Today, Bijaganita is a highly relevant topic that captures the attention of people of all ages and backgrounds. Its impact on society and daily life is undeniable, and it generates endless opinions, debates and discussions. It is a topic that arouses curiosity and fascination, but also entails challenges and controversies. In this article, we will explore in detail the different facets of Bijaganita, analyzing its influence in various areas, its evolution over time, and the role it plays in people's lives today.
Bijaganita ( ,IAST: Bījagaṇita) was treatise on algebra by the Indian mathematician Bhāskara II. It is the second volume of his main work Siddhānta Shiromani ("Crown of treatises")[1] alongside Lilāvati, Grahaganita and Golādhyāya.[2][3]
The title of the work, bījagaṇita, which literally translates to "mathematics (gaṇita) using seeds (bīja)", is one of the two main branches of mediaeval Indian mathematics, the other being pātīgaṇita, or "mathematics using algorithms". Bījagaṇita derives its name from the fact that "it employs algebraic equations (samīkaraṇa) which are compared to seeds (bīja) of plants since they have the potentiality to generate solutions to mathematical problems."[4]
The book is divided into six parts, mainly indeterminate equations, quadratic equations, simple equations, surds. The contents are:
In Bijaganita Bhāskara II refined Jayadeva's way of generalization of Brahmagupta's approach to solving indeterminate quadratic equations, including Pell's equation which is known as chakravala method or cyclic method. Bijaganita is the first text to recognize that a positive number has two square roots
The translations or editions of the Bijaganita into English include:
Two notable Scholars from Varanasi Sudhakar Dwivedi and Bapudeva Sastri studied Bijaganita in the nineteenth century.