The Bhūtasaṃkhyā system is a method of recording numbers in Sanskrit using common nouns having connotations of numerical values.
In the more expansive examples of application, concepts, ideas and objects from all parts of the Sanskrit lexicon were harvested to generate number-connoting words, resulting in a kind of kenning system for numbers.
This formation of large numbers was accomplished by incorporating the decimal place value system into the scheme, where digits are named in ascending order.
[6] The earliest evidence of this system is found in Yavanajataka, a versification of a Greek astronomical text dated to the early centuries CE.
[7] Limited use of Bhutasamkhya is seen in some Puranas, for example Bhagavata Mahatmya of Padma Purana (6.66) uses the word 'nagaaha to refer to "seven days",[8] i.e. naga "mountain" is used as a synonym of "seven" (because of the "seven principal mountains" or kula-giri), a usage already found in medieval recensions of the Surya Siddhanta.