Śrīpati (1019–1066) was an Indian astronomer,astrologer and

mathematician A mathematician is someone who uses an extensive knowledge of mathematics in their work, typically to solve mathematical problems. Mathematicians are concerned with numbers, data, quantity, structure, space, models, and change. History On ...

, the author of '' Dhikotidakarana'' (written in 1039), a work of twenty verses on solar and lunar eclipses; '' Dhruvamanasa'' (written in 1056), a work of 105 verses on calculating planetary

longitude Longitude (, ) is a geographic coordinate that specifies the east– west position of a point on the surface of the Earth, or another celestial body. It is an angular measurement, usually expressed in degrees and denoted by the Greek lette ...

s, eclipses and planetary transits; '' Siddhantasekhara'' a major work on astronomy in 19 chapters; and '' Ganitatilaka'', an incomplete arithmetical treatise in 125 verses based on a work by

Shridhara Śrīdhara, Śrīdharācāryya or Śrīdhara Acharya ( 870 CE – 930 CE) was an Indian mathematician, Sanskrit pandit and philosopher. He was born in Bhuriśreṣṭi (Bhurisriṣṭi or Bhurśuṭ) village in South Rādha at present day Hu ...

Early life

Śrīpati's father was Nagadeva (sometimes written as Namadeva) and Nagadeva's father, Sripati's paternal grandfather, was Kesava. Śrīpati was a follower of the teaching of Lalla writing on astrology, astronomy and mathematics. His mathematical work was undertaken with applications to

astronomy Astronomy () is a natural science that studies celestial objects and phenomena. It uses mathematics, physics, and chemistry in order to explain their origin and evolution. Objects of interest include planets, moons, stars, nebulae, g ...

in mind, for example a study of

sphere A sphere () is a geometrical object that is a three-dimensional analogue to a two-dimensional circle. A sphere is the set of points that are all at the same distance from a given point in three-dimensional space.. That given point is th ...

s. His work on astronomy was undertaken to provide a basis for his

astrology Astrology is a range of divinatory practices, recognized as pseudoscientific since the 18th century, that claim to discern information about human affairs and terrestrial events by studying the apparent positions of celestial objects. Di ...

. Śrīpati was the most prominent Indian mathematicians of the 11th century.

Work

Among Śrīpati's works are: Dhikotidakarana written in 1039, a work of twenty verses on solar and lunar eclipses; Dhruvamanasa written in 1056, a work of 105 verses on calculating planetary longitudes, eclipses and planetary transits; Siddhantasekhara a major work on astronomy in 19 chapters; and Ganitatilaka an incomplete arithmetical treatise in 125 verses based on a work by Sridhara. The titles of Chapters 13, 14, and 15 of the Siddhantasekhara are Arithmetic,

Algebra Algebra () is one of the broad areas of mathematics. Roughly speaking, algebra is the study of mathematical symbols and the rules for manipulating these symbols in formulas; it is a unifying thread of almost all of mathematics. Elementary ...

and On the

Sphere A sphere () is a geometrical object that is a three-dimensional analogue to a two-dimensional circle. A sphere is the set of points that are all at the same distance from a given point in three-dimensional space.. That given point is th ...

. Chapter 13 consists of 55 verses on arithmetic, Measurement, and shadow reckoning. It is probable that the lost portion of the arithmetic treatise Ganitatilaka consisted essentially of verses 19–55 of this chapter. The 37 verses of Chapter 14 on algebra state various rules of algebra without proof. These are given in verbal form without algebraic symbols. In verses 3, 4 and 5 of this chapter Śrīpati gave the rules of signs for addition, subtraction, multiplication,

division Division or divider may refer to: Mathematics *Division (mathematics), the inverse of multiplication *Division algorithm, a method for computing the result of mathematical division Military *Division (military), a formation typically consisting ...

, square, square root, cube and cube root of positive and negative quantities. His work on equations in this chapter contains the rule for solving a

quadratic equation In algebra, a quadratic equation () is any equation that can be rearranged in standard form as ax^2 + bx + c = 0\,, where represents an unknown value, and , , and represent known numbers, where . (If and then the equation is linear, not q ...

. Other mathematics included in Śrīpati's work includes, in particular, rules for the solution of simultaneous indeterminate equations of the first degree that are similar to those given by Brahmagupta Śrīpati obtained more fame in

than in other areas and it is fair to say that he considered this to be his most important contributions. He wrote the Jyotisaratnamala which was an astrology text in twenty chapters based on the Jyotisaratnakosa of Lalla. Śrīpati wrote a commentary on this work in Marathi and it is one of the oldest works to have survived that is written in that language. Marathi is the oldest of the regional languages in Indo-Aryan, dating from about 1000. Another work on astrology written by Śrīpati is the Jatakapaddhati or Śrīpatipaddhatiḥ Śrīpatipaddhatiḥ https://openlibrary.org/b/OL3148702M/Śrīpatipaddhatih ̣ which is in eight chapters and is : ... one of the fundamental textbooks for later Indian

genethlialogy Natal astrology is also known as Genethliacal Astrology, which implies nativity. It is a system of astrology that claims to shed light on an individual’s personality or path in life. This concept is based on constructing a horoscope or natal ...

, contributing an impressive elaboration to the computation of the strengths of the planets and astrological places. It was enormously popular, as the large number of manuscripts, commentaries, and imitations attests.

Genethlialogy Natal astrology is also known as Genethliacal Astrology, which implies nativity. It is a system of astrology that claims to shed light on an individual’s personality or path in life. This concept is based on constructing a horoscope or natal ...

was the science of casting nativities and it was the earliest branch of astrology which claimed to be able to predict the course of a person's life based on the positions of the planets and of the signs of the zodiac at the moment the person was born or conceived. There is one other work on

the Daivajnavallabha which some historians claim was written by Śrīpati while other claim that it is the work of Varahamihira. As yet nobody has come up with a definite case to show which of these two is the author, or even whether the author is another astrologer. Śrīpati had introduced one of the main methods of house division in

Jyotiṣa Jyotisha or Jyotishya (from Sanskrit ', from ' “light, heavenly body" and ''ish'' - from Isvara or God) is the traditional Hindu system of astrology, also known as Hindu astrology, Indian astrology and more recently Vedic astrology. It is one ...

, known as Śrīpati Bhāva System (see

Bhāva Bhāva (Sanskrit: ', 'state, condition') is a term in Jyotisha denoting a fixed zodiacal division of the sky from the perspective of an observer. It corresponds to the concept of " house" in Western astrology. A natal chart is called bhāvachakr ...

References

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Sripati 11th-century Indian astronomers 1019 births 1066 deaths 11th-century Indian mathematicians