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ARYABHATT
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dfghjklzxcvbnmqwertyuiopasdfghjklzx
A
cvbnmqwertyuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnmq
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pasdfghjklzxcvbnmqwertyuiopasdfghj
The Great
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mqwertyuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnmqwerty
Astronomer
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ghjklzxcvbnmqwertyuiopasdfghjklzxc
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2
Born 476 CE
Kusumapura (Patliputra) (present day Patna)
Died 550 CE
Residence India
Academic Background
Influences Surya Siddhanta
Academic Work
Era Gupta era
Main Interest Mathematics, Astronomy

Noble Works Aryabhatiya, Arya-sidhanta

Noble Ideas Explanation of lunar eclipse and solar eclipse, rotation of
Earth on its axis, reflection of light by moon, sinusoidal
functions, solution of single variable quadratic equation,
value of 𝜋 correct to decimal places, diameter of Earth,
Calcucation of the length of sidereal year.
Influenced Laila, Bhaskra-I, Bramhagupta, Varahmihira

3
 INDEX

CHAPTER CONTENT
NUMBER
1 Introduction of Aryabhatta
1.1 Biography
1.2 Time of Birth and Place
1.3 Other hypothesis
1.4 Education
1.5 Work
1.6 Last days of Aryabhata
2 Aryabhatia
2.1 Aryabhatia
2.2 Gitikapada
2.3 Ganitapada
2.4 Kalakriyapada
2.5 Golapada
3 Mathematics
3.1 Invention of Zero
3.1.1 Who discovered zero(0)?
3.1.2 History of zero
3.1.3 India: Where zero become a number
3.1.4 History of zero in India
3.2 Place value system
3.3 Contribution in the approximation of Pi
3.3.1 How was the value of pi derived by
Aryabhatta?
3.3.2 Aryabhatta and discovery of pi
3.4 Trigonometry
3.4 Interminate Equations
3.5 Algebra
3.6 Mathematical achievements of Aryabhatta
4 Astronomy
4.1 Motion of Solar System
4.2 Eclipses
4.3 Sidereal Periods
4.4 Heliocentrism

4
5 Legacy
5.1 Some of the works of Aryabhatta include
5.2 Facts about Aryabhatta

5
Who is Aryabhatta? What is he known for?

Aryabhatta was the first of the major mathematician-astronomers from the

classical age of Indian mathematics and Indian astronomy.

He is the author of several treatises on mathematics and astronomy, some of

which are lost. His main works are Aryabhatiya and Arya-siddhanta.

Aryabhatiya was particularly popular in South India, where numerous

mathematicians over the ensuing millennium wrote commentaries. The work was
written in verse couplets and deals with mathematics and astronomy. Arya-
siddhanta circulated mainly in the northwest of India and, through Iran, had a
profound influence on the development of Islamic astronomy.It is one of the
earliest astronomical works to assign the start of each day to midnight.

6
7
1.1 Biography

While there is a tendency to misspell his name as "Aryabhatta" by analogy

with other names having the "bhatta" suffix, his name is properly spelled
Aryabhata: every astronomical text spells his name thus, including Brahmagupta's
references to him "in more than a hundred places by name". Furthermore, in most
instances "Aryabhatta" would not fit the meter either.

1.2 Time and place of birth

Aryabhata mentions in the Aryabhatiya that it was composed 3,600 years

into the Kali Yuga, when he was 23 years old. This corresponds to 499 CE, and
implies that he was born in 476. Aryabhata called himself a native of Kusumapura
or Pataliputra (present day Patna, Bihar).

1.3 Other hypothesis

Bhaskara I describes Aryabhata as asmakiya, "one belonging to the Asmaka

country." During the Buddha's time, a branch of the Asmaka people settled in the
region between the Narmada and Godavari rivers in central India.

8
 It has been claimed that the asmaka (Sanskrit for "stone") where Aryabhata
originated may be the present day Kodungallur which was the historical capital
city of Thiruvanchikkulam of ancient Kerala. This is based on the belief that
Kotunnallur was earlier known as Koṭum-Kal-l-ūr ("city of hard stones"); however,
old records show that the city was actually Koṭum-kol-ūr ("city of strict
governance"). Similarly, the fact that several commentaries on the Aryabhatiya
have come from Kerala has been used to suggest that it was Aryabhata's main
place of life and activity; however, many commentaries have come from outside
Kerala, and the Aryasiddhanta was completely unknown in Kerala. K. Chandra
Hari has argued for the Kerala hypothesis on the basis of astronomical evidence.

Aryabhata mentions "Lanka" on several occasions in the Aryabhatiya, but

his "Lanka" is an abstraction, standing for a point on the equator at the same
longitude as his Ujjayini.

1.4 Education

It is fairly certain that, at some point, he went to Kusumapura for advanced

studies and lived there for some time. Both Hindu and Buddhist tradition, as well
as Bhāskara I (CE 629), identify Kusumapura as Pāṭaliputra, modern Patna.A verse
mentions that Aryabhata was the head of an institution (kulapa) at Kusumapura,
and, because the university of Nalanda was in Pataliputra at the time and had an
astronomical observatory, it is

9
speculated that Aryabhata might have been the head of the Nalanda university as
well. Aryabhata is also reputed to have set up an observatory at the Sun temple in
Taregana, Bihar.

1.5 Works

Aryabhata is the author of several treatises on mathematics and astronomy,

some of which are lost. His major work, Aryabhatiya, a compendium of
mathematics and astronomy, was extensively referred to in the Indian
mathematical literature and has survived to modern times. The mathematical part
of the Aryabhatiya covers arithmetic, algebra, plane trigonometry, and spherical
trigonometry. It also contains continued fractions, quadratic equations, sums-of-
power series, and a table of sines.

The Arya-siddhanta, a lost work on astronomical computations, is known

through the writings of Aryabhata's contemporary, Varahamihira, and later
mathematicians and commentators, including Brahmagupta and Bhaskara I. This
work appears to be based on the older Surya Siddhanta and uses the midnight-day
reckoning, as opposed to sunrise in Aryabhatiya. It also contained a description of
several astronomical instruments: the gnomon (shanku-yantra), a shadow
instrument (chhAyA-yantra), possibly angle-measuring devices, semicircular and
circular (dhanur-yantra / chakra-yantra), a cylindrical stick yasti-yantra, an
umbrella-shaped device called the chhatra-yantra, and water clocks of at least two
types, bow-shaped and cylindrical.

A third text, which may have survived in the Arabic translation, is Al ntf or
Al-nanf. It claims that it is a translation by Aryabhata, but the Sanskrit name of this
work is not known. Probably dating from the 9th century, it is mentioned by the
Persian scholar and chronicler of India, Abū Rayhān al-Bīrūnī.

10
1.6 Last Days of Aryabhata

Aryabhata is believed to have died around 550 A.D. He has left an amazing
legacy to be sure. A great many modern mathematicians and astronomers look
towards his early work for inspiration.

11
12
2.1 Aryabhatiya

Direct details of Aryabhata's work are known only from the Aryabhatiya. The
name "Aryabhatiya" is due to later commentators. Aryabhata himself may not have
given it a name. His disciple Bhaskara I calls it Ashmakatantra (or the treatise from
the Ashmaka). It is also occasionally referred to as Arya-shatas-aShTa (literally,
Aryabhata's 108), because there are 108 verses in the text. It is written in the very
terse style typical of sutra literature, in which each line is an aid to memory for a
complex system. Thus, the explication of meaning is due to commentators. The
text consists of the 108 verses and 13 introductory verses, and is divided into four
pādas or chapters:

13
2.2 Gitikapada

Large units of time—kalpa, manvantra, and yuga—which present a cosmology

different from earlier texts such as Lagadha's Vedanga Jyotisha (c. 1st century
BCE). There is also a table of sines (jya), given in a single verse. The duration of
the planetary revolutions during a mahayuga is given as 4.32 million years.

2.3 Ganitapada

Covering mensuration (kṣetra vyāvahāra), arithmetic and geometric

progressions, gnomon / shadows (shanku-chhAyA), simple, quadratic,
simultaneous, and indeterminate equations (kuṭṭaka).

2.4 Kalakriyapada

Different units of time and a method for determining the positions of planets
for a given day, calculations concerning the intercalary month (adhikamAsa),
kShaya-tithis, and a seven-day week with names for the days of week.

14
2.5 Golapada

Geometric/trigonometric aspects of the celestial sphere, features of the

ecliptic, celestial equator, node, shape of the earth, cause of day and night, rising of
zodiacal signs on horizon, etc. In addition, some versions cite a few colophons
added at the end, extolling the virtues of the work, etc.

The Aryabhatiya presented a number of innovations in mathematics and

astronomy in verse form, which were influential for many centuries. The extreme
brevity of the text was elaborated in commentaries by his disciple Bhaskara I
(Bhashya, c. 600 CE) and by Nilakantha Somayaji in his Aryabhatiya Bhasya,
(1465 CE).

15
16
3.1 Invention of ZERO

Before the inception of zero by Aryabhatta, what was the counting system in
India?

You might be aware of Roman numerals, system of counting.

Roman numerals used some letters to mean a number, like I for 1, V for 5, X for
10, L for 50, C for 100, D for 500, M for 1000.

I will give some examples on these.

27 - XXVII

Here the portion XX means 10+10 = 20,

The portion VII men's 5 + 1+ 1 = 7

Adding them we get 27

499- CDXCIX

Here the first portion - CD means 500- 100 = 400,

17
The portion XC means 100-10 =90

The portion IX means 10- 1 =9

Adding them, we get 499.

But they are too tedious to process, and write for larger numbers.

Tally system which counts number as base of 5 or 8 or others (depends on the

place of use). When the number crosses the base,a crossing was done to denote it. I
will add some images illustrating these.

Even decimal number system was followed, without the number zero. An example
would be - 10 = 1111111111 (with ten 1s)

Invention of zero solved 2 problems.

1. Defining nothingness - I have no pens. Or I have Zero pens.

2. Creation of place values - I have ten pens. Instead of writing in the above way,
we can now write as 10, the one having a place value of ten. Similar for 100, 1001
etc.

This popularized the decimal number system and made a radical change in the
history of number system.

3.1.1 Who discovered zero (0)?

Basically zero came in origin in 5th century A. D. and the concept related to
zero became broad and vase with time

The discovery of zero is varied and is large enough to be described.

The concept of zero was fully developed in the fifth century A.D. Before
then, mathematicians struggled to perform the simplest arithmetic calculations.

Today, zero — both as a symbol (or numeral) and a concept meaning the
absence of any quantity — allows us to perform calculus, do complicated
equations, and to have invented computers.

18
3.1.2 History of zero

Zero was invented independently by the Babylonians, Mayans and Indians

(although some researchers say the Indian number system was influenced by the
Babylonians). The Babylonians got their number system from the Sumerians, the
first people in the world to develop a counting system.

Six hundred years later and 12,000 miles from Babylon, the Mayans
developed zero as a placeholder around A.D. 350 and used it to denote a
placeholder in their elaborate calendar systems. Despite being highly skilled
mathematicians, the Mayans never used zero in equations, however. Kaplan
describes the Mayan invention of zero as the “most striking example of the zero
being devised wholly from scratch.”

3.1.3 India: Where zero became a number

India was the first country to accept zero in their number system.

Some scholars assert that the Babylonian concept wove its way down to
India, but others give the Indians credit for developing zero independently.

