Srauta Sutras are appendages to the Vedic Brahmana texts that concern with the proper conduct of rituals in the Sruti Texts. Of particular interest to mathematics is the ’Baudhayana Sulbha Sutras’. The text is concerned with the construction and geometry of ’Vedis’ or vedic fire altars. The sacred nature of the ’Yagnas’ and their centrality to the ’Vedic Dharma’ required precise measurements and dimensions in construction of fire altars. In this background, the Sulbha Sutras contain various gems of geometry, algebra and architecture and are noted to be among the first mentions of the famed Pythagorus Theorum. The Sutras are considered to have been composed latest by 800 BC although scholars have speculated that many parts have been in existence since much before.
Here is the slide deck of a short lecture on the topic of mathematical approximations in the Sulba Sutras where we will predominantly deal with the idea of square roots in the texts. The lecture may be found here:
The Slide Deck:
