The Lilavati of Bhaskaracarya (born A.D. 1114), which presents the fundamentals of Arithmetic and Geometry in about 270 well-knit verses, easily holds the prime place among the large number of compendiums of Hindu mathematics available to us. Among the factors that have contributed to its all-India popularity might be mentioned the twin purposes it serves, víz., providing the several mathematical operations required for the study and practice of astronomy (graha-ganita) and also those useful for domestic calcu-lations (grha-ganita) like the means of calculating the measure of grain (rasi-vyavahara), bricks for walls (citi-vyavahara), pits and excavations (khata-vyavahara), sawn timber (krakaca-vyavahara), etc. An idea of its wide popularity can be had from its having over a hundred commentaries and expositions in Sanskrit and the other Indian languages. The commentary Kriyakramakari, edited here critically, being a joint production of two mathematicians of Kerala, Sankara and Narayana, is, perhaps, the most extensive exposition of the Lilavati. The special value of this exposition, which extends over nearly 500 pages of close print in small type, lies in the analytic rationale it supplies on the numerous mathematical formulae enunciated in the Lilavati.
The present edition which is based on all the four known manuscripts of the work is the result of strenuous labour for a little over two years, during which period I devoted all my spare time to it. Acharya Dr. Vishva Bandhu, the late Director of our Institute, was instrumental in procuring one of the manuscripts used for this edition, and was greatly interested in the work being issued through the Institute. The press-copy, when ready, was subsequently submitted to the Institute for its being considered for publication, along with the press-copy of another work on astronomy, the Sphutanirnaya-Tantra of Acyuta. The Institute ultimately accepted the shorter Sphutanirnaya for publication, but could not accommo-date the larger Lilavati on account of the limited finances then available.
The Kriyakramakari edited here critically, for the first time, from original manuscripts, is an extensive exposition of the Lilavati, the classic text of Hindu mathematics, composed by Bhaskaracarya who was born in A. D. 1114 and hailed from Bijapur in the Deccan. Of the several treatises on mathematics and geometry produced in India from the time of the late Vedic period. when the Sulbasutras came to the composed, to recent times, till when mathematical texts continued to be composed in Sanskrit, the Lilavari has been the most popular basic text on the subject. Its compact enunciation, in about 270 readable verses, of all the main aspects of the discipline has been one of the main reasons for its popularity. On basic Arithmetic, it deals with Addition, Subtraction, Multiplication, Division, Squaring, Cubing, Square-root and Cube-root, both for full numbers and for fractions. On advanced Arithmetic it deals with the Zero, the Rule of three, Special problems involving squares of numbers, Permutations and combinations and the Pulveriser (Kuttaka). The sections on Geometry relate to the Triangle, Quadrilateral, Cyclic figures, Circle, Sphere, R Sines, etc. And, in the matter of calculations needed for domestic and social life, it contains sections on measuring grain, bricks and walls, pits and excavations, sawing of timber, barter of commodities, purity of gold in alloys, etc. The objective of all-round utility has tended to make the work useful to all, both the laymen and the students of Jyotisa. The wide prevalence of Lilavati all over India can be gauged from the very large number of its manuscripts, in different scripts, found all over the land and from the wealth of commentaries written on it in Sanskrit and other Indian languages.
Astrology (115)
Ayurveda (106)
Gita (76)
Hinduism (1356)
History (143)
Language & Literature (1743)
Learn Sanskrit (26)
Mahabharata (29)
Performing Art (69)
Philosophy (453)
Puranas (117)
Ramayana (49)
Sanskrit Grammar (256)
Sanskrit Text Book (32)
Send as free online greeting card
Email a Friend
Manage Wishlist