Indian Science and Technology in the Eighteenth Century: Some Contemporary European Accounts c13.12

c13.12

This, though not marking any extraordinary antiquity, nor approaching to that of the author himself, was a material point to be determined: as there will be in the sequel occasion to show, that modes of analysis, and, in particular, general methods for the solution of indeterminate problems both of the first and second degrees, are taught in the *Vija-Ganita*, and those for the first degree repeated in the *Lilavati*, which were unknown to the mathematicians of the west until invented anew in the last two centuries by algebraists of France and England. It will be also shown, that Bhascara, who himself flourished more than six hundred and fifty years ago, was in this respect a compiler, and took those methods from Indian authors as much more ancient than himself.