Baudhayana
Baudhāyana
Author of the Pythagorean theorem — 1,000 years before Pythagoras
Baudhayana composed the Baudhayana Shulba Sutra — containing the theorem now known as the Pythagorean theorem over a thousand years before Pythagoras was born. His fire altar geometry instructions encode pi, Pythagorean triples, and astronomical cycles in precise brick arrangements.
Key compositions
Contains the Pythagorean theorem, methods for constructing fire altars of specific areas, and early approximations of the square root of 2.
One of the oldest surviving dharmasutras — rules for the Brahmin student, householder, forest-dweller, and renunciant.
A key verse
दीर्घचतुरश्रस्याक्ष्णया रज्जुः पार्श्वमानी तिर्यङ्मानी च यत् पृथग्भूते कुरुतस्तदुभयं करोति ॥
The diagonal of a rectangle produces both the areas which its length and breadth produce separately — stated 800 BCE, predating Pythagoras by over 300 years.
Baudhayana Shulba Sutra 1.12
Lineage & disciples
Lineage / Gotra
Taittiriya school of the Krishna Yajurveda
Notable disciples
His geometric tradition influenced all subsequent Indian mathematics