Acarya Aryabhata
By V. G. Nair
Summary
The article argues that Aryabhata, the celebrated mathematician and astronomer, was a Jaina ascetic born near the Kallil rock-cut natural Jaina cave temple in Methala village, Ernakulam district, Kerala, in A.D. 499. The author, V. G. Nar, contends that while epigraphical and archaeological evidence is lacking, substantial literary evidence supports this view, countering critics who claim Aryabhata was a Hindu Vedic scholar. The author highlights that the name "Arya Bhata" consists of two traditional Jaina ascetic names, with "Arya" signifying spiritual wisdom and "Bhata" denoting the chief Pontiff of Jaina temples and mutts, a title held by figures like Bhatesvara and Akalanka Bhata. The article further notes that Jainism was the preponderating faith in Kerala during the early centuries of the Christian era, citing the presence of forty thousand Jaina Sadhus during the time of Ilamko Adigal, the brother of Ceran Senkuttuvan. The text discusses the cultural impact of Jaina figures, including the story of Kannaki and Kovalan from the Tamil classic Silappadikaram, and the worship of Kannaki as Bhagavati. The author addresses critics who argue that Aryabhata's benedictory verse in the Aryabhatiyam, which invokes Brahma and Parabrahma, disproves his Jaina faith, explaining that Jainism's doctrine of anekantavada (non-absolutism) allows for the veneration of Hindu deities as Sasanadevatas and Dikpalas. The article also references the birthplace of Aryabhata as Asmaka, a term interpreted as Kallil, supported by commentators Kellalur Nilakanta Somayaji and Puthumana Somayaji, both identified as Nambudiri Brahmins of Kerala. Finally, the author emphasizes Aryabhata's contributions to mathematics and astronomy, citing A. L. Basham's assertion that the unknown mathematician who devised the numeral system was from the world's point of view the most important son of India after the Buddha, and concludes that Aryabhata's early authorship of the Aryabhatiyam at age twenty-three aligns with the tradition of Jaina Sadhus composing great works at young ages.
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Conclusion
This article establishes, through inferential and indirect Jaina literary evidence, that the celebrated mathematician and astronomer Aryabhata was a Jaina ascetic born in 499 AD near the Kallil rock-cut temple in Kerala. The author argues that the traditional claim of his Hindu Vedic affiliation is unsubstantiated, countering critics by demonstrating the Jaina philosophical compatibility of his benedictory invocations. The text highlights the historical prevalence of Jainism in early Kerala and the region's role as a major center for Jaina studies, which provided the environment for Aryabhata's groundbreaking contributions. Consequently, the study recontextualizes Aryabhata’s monumental achievements in mathematics and astronomy, such as authoring the *Aryabhatiyam*, as the work of a spiritually dedicated Jain scholar, underscoring the profound and often overlooked contributions of Jaina ascetics to the advancement of global scientific and cultural heritage.