Bharatiya Shastras
The very meaning of Shastra is that
which dictates unlike science which is subject to corrections and alterations. Shastra
is a broad term and include any book which has codes and conduct given by God.
Shastras include Vedas, Puranas and Upanishads. The term Veda means knowledge
and in ancient India all science were believed to be derived from and based on
Vedas. Vedas were spoken by lord himself to brahma, from within his heart.
Vedic knowledge is “Sruthi” mean to be learned by aural reception.
In kali, due to lower intelligence
and memory the people were unable to acquire knowledge by just hearing hence
Vedas were compiled in written form by Vasamaharishi. Numerous rishis and
scholars have acquired the knowledge of Vedas and have discovered and invented
many things and have written many books in various fields of sciences.
Concept of Atom
Acharya Kanad conceptualized atomic
theory. Kanad was a sixth century scientist of Vaisheshika School, one of the
six systems of Indian philosophy. His original name was Aulukya. He got the
name Kanad, because even as a child, he was interested in very minute particles
called “kana”. He says, “Every object of creation is made of atoms which in
turn connect with each other to form molecules.” In Srimad-Bhagavatam, Canto-3,
Chapter 11, Calculation of Time, from the Atom is been described.
Concept of Matter
Matter can neither be created nor
destroyed. In bhagavad gita chapter 2. 16th verse it is written as – “naasato
vidyate bhavo naabhavo vidyate satah” it means that “The non-existence cannot
be brought into being and that which exist cannot be un-existed, meaning it
cannot be destroyed”.
Concept of Gravity
Varahamihira was another well-known
scientist of the ancient period in India. He lived in the Gupta period.
Varahamihira made great contributions in the fields of hydrology, geology and ecology.
Varahamihira stated that there were some attractive forces in the stars of the
universe due to such forces the earth was able to float
Bhaskaracharaya had referred about
gravity in his work of Siddanta Siromani Bhuvanakosham 6
Mathematics
Many rishis and scholars have done
splendorous job in the field of mathematics, such as Baudhayan, Aryabhatta,
Brahmgupta, Bhaskaracharya, Mahaviracharya, Lallacharya etc.
The value of pi was first calculated
by ‘Baudhayana’. The Baudhayan’s Sulva Sutra, (Sulba Sutras) describes
Pythagoras theorem which was written several years before the age of
Pythagoras. Baudhayana was the first one ever to arrive at several concepts in
Mathematics, which were later rediscovered by the western world.
Aryabhatta was an astronomer,
astrologer and physicist. He was a pioneer in the field of mathematics. At the
age of 23, he wrote Aryabhatiya, which is a summary of mathematics of his time.
Aryabhatta showed that zero was not a numeral only but also a symbol and a
concept. Discovery of zero enabled Aryabhata to find out the exact distance
between the earth and the moon. The discovery of zero also opened up a new
dimension of negative numerals.
Bhaskaracharya was the leading light
of 12th Century. He was born at Bijapur, Karnataka. He is famous for his book
Siddanta Shiromani. It is divided into four sections: Lilavati (Arithmetic),
Beejaganit (Algebra), Goladhyaya (Sphere) and Grahaganit (mathematics of
planets). Bhaskara introduced Chakrawat Method or the Cyclic Method to solve
algebraic equations. This method was rediscovered six centuries later by
European mathematicians, who called it inverse cycle. In the nineteenth
century, an English man, James Taylor, translated Lilavati and made this great
work known to the world.
In 7th century, Brahmgupta took
mathematics to heights far beyond others. In his methods of multiplication, he
used place value in almost the same way as it is used today. He introduced
negative numbers and operations on zero into mathematics. He wrote Brahm Sputa
Siddantika through which the Arabs came to know our mathematical system.
There is an elaborate description of
mathematics in Jain literature (500 B.C -100 B.C). Jain gurus knew how to solve
quadratic equations. They have also described fractions, algebraic equations,
series, set theory, logarithms and exponents in a very interesting manner. Jain
Guru Mahaviracharya wrote Ganit Sara Sangraha in 850A.D. which is the first
textbook on arithmetic in present day form. The current method of solving Lowest
common Multiple (LCM) of given
numbers was also described by him. Thus, long before John Napier introduced it
to the world, it was already known to Indians.
