Halayudha

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).

Halayudha
Born	c. 10th century AD
Academic background
Academic work
Main interests	Sanskrit mathematician
Notable works	Mṛtasañjīvanī and "Halayudha trikon"

Biography

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

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.

See also

• Indian mathematicians

References

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

Bibliography

History of Rashtakutas

• Ganga Prasad Yadava (1982). Dhanapāla and His Times: A Socio-cultural Study Based Upon His Works. Concept. OCLC 9760817.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)