Aryabhata: A Forgotten Genius (English)

We are studying and hearing that earth revolves around the sun, rotating about its axis, and learning about trigonometry from our school days. But have you ever thought of those who have discovered these impossible-looking things? I think most of you have heard his name at any time of your life but don’t know about his immortal legacy and what he has given to humans? It is his work that has made us capable of solving complex problems, sending rockets into space, measuring immeasurable, and providing the solid base for modern science. Yes, you have guessed right, it is Aryabhata whose work is helping us to enhance our knowledge about this universe and making our lives more comfortable.

Aryabhata is considered one of the biggest innovative thinkers and contributors to Indian history. He was the first of the major mathematicians and astronomers from the ancient age of Indian mathematics and astronomy. His major works include the Aryabhatiya and Arya Siddhanta. Aryabhata was born in 476 AD at Kusumapura or Patliputra (Present day: Patna) and studied at Nalanda University, Patliputra. Later he became a teacher at Nalanda University, where he taught mathematics and astronomy. It was his genius that at the young age of 23 he had published his most important work in the book Aryabhatiya which is recognized as a masterpiece. Aryabhata gave a whole new dimension to astronomy and mathematics. It was his extraordinary brilliance that led the ruler Gupta to promote him as the University head. Later, many great mathematicians and astronomers were inspired by his work and they also did marvelous in these fields of study.

His works include the Aryabhatiya and Arya Siddhanta, out of these two we have Aryabhatiya in its pure and original form but Arya Siddhanta is considered to be burnt during the demolition of Nalanda University. But we have found some of its remnants. Aryabhatiya includes Aryabhata’s work on mathematics and astronomy. And the knowledge which it contains is still valid and considered a masterpiece. Astronomy is a branch of science which deals with the study of heavenly bodies and from the origin of mankind, humans have always been fascinated by the sky, the innate pattern of nature, and Aryabhata was also questioned a lot about the sky and all those things which he saw in the sky. As a result, he had leniency toward maths and astronomy. 

At a very young age, he had mastered the field of astronomy and mathematics, and he was the first person to expound that the earth is round and days and nights are caused because of the earth’s rotation about its own axis. At that time it was the presumption among people that earth is the center of the universe and all other heavenly bodies, including the sun, revolve around it. But he was the first person in the world who proposed the heliocentric model which said that the Sun is the center of our planetary system and all planets including earth revolve around it, he also said that the sun is a star, not a planet and he had also solid views about the fact that in this universe there are infinite numbers of galaxies, stars, and planets.

If we go through ancient texts of Indian mythology we will find that there is a mention of the demon planets Rahu and Ketu which are responsible for the lunar eclipse. But Aryabhata also rightly explained the occurrence of the eclipses, he gave the theory that eclipses transpired due to the shadows cast by the Earth and Moon. For example, a solar eclipse occurs when the moon comes in between the sun and earth, and it casts its shadow on the earth. Similarly, a lunar eclipse occurs when  Earth comes in between the sun and moon. He was the first person who told us that Rahu and Ketu are not demons but they are just lunar nodes. For this work, all the orthodox people highly opposed him, defamed him but there is a very famous saying that “ The truth can be suppressed but not hidden “. Today we have enough proof for eclipse theory and most people believe in this. Aryabhata gave the very correct calculation for the sidereal periods, which means the time taken by earth to rotate about its own axis and the time taken to complete one revolution around the sun. According to Aryabhata’s calculations, the earth takes 23 hours 56 minutes, and 4.1 seconds to complete rotation about its axis which is very close to modern-day results that is 23 hours 56 minutes and 4.091 seconds. According to him, the earth takes 365 days 6 hours 12 minutes, and 30 seconds to complete one revolution around the sun, and this too close to the modern-day observations that are 365 days 6 hours, 15 minutes, and 50 seconds. 

He has also done great work on mathematics which is spectacular and very valuable. He was the first who gave the number Zero (0) and gave the approximate value of Pi(π) is 3.1416. It is believed that he also formulated the trigonometric table which includes Sine (Jya), Cosine (Kojya), and their identities. His method to find the solution for indeterminate equations of type ax + by = c is also recognized as a milestone worldwide. He also developed the method to write a large set of sequential numbers in a poetic form.  He also provided results for the summation of a series of squares and cubes. Basically, Aryabhatiya dealt with aspects of mathematics, astronomical calculations, geometry, square root, cube root, progression, and celestial sphere, and all this was written in the form of Sanskrit verses. Many of his results were cited by Bhaskara I, Varahamihira, Brahmagupta, Abu Rayhan al-Biruni, and Al-Khwarizmi. 

His contribution is so vast that it is hard to write a small article about the whole thing. In acknowledgment of his contributions to Astronomy and mathematics, India’s first satellite was named “Aryabhata”. And to his honor, the Aryabhata satellite photo is featured on a two rupees Indian note. Lunar crater Aryabhata and an institute for researching astronomy, astrophysics, and atmospheric sciences are the Aryabhatta Research Institute for Observational Sciences (ARIES) at Nainital both named in his honor. In 2009, ISRO scientists discovered bacteria in the Stratosphere which are named Bacillus Aryabhata. The Bihar government has established a university in his honor named Aryabhatta Knowledge University (AKU). As a human or an Indian, it’s our duty that we should forward his legacy of knowledge and refrain ourselves from pseudoscientific claims and always check for facts and reasons behind any phenomenons.