Halayudha (Sanskrit: हलायुध) was a 10th-century Indian mathematician who wrote the , a commentary on Pingala's Chandaḥśāstra. The latter contains a clear description of Pascal's triangle (called meru-prastāra). Biography Halayudha originally resided at the Rashtrakuta capital Manyakheta, where he wrote under the patronage of emperor Krishna III. His Kavi-Rahasya eulogizes Krishna III. Later, he migrated to Ujjain in the Paramara kingdom. There, he composed Mṛta-Sañjīvanī in honour of the Paramara king Munja. Works Halayudha composed the following works: Kavi-Rahasya, a book on poetics Mṛta-Sañjīvanī, a commentary on Pingala's Chandaḥ-śāstra Abhidhana-ratna-mala, a lexicon Halāyudha Kośa, a dictionary He seems to be the first person who came out with the idea of what is today called Pascal's triangle, which he called the staircase of mount Meru. See also Indian mathematicians References Bibliography History of Rashtakutas 10th-century Indian mathematicians Paramara kingdom Indian Sanskrit scholars