Jyotihshastra: Astral and Mathematical Literature c5.s1.67

c5.s1.67

After Bhāskara the next major authority on mathematics was Nārāyaṇa,⁵¹ who completed his Gaṇitakaumudī⁵² in 1356. The GK contains the traditional paribhāṣā, parikarmas, and vyavahāras, followed by the pulverizer, “Pell’s equation,” factors,⁵³ combinations, and magic squares. Before writing the GK Nārāyaṇa had written a work on algebra, the Bījagaṇitāvataṃsa.⁵⁴ This work covers arithmetical operations involving positive and negative numbers and zero; irrational numbers; the pulverizer and “Pell’s equation” (these two were drawn upon for the corresponding section in the GK); various kinds of linear and quadratic equations with one or more unknowns (the text is not extant beyond the beginning of the section on linear equations); and equations involving the product of different unknowns. Thus it is modeled directly on the BG.