The concept of zero first appeared in India around A.D. 458. Mathematical
equations were spelled out or spoken in poetry or chants rather than symbols.
Different words symbolized zero, or nothing, such as "void," "sky" or "space." In
628, a Hindu astronomer and mathematician named Brahmagupta developed a
symbol for zero — a dot underneath numbers. He also developed mathematical
operations using zero, wrote rules for reaching zero through addition and
subtraction, and the results of using zero in equations. This was the first time in the
world that zero was recognized as a number of its own, as both an idea and a
symbol.

19
3.1.4 History of zero in India

The credit for the invention of zero goes to Indian mathematicians and the
number zero first appears in a book about ‘arithmetic’ written by an Indian
mathematician‘Brahamagupta’. Zero signifies ‘nothing’ and the current definition
calls it an ‘additive identity’.

Mathematically; x + 0 = x, i.e. 0 is a number which, when added to a number

yields the same number.

When we go deeper, it becomes clearer that the things are much more complex. It
wasn’t that somebody suddenly came up with the idea of the zero and the
mathematicians throughout the world accepted it. Around 500 AD, Aryabhata, an
Indian mathematician, devised a numbers system and the symbol he used for the
number zero was also the number used to represent an unknown element (x). This
system was confusing but the improvements continued and by 876 AD, the concept
of zero was mostly understood and the symbol for it was ascertained.

The Indian mathematicians Bhaskara, Mahavira and Brahamagupta worked

on this new number and they tried to explain its properties. Some were true and
some were not. For example, Bhaskara correctly that stated

0²=0 &

0½= 0

But he was wrong to have supposed that n/0 = Infinity. If n/0 = Infinity were to be
true there would arise results which don’t make sense. One of them was 1 = 2 = 3

…….

20
The reason of this was that the Indian mathematicians could not conclude that no

number could be divided by zero.

In short the invention of zero was not a result of a single person

Invention of zero was a carried out by various theories

But as the contributions of Indian mathematicians aryabhata was the most

significant in the discovery of zero number, he is often described as the inventor of
zero

21
Zero can be traced back to the Arabic symbols that inspired the numerical

characters that we use today, and they probably had their origins in Sanskrit.

As you can see, with Zero, there’s No Angel on the Balcony.

Both the Greeks and the Romans used letters from their respective Alphabets
to represent numerical values. The Romans weren’t big on numbers, so Zero
wasn’t of any value and than the equivalent Latin term for not one. They also had
no need of negative numbers.

The Greeks developed much of the core mathematics that we use today, and
quickly adopted these symbols upon their introduction instead of their equivalent
to the messy Roman numeral system.

There is evidence of Greeks doing Base(12) Calculus, and I reasonably

believe that there are two symbols above 9 that are single-digit representations of
10 and 11. These would have been discarded by the Romans because they
considered ten fingers to be enough but, if students today were taught to work in
Decimal, Duodecimal (Base 12), and Hexadecimal (Base 16 as used in

22
computing), it could open the doors for even more mathematical breakthroughs or
rediscoveries of lost material.

Indeed, as we move into a more and more digital world, the Decimal system
is rapidly proving to be a problem. 0.1 converted from Decimal to Binary results in
an endlessly repeating sequence in the mantissa.

3.2 The Place Value System

The place-value system, first seen in the 3rd-century Bakhshali Manuscript, was
clearly in place in his work. While he did not use a symbol for zero, the French
mathematician Georges Ifrah argues that knowledge of zero was implicit in
Aryabhata's place-value system as a place holder for the powers of ten with null
coefficients.

However, Aryabhata did not use the Brahmi numerals. Continuing the
Sanskritic tradition from Vedic times, he used letters of the alphabet to denote
numbers, expressing quantities, such as the table of sines in a mnemonic form.

23
3.3 Contribution in the approximation of pi

3.3.1 How was the value of π derived by Aryabhatta?

Ancient India’s most famous mathematician and astronomer Aryabhata is

widely recognized for contributing the concept of zero to the world. As we know
zero has formed the basis for the evolution of modern mathematics.
A lesser known fact perhaps is his work on the discovery of the important
mathematical constant pi (π). Pi has applications in mathematical calculations and
various aspects of science and engineering.
Ancient India in Vedic Times
The Vedic period was a particularly golden period in Indian history, flush with
discoveries and inventions in various areas of science, mathematics, arts and
culture. Unfortunately, these discoveries (including Aryabhata’s discovery of pi)
were buried in the sands of time. And when the western world discovered these
concepts, they were hailed as breakthroughs, with no one suspecting that the
knowledge was already present in India ages ago.

3.3.2 Aryabhata and the Discovery of Pi

Born circa 476AD, Aryabhata was present during the Vedic period of
India’s history. A highly intelligent individual, he was a Sanskrit scholar with deep
interest in astronomy and mathematics. His seminal work ‘Aryabhatiya’ is a
compendium of mathematics and astronomy, which has survived till modern times.
Studying the ‘Aryabhatiya’ shows beyond doubt that Aryabhata had indeed
discovered and worked on concept of pi long before the Western world was even
aware of its existence.
References to Pi in Aryabhatiya
The Aryabhatiya, written in Sanskrit consists of 108 verses divided into 4 padas or
chapters. The second pada called the Ganitapada (Ganita = mathematics) bears a
reference to the concept (and approximate value) of pi. In Ganitapada 10,
Aryabhata says
“caturadhikam śatamaṣṭaguṇam dvāṣaṣṭistathā sahasrāṇām
ayutadvayaviṣkambhasyāsanno vṛttapariṇāhaḥ”

24
(Please note the format of this verse. It is extremely similar to the Vedic
Mathematics sutras popularized by Shri. Bharati Tirtha Maharaj and refers to a
form of writing in the Vedic times that was intended to be easy to memorize and
thus recall).
Translated into English, this verse means: “Add four to 100, multiply by eight, and
then add 62,000. By this rule the circumference of a circle with a diameter of
20,000 can be approached.

