The ''Lokavibhāga'' is a Jain cosmological text originally composed in

Prakrit The Prakrits (; sa, prākṛta; psu, 𑀧𑀸𑀉𑀤, ; pka, ) are a group of vernacular Middle Indo-Aryan languages that were used in the Indian subcontinent from around the 3rd century BCE to the 8th century CE. The term Prakrit is usu ...

by a

Digambara monk Digambara Sādhu (also ''muni'', ''sādhu'') is a Sādhu in the Digambar tradition of Jainism, and as such an occupant of the highest limb of the four-fold '' sangha''. They are also called ''Nirgranth'' which means "one without any bonds". ...

, Sarvanandi, surviving in a later Sanskrit translation by one Siṃhasūri. It the oldest known Indian source to use zero as number. Surviving manuscripts of the ''Lokavibhāga'' are listed in v.26 of the ''New Catalogus Catalogorum''. Parts of the Bakhshali Manuscript on arithmetic, which does use a physically written symbol for zero, have been carbon-dated, but the results of this dating are puzzling and are still being debated. The printed edition of the ''Lokavibhāga'' states that the original Prakrit work was composed by Sarvanandin at Patalika in the Banarastra on a certain day the astronomical details of which are given. These correspond to 458 CE. The surviving text is a Sanskrit translation of Sarvanandin's work by one Simhasūri, made "some considerable time" after that date of Sarvanandin.

References

Jain texts Agamas Ancient Indian literature 5th-century books 458 Indian mathematics 5th century in India {{India-stub