History of Hindu Mathematics: A Source Book v1.c7.s1.2

v1.c7.s1.2

The great Epic, the *Râmâyaṇa*, was composed by Vâlmîki, the father of Sanskrit poetry, about 1,000 B.C., Pâṇini, the grammarian, perfected Sanskrit grammar about 700 B.C. and Suśruta wrote on the sciences of medicine and surgery about 600 B.C.¹ A century later, Mahâvîra and Buddha taught their unique systems of religious and moral philosophy, and the doctrine of *Nirvâṇa*. With the spread of these religions evolved the Jaina and Buddhist literatures. Some of the earlier *Purâṇas* and *Dharma-śâstras* were written about this time. The period 400 B.C. to 400 A.D., however, seems to have been a period of great activity and progress. During this period flourished the great Jaina metaphysician Umâsvâti, Patañjali, the grammarian and philosopher, Kauṭilya, the celebrated politician, Nâgârjuna, the chemist, Caraka, the physician, and the immortal poets Aśvaghoṣa, Bhâsa and Kâlidâsa. The great astronomical *Siddhântas*, the *Sûrya*, the *Pitâmaha*, the *Vaśiṣṭha*, the *Parâśara* and others were written during this period and the decimal place-value notation was perfected.