Sanskrit Numbers And The Counting System

Editor's note:
The article is intended to cover everyone whether a beginner or an enthusiast. If you want to read those counting words {if any of these sound familiar: One एकम् (ekam), Two द्वे (dve), Three त्रीणि (treeni), Four चत्वारि (chatvaari), Five पञ्च (pancha), Six षट् (shat), Seven सप्त (sapta), Eight अष्ट (ashta), Nine नव (nava), Ten दश (dasha)}, please skip the first section.

Enjoy!

To teach the Sanskrit number system, it would be helpful to draw inspiration from the big sister who sang ‘ek chidiya’ on Doordarshan years ago, back in the 70s. Of course, we want to learn more than just ‘ek’ and ‘anek’ here.  So let me bring the sister and her little brother back to life and see where it goes.

Table of content:

A little back story build-up for the Sanskrit number system to do it’s magic on you.

In an idyllic Indian village lived a young girl. One day, she was sitting under the tree and singing एकखग: (one bird) अनेकखगा: (many birds) एकचिक्रोड: (one squirrel) अनेकचिक्रोडा: (many squirrels).

Sanskrit numbers and counting system through story, ek anek
Sanskrit numbers and counting system through story, ek anek

…. when her little brother who was playing nearby came running to her and said, “what is this एक and अनेक? “Affectionately, stroking her brother’s hair, she said, “एक means one and अनेक means not one”. Of course, it’s to be understood that the little boy knows some basic counting in English. 

Unlike the boy of the 70’s, this fella had a follow up question and thus begins the…

Sanskrit numbers

He asked, “But ‘not one’ can mean anything. Can you teach me 2,3,4 etc.?“ She rolled her eyes and thought to herself,’ how on earth do I explain that the first four numbers change as per the gender of the word it qualifies to this little fella? ‘ 

So, she took a stick and drew on the ground. 

Sanskrit numbers and counting system ekah, dwau
ekah, dwau

She stopped drawing and asked the boy, “what do you see?”. Thus the big question was answered…

Do Sanskrit numbers have genders?

The boy looked at the pictures and said,” I can see how the numbers are said differently in पुल्लिङ्ग (masculine), स्त्रीलिङ्ग (feminine) and नपुंसकलिङ्ग (neuter) forms but why have you stopped at 4?

She goes onto explain that after the number 4, the Sanskrit numbers are not differentiated as per gender.

Which is such a relief!!  While she is teaching her little brother, I thought that I could list them down for you. Of course, for the sake of ease of counting, the neuter forms of the first four numbers have been listed in the tables below.

Check this post to know fruits name in Sanskrit.

Here goes the list of numbers from 1 to 100…

Sanskrit Number Counting from 1 to 10

1एकम्ekam
2द्वेDwe
3त्रीणिTrini
4चत्वारिChatwari
5पञ्चPancha
6षट्Shat
7सप्तSapta
8अष्ट/ अष्टौashta/ashtau
9नवnava
10१०दशdasha
Sanskrit numbers from 1 – 10

Sanskrit Number Counting from 11 to 20

11११एकादशekaadasha
12१२द्वादशdhwaadasha
13१३त्रयोदशtrayodasha
14१४चतुर्दशchaturdasha
15१५पञ्चदशpanchadasha
16१६षोडशshodasha
17१७सप्तदशsaptadasha
18१७अष्टादशashtadasa
19१९नवदश/ एकोनविंशतिःnavadasha/ekonavinshatih
20२०विंशतिःvinshatih
Sanskrit numbers from 11 – 20

Sanskrit Number Counting from 21 to 30

21२१एकविंशतिःekavinshatih
22२२द्वाविंशतिःdwaavinshatih
23२३त्रयोविंशतिःtrayovinshatih
24२४चतुर्विंशतिःchaturvinshatih
25२५पञ्चविंशतिःpanchavinshatih
26२६षड्विंशतिःshadvinshatih
27२७सप्तविंशतिःsaptavinshatih
28२८अष्टाविंशतिःashtaavinshatih
29२९नवविंशतिः/ एकोनत्रिंशत्navavinshatih/ekontrinshat
30३०त्रिंशत्trinshat
Sanskrit numbers from 21 – 30

Sanskrit Number Counting from 31 to 40

31३१एकत्रिंशत्ekatrinshat
32३२द्वात्रिंशत्dwaatrinshat
33३३त्रयस्त्रिंशत्trayastrinshat
34३४चतुस्त्रिंशत्chatustrinshat
35३५पञ्चत्रिंशत्panchatrinshat
36३६षट्त्रिंशत्shattrinshat
37३७सप्तत्रिंशत्saptatrinshat
38३८अष्टात्रिंशत्ashtaatrinshat
39३९नवत्रिंशत्/ एकोनचत्वारिंशत्navatrinshat/ekonchatvaarinshat
40४०चत्वारिंशत्chatvaarinshat
Sanskrit numbers from 31 – 40

Check this post to know about Sanskrit Alphabets.

