Origins & Early Life

Mahāvīra (or Mahaviracharya, "Mahavira the Teacher") was a 9th-century Indian Jain mathematician possibly born in Mysore, in India. He authored Gaṇita-sāra-saṅgraha (Ganita Sara Sangraha) or the Compendium on the gist of Mathematics in 850 CE. He was patronised by the Rashtrakuta emperor Amoghavarsha. He separated astrology from mathematics.

Pivotal Works & Achievements

It is the earliest Indian text entirely devoted to mathematics. He expounded on the same subjects on which Aryabhata and Brahmagupta contended, but he expressed them more clearly. His work is a highly syncopated approach to algebra and the emphasis in much of his text is on developing the techniques necessary to solve algebraic problems. He is highly respected among Indian mathematicians, because of his establishment of terminology for concepts such as equilateral, and isosceles triangle; rhombus; circle and semicircle. Mahāvīra's eminence spread throughout southern India and his books proved inspirational to other mathematicians in Southern India.

Enduring Legacy & Impact

It was translated into the Telugu language by Pavuluri Mallana as Saara Sangraha Ganitamu. He discovered algebraic identities like a3 = a (a + b) (a − b) + b2 (a − b) + b3. He also found out the formula...

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