Ascetic Mother Visuddhamati (Philosopher - Mathematician)

Dr (Mrs) Padmavathamma’s biographical article on Ascetic Mother Visuddhamati traces the life and achievements of a twentieth‑century Jaina nun who combined ascetic devotion with mathematical scholarship. Born Sumitrabai on 12 April 1929 in Rithi, Madhya Pradesh, she lost her parents and became a widow while still a teenager. Supported by her family, she pursued education and became an accomplished mathematician and philosopher. She was deeply influenced by the saint Ganesh Prasad Varni and by Sumitrabai’s own meditation on Āgamas, and eventually took the vows of an ascetic. The article compares Visuddhamati to Līlāvatī, daughter of Bhāskarācārya, emphasising that a modern Jaina woman could equal her in learning. As an ascetic she mastered the Tiloyapaṇṇatti, an ancient Prakrit cosmology text containing about 8 000 verses. After discovering that available manuscripts were incomplete, she sought out ancient palm‑leaf copies from Bhaṭṭāraka Charukeerthi’s library and, with the help of scholars, transliterated and corrected them. For five years she worked at the Digambara Jain temple in Udaipur compiling, editing and translating the text. Her edition of the Tiloyapaṇṇatti, published in three volumes, provides detailed explanations of Jaina cosmology and includes mathematical derivations for arithmetic and geometric series, formulae for the area and circumference of circles and methods for measuring the Jambūdvīpa and other cosmographical structures. The article lists Visuddhamati’s other writings and edited works, showing her wide range of interests in philosophy, ritual and education. Throughout her life she exemplified perseverance, intellectual curiosity and devotion to her faith despite physical frailty and numerous hardships.

Summary reviewed by a volunteer editor.