252 G. Thibaut— On the S'td casutras. [No. 3, 



terest to see the old acharyas attempting this problem, which has since 

 haunted so many unquiet minds. It is true the motives leading them to 

 the investigation were vastly different from those of their followers in this 

 arduous task. Theirs was not the disinterested love of research which dis- 

 tinguishes true science, nor the inordinate craving of undisciplined minds 

 for the solution of riddles which reason tells us cannot be solved ; theirs 

 was simply the earnest desire to render their sacrifice in all its particulars 

 acceptable to the gods, and to deserve the boons which the gods confer in 

 return upon the faithful and conscientious worshipper. 



It is true that they were not quite so successful in their endeavours as 

 we might wish, and that their rules are primitive in the highest degree ; but 

 this tends at least to establish their high antiquity. 



The rules are the following : 



Baudhayana : 



If you wish to turn a square into a circle, draw half of the cord stretch- 

 ed in the diagonal from the centre towards the prachi line (the line passing 

 through the centre of the square and running exactly from the west towards 

 the east) ; describe the circle together with the third part of that piece of 

 the cord which will lie outside the square. 



See diagram 10. 



A cord is to be stretched from the centre e of the square abed to- 

 wards the corner a ; then the cord, being tied to a pole at e, is drawn 

 towards the right hand side until it coincides in its position with the line 

 e f ; a piece of the cord, f h, will then of course lie outside the square. This 

 piece is to be divided into three parts, and one of these three parts, f g, 

 together with the piece e f, forms the radius of the circle, the area of which 

 is to be equal to the area of the square abed. 



A'pastamba gives the same rule in different words : 



If you wish to turn a square into a circle, stretch a cord from the cen- 

 tre towards one of the corners, draw it round the side and describe the circle 

 together with the third part of the piece standing over ; this line gives a 

 circle exactly as large as the square ; for as much as there is cut off from 

 the square (viz. the corners of the square), quite as much is added to it 

 (viz. the segments of the circle, lying outside the square). 



I must remark that Kapardisvamin, A'pastamba' s commentator, com- 

 bines the two words " sa nitya" into sanitya ( == sa anifcya), and explains: 

 this line gives a circle, which is not exactly equal to the square. But I am 



