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"An equation for me has no meaning, unless it expresses a thought of God." enter image description here

Famous mathematician Srinivasa Ramanujan was a very religious person. So much that, despite having health issues in England, he stuck to his vegetarian diet until his death at young age.

Ramanujan's first Indian biographers describe him as a rigorously orthodox Hindu. He credited his acumen to his family goddess, Mahalakshmi of Namakkal. He looked to her for inspiration in his work and said he dreamed of blood drops that symbolised her male consort, Narasimha. Afterward he would receive visions of scrolls of complex mathematical content unfolding before his eyes.

Is there any specific God / Deity for the Mathematics?

e.g.: "... 'I' am the time among the mathematicians ..." [BG 10.30]. But this is not a specific deity.

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    I think all Jnana forms are deities of Mathematics too. Saraswati, Hayagriva, Dakshinamurti..
    – The Destroyer ♦
    Commented Sep 19, 2017 at 7:01
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    You have stretched the gita 10.30 with saying it mentions 'mathematicians'. a better translation is 'among reckoners of time, of those who calculate." In ancient times mathematicians were probably included in the above, but were not the entire set.
    – Swami Vishwananda
    Commented Sep 19, 2017 at 8:46
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    @SwamiVishwananda, yes I have stretched it here to just give an example. If you see the link, there it's translated as "calculators" only. Either कलन is part of गणित OR गणित is part of कलन OR both are same. Not sure.
    – iammilind
    Commented Sep 19, 2017 at 8:59
  • Srinivasa Ramanujan was a Sri Vaishnava Vadakalai, he used to worship Maa Mahalaxmi and Maa used to bless him with that brilliant brain. That's how he used to get mathematical intution or clearity for equations. As far as 10.30 is concerned I think calculator means more or less an accountant of time or timekeeper, not a mathematician. Since he is the best keeper/accountant he is Bhagwan's Vibhuti.
    – Yogi
    Commented Sep 20, 2017 at 2:15
  • Ganesha is the god of Ganita(गणित) or Mathematics and intellect and his image is used in the horoscopes and astrology, mathematical calculations and predictions based on 9 planets and 27 constellations. Vishnu and Mercury(Buddha planet) can also be considered deities of mathematics.
    – user22687
    Commented May 19, 2021 at 12:23

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According to Vayu Purana, Chapter 70, Samvatsara is the overlord of Ganita. When, everything was created by Prajapati Kashyapa, then he assigned every god their respective domain. In this process Samvatsara was assigned as presiding deity of Ganita.

पक्षाणां च विपक्षाणां मुहूर्तानां च पर्वणाम्।
कलाकाष्ठाप्रमाणाना गतेरयनयोस्तथा।
गणितस्याथ योगस्य चक्रे संवत्सरं प्रभुम्। १५॥

He made Sanvatsara as the lord of Ritus (seasons), months and groups of seasons, fortnights, Vipaksas (the day of transition from one half of a lunar month to another), Muhûrtas', Parvans, Kalās’, Kasthas', and Pramănas", the movement of the solstices, Ganita (mathematical calculations) and Yogas (astronomical divisions of time or combinations of Stars).

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Astrologically planet mercury or Budha is the deity related to mathematics.

From Horasara:

Chandra’s Amsh in such case indicates: pearls, carriers run in water, husbandry, water, clothes etc., cows, buffaloes, sugar, female’s company, chanting Mantras, hymns and the like and worship of Gods.

Such Amsh of Mangal denotes: teaching, Mantras, bravery, weapons (or surgery etc.), fire, medicines, selling in marker and through Kshatriyas (i.e. persons of royal scion).

In such Amsh of Budh, the livelihood is through: writings, drawings, literature, mathematics, bets, dancing, donations (i.e. the person will receive donations in marriages, Shraddas etc.), education and loving speech.

However, since mathematics is also deeply related to intuition and insight (S. Ramanuja himself was the foremost example of an "intuitive mathematician"), the relevant planet i.e Ketu is also the deity linked as per Rishi Parashara:

Ketu will make one a mathematician and skilful in Jyotish. Should Guru be related to the said Ketu, these learnings will be by inheritance. All these as well apply to 2nd and 3rd from Karakāńś and to the Karakāńś itself apart from applying to the 5th from Karakāńś.

Brihat Parashara Hora Shastra, Chapter 33.

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Lets go by mathematical evidence. One of the greatest mathematicians of all time (not just India) is Srinivas Ramanujan. Ramanujan discovered thousands of theorems that has kept mathematicians baffled for the next 100 years. So where did he get those theorems form? Ramanujan himself claimed that in his dreams, the goddess Namakkal used to come and tell him thousands of strange theorems.

So if there is any god/goddess of mathematics, it has to be the goddess Namakkal. Now this goddess is a form of the goddess Laxmi. So on a lighter not, it kind of makes sense. My hypothesis is that if you the goddess of wealth then you need to be razor sharp in your calculations in order to keep track of all the wealth and money distribution across millions of your devotees hence goddess Laxmi must be a top notch mathematician :-)

Reference: Ramanujan: Twelve Lectures on Subjects Suggested by His Life and Work by G.H. Hardy.

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  • "So if there is any god/goddess of mathematics, it has to be the goddess Namakkal." So if he said I got it from god X then this God X MUST have given it to him? What if he said that Peter Pan or little red riding hood gave it? Would those people be god then?
    – Wikash_
    Commented Jul 22, 2019 at 4:33
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    Valid point. But the fact is everything about every religion that ever existed is a belief or at best a hypothesis and not something that can be experimentally verified or challenged. So second best thing we can do is give at least hypothetical evidences. May be Peter Pan might qualify as well, if he has to accurately keep track of all the financial calculations of everyone just like that goddess Laxmi does :-)
    – Swami Factanand
    Commented Jul 22, 2019 at 6:05
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Progressive creative developments in mathematical thought, sequential build-up of new premises and logic towards newer results, all need time. Inspirations coming from God cannot be manifested without time.

It is through the vehicle/medium of Time that in BG 10-30 it asserts that .. God inspires and invokes.

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