In other words, what Aryabhata said was that circumference of a circle with
a diameter of 20000 is (4+100) x8 +62000= 62832. And we know that the value of
pi is the ratio of the circumference to the diameter, so in this case 62832/20000,
which is incredibly 3.1416. This is the value of pi accurate to five figures.

So we can definitely infer the following from the above verse and
subsequent calculations

a. Aryabhata knew that he was talking about a mathematical constant,

because he uses the term rule, indicating the value remains the same,
even when the numbers change. And we know the ratio of the
circumference of any circle (whatever its size) to its diameter is
always the same – pi.
b. He uses the term ‘approached’, indicating that the value is not
exact, but rather an approximation. This could well have been very
first reference to the irrational nature of pi. Modern world in fact
discovered that pi was irrational when proved so by Lambert in
Europe as late as 1761.
There is no explanation in the Aryabhatiya as to how Aryabhata
arrived at these values. Perhaps, he found it so obvious that he did not
feel the need to explain.
That we shall never know, but the fact remains that Aryabhata had
indeed discovered pi.

25
3.3.3 Aryabhata and the Discovery of Pi

Ancient India’s most famous mathematician and astronomer Aryabhata is

widely recognized for contributing the concept of zero to the world. As we know
zero has formed the basis for the evolution of modern mathematics.
A lesser known fact perhaps is his work on the discovery of the important
mathematical constant pi (π). Pi has applications in mathematical calculations and
various aspects of science and engineering.
Ancient India in Vedic Times
The Vedic period was a particularly golden period in Indian history, flush with
discoveries and inventions in various areas of science, mathematics, arts and
culture. Unfortunately, these discoveries (including Aryabhata’s discovery of pi)
were buried in the sands of time. And when the western world discovered these
concepts, they were hailed as breakthroughs, with no one suspecting that the
knowledge was already present in India ages
ago.

3.3.4 Aryabhata and the Discovery of Pi

Born circa 476AD, Aryabhata was

present during the Vedic period of India’s
history. A highly intelligent individual, he was
a Sanskrit scholar with deep interest in
astronomy and mathematics. His seminal work
‘Aryabhatiya’ is a compendium of mathematics
and astronomy, which has survived till modern times. Studying the ‘Aryabhatiya’
shows beyond doubt that Aryabhata had indeed discovered and worked on concept
of pi long before the Western world was even aware of its existence.
References to Pi in Aryabhatiya
The Aryabhatiya, written in Sanskrit consists of 108 verses divided into 4 padas or
chapters. The second pada called the Ganitapada (Ganita = mathematics) bears a
reference to the concept (and approximate value) of pi. In Ganitapada 10,
Aryabhata says “caturadhikam śatamaṣṭaguṇam dvāṣaṣṭistathā sahasrāṇām
ayutadvayaviṣkambhasyāsanno vṛttapariṇāhaḥ”
(Please note the format of this verse. It is extremely similar to the Vedic
Mathematics sutras popularized by Shri. Bharati Tirtha Maharaj and refers to a
form of writing in the Vedic times that was intended to be easy to memorize and
thusrecall).

26
 Translated into English, this verse means: “Add four to 100, multiply by
eight, and then add 62,000. By this rule the circumference of a circle with a
diameter of 20,000 can be approached.
In other words, what Aryabhata said was that circumference of a circle with a
diameter of 20000 is (4+100) x8 +62000= 62832. And we know that the value of
pi is the ratio of the circumference to the diameter, so in this case 62832/20000,
which is incredibly 3.1416. This is the value of pi accurate to five figures. There is
no explanation in the Aryabhatiya as to how Aryabhata arrived at these values.
Perhaps, he found it so obvious that he did not feel the need to explain.
That we shall never know, but the fact remains that Aryabhata had indeed
discovered pi.
Copyright Healing Art & Design (used with permission) Following is an
excerpt from a research article titled “Best k-digit rational approximation of
irrational numbers: Pre-computer versus computer era” by S.K. Sena, and Ravi P.
Agarwal
Department of Mathematical Sciences, Florida Institute of Technology

More than 4700 years ago, the famous Indian mathematician and astronomer
Aryabhatta (b. 2765 BC) gave 62832/20000 = 31416/10000 = 3.1416 as an
approximation of π . He calculated π by measuring the diameter of the circle in a
remainderless unit and then measuring the circumference in the same unit. He
made the units increasingly smaller in such a way that the diameter would be an
integer in the unit used and improved the accuracy . It is interesting to note that the
two parameters, viz., (i) the size of the circle and (ii) the unit employed will be
vital to improve the accuracy of π. By increasing the size of the circle and keeping
the unit of measurement fixed or by making the unit size smaller and keeping the
circle fixed, one can improve accuracy significantly. Thus keeping the circle as
large as possible within the limits of the concerned measuring device and then
making the unit of measurement as small as possible, one can achieve the
maximum possible accuracy. It is interesting to note that there is, in general, no
measuring device – optical or electronic or any other based on any other
technology – that can measure a quantity with accuracy more than 0.005% . This
translates to four significant digits. Thus, even over 4700 years ago when
measuring devices were believed to be less sophisticated, Aryabhatta obtained
π(=3.1416) to an accuracy of almost four digits! Beyond the accuracy of four
significant digits, it is not possible to compute

27
 π (by measuring the circucircumference and the diameter of a circle) even today
when much more sophisticated measuring devices are available! This is definitely
a remarkable achievement by Aryabhatta in mathematics in ancient India!
Aryabhatta also discovered the non-remainderlessness of the circumference of a
circle when the diameter is measured in a unit which provides an exact integer
(within the limits of device error) for the value of the diameter . This fact clearly
demonstrates that Aryabhatta and for that matter the then Indian
mathematicians/astronomers knew that π is an irrational number, however, finitely
small the unit of measurement be. Another Indian mathematician, Bhaskara (who
was in between Aryabhatta (2675 BC) and another famous Indian astronomer
Varahamihira (123 BC) and whose exact time is not known) was the earliest
known commentator of Aryabhatta’s works . He suggested several approximations
for π − 3927/1250 (=3.1416) for accurate work, 22/7 (=3.142857142857143) for
less accurate calculation, while (=3.162277660168380) for ordinary work .

