1. INTRODUCION
Men of older generation used to say that all knowledge
is there in the Vedas. Anyone who hears such words will
have the first reaction that it is an over confident
statement. We should remember here that any sloka in
the ancient Hindu manuscripts has more than one
meaning.
A Sloka in the 10th book of Rig Veda appears to be
written for praising Lord Indra. The technical
translation of that Sloka gives the value of pi up to
28 digits accurately. It is not until the invention of
the computers that the western mathematicians could get
this value up to 16 digits accurately. Here is a test
for those who think that the computer can do any
calculation. Use the fastest computer available to you
and write a program to calculate the value of pi up to
28 digits accurately. You will know how difficult it
is.
There were many inventions in the field of science and
technology in ancient India. Since many persons of the
present generation does not know them, they will be
described briefly to enable the readers to have the
basic understanding about them.
2. THE INVENTIONS OF ANCIENT INDIA
Who invented Calculus? The western books say that
Newton invented Calculus. You can see the Sanskrit
mathematics texts which were written many centuries
before Newton that they contain Calculus. For that
matter, who invented numbers? The Indians. The ancient
Romans did not know the number zero. Ancient Indians
knew very large numbers like Mahogham (1 followed by 62
zeros) and the corresponding smaller decimal fractions.
Paavuloori Mallana of 12th century wrote Ganitha
Sastram in Telugu. One poem in the book starts like
this:
"Sara sasi shatka chandra sara saayaka ...."
The meaning appears to be a poetic description of
nature. Each word used in the poem has a methematical
terminology meaning. It deals with a methematical
problem. One grain is placed in the first square of the
chess board. Grains, Double of that number, are placed
in the second square, and so on. How many grains have
to be placed in the last square? The poem gives the
answer as 18446744073709551614 which is equal to 2 to
the power 63.
Who invented Nuclear Physics? Buddhist teacher Pakudha
Katyayana taught atomic theory. Maharshi Kanaada of 3rd
century, B.C. wrote atomic theory in Vaiseshika Sutras.
Agni Purana gives smaller magnitudes. The smallest of
them is called Paramaanu which nearly equals one
billionth part of a meter. This value tallies with the
size of an organic molecule calculated by the western
scientists. According to the Upanishads, the five
elements of the nature are Earth, Water, Air, Fire and
Akasa. (The ancient Greek or Roman philosophers did not
know Akasa). One can easily guess that the Earth
represents the solid state, the Water the liquid state
and the Air the gaseous state. The Fire is the plasma,
the fourth state of matter. Western science has not
recognized nuclear state as a state of matter, even
though some nuclear particles are stable; Akasa means
nuclear state. The Vedic dictum "Anor aniyan mahaan
mahiyan" indicates that the greatest of the great is
hidden in the smallest of the small; this is the basis
for the atomic energy. In the ancient Sanskrit text
named Anu Sidhdhantam, Maharshi Goutama described three
models of micro-scopes through which atoms can be seen.
Who were the first to calculate the velocity of light?
The Rig Veda Bhashyam by Sayana Madhava gives the
following Sloka praising the Sun:
Yojanam sahasre dve, satadve, dvecha yojane
Ekena nimeshardhena kramamaana namosthuthe
One Yojana equals 15788.8 meters, and half of Nimesha
equals 8/75 fraction of a second. This gives the
velocity of light as 325940 km/s. We have to remember
here that the above value is an approximate one
intended for easy remembrance, like remembering the
value of pi as 22/7. It is better than the value 215000
km/s given by Danish astronomer Ole Roemer in 1676.
Having discovered so many things, it is only logical to
expect that our ancestors must have used light as the
standard for length measurements; after all, modern
science considers velocity of light to be a Universal
Constant! The word "kramamaana" of the above Sloka has
the hidden meaning of gradual minute change. This will
be dealt a little later.
