Expert: John of AllFaith - 10/20/2009

Question
Hello,

I am writing to you today because I found you in a guide to Hinduism, and it named you an expert in the religion, so I was wondering if maybe you could give me some information or point me to some sources. I am writing a paper on Bhaskara II/ Bhaskaracharya, a Hindu mathematician. He made great discoveries but didn't contribute them at all, and then about 300 years later in Europe, the mathematicians of that time made the same discoveries without knowing that Bhaskara did. In my paper I am making a case for why Bhaskara made these discoveries but never contributed them for others to pick up on. So I was wondering if it is related to Hinduism at all. Are there any doctrines or principles or beliefs that go against fame, or maybe believe in evil in fame/being known?

Any information you could give me would be great.

Thank You

Answer
Hi Katarina,

Are you referring to Bhāskara I perhaps?

Wikipedia:
Bhāskara (commonly called Bhāskara I to avoid confusion with the 12th century mathematician Bhāskara II) (c. 600 - c. 680) was a 7th century Indian mathematician, who was apparently the first to write numbers in the Hindu-Arabic decimal system with a circle for the zero, and who gave a unique and remarkable rational approximation of the sine function in his commentary on Aryabhata's work.

Honestly while I know of him, my main interests are in the field of religion rather than the sciences and I have not spent time researching him.

There are various reference to Bhāskara II on line. Wikipedia again offers this:

Bhaskara (1114 – 1185)  and his works represent a significant contribution to mathematical and astronomical knowledge in the 12th century. His main works were the Lilavati (dealing with arithmetic), Bijaganita (Algebra) and Siddhanta Shiromani (written in 1150) which consists of two parts: Goladhyaya (sphere) and Grahaganita (mathematics of the planets).... there is a good deal of information on that page.

I would suggest Googling.

There is nothing in the Hindu faiths of the Sanatana Dharma that preclude fame. Many Hindus have been quite famous (such as Srila Sankaracharya, Gandhi ji etc). From what I've found while looking into your question, it appears Bhāskara I was a humble man who served his post loyally and his works simply never enjoyed the notoriety they clearly deserved. There have been many such people who died in largely ignored obscurity.  

Hope this helps,
~ Jagannatha Prakasa
~ John of AllFaith