TITBITS ON MATHEMATICS

Prof. M. RAJAGOPALAN

Tennessee State University,

Nashville (TN) 37209 USA,

given recently at National Institute of Technology Warangal and

which I got in mail just an hour ago, for you to see why and be
blessed by

The divine Mother Sree Mahaa lakshmi .

SEETAMMA MAAYAMMA SREE RAAMUDU MAAKU TANDRI :

Tyaagaraaja

to all the little ones with lots of love,

va with sa

Hindu Religious Prayer and Mathematics

The following chess problem was hotly discussed in Europe in

eighteenth century. The

problem is to move the knight in such a way that it travels to all

squares on the chessboard without landing on the same square twice.
It is fun to know that this difficult problem is solved by a prayer to the
Goddess Lakshmi.

The prayer to Goddess Lakshmi consists of two slokas as follows:

RA MAA VA RAA BHI TAA PAA SAA

NII RA JO DA RA PAA DYA HI |

NA YAA SA MAA BHA YAA BHAA MAA

SAA VA NAA TAA PA MAS YA TU ||

RA JO BHI DYA TU YAA TAA YAA (h)

VA RA PAA MAA MA MAA VA NII |

SA SAA RA RAA BHA SYA HI TAA

BHAA SAA PAA PA DYA MAA NA NAA ||

Meaning: May the Goddess Lakshmi the wife of Vishnu with navel as beautiful as lotus
who was born in milky ocean dispel all my mental distress. May her shining face dispel
my ignorance and sins. How does a prayer to Lakshmi solve a chess problem tried
vehemently by many in Europe in 18th century? Here is how:

1. Take a Chess Board

2. Write the words in first sloka on each square in on chessboard

keeping the same order

3. Look at the words of second sloka and follow it as below

4. Put a knight on the square that says “RA” in the chessboard

5. Now moves the knight to that square in the chessboard that follows
same letter”RA” in

The second verse. Note that this letter is “JO”. So move knight to
square JO

6. From square “JO” of chessboard move Knight to the square which

has the same word

As the one following “JO” in second verse that the word is BHI. So
move Knight to

Square “BHI”

7. Repeat the above pattern. Now you see Goddess Lakshmi showers
her grace on you to

solve the chess Problem

Note:

The late PROF, M. VENKATARAMAN USED TO TELL SLOKAS WHICH ARE

PRAYERS TO GOD RANGANATHA OF SRIRANGAM THAT ALSO SOLVES

THE ABOVE CHESS PROBLEM.
Mantras, Puja, and Mathematics:

The so called Prayer to Goddess Lakshmi above is for fun. But such
things where a mantra or puja gave mathematical results have
occurred in real life.

(a) The famous S.Ramanujan wrote to his uncle that he does his puja in
morning and in

night the Goddess “Namakkal devatai” (who is Lakshmi) appears in his dream
and reveals all the mathematical results for which he became famous
throughout the world.

(b) Sadguru Sri Gnanananda established an asram in the south Indian

village called

Tapovanam and he gave Sanyasa diksha to many people. One of his

disciples was named by him as Sri Trivenigiri Swamigal. After leaving
Andhra University in 1957. I joined Banaras Hindu University as a
Lecturer in Mathematics; Sri Trivenigiri Swamigal was in Sankara
Madam in Hanuman ghat in Benaras at that time. Of course I had
contact with him earlier around 1942, but I lost that contact for a long
time till I met him again in 1957. I approached him and requested to
give me mantropadesa. He gave me some mantras. He told me that
they are powerful. I asked him how powerful they were; he said if I
repeat those mantras so many times I will get a lot of knowledge. I
asked him” Can I solve outstanding mathematical problems by doing
that japam”?

He said “YES” emphatically.

Later I went to USA as Prof.of Mathematics in Memphis State University

in 1972. I had

very light teaching load and so I wanted to spend time on Research. I

read many mathematical papers and found that one problem called
“SCARBOROUGH-STONE” problem was open for about 20 years in spite
of serious attempts to solve it by Russians, Polish, Americans, etc. I
tried to solve it. It was hard. I then remembered my Guru's words
about the mantra. I did that japam vehemently with faith in my Guru.
Lo! I got solution to that problem. That made me well known and I got
invitations to talk in International conferences, in Germany, Japan,
Canada, etc. From that time I continue to do my Japam with faith in my
Guru and so far I have published about 85 Papers in Journals of high
repute throughout the World.