Both Ramanujan and Shakuntala Devi probably had very rare noetic faculty.
Their minds had intuitive capacity to unravel abstract and abstruse constructs without using Reason… Reasoning was just an aid but not the driver of their mathematical prowess.
Sometimes , they even did not understand how their mind and intellect came up with the mathematical feats they found themselves achieving so involuntarily.
That’s the power of the intuition of noetic minds.
Ramanujan often said that his theorems and equations were intuited in a cognitive flash involuntarily. And he could attribute it only to his “Ishta devata”… the Namagiri Ambal of Namakkal.
I don’t know if Shakuntala Devi was religious minded and similarly experienced also noetic divinations as Ramanujan.
Please read this blogpost
Regards ,
Sudarshan Madabushi
Sent from my iPhone
On 20 Dec 2025, at 7:53 AM, Chittanandam V R <> wrote:
These are massages exchanged in another Group on Srinivas Ramanujan and Shakuntala Devi.
Chittanandam
Shakuntala Devi and Srinivasa Ramanujan are often mentioned together because both were Indian numerical prodigies—but their genius, contributions, and places in mathematics are fundamentally different. Comparing them carefully helps avoid a very common misunderstanding.
Below is a clear, respectful, side-by-side comparison.
1. Nature of genius
Shakuntala Devi
- Genius in mental computation and numerical intuition
- Excelled at speed, accuracy, and pattern recognition
- Mathematics as performance, play, and pedagogy
Srinivasa Ramanujan
- Genius in abstract mathematical creation
- Excelled at discovering deep, original structures
- Mathematics as theory, proof, and discovery
Key difference:
Devi mastered existing mathematics in astonishing ways; Ramanujan created new mathematics.
2. Type of mathematical contribution
AspectShakuntala DeviRamanujanNew theorems❌ No✅ HundredsFormal proofs❌ No⚠️ Rare (but ideas were original)New formulas❌ No✅ YesResearch impact❌ None✅ EnormousEducational impact✅ Very high⚠️ Limited during life
Ramanujan’s formulas are still used today in:
- Number theory
- Modular forms
- Partition theory
- Mathematical physics
Shakuntala Devi’s work impacted:
- Math education
- Public engagement
- Cognitive understanding of calculation
3. Relationship with formal mathematics
Shakuntala Devi
- Largely self-trained
- Did not work within academic mathematics
- Focused on practical arithmetic and puzzles
Ramanujan
- Also largely self-taught
- Worked at the frontiers of pure mathematics
- Collaborated with Hardy at Cambridge
- His notebooks are still being studied a century later
Both lacked formal schooling—but only Ramanujan advanced the discipline itself.
4. Creativity vs. discovery
A useful analogy:
- Shakuntala Devi is like a virtuoso pianist performing existing compositions at superhuman speed and precision.
- Ramanujan is like a composer inventing entirely new musical languages.
Both require genius—but they are different kinds.
5. Public perception vs. mathematical legacy
Shakuntala Devi
- Famous worldwide during her lifetime
- Guinness records
- Inspired millions
- Legacy is cultural and educational
Ramanujan
- Little-known while alive outside academia
- Now regarded as one of the greatest mathematicians in history
- Legacy is foundational and eternal within mathematics
6. How mathematicians view them today
- Shakuntala Devi is admired as:
- A phenomenal mental calculator
- A gifted communicator
- A symbol of intuitive numerical ability
- Ramanujan is revered as:
- A once-in-a-century mathematical mind
- A source of ongoing research
- A creator of ideas far ahead of his time
Mathematicians do not place them in the same category—and that is not a criticism of Devi.
Final takeaway
Shakuntala Devi showed what the human mind can do with numbers.
Ramanujan showed what the human mind can discover about numbers.Both are extraordinary.
They are simply extraordinary in different dimensions.Y.Markandeyalu
**********************************
I am still confused as to whether she was a Mathematician or an Entertainer.She did not derive any theorem that could have made such calculations easier and simpler for thousands of youngsters in India. In short she could not even understand the secret of her talent.To compare her with Ramajunan or other mathematicians , i think, would be sacrilege.Yes,she was blessed with a great memoryDr.Sundaram Sriniasan*******************************
She did mainly 2 books; one about the homosexual because she found her husband to be that later after the marriage and disappointment in life made her write the book. Another about the numbers mystery Joy of numbers which would show how she derived on her own short routes for phase of derivation which she did mention. Even Ramanujan did a one line answer by calculating in mind. Her memory power was sited right as a kid and developed not only in Maths, but applied the maths to astrology which she learnt later. SO ONE CANNOT CALL IT AS A FLUKE OR BY MEMORY ENTERTAINER. ASHATAVADHANI WAS NEVER AN ENTERTAINER. As a matter of fact she taught the methods of derivation by training daughter and she also went well ahead. Vedas do have shulva sutras and how big multiplications or divisions etc can be done by transfer of the digits and in 2 steps deriving the right answer. Ofcourse she when questioned expressed her ignorance about the vedic maths. Hence she is a prodigy. There were too many on earth and 80% of them did not invent anything but applied maths. So sakuntala is not an entertainer like pack of cards magician. World ack her talents.
Rajaram
**********************************
Everyone is differently endowed. In her own way she was remarkable and brilliant. But Ramajunan belongs to the league of Einstein’s. Einsteins happen once in a century.
Y.Markandeyalu
*********************************
Not on the talents of Shakuntala, but her behaviour during a trip she made to Tokyo, where she was our (my family’s) guest. Her purpose during that trip was to promote her power in astrological prediction from the Indian Community in Tokyo. There was good response as she was talented in that art. While she attended thousands of queries on a compensation basis, her temper in general did not go with a lady of her stature. She was shouting at some of the people who had doubts about their astrological predictions. Out of ten, six were disappointed. As a host for her, it was a tough task for me to handle the situation. Just an addition!
Mani, who lived in Tokyo for nearly 40 years.
********************************************************