there are many differences between greek and hindu mathematics in the first place the hindus who worked in mathematics regarded themselves primarily as astronomers,and thus hindu mathematics remained largely a handmaiden to astronomy; with the greeks, mathematics attained an independent existence and was studied for its own sake. also, due to the caste system, mathematics in india was cultivated almost entirely by the priests; in greece, mathematics was open to any one who cared to study the subject. again,the hindus were accomplished computers but mediocre geometers;the greeks excelled in geometry but cared little for computational work. even hindu trigonometry,which was meritorious,was arithmetical in nature;greek trigonometry was geometrical in character. the hindus wrote in verse and often clothed their works in obscure and mystic language;the greeks strove for clarity and logic in presentation. hindu mathematics is largely empirical with proofa or derivations seldom offered; an outstanding characteristic of greek mathematics is its insistence on rigorous demonstration. hindu mathematics is of very uneven quality,good and poor mathematics often appearing side by side;the greeks seemed to have an instinct which led them to distinguish good from poor quality and to preserve the former while abandoning the laller.