A Sanskrit verse from Brahmagupta’s book Brahmasphutasiddhanta says, “A body falls towards the earth as it is the nature of the earth to attract bodies, just as it is the nature of water to flow.” This statement indicates Brahmagupta’s grasp of the concept of gravity, which was later elaborated by another Indian astronomer, Bhaskara II, in his book Surya Siddhanta in 1150. All of this occurred way before Isaac Newton. Brahmagupta died in 668 CE and Bhaskara II wrote his book in 1150. Newton’s Principia, which describes gravity, was published in 1687, which was more than 500 years later.