28
3.3 Trigonometry

In Ganitapada 6, Aryabhata gives the area of a triangle as tribhujasya

phalaśarīraṃ samadalakoṭī bhujārdhasaṃvargaḥ that translates to: "for a triangle,
the result of a perpendicular with the half-side is the area."

His definitions of sine (jya), cosine (kojya), versine (utkrama-jya), and inverse
sine (otkram jya) influenced the birth of trigonometry. He was also the first to
specify sine and versine (1 - cos x) tables, in 3.75° intervals from 0° to 90°, to an
accuracy of 4 decimal places.

In fact, modern names "sine" and "cosine" are mistranscriptions of the words
jya and kojya as introduced by Aryabhata. As mentioned, they were translated as
jiba and kojiba in Arabic and then misunderstood by Gerard of Cremona while
translating an Arabic geometry text to Latin. He assumed that jiba was the Arabic
word jaib, which means "fold in a garment", L. sinus (c. 1150).

Aryabhata discussed the concept of sine in his work by the name of ardha-jya,
which literally means "half-chord". For simplicity, people started calling it jya.
When Arabic writers translated his works from Sanskrit into Arabic, they referred

it as jiba. However, in Arabic writings, vowels are omitted, and it was abbreviated
as jb. Later writers substituted it with jaib, meaning "pocket" or "fold (in a
garment)". (In Arabic, jiba is a meaningless word.) Later in the 12th century, when
Gherardo of Cremona translated these writings from Arabic into Latin, he replaced
the Arabic jaib with its Latin counterpart, sinus, which means "cove" or "bay";
thence comes the English word sine.

29
3.4 Indeterminate equations

A problem of great interest to Indian mathematicians since ancient times has

been to find integer solutions to Diophantine equations that have the form ax + by
= c. (This problem was also studied in ancient Chinese mathematics, and its
solution is usually referred to as the Chinese remainder theorem.) This is an
example from Bhāskara's commentary on Aryabhatiya:

Find the number which gives 5 as the remainder when divided by 8, 4 as the
remainder when divided by 9, and 1 as the remainder when divided by 7

That is, find N = 8x+5 = 9y+4 = 7z+1. It turns out that the smallest value for N
is 85. In general, diophantine equations, such as this, can be notoriously difficult.
They were discussed extensively in ancient Vedic text Sulba Sutras, whose more
ancient parts might date to 800 BCE. Aryabhata's method of solving such
problems, elaborated by Bhaskara in 621 CE, is called the kuṭṭaka (कुट्टक) method.
Kuṭṭaka means "pulverizing" or "breaking into small pieces", and the method
involves a recursive algorithm for writing the original factors in smaller numbers.
This algorithm became the standard method for solving first-order diophantine
equations in Indian mathematics, and initially the whole subject of algebra was
called kuṭṭaka-gaṇita or simply kuṭṭaka.

30
3.5 Algebra

In Aryabhatiya, Aryabhata provided elegant results for the summation

of series of squares and cubes:
𝑛(𝑛 + 1)(2𝑛 + 1)
12 + 22 + ⋯ + 𝑛 2 =
6
13 + 23 + ⋯ + 𝑛3 = (1 + 2 + ⋯ 𝑛)2

(𝑎 + 𝑏)2 = 𝑎2 + 𝑏 2 + 2𝑎𝑏

Integer Solutions: by =ax+c and by =ax-c, where a,b,c are integers. He used
kuttuka method to solve problems.

Algebraic Quantities: HE has given the method of addition, substraction,

multiplication of simple and compound algebraic quantities.

3.6 Mathematical Achievements of Aryabhatas

Full fifteen centuries have passed in 1976 since the birth of Aryabhata, an
outstanding Indian mathematician and astronomer.

Our knowledge of the scholar's life is very scarce. We know neither who his
parents were, nor his teachers, nor even the exact time of his death. Aryabhata was
just 23 years old when in 499 A.D. he completed the famous Aryabhatiya, the
only work of his to be preserved till our time. Writes Aryabhata: "When sixty times
sixty years and three quarter yugas (of the current yuga) had elapsed, twenty-three
years had then passed since my birth". According to the Indian tradition, there are
four epochs, or yugas — the Golden Age, the Silver age, the Bronze Age, and the
Iron Age — and the last of these, the kaliyuga, began in 3102 B.C. It is from its
beginning that sixty times sixty years had elapsed, i.e. Aryabhatiya was written in
499 A.D. by the twenty-three-years-old author, which permits fixing 476 a.d. as the
year in which he was born.

31
The exact place of Aryabhata's birth is unknown. The treatise only mentions a
major Indian scientific centre — Kusumapura (Pataliputra, modern Patna in Bihar),
where the scholar may have worked: "Having bowed with reverence to Brahma,
Earth, Moon, Mercury, Venus, Sun, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn and the asterisms,
Aryabhata sets forth here the knowledge honoured at Kusumapura" (see ref, 1, part
II, rule 1). Some authors believe him to be a native of Asmaka, a province in
Southern India (p. 93), but that view is not shared by everybody.

