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गणितसारसंग्रह
It is a fortunate circumstance about the Ganita-sāra-sangraha that the time when its author Mahāvīrācārya lived may be made out with fair accuracy. In the very first chapter of the work, we have, immediately after the two introductory stanzas of salutation to Jina Mahāvīra, six stanzas describing the greatness of a king, whose name is said to have been Cakrikā-bhañjana, and who appears to have been commonly known by the title of Amõghavarsa Nrpatunga; and in the last of these six stanzas there is a benediction wishing progressive prosperity to the rule of this king. The results of modern Indian epigraphical research show that this king Amõghavarsa Nrpatunga reigned from A. D. 814 or 815 to A. D. 877 or 878.* Since it appears probable that the author of the Ganita-sāra-sangraha was in some way attached to the court of this Rāstrakūta king Amõghavarsa Nrpatunga, we may consider the work to belong to the middle of the ninth century of the Christian era. It is now generally accepted that, among well-known early Indian mathematicians Aryabhata lived in the fifth, Varāhamihira in the sixth, Brahmagupta in the seventh and Bhāskarācārya in the twelfth century of the Christian era ; and chronologically, therefore, Mahāvīrācārya comes between Brabmagupta and Bhāskarācārya. This in itself is a point of historical noteworthiness, and the further fact that the author of the Ganita-sāra-san graha belonged to the Kanarese speaking portion of Souih India in his days and was a Jaina in religion is calculated to give an additional importance to the historical value of his work. Like the other mathematicians mentioned above, Mahāvīrācārya was not primarily an astronomer, although he knew well and has himself remarked about the usefulness of mathematics for the study of astronomy. The study of mathematics seems to have been popular among Jaina scholars; it forms, in fact, one of their four Anuyogas or auxiliary sciences indirectly serviceable for the attainment of the salvation of soul-liberation known as māksa.
A comparison of the Ganita-sāra-sangraha with the corresponding portions in the Brahmasphuta-siddhānta of Brahmagupta is
* Vide Nilgund Inscription of the time of Amoghavarsa I, A. D. 866 ; edited by J. F. Fleet, PH.D., C. I. E., in Epigraphia Indica, Vol. VI, pp. 98--108.
| SR No. | 090174 |
| Book Title | Ganitsara Sangrah |
| Original Sutra Author | Mahaviracharya |
| Author | A N Upadhye, Hiralal Jain, L C Jain |
| Publisher | Jain Sanskriti Samrakshak Sangh |
| Publication Year | 1963 |
| Total Pages | 426 |
| Language | Hindi |
| Classification | Book_Devnagari, Mathematics, & Maths |
| File Size | 35 MB |