Halayudha

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Halayudha
Bornc. 10th century AD
Academic background
Academic work
Main interestsSanskrit mathematician
Notable worksMṛtasañjīvanī and "Halayudha trikon"

Halayudha (Sanskrit: हलायुध) was a 10th-century Indian mathematician who wrote the Mṛtasañjīvanī,[1] a commentary on Pingala's Chandaḥśāstra. The latter contains a clear description of Pascal's triangle (called meru-prastāra).[citation needed]

Biography[edit]

Halayudha originally resided at the Rashtrakuta capital Manyakheta, where he wrote under the patronage of emperor Krishna III. His Kavi-Rahasya eulogizes Krishna III. Later, he migrated to Ujjain in the Paramara kingdom. There, he composed Mṛta-Sañjīvanī in honour of the Paramara king Munja.[2]

Works[edit]

Halayudha composed the following works:[2]

  • Kavi-Rahasya, a book on poetics
  • Mṛta-Sañjīvanī, a commentary on Pingala's Chandaḥ-śāstra
  • Abhidhana-ratna-mala, a lexicon
  • Halāyudha Kośa, a dictionary
  • He seems to be the first person who came out with the idea of what is today called the Pascal's triangle, which he called the staircase of mount Meru.[citation needed]

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. Maurice Winternitz, History of Indian Literature, Vol. III
  2. 2.0 2.1 Ganga Prasad Yadava 1982, p. 228.

Bibliography[edit]

History of Rashtakutas

  • Ganga Prasad Yadava (1982). Dhanapāla and His Times: A Socio-cultural Study Based Upon His Works. Concept. OCLC 9760817.