ABSTRACT
The commentator mentions the fraction “one-half” because this is the first fraction given in the next sample problem by the GT; although the translation may seem clumsy, it reflects the commentator’s reasoning: fractions are parts of a whole, which is the unity, one. The translation reflects the terseness of the passage. The translation is “then the procedure starts again with the new drsya which is this ten, since the fraction which was in the middle has been erased because calculated.” The commentary expands upon paksa by explaining that it refers to each vertical row of digits according to their power of ten. The commentary implies that in the decimal number system, the value of a digit depends on its place. In brief, the commentary mixes up two methods of denoting numbers: one is the numerical method and one is the positional method.
