What is the name of the largest number?

A Googol is 1 followed by a 100 zeroes. That is 10^100. Edward Kasner popularized this concept in 1940. It's not the largest number known to mankind. Wikipedia says the Shannon Number (the exhaustive number of possible moves in a chess board) amounts to 10^120. This was computed in 1950. Long before, Kasner or Shannon, Valmiki gave us a clue about numbers not known to mankind. And Hindu wizard mathematicians had names for it. Listed below is a set of terms that should boggle your mind -

10^5: Lakh
10^7: Crore
10^12: Shanku
10^17: Mahashanku
10^22: Vrindam
10^27: Mahavrindam
10^32: Padmam
10^37: Mahapadmam
10^42: Kharvam
10^47: Mahakharvam
10^52: Samudram
10^57: Ogha
10^62: Mahaugha

Georges Ifrah mentions another set of names for large numbers in ancient India...

Koti —10^7
Ayuta —10^9
Niyuta —10^11
Kankara —10^13
Pakoti —10^14
Vivara —10^15
Kshobhya —10^17
Vivaha —10^19
Kotippakoti —10^21
Bahula —10^23
Nagabala —10^25
Nahuta —10^28
Titlambha —10^29
Vyavasthanapajnapati —10^31
Hetuhila —10^33
Ninnahuta —10^35
Hetvindriya —10^37
Samaptalambha —10^39
Gananagati —10^41
Akkhobini —10^42
Niravadya —10^43
Mudrabala —10^45
Sarvabala —10^47
Bindu —10^49
Sarvajna —10^51
Vibhutangama —10^53
Abbuda —10^56
Nirabbuda —10^63
Ahaha —10^70
Ababa —10^77
Atata —10^84
Soganghika —10^91
Uppala —10^98
Kumuda —10^105
Pundarika —10^112
Paduma —10^119
Kathana —10^126
Mahakathana —10^133
Asankheya —10^140
Dhvajagranishamani —10^421

Asankheya is supposed to have figured in Vishnu Sahasranama. It also happens to be the Hindi word for countless. It is larger than the Shannon Number. And Dhvajagranishamani beats Asankheya by a mile. So is that the largest known number? Nopes. The largest number is a never ending story. In the begining, we were told it's Googolplex (10^Googol). Then came Googolplexian (10^10^Googol). Then Googoltriplex (10^10^10^Googol). The mathematicians didn't stop. The tweaking continued. And now we're at Googoldecaplex. That's like 10^10^10^10^10^10^10^10^10^10^Googol. The only larger number I know is Anantha :-)