Mathematician Mahavira, who named himself in honour of Vardhamana Mahavira, the 24th Tirthankara of Jainism

Welcome! Today we shine light on Mahaviracharya, a mathematical genius from the 9th century who wrote the famous text “Ganita Sara Sangraha.” and separated Mathematics from Astrology. Ready to discover how he changed arithmetic forever? Let’s begin!

Who is Mathematician Mahāvīra or Mahaviracharya?

Mahāvīra or Mahaviracharya was a 9th-century Jain mathematician born in the year 815 AD, in the city of Gulbarga, Karnataka, in southern India. He was one of the first few mathematicians in India who contributed significantly to Algebra in mathematics. Possibly, he chose his name in remembrance of the renowned Jainism reformer Mahavira.

He worked as a teacher and was a member of a school of mathematics. He used to work under patronage of Rashtrakuta king Amoghavarsha and made significant mathematical contributions including rules for the area of a conch-like planar figure (two uneven semicircles adhered together along their diameters) as well as for permutations and combinations.

Life of Mahaviracharya

Mathematician Mahaviracharya was the first person to distinguish between astrology and mathematics.

Due to the fact that he established terminology for concepts like equilateral triangles, isosceles triangles, rhombuses, circles, and semicircles, as well as the rest of mathematical procedures like basic operations, fraction reduction, mix-up problems, geometric computations with plane figures, ditches (solids), and shadows, he is highly respected among Indian mathematicians. 

He died in 875 AD.

Mahavira Expertise

Mahaviracharya mastered a wide range of subjects—from basic logic and algebra to complex topics like:

• Logic
• Algebra
• Combinatorics
• Number theory
• Calculus and analysis.
• Geometry and topology.
• Dynamical systems and differential equations.

Mahavira Life History

Here are some key highlights from the life of Mahaviracharya, one of ancient India’s most influential mathematicians:

1. He was born in 815 AD.
2. He used to work in Royal Court of Rastrakuta King.
3. He has written a book called “Ganita Sara Sangraha” in 850 AD.
4. He has written more than 1100 Slokas on different topics of Mathematics.
5. He died in the year 875 AD.

Mahāvīra Books

Mahavira is the author of two Mathematical books:

Mahavira is the author of mathematical book Gaṇitasārasan̄graha. He wrote this book in 850 CE. In this book, he mentions everything about triangles, rhombus, circle, and semicircle. 

One of the most difficult mathematical computations, the area and circumference of an ellipse-like elongated circle, or Ayatavritta, is given in this book. With an as the main axis and b as the minor, he states that the area of an ellipse is √(πa^2×πb^2)=πab and its circumference is 2√((6b^2+4a^2)). Despite not providing an accurate value, this circumference formula is overly significant. 

Several formulas for calculating circumference were later developed by mathematicians, but Ramanujan’s calculus formula yields the most precise result.He also proves many of the theories of Aryabhata and Brahmagupta’s works. In these books, he shows many of his works. These books have been translated to English by M. Ran̄gācārya.

Gaṇitasārasan̄graha has the following chapters:

1. Arithmetical operations.                         
2. Miscellaneous operations.                    
3. Mixed operations.                    
4. Operations involving fractions.                    
5. Operations involving the rule of three.                   
6. Operations relating to excavations.                 
7. Operations relating to shadows.                  
8. Operations relating to the calculations of areas.

Gaṇitasārasan̄graha has nine chapters of about 1100 slokas. These slokas are from arithmetic, mensuration, geometry, and algebra.   

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Contributions of Mahāvīra in Mathematics

He has made some great contributions to Mathematics. Few of his contributions are: 

1. He worked on the same subjects on which Aryabhata and Brahmagupta worked, and he expanded the subject.
2. He separated astrology from mathematics. 
3. He coined the terms equilateral and isosceles triangle, rhombus, circle, and semicircle.
4. He said that it is not possible to have a square root for negative integer.
5. He devised a formula that calculated the area and perimeters of ellipses.
6. He found methods to calculate the square of a number and cube roots of a number.
7. He derived the algebraic identities like a3 = a (a + b) (a − b) + b2 (a − b) + b3.
8. He derived the formula for nCr as [n (n − 1) (n − 2) … (n − r + 1)] / [r (r − 1) (r − 2) … 2 * 1].

Interesting facts about Mahāvīra

Few of the Interesting facts:

1. He is the first Jain Mathematician.
2. He was amongst the early Indian Mathematicians.
3. He worked on the works of Aryabhatta and refined it.

Awards and Rewards under the name of Mahāvīra

Mahavira Award:

This award is awarded to those who do exceptional work in the field of Algebra.

Mahavira Model School: 

This school has been set up in Delhi under the name of one of the greatest Indian Mathematician.

Mathematicians like Mahavira.

There are Many great Indian Mathematicians Like Aryabhata, Shakuntala Devi, Srinivas Ramanujan, Mādhava of Sangamagrama Who has enlighten the world with their mathematical skills. Their works and there books not only gives insights about the History Of Indian Mathematics but also a lot about Vedic Maths.

Quotes by Mahāvīra

One of the most famous Quote:

With the help of the accomplished holy sages, who are worthy of being worshipped by the lords of the world … I glean from the great ocean of the knowledge of numbers a little of its essence, in the manner in which gems are picked from the sea, gold from the stony rock and the pearl from the oyster shell; and I give out according to the power of my intelligence, the Sara Samgraha, a small work on arithmetic, which is however not small in importance.

FAQ About Mahavira