On the diversity of reasonings in mathematical texts in Sanskrit: Some reflections on yukti across sources.

The several decades old historical turn in Indology has put an emphasis on actors’ categories. This chapter first argues that in studies on emic ideas of «scholarly knowledge» and of “mathematical demonstration” historians have created confusion by giving Sanskrit names to concepts that are a mix of actors’ and observors’ categories. Second, this chapter studies the variety of reasonings that the particular term ‘yukti’ could cover. Together with a philological reflection on the meaning of words related to mathematical proof in commentarial literature, this chapter analyzes the assumptions behind the idea that there might have existed a specific notion of reasoning that would have existed across all Sanskrit sources. It calls rather for a micro-history of ideas of proof in Sanskrit mathematical literature author by author.