MATHEMATICS & ASTRONOMY
Baudhayan :
· Baudhayan
was the first one ever to arrive at several concepts in Mathematics, which were
later rediscovered by the western world.
· The
value of pi was first calculated by him.
· As
you know, pi is
useful in calculating the area and circumference of a circle.
· What
is known as Pythagoras theorem today is already found in Baudhayan’s Sulva
Sutra, which was written several years before the age of Pythagoras.
Aryabhatta
:
· Aryabhatta
was a fifth century mathematician, astronomer, astrologer and physicist.
· He was
a pioneer in the field of mathematics.
· At
the age of 23, he wrote Aryabhattiya, which
is a summary of mathematics of his time.
· There
are four sections in this scholarly work.
· In
the first section he describes the method of denoting big
decimal numbers by alphabets.
· In
the second section, we find difficult questions from topics of modern day
Mathematics such as number theory, geometry, trigonometry and Beejganita
(algebra).
· The
remaining two sections are on astronomy.
· Aryabhatta
showed that zero was not a numeral only but also a symbol and a concept.
· Discovery
of zero enabled Aryabhatta 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.
· As
we have seen, the last two sections of Aryabhattiya were on
Astronomy.
· In ancient India, the science of astronomy
was well advanced. It was called Khagolshastra.
· Khagol
was the famous astronomical observatory at Nalanda, where
Aryabhatta studied.
· 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.
· Disregarding
the popular view that our planet earth is ‘Achala’ (immovable),
Aryabhatta stated his theory that ‘earth is round and rotates on its own
axis’ 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.
· He
also gave a scientific explanation for solar and lunar eclipse clarifying that
the eclipse were not because of Rahhu and/or Ketu or some other rakshasa
(demon,).
· Do
you realize now, why the first satellite sent into orbit by India has been
named after Aryabhatta?
Brahmgupta
:
· 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.
Mahaviracharya:
· 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 Least 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.
SCIENCE
Kanad
:
· 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”.
· His
atomic theory can be a match to any modern atomic theory.
· According
to Kanad, material universe is made up of kanas, (anu/atom) which
cannot be seen through any human organ.
· These
cannot be further subdivided. Thus, they are indivisible and indestructible.
· This
is, of course, as you may be knowing, what the modern atomic theory also says.
Varahamihira
:
· He
lived in the Gupta period.
· Varahamihira
made great contributions in the fields of hydrology, geology and ecology.
· He
was one of the first scientists to claim that termites and plants could be
the indicators of the presence of underground water.
· He
gave a list of six animals and thirty plants, which could indicate the presence
of water.
· He
gave very important information regarding termites (Deemak or insects
that destroy wood), that they go very deep to the surface of water level to
bring water to keep their houses (bambis) wet.
· Another theory, which has attracted the world of science is the earthquake
cloud theory given by Varahmihira in his Brhat Samhita.
· The
thirty second chapter of this samhita is devoted to signs of
earthquakes.
· He
has tried to relate earthquakes to the influence of planets, undersea
· activities,
underground water, unusual cloud formation and abnormal behaviour of animals.
· Another
field where Varahamihira’s contribution is worth mentioning is Jyotish
or Astrology.
· Astrology
is the science of predicting the future.
· Jyotish,
which means science of light, originated with the Vedas.
· It
was presented scientifically in a systematic form by Aryabhatta and
Varahmihira.
· You have already seen that Aryabhatta devoted
two out of the four sections of his work Aryabhattiyam to astronomy, which is
the basis for Astrology.
· Varahamihira
was one of the nine gems, who were scholars, in the court of Vikramaditya.
· Varahamihira’s
predictions were so accurate that king Vikramaditya gave him the title of
‘Varaha’.
Nagarjuna :
· Nagarjuna
was a tenth century scientist.
· The
main aim of his experiments was to transform base elements into
gold, like the alchemists in the western world.
· Even
though he was not successful in his goal, he succeeded in making an
element with gold-like shine.
· Till
date, this technology is used in making imitation jewelry.
In his treatise, Rasaratnakara, he has discussed methods for the extraction of metals like gold, silver, tin and copper.
In his treatise, Rasaratnakara, he has discussed methods for the extraction of metals like gold, silver, tin and copper.
MEDICAL
SCIENCE IN ANCIENT INDIA (AYURVEDA & YOGA) :
· Ayurveda
is the indigenous system of medicine that was developed in
Ancient India.
