The Symbol O of Monism to Atheists, a Dot for Zero

Of the two almost contemporary atheistic religious tenets Jainism and Buddhism, only the latter earned the Royal favor to flourish in and outside India. As regards the culture of mathematics, it was Jainism and not the other one that entailed it and added much to the preexisting mathematical ideas. Buddhist monks emanated all Jain mathematical findings with the spread of their religious tenet. The practice continued unabated until the Buddhist philosophy of Śūnyavāda due to Nagarjuna) brought forth an elegant view of the idea of zero in the twelfth century (Bhaskaracharya’s modification of the idea of zero) in the Jain tradition (as revealed in the Bakshali manuscripts) (following the adoption of a system of an alphabetic notation of numerals and zero after Pānini as in the Kaṭapayādi notations or the style of Āryabhaṭa-I or II, albeit the genre failed to gain popularity all over India) formed the central theme of this chapter.