Sanskrit Number Counting from 41 to 50

41४१एकचत्वारिंशत्ekachatvaarinshat
42४२द्विचत्वारिंशत्dwichatvaarinshat
43४३त्रिचत्वारिंशत्trichatvaarinshat
44४४चतुश्चत्वारिंशत्chatushchatvaarinshat
45४५पञ्चचत्वारिंशत्panchachatvaarinshat
46४६षट्चत्वारिंशत्shatchatvaarinshat
47४७सप्तचत्वारिंशत्saptachatvaarinshat
48४८अष्टचत्वारिंशत्ashtachatvaarinshat
49४९नवचत्वारिंशत्/ एकोनपञ्चाशत्navachatvaarinshat/ekonpanchaashat
50५०पञ्चाशत्panchaashat
Sanskrit numbers from 41 – 50

Sanskrit Number Counting from 51 to 100

51५१एकपञ्चाशत्ekpanchaashat
52५२द्विपञ्चाशत्dwipanchaashat
53५३त्रिपञ्चाशत्tripanchaashat
54५४चतुष्पञ्चाशत्chatushpanchaashat
55५५पञ्चपञ्चाशत्panchapanchaashat
56५६षट्पञ्चाशत्shatpanchaashat
57५७सप्तपञ्चाशत्saptapanchaashat
58५८अष्टपञ्चाशत्ashtapanchaashat
59५९नवपञ्चाशत्/ एकोनषष्टिःnavapanchaashat/ekonshashtih
60६०षष्टिःshashtih
61६१एकषष्टिःekshashtih
62६२द्विषष्टिःdwishashtih
63६३त्रिषष्टिःtrishashtih
64६४चतुःषष्टिःchatuhshashtih
65६५पञ्चषष्टिःpanchashashtih
66६६षट्षष्टिःshatshashtih
67६७सप्तषष्टिःsaptshashtih
68६८अष्टषष्टिःashtashashtih
69६९नवषष्टिः/ एकोनसप्ततिःnavashashtih/ekonsaptatih
70७०सप्ततिःsaptatih
71७१एकसप्ततिःekasaptatih
72७२द्विसप्ततिःdwisaptatih
73७३त्रिसप्ततिःtrisaptatih
74७४चतुस्सप्ततिःchatussaptatih
75७५पञ्चसप्ततिःpanchasaptatih
76७६षट्सप्ततिःshatsaptatih
77७७सप्तसप्ततिःsaptasaptatih
78७८अष्टसप्ततिःashtasaptatih
79७९नवसप्ततिः/ एकोनाशीतिःnavasaptatih/ekonaashitih
80८०अशीतिःashitih
81८१एकाशीतिःekaashitih
82८२द्वयशीतिःdwaishitih
83८३त्र्यशीतिःtraishitih
84८४चतुरशीतिःchaturshitih
85८५पञ्चाशीतिःpanchaashitih
86८६षडशीतिःshadshitih
87८७सप्ताशीतिःsaptaashitih
88८८अष्टाशीतिःashtaashitih
89८९नवाशीतिः/एकोननवतिःnavaashitih/ekonanavatih
90९०नवतिःnavatih
91९१एकनवतिःekanavatih
92९२द्विनवतिःdwinavatih
93९३त्रिनवतिःtrinavatih
94९४चतुर्नवतिःchaturnavatih
95९५पञ्चनवतिःpanchanavatih
96९६षण्णवतिःshannavatih
97९७सप्तनवतिःsaptanavatih
98९८अष्टनवतिःashtanavatih
99९९नवनवतिः/ एकोनशतम्navanavatih/ekonshatam
100१००शतम्shatam
Sanskrit numbers from 51 – 100

0So, while she goes on to tell him the story of how the clever birds with their strength of unity defeated the hunter’s plan to capture them, I thought that I could give you some additional information.

Interesting information about Sanskrit number system

  • The number zero is called शून्यम्. The root form is शून्य.
  • The numbers 19,29,39, etc have some additional name forms. E.g., 19 is also known as ऊनविंशतिः or एकान्नविंशतिः where ऊन means minus one. Similarly, ऊनत्रिंशत् or एकान्नत्रिंशत् for 29 and so on.
  • The root forms of numbers or प्रातिपदिकम् from 1 to 10 are as follows
एकषष्
द्विसप्तन्
त्रिअष्टन्
चतुर्नवन्
पञ्चन्१०दशन्
  • From 11 till 19 it will be एकादशन् and so on.
  • Observe the pattern and extrapolate the root forms for the rest of the numbers.
११एकादशन्६१एकषष्टि
२१एकविंशति७१एकसप्तति
३१एकत्रिंशत्८१एकाशीति
४१एकचत्वारिंशत्९१एकनवति
५१एकपञ्चाशत्१००शत

Now that we have sufficient knowledge of numbers to keep us going, we can ponder over the final message the girl gives her brother. Of course, I am translating it into Sanskrit –

पुष्पाणि अनेकानि किन्तु माला एका भवति।

You make one beautiful garland with so many individual flowers, don’t you?

The Universe is a mathematical garland.

-End-


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