-Pakṣa
and apara-pakṣa.
Absolute Term
Brahmagupta uses the term rūpa (literally meaning appear-
ance) for an absolute term. It represents the visible or known

1. Chapter XXX, 10, 11.
2. अव्यक्तवर्गे घनवर्ग-वर्ग-पंचगत-षड्गतादीनाम् ।
   सदृश द्विवधो वर्गस्त्यादि वधस्तद्गतोऽन्य जातिवधः ॥
3. वर्णं प्रमाण भावित-घातो भवतीष्टवर्ण संख्यैवम् ।
   सिध्यति विनाऽपि भावित-समकरणात् किं कृतं तदतः ॥
   अव्यक्तान्तर भक्तं व्यस्तं रूपान्तरं समेऽव्यक्तः ।
4. Siśe. XIV, 19.
5. Bījagaṇita.