Citrabhānu's Twenty-One Algebraic Problems in Malayalam and Sanskrit

Abstract

This text studies the Sanskrit and Malayalam versions of Citrabhānu’s Twenty-One problems – a discussion of quadratic and cubic problems from 16th century Kerala. It reviews the differences in the approaches of the two texts, highlighting the division between the Sanskrit integer arithmetic techniques and the Malayali fixed point reiterations. The paper concludes with some speculations on the possible transmission of algebraic knowledge between Kerala and the west.