· The
word Ayurveda literally means the science of good health and longevity
of life.
· 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.
· It
defines health as an equilibrium in three doshas, 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.
· It is
the oldest medical system of our planet.
· A
treatise on Ayurveda, Atreya Samhita, is the oldest medical book
of the world.
· Charak
is called the father of ayurvedic medicine and Susruta the father of surgery.
· Susruta,
Charak, Madhava, Vagbhatta and Jeevak were
noted ayurvedic practitioners.
· Do
you know that Ayurveda has lately become very popular
· in
the western world? This is because of its many advantages over the modern
system of medicine called Allopathy, which is of western origin.
Susruta
:
· Susruta
was a pioneer in the field of surgery.
· He
considered surgery as “the highest division of the healing arts and least
liable to fallacy”.
· He
studied human anatomy with the help of a dead body.
· In Susruta
Samhita, over 1100 diseases are mentioned including fevers of twenty-six
kinds, jaundice of eight kinds and urinary complaints of twenty kinds.
· Over
760 plants are described.
· All
parts, roots, bark, juice, resin, flowers etc. were used.
· Cinnamon, sesame, peppers, cardamom, ginger are household
remedies even today.
· In Susruta
Samhita, the method of selecting and preserving a dead body for the purpose
of its detailed study has also been described.
· The
dead body of an old man or a person who died of a severe disease was generally
not considered for studies.
· The
body needed to be perfectly cleaned and then preserved in the bark of a tree.
· It
was then kept in a cage and hidden carefully in a spot in the river.
· There
the current of the river softened it.
· After
seven days it was removed from the river.
· It
was then cleaned with a brush made of grass roots, hair and bamboo. When this
was done, every inner or outer part of the body could be seen clearly.
· Susruta’s
greatest contribution was in the fields of Rhinoplasty (plastic surgery) and Ophthalmic
surgery (removal of cataracts).
· In
those days, cutting of nose and/or ears was a common punishment. Restoration of
these or limbs lost in wars was a great blessing.
· 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 included taking foetus out of the womb, repairing
the damaged rectum, removing stone from the bladder, etc.
Charak
:
· Charak
is considered the father of ancient Indian science of medicine.
· He
was the Raj Vaidya (royal doctor) in the court of Kanishka.
· His
Charak 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 scienc.
· In Charak
Samhita, more stress has been laid on removing the cause of disease
rather than simply treating the illness.
· Charak
also knew the fundamentals of Genetics.
Yoga
& Patanjali :
· The
science of Yoga was developed in ancient India as
an allied science of Ayurveda for healing without medicine at the physical and
mental level.
· The
term Yoga has been derived from the Sanskrit work
Yoktra.
· Its
literal meaning is “yoking the mind to the inner self after detaching it from the
outer subjects of senses”.
· Like
all other sciences, it has its roots in the Vedas.
· It defines
chitta i.e. dissolving thoughts, emotions and desires of a person’s consciousness
and achieving a state of equilibrium.
· Yoga
is physical as well as mental.
· Physical
yoga is called Hathyoga.
· Generally,
it aims at removing a disease and restoring healthy condition to the body.
· Rajayoga
is mental yoga.
· Its
goal is self realization and liberation from bondage by achieving physical
mental, emotional and spritiual balance.
· The
credit of systematically presenting this great science goes to Patanjali.
· In
the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, Aum is spoken of as
the symbol of God.
· He
refers to Aum as a cosmic sound, continuously flowing through the ether, fully
known only to the illuminated.
· Besides
Yoga Sutras, Patanjali also wrote a work on medicine and worked
on Panini’s grammar known as Mahabhasaya.
A very informative site. The way you have share this information is really very appreciative. Hope to see more on this topic here. Thanks for posting this information here.
ReplyDeletebest coaching for ias
VLCC Institute course in Hair Technology is devoted for beginners where we teach standard techniques used by trained faculties, allowing you the time and space to truly perfect lines, graduation and layering and their combinations. Hair Academy
ReplyDeleteThanks for the information..it is really helpful
ReplyDeleteYouth Destination, located in Delhi, is a premier coaching institute renowned for its exceptional guidance in the field of civil services preparation, specifically for the Indian Administrative Services (IAS) examination.
ReplyDelete