Of his personal biography we know nothing more, but we have got

something far more precious — the work which was indeed a turning point in the
history of exact science in India. In a way, Aryabhatiya was an interface work
which took of previous development and as far as was possible had imbibed the
best achievements of preceding epochs. But on the other hand, it marked the start
of a new scientific tradition in India and was studied and analyzed over the
centuries. Twelve commentaries to the work are on record, the earliest dating back
to the first quarter of the 6th century and the latest to the mid-19th century. The
commentators include famous Indian mathematicians and astronomers, notably
Bhaskara I (7th century), Paramesvara (15th century) and Nilakantha (15th - 16th
century). Quite a few manuscripts of some of the commentaries have been
preserved which is an indication that Aryabhatiya was studied rather extensively.
This is also indicated by commentaries in vernacular languages. The original
Sanskrit treatise had been translated into vernacular Hindi, Telugu, and Malayalam
and was studied thoroughly.

Apart from his main work, Aryabhata had written a work on astronomy,
which was known Aryabhata-Siddhanta (p. 36-42), but it has not been preserved.

Aryabhatiya is a relatively small work written in traditional Indian form of

distinctly metrical verses made up into the four parts of the treatise: ?Dasagitika or
the Ten Giti Stanzas; Ganitapada or Mathematics; Kalakriya or the Reckoning of
Time; and Gola or the Sphere.

It is in Aryabhata's exposition that a number of mathematical rules have

come down to us. Mathematical matter is given, not just in the special second part,
but throughout all other chapters.

32
The treatise never mentions the ways by which rules were obtained and never sets
forth proofs or conclusions. The presentation is as succinct as could be, with all
rules stated in the form of advice or prescription. Aryabhatiya treats of diverse
problems of arithmetic, algebra, geometry, theory of numbers, trigonometry and
astronomy'.

One of the most significant contributions to world science which was made
by Indian mathematicians is the establishment of decimal place-value system.
Though there is an abundant literature on the time and place of origin of this
numeration, and the components which led to its creation, these problems are still
open to debate. The scientific proceed from such clues as the shape of figures, the
first application of zero, the first record of the figures in this numeration, and the
evidences of contemporaries. All these must undoubtedly be taken into
consideration, but the most important is the rules for performing arithmetic
operations according to decimal place-value numeration. The earliest arithmetic
rules known to us in this system were described by Aryabhata in Aryabhatiya,
namely the square-root and cube-root evolution. Closely related to the decimal
place-value system was the alphabetic numeration also given by Aryabhata. Such
numerations were aimed at reducing the long strings of words arising when
numbers are written in a verbal form.

A central part in the arithmetic part of all Indian works was held by the Rule
of Three, teaching how to find a number x forming with three given numbers a, b,
c the proportion ab=cx.

Many problems were reduced to an application of this rule. Indian scholars

had coined a name for each term of the proportion and, in fact, gave its name to the
rule itself.

From the Indian the Rule of Three passed over into Arabic and thence into
West European mathematical writings.

The types of problem subject to the Rule of Three had been certainly known
elsewhere — in China, Greece and Egypt, but it was only in India that the rule was
singled out, translated into problem solving methods, and extended to the case of
five, seven, etc. quantities.

33
 These extensions seem to have been familiar to Aryabhata, even though he
cites only the Rule of Three. In his commentary, Bhaskara I writes: "Here Acarya
Aryabhata has described the rule of three only. How the well known rules of five,
etc. are to be obtained? I say thus: The Acarya has described only the fundamental
of anupata (proportion). All others such as the rule of five, etc. follow from the
fundamental rule of proportion. How? The rule of five, etc. consists of
combinations of the rule of three.. In the rule of five there are two rules of three, in
the rule of seven, three rules of three, and so on"

The treatise considers several problems which reduce to solving a linear

equation in one unknown. One problem, set forth in part II, rule 30, is to calculate
the value of an object if it is known that two men having equal wealth possess a
different number of objects, a1 a2 and different pieces of money remaining after the
purchase, b1, b2. The problem reduces itself to solving the equation a1x + b1 = a2x +
b2.

Aryabhata formulates the rule of solving the linear equation in this manner:
"Divide the difference between the rupakas with two persons by the difference
between their gulikas. The quotient is the value of one gulika, if the possessions of
the two persons are of equal value" (See ref. 1, part II and rule 30). That is to say,
x=b2−b1a1−a2.

Another problem is the famous Problem of Messengers, which later

peregrinated all over the world'. algebraic literature. It is to calculate the time of
meeting of two planets moving in opposite directions, or in the same direction.
Aryabhata formulates this rule: "Divide the distance between the two bodies
moving in the opposite directions by the sum of their speeds, and the distance
between the two bodies moving in the same direction by the difference of their
speeds; the two quotients will give the time elapsed since the two bodies met or to
elapse before they will meet" (See ref. 1, part II, rule 31).

Thus, if the distance S between the two bodies and their velocities V 1 and V2
are known, the time of meeting is found as t=SV1+V2

when they are moving in opposite directions or as t=SV3−V2 when they are
moving in the same directions.

34
35
4.1 Motions of the solar system

Aryabhata correctly insisted that the earth rotates about its axis daily, and
that the apparent movement of the stars is a relative motion caused by the rotation
of the earth, contrary to the then-prevailing view, that the sky rotated. This is
indicated in the first chapter of the Aryabhatiya, where he gives the number of
rotations of the earth in a yuga, and made more explicit in his gola chapter:

In the same way that someone in a boat going forward sees an unmoving
[object] going backward, so [someone] on the equator sees the unmoving stars
going uniformly westward. The cause of rising and setting [is that] the sphere of
the stars together with the planets [apparently?] turns due west at the equator,
constantly pushed by the cosmic wind.

