VII.
25. Of the personalities of the Indian mathematicians we know very little indeed but Alberuni has handed down Brahmagupta's opinion of Āryabhata and Puliśa[1] and his own opinions are worth repeating. We have also Bhāskara's inscription. The following notes contain, perhaps, all that is worth recording.
Alberuni writes (1,376): 'Now it is evident that that which Brahmagupta relates on his own authority, and with which he himself agrees, is entirely unfounded; but he is blind to this from sheer hatred of Āryabhata, whom he abuses excessively. And in this respect Āryabhata and Puliśa are the same to him. I take for witness the passage of Brahmagupta where he says that Aryabhata has subtracted something from the cycles of Caput Draconis and of the apsis of the moon and thereby confused the computation of the eclipse. He is rude enough to compare Āryabhata to a worm which, eating the wood, by chance describes certain characters in it, without intending to draw them. "He, however, who knows these things thoroughly stands opposite to Āryabhata, Śrīshena and Vishnuchandra like the lion against gazelles. They are not capable of letting him see their faces." In such offensive terms he attacks Āryabhata and maltreats him.'
Again: '"Āryabhata…… differs from the doctrine of the book Smriti, just mentioned, and he who differs from us is an opponent." On the other hand, Brahmagupta praises Puliśa for what he does, since he does not differ from the book Smriti.' Again, speaking of Varāhamihira, S'rīshena,
- ↑ According to Alberuni Pulis'a was an Indian and Paulis'a a Greek.
