FROM THE WORLD OF RELIGION

Genevieve, the patron saint of Paris, was born in the year 422, at Nanterre, not far from the City of Lights.

During that time there was a theologian by the name of Pelagius whose ideas on Christ and grace, sin and heaven, differed considerably from those of St. Augustine. He went so far as to deny the doctrine of original sin (so central to Western Christianity), and to say that even pagans can enter the portals of heaven if only they behaved well. Such views were condemned by the Council of Ephesus.

Now the Bishop of Auxerre, on his way to Britain to preach against this Pelagian heresy, happened to stop at Nanterre. There, in the crowd who came to pay homage to Bishop Germanus, stood a seven year old lass whom the holy man spotted. He beckoned her to accompany him to the church, blessed her, gave her a brass medal bearing the cross, and told her parents that little Genevieve was ordained for something truly great.

In the years that followed Genevieve became a member of a religious order, subsisted on meager food, traveled to many regions in France, impressed people by her words and miracles, and enraged a few others also. In 450, Attila the Hun went on a rampage into many parts of Europe, like a roaring tornado, and was about to descend on Paris. Parisians were scared, but Genevieve asked them not to lose courage for, she assured them, God was going to protect them. She urged them to pray and fast, and have full faith in God. It has been recorded that for some strange reason, the Hun, like an unpredictable hurricane, changed course, leaving Parisians alone.

Years later, the Franks came down on Paris like another disease, and the much older Genevieve now arranged to bring food and other things to her famished compatriots. These extraordinary services, combined with reports of other medieval miracles like giving sight to the blind, earned sainthood for Genevieve. As the proverb says, "The saint who works no miracles, has no pilgrims."

Today the Pantheon in Paris stands majestically atop the highest hill on the left bank of the Seine. Here is where her body used to lie buried for a long, long time. Until the French Revolution turned many ancient traditions topsy-turvy, there used to be regular appeals to Genevieve through fasting and pro-cessions whenever there was trouble in sight, be it flood or famine.

The imposing Parisian Pantheon was built in the 18th century, erected by a grateful Louis XV when he recovered from a life-threatening illness, as homage to the patron saint of Paris. During the free-for-all of the French Revolution, fired by what was called the spirit of the Enlightenment, unruly mobs broke into the church of Saint Genevieve like brutish descendants of Attila himself, and set fire to the relics of the patron saint of Paris, and flung her ashes into the silent Seine. How the madness of masses can erase the vestiges of history in a mindless moment.

Whether the saints and sages of times past, and of whatever religion, did all the physical miracles they are credited with, no one can say with certainty. But of their impact and influence, of the charisma of their person and the courage they infused in countless human hearts, of their humility and compassion and sincerity and other virtues, there can be little doubt.

This was certainly so with St. Genevieve, whose Feast Day is January 3

FROM THE WORLD OF SCIENCE

We have precise knowledge about the places and dates of more recent scientists and mathematicians. But there have been many in the ancient world, working fruitfully in different regions and cultures, the fruits of whose labors are known but to a handful of scholars probing into ancient sciences. They are certainly deserving of recognition from everyone. It is good to remember that original thinkers and keen minds, discoverers and inventors have been there in all cultures, some more successful in propagating their results and ideas than others. Though ancient science has had to give way to newer ones, it would be unfortunate if we were to erase them from our collective memory. That's why I have decided to recall some of them on arbitrarily chosen dates.

Bhaskara was an eminent mathematician of India who lived in the 12th century. Since there had been another astronomer of that name earlier, this one is referred to, in a royal sort of way, as Bhaskara II. What is often regarded as the first book on modern arithmetic was authored by the twelfth century Hindu mathematician Bhaskara. This work, named after Bhaskara's young daughter Lilavati, has a romantic, and probably legendary, story behind it.

It is said that astrologers had predicted that there would be no moment in Lilavati's life auspicious enough for her marriage.

Being an astrologer Bhaskara. made computations and recognized, on the basis of her horoscope, a precise congenial mo-ment at which Lilavati could be betrothed without fear of an ill--starred married life. He now constructed a device consisting of a cup with a hole, which was left floating in a bucket of water. Water gradually began to enter the cup. The instant when enough water seeped through to sink the cup would be the auspicious moment when the formal step for Lilavati's wedding was to be taken.

Fair Lilavati was so fascinated by the device that she bent over to gaze at the gradual trickling of the water into the cup. While she was in that state of wonderment, a little gem broke loose from her garment and fell into the cup. This blocked the hole and obstructed further en-try of water. The carefully computed instant of good omen could no longer be caught. Lilavati was not to marry!

Bhaskara was as dejected as his daughter. To cheer her up, he decided to dedicate a work on mathematics to her. He told her that marital thrills would pass away, but she would be remembered forever on account of that work. Lilavati's name has indeed lasted a thousand years, since it is associated with a classic in the history of mathematics.

We do not know how far this legend is true. But we do know that Bhaskara wrote a mathematical masterpiece called Sidhhanta-siromani which has three parts, of which the first one bears the title of Lilavati. The book has a dozen chapters, dealing with various aspects of ancient mathematics, from arithmetic to calculations of simple interest. It is one of the earliest works to introduce the decimal system of numeration. It prescribes rules for multiplication and division by zero: rather sophisticated concepts in mathematics.

Bhaskara II also wrote on astronomy: on planetary conjunctions with stars, on solar orbits and lunar phases, and even on the radius of the sun's path. He gives formulas for plane and spherical geometry. Though the details of his world are recalled by only a few, his name brings pride and joy to many people in India to this day.

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Published   2002.01.03