Aryabhata described a geocentric model of the solar system, in which the Sun
and Moon are each carried by epicycles. They in turn revolve around the Earth. In
this model, which is also found in the Paitāmahasiddhānta (c. CE 425), the motions
of the planets are each governed by two epicycles, a smaller manda (slow) and a
larger śīghra (fast). The order of the planets in terms of distance from earth is
taken as: the Moon, Mercury, Venus, the Sun, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, and the
asterisms."

The positions and periods of the planets was calculated relative to uniformly
moving points. In the case of Mercury and Venus, they move around the Earth at
the same mean speed as the Sun. In the case of Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn, they
move around the Earth at specific speeds, representing each planet's motion
through the zodiac. Most historians of astronomy consider that this two-epicycle
model reflects elements of pre-Ptolemaic Greek astronomy.Another element in

Aryabhata's model, the śīghrocca, the basic planetary period in relation to

the Sun, is seen by some historians as a sign of an underlying heliocentric model.

36
4.2 Eclipses

Solar and lunar eclipses were scientifically explained by Aryabhata. He states

that the Moon and planets shine by reflected sunlight. Instead of the prevailing
cosmogony in which eclipses were caused by Rahu and Ketu (identified as the
pseudo-planetary lunar nodes), he explains eclipses in terms of shadows cast by
and falling on Earth. Thus, the lunar eclipse occurs when the moon enters into the
Earth's shadow (verse gola.37). He discusses at length the size and extent of the
Earth's shadow (verses gola.38–48) and then provides the computation and the size
of the eclipsed part during an eclipse. Later Indian astronomers improved on the
calculations, but Aryabhata's methods provided the core. His computational
paradigm was so accurate that 18th-century scientist Guillaume Le Gentil, during a
visit to Pondicherry, India, found the Indian computations of the duration of the
lunar eclipse of 30 August 1765 to be short by 41 seconds, whereas his charts (by
Tobias Mayer, 1752) were long by 68 seconds.

37
4.3 Sidereal periods

Considered in modern English units of time, Aryabhata calculated the sidereal

rotation (the rotation of the earth referencing the fixed stars) as 23 hours, 56
minutes, and 4.1 seconds; the modern value is 23:56:4.091. Similarly, his value for
the length of the sidereal year at 365 days, 6 hours, 12 minutes, and 30 seconds
(365.25858 days) is an error of 3 minutes and 20 seconds over the length of a year
(365.25636 days).

4.4 Heliocentrism

As mentioned, Aryabhata advocated an astronomical model in which the Earth

turns on its own axis. His model also gave corrections (the śīgra anomaly) for the
speeds of the planets in the sky in terms of the mean speed of the sun. Thus, it has
been suggested that Aryabhata's calculations were based on an underlying
heliocentric model, in which the planets orbit the Sun, though this has been
rebutted. It has also been suggested that aspects of Aryabhata's system may have
been derived from an earlier, likely pre-Ptolemaic Greek, heliocentric model of
which Indian astronomers were unaware, though the evidence is scant. The general
consensus is that a synodic anomaly (depending on the position of the sun) does
not imply a physically heliocentric orbit (such corrections being also present in late
Babylonian astronomical texts), and that Aryabhata's system was not explicitly
heliocentric.

38
39
 Aryabhata was a pioneer of his time. Future astronomers and mathematicians
like Varahamihira ( 6th Century CE), Bhaskara I ( 7th Century CE) and
Brahmagupta (10th Century CE) have acknowledged it. However, there are also
criticisms of the accuracy of many of the predictions of Aryabhata, notably by
Brahmagupta ( 10th Century CE) and by Lalla ( 13th Century CE) who has
commented that the prescriptions as given by Aryabhata and his followers were
often not clearly stated and so Lalla had taken up the task of restoring them.

Many important results are contained in the Aryabhatiya and in the

Aryabhatasiddnata. The last work has not survived but the results can be traced in
the commentary of the same that Brahmagupta wrote in the 10thC CE being titled,
“Khanda-khadyiyaka”. The last work was translated into Arabic by Al-Beruni, in
the 11th century AD .

Aryabhata's work was of great influence in the Indian astronomical tradition

and influenced several neighbouring cultures through translations. The Arabic
translation during the Islamic Golden Age (c. 820 CE), was particularly influenced.
Some of his results are cited by Al-Khwarizmi and in the 10th century Al-Biruni
stated that Aryabhata's followers believed that the Earth rotated on its axis.

40
 Statue of Aryabhata on the grounds of IUCAA, Pune.

Aryabhatta Knowledge University (AKU), Patna has been established

by Government of Bihar for the development and management of educational
infrastructure related to technical, medical, management and allied professional
education in his honour. The university is governed by Bihar State University Act
2008.

41
India’s first satellite Aryabhatta was named after him.

There is also an Indian research center is called ‘Aryabhata Research Institute of

Observational Sciences’.

The Indian ISRO (Indian Space Research Organization) named its first satellite
after the genius mathematician and astronomer. A research establishment has been
set up in Nainital, called the Aryabhatta Research Institute of Observational
Sciences (ARIOS) to honor his contribution to the field of science . An Institute for
conducting research in astronomy, astrophysics and atmospheric sciences

42
. There is also a lunar crater and a species of bacteria discovered by ISRO named
after Aryabhatta.The inter-school Aryabhata Maths Competition is also named
after him, as is Bacillus aryabhata, a species of bacteria discovered in the
stratosphere by ISRO scientists in 2009.

He formulated a brilliant technique for finding the lengths of chords of

circles with half chords as opposed to the full chord strategy utilized by Greeks.

He was the first mathematician to give what later came to be known as the
tables of sine, cosine, versine, and Converse sine to four decimal spots, which
brought forth trigonometry.

