Meaning and Applications of Nikhilam in Vedic Mathematics The term Nikhilam comes from the Sanskrit phrase “Nikhilam Navataścaramam Daśatah” , which is one of the sixteen principal sutras (aphorisms) of Vedic Mathematics. This system of mathematics was reconstructed and popularized by 143rd Sankaracharya Swami Bharati Krishna Tirthaji in his seminal work Vedic Mathematics. The sutra provides a powerful mental calculation technique, especially useful for fast multiplication, subtraction, and working with numbers close to a base such as 10, 100, 1000, etc. Literal Meaning of Nikhilam : The Sanskrit expression can be broken down as: Nikhilam – “All” Navataḥ – “From 9” Caramam – “The last” Daśatah – “From 10” Thus, the sutra literally means: “All from 9 and the last from 10.” This short phrase encodes a complete mathematical method for finding complements of numbers and performing rapid calculations. Conceptual Meaning : At its core, the Nikhilam method is based on th...