Mathematical encoding in pādukā sahasram by Sri Vedānta Desika

Abstract

In his scholarly work of पादुका सहस्रं (Pādukā Sahasaram), the great scholar, Sri Vaiśnaviṭe Acāryā स्वामी श्री वेदान्त देशिक (Svāmī Srī Vedānta Deśika), embedded numerous mathematical concepts and several theories that are still being researched on. In his 1008 verses, श्री निगमान्त महा देशिक (Srī Nigamānta Mahā Deśika) praises the holy sandals of श्री रङ्गनाथ (Srī Ranganātha) and this work is written in less than 3 hours (one यामम् -yāmam). The number 1008 has greater significance in Vedic literature and in today’s spiritual practice as well. There are two numbers that are very significant when it comes to spirituality - 108 and 1008. Even modern science calls them as Angel numbers. श्री विष्णु सहस्रनाम स्तोत्रम् (Srī Viṣṇu Sahasranāma Stotram) explains 1008 names of श्री महा विष्णु (Srī Mahā Viṣṇu). Likewise, पादुका सहस्रं (Pādukā Sahasaram) also has 1008 verses. Poet श्री देशिक: (Srī Deśika:) like any other great poet in Sanskrit literature, secretly embedded details of the work in the first verse. This paper is an attempt to decode one such encoding to understand the greatness of the poet. To do that, a well-known Vedic Numerical Coding methodology is used.