He discovered the position of nine planets and expressed that these likewise
rotated around the sun. He also provided the circumference and measurement of
the Earth and the radius of the orbits of 9 planets. Aryabhatta pronounced that the
moon has no light of its own. He concluded that the earth is round. He also stated
that it rotates on its own axis, which is why we have days and nights.

It is visible because it mirrors the light of the sun. In his old age, Aryabhatta
composed another treatise, ‘Aryabhatta-Siddhanta’.

It’s a booklet for every day astronomical calculations as well as a guide to

examine auspicious times for performing rituals. To this very day, astronomical
data provided in this text is used for preparing panchangs (Hindu calendars).

43
 Calendric calculations devised by Aryabhata and his followers have been in
continuous use in India for the practical purposes of fixing the Panchangam (the
Hindu calendar). In the Islamic world, they formed the basis of the Jalali calendar
introduced in 1073 CE by a group of astronomers including Omar Khayyam,
versions of which (modified in 1925) are the national calendars in use in Iran and
Afghanistan today. The dates of the Jalali calendar are based on actual solar transit,
as in Aryabhata and earlier Siddhanta calendars. This type of calendar requires an
ephemeris for calculating dates. Although dates were difficult to compute, seasonal
errors were less in the Jalali calendar than in the Gregorian calendar.

44
5.1 Some of the works of Aryabhatta include

 Aryabhatta worked out the value of pi.

 He worked out the area of a triangle. His exact words were, “ribhujasya
phalashariram samadalakoti bhujardhasamvargah” which translates “for a
triangle, the result of a perpendicular with the half side is the area”.
 He discussed the idea of sin.
 He worked on the summation of series of squares and cubes (square-root and
cube-root).
 He talks about the “rule of three” which is to find the value of x when three
numbers a, b and c is given.
 Aryabhatta calculates the volume of a sphere.
 Aryabhatta described the model of the solar system, where the sun and moon
are each carried by epicycles that in turn revolve around the Earth. He also
talks about the number of rotations of the earth, describes that the earth
rotating on its axis, the order of the planets in terms of distance from earth.
 Aryabhatta describes the solar and lunar eclipses scientifically.
 Aryabhatta describes that the moon and planets shine by light reflected from
the sun.
 Aryabhatta calculated the sidereal rotation which is the rotation of the earth
with respect to the stars as 23 hours, 56 minutes and 4.1 seconds.
 He calculated the length of the sidereal year as 365 days, 6 hours, 12
minutes and 30 seconds. The actual value shows that his calculations was an
error of 3 minutes and 20 seconds over a year.

Although we know nothing about the personal history of Aryabhatta, he was the
genius who
continues to baffle mathematicians even to

45
5.2 Facts About Aryabhatta That You Must Know, The Master Astronomer
& Mathematician

1. Aryabhatta was one of the first Indian mathematicians and space

exploration experts.

46
2. Aryabhatta composed numerous numerical and cosmic treatises; among
these, ‘Aryabhatiya’ was his first major work.

3. ‘Aryabhatiya’ covers several branches of mathematics such as algebra,

arithmetic, plane and spherical trigonometry.

47
4. His principal focus was mathematics; he went into extraordinary insight
about arithmetic and geometric movements like 2, 4, 6, and 8 or 2, 10, 50, and
250.

5. He formulated a brilliant technique for finding the lengths of chords of

circles with half chords as opposed to the full chord strategy utilized by
Greeks.

6. He also came up with an approximation of pi and determined that pi(π) is

irrational.

48
7. He was the first mathematician to give what later came to be known as the
tables of sine, cosine, versine, and converse sine to four decimal spots, which
brought forth trigonometry.

8. Aryabhatta has named the initial 10 decimal places and derived the
methods for extracting square roots, summing arithmetic series and solving
indeterminate equations of the type ax – by = c.

His method to find a solution to indeterminate equations of this type is recognized

the world over.

49
9. Aryabhatta worked on the place value system and discovered zero for the
first time, making use of letters to indicate numbers and pointing out
qualities.

50
10. He stated correctly the number of days in a year to be 365, alongside the
seven-day week and about an intercalary month embedded into a year to
make the calendar adjust to the seasons.

11. He discovered the position of nine planets and expressed that these
likewise rotated around the sun.

51
12. He also provided the circumference and measurement of the Earth and the
radius of the orbits of 9 planets.

13. Aryabhatta challenged many superstitious theories

Aryabhatta also gave a theory on eclipse; he said it wasn’t because of Rahu, as

preached by many priests, but because of shadows cast by the earth and moon.

52
14. Aryabhatta pronounced that the moon has no light of its own.

It is visible because it mirrors the light of the sun.

15. He concluded that the earth is round. He also stated that it rotates on its
own axis, which is why we have days and nights.

53
16. Another discipline Aryabhatta explored was astronomy; he concentrated
on a few geometric and trigonometric parts of the celestial sphere that are still
used to study stars.

17. In his old age, Aryabhatta composed another treatise, ‘Aryabhatta-

Siddhanta’.

It’s a booklet for every day astronomical calculations as well as a guide to examine
auspicious times for performing rituals. To this very day, astronomical data
provided in this text is used for preparing panchangs (Hindu calendars).

54
Conclusion

No matter what the final findings may be, Aryabhata’s contributions to

knowledge need to be evaluated in a multidimensional perspective . Laying the
foundations of Indian astronomical knowledge was a singular contribution of the
Arybhatan school. The route by which it was transmitted in India and outside,
needs a thorough and systematic study. There is a school of thought that India lives
in the spiritual world while the materialistic west is the repository of scientific
knowledge . There is no doubt that spiritual ideas did have a wide circulation in
Indian society and still do. But so was it for Europe also. In India, however, the
spiritual philosophies of different kinds have survived for centuries but they have
not lived without challenge.

55