Essai Philosophique sur les Probabilités; Oeuvres (Paris, 1896), t. 7, p. 119.
[992]. Sophus Lie, great comparative anatomist of geometric theories.—Keyser, C. J.
Lectures on Science, Philosophy and Art (New York, 1908), p. 31.
[993]. It has been the final aim of Lie from the beginning to make progress in the theory of differential equations; as subsidiary to this may be regarded both his geometrical developments and the theory of continuous groups.—Klein, F.
Lectures on Mathematics (New York, 1911), p. 24.
[994]. To fully understand the mathematical genius of Sophus Lie, one must not turn to books recently published by him in collaboration with Dr. Engel, but to his earlier memoirs, written during the first years of his scientific career. There Lie shows himself the true geometer that he is, while in his later publications, finding that he was but imperfectly understood by the mathematicians accustomed to the analytic point of view, he adopted a very general analytic form of treatment that is not always easy to follow.—Klein, F.
Lectures on Mathematics (New York, 1911), p. 9.
[995]. It is said that the composing of the Lilawati was occasioned by the following circumstance. Lilawati was the name of the author’s [Bhascara] daughter, concerning whom it appeared, from the qualities of the ascendant at her birth, that she was destined to pass her life unmarried, and to remain without children. The father ascertained a lucky hour for contracting her in marriage, that she might be firmly connected and have children. It is said that when that hour approached, he brought his daughter and his intended son near him. He left the hour cup on the vessel of water and kept in attendance a time-knowing astrologer, in order that when the cup should subside in the water, those two precious jewels should be united. But, as the intended arrangement was not according to destiny, it happened that the girl, from a curiosity natural to children, looked into the cup, to observe the water coming in at the hole, when by chance a pearl separated from her bridal dress, fell into the cup, and, rolling down to the hole, stopped the influx of water. So the astrologer waited in expectation of the promised hour. When the operation of the cup had thus been delayed beyond all moderate time, the father was in consternation, and examining, he found that a small pearl had stopped the course of the water, and that the long-expected hour was passed. In short, the father, thus disappointed, said to his unfortunate daughter, I will write a book of your name, which shall remain to the latest times—for a good name is a second life, and the ground-work of eternal existence.—Fizi.
Preface to the Lilawati. Quoted by A. Hutton: A Philosophical and Mathematical Dictionary, Article “Algebra” (London, 1815).