Astronomy and Astrology
In ancient India, the science of
astronomy was well advanced. It was called ‘Khagolashastra’. Khagola was the
famous astronomical observatory at Nalanda. In fact science of astronomy was
highly advanced and our ancestors were proud of it. The aim behind the
development of the science of astronomy was the need to have accurate
calendars, a better understanding of climate and rainfall patterns for timely
sowing and choice of crops, fixing the dates of seasons and festivals,
navigation, calculation of time and casting of horoscopes for use in astrology.
Knowledge of astronomy, particularly knowledge of the tides and the stars, was
of great importance in trade, because of the requirement of crossing the oceans
and deserts during night time.
Aryabhatta explained that earth is round
and rotates on its own axis. He also gave a scientific explanation for solar
and lunar eclipse. He explained that the appearance of the sun moving from east
to west is false by giving examples. One such example was: When a person
travels in a boat, the trees on the shore appear to move in the opposite
direction. He also correctly stated that the moon and the planets shined by
reflected sunlight. Another prominent astronomer was Varahamihira who declared
that the earth was spherical and is hanging i9n the solar system like a huge
metallic sphere in between two very powerful magnets.
Astrology/Jyotish- Astrology is the
science of predicting the future, which means science of light, originated with
the Vedas. Astrology was given a very high place in ancient India and it has
continued even today. It was presented scientifically by Aryabhatta and
Varahamihira. Aryabhata devoted two out of the four sections of his work
Aryabhatiyam to astronomy, which is the basis for Astrology. Astrology is the
science of predicting the future. Varahamihira’s predictions were so accurate
that he was considered one of the nine gems, in the court of Vikramaditya.
Medical Science
Medical Science was highly developed
in India and this ancient Indian system of medicine not only helps in treatment
of diseases but also in finding the causes and symptoms of diseases. It is a
guide for the healthy as well as the sick.
One such science is Ayurveda which is
an indigenous system of medicine that was developed in Ancient India. The word
Ayurveda literally means the science of good health and longevity of life. It
defines health as equilibrium in three doshas (Vata, Pitta, and Kapha) and
diseases as disturbance in these three doshas. While treating a disease with
the help of herbal medicines, it aims at removing the cause of disease by
striking at the roots. The Atreya Samhita’ is the oldest medical book of the
world. . Charka, Madhava, Vagbhata and Jeevak were noted Ayurvedic
practitioners and Charka was called the father of Ayurvedic medicine. He was
the Raja Vaidya (royal doctor) in the court of Kanishka. His Charka Samhita is
a remarkable book on medicine. It has the description of a large number of
diseases and gives methods of identifying their causes as well as the method of
their treatment. He was the first to talk about digestion, metabolism and
immunity as important for health and so medical science. In Charka Samhita,
more stress has been laid on removing the cause of disease rather than simply
treating the illness. Charka also knew the fundamentals of Genetics.
Surgery: Susruta was a pioneer in the
field of surgery and was main author of the treatise Susruta Samhita. In
Susruta Samhita, over 1100 diseases are mentioned including fevers of
twenty-six kinds, jaundice of eight kinds and urinary complaints of twenty
kinds are described. He studied human anatomy with the help of a dead body. In
Susruta Samhita, the method of selecting and preserving a dead body for the
purpose of its detailed study has also been described.
Susruta’s greatest contribution was
in the fields of Rhinoplasty (plastic surgery) and ophthalmic surgery (removal
of cataracts). In Susruta Samhita, there is a very accurate step-by-step
description of these operations. Surprisingly, the steps followed by Susruta
are strikingly similar to those followed by modern surgeons while doing plastic
surgery. Susruta Samhita also gives a description of 101 instruments used in
surgery. Some serious operations performed those days include taking fetus out
of the womb, repairing the damaged rectum, removing stone from the bladder,
etc.
Education and Ethics
Gurukula system of education existed
during ancient times where students used to reside at guru’s place and learn
everything which can be later implemented to find solutions to real life
problems Ancient India very well understood that science and spirituality are complement
to one another. Science studies mainly the material nature, whereas Vedanta
studies both material nature as well as spiritual nature. The spiritual nature
includes the deeper study of reality beyond material nature that is beyond
atoms and molecules, thus it realizes the existence of soul, atman and
consciousness.
Conclusion
The
first precept of Vedanta sutura states- athato brahma jijnasa means in the
human form of life one should inquire about Brahman, the absolute truth. The
apara-vidya (scientific knowledge) is lower knowledge and para-vidya (spiritual
knowledge) is higher knowledge. Therefore ancient India and its scriptures lead
us to the Absolute Truth or Higher Knowledge.