Who invented weaving? Many experts agree that primitive
gins and spinning wheels originated in India. The
earliest samples of cotton fabric were found in the
excavations of the Indus Valley. Samples of the most
ancient mordant dyeing technique for cotton fabrics,
Kalamkari, were also found there. The Kalamkari
technique was perfected in South India and the
traditional method continues till date. The Puranas
describe spinning and weaving that match the modern
concept of an industry. The weaving industry involved
specialized factories working in association with
domestic industries and paid at piece rates. The fibers
used for spinning and the fabrics produced were of the
most varied types, unparalleled in any other country
during that period. Indians were exceptional for their
skills in spinning and weaving which have not been
surpassed by peoples of other lands even in historic
past. Pliny's Natural History informs that India
exported to Rome large quantities of sheep wool, woolen
fabrics, colored carpets, silks, cotton clothes, and
fabrics ranging from coarse canvas to textiles of the
finest texture. Ancient Indians had the reputation of
making the thinnest saree that could pass through a
finger ring. During the reign of Julius Caesar, the
Roman Emperor, the British did not know weaving and
lived naked.
Who invented the guns? Some people in medieval Europe
heard of powerful fire weapons of the India. Marco Polo
(in 13th century) was financed by the king of his
country with the specific purpose of finding the secret
of the Indian fire weapons. Marco Polo was given gold
coins and precious stones. He also brought some
prostitutes to woo people, if necessary. He first tried
to find the secret in the Punjab region. They pointed a
gun at him saying " Get out of our country. Else, we
will shoot you with this very gun". He then came to
south India and tried for the secret. The south Indians
were more tolerant. They told him that the secret is
not known to the public. The engineers who made the
guns reside in the king's fort generations. The guns
were kept in the armory and the public might not have
even seen a gun. The guns were brought out only at the
time of emergency like a war. A few persons gave hint
to Marco Polo that the knowledge of making gun powder
was given to the Chinese when some Indians visited them
in ancient times. Then Marco Polo went to China, but he
could not find any guns there. The gun powder was used
there for making some festival fire crackers and
rockets. He took samples of the gun powder and returned
to Europe. We know that the gun powder consists of
niter, sulphur and charcoal powder. Natural niter was
scarce in Europe, and what they could get from other
lands was not that pure. The world's purest niter in
its natural state is available in the mines of India.
The other problems faced by the Europeans in making the
guns are lack of good metallic alloys to make the
bodies of the guns and the non-availability of good
machine tools for making them. Manufacture of the guns
fell into temporary oblivion because most of them
back-fired or exploded. How did the British conquer
India? Not with their guns. The first war between the
Indians and the British took place at Mysore during
reign of Hyder Ali. The casualties on the British side
was 90 percent and those on the Indian side was 10
percent. The British realized that their weapons were
inferior to those used by the Indians. The Indians had
rockets and missiles besides guns and cannons. What is
a Sathagni? Most of us think that it is cannon. Satha
means 100 and Agni means fire; it is a missile
containing 100 bullets. It is launched from a cannon.
It explodes after reaching its destination. Sanskrit
manuscripts like Sukra Neethi Sastra contain many
formulas for making gun powder. The first item exported
by the then British East India company was Indian
niter.
Who invented the ships? Europe has only soft wood
trees. The ships made of those woods are good for
sailing the Mediterranean or a smaller sea. They are no
good for sailing on the oceans. The ship of Vasco de
Gama was about to collapse when it reached India. It is
the Indian marine engineers who repaired that ship and
made it worthy again for sea travel. Which country has
the trees that provide the hardest wood? India. The
Sanskrit name for deodar tree was Deva Tharu, the tree
that gives the best wood; it is native to India. Other
hard woods like teak and mahogany are also native to
India. Rig Veda mentions ships with 100 oars. Such
ships sailed over seven oceans and returned to India.
Visitors to India from Greece and Rome during the
pre-Christian times wrote that the Brahmins of India
knew that the earth is in the form of a globe and one
can reach the same place after sailing through the
seven oceans. The Buddhist Jataka stories wrote about
large Indian ships carrying seven hundred people. In
the Artha Sastra, Koutilya wrote about the Board of
Shipping and the Commissioner of Port who supervised
sea traffic. The Harivamsa informs that the first
geographical survey of the world was performed during
the period of Vaivasvata. The towns, villages and
demarcation of agricultural land of that period were
depicted on maps. Brahmanda Purana provides the best
and the most detailed description of world map drawn on
a flat surface using an accurate scale. Padma Purana
says that world maps were prepared and maintained in
book form and kept with care and safety in chests.
Surya Siddhantha speaks about construction of wooden
globe representing earth and marking of horizontal
circles, equatorial circles and further divisions. The
second item exported by the erst while British East
India Company was Indian ship. A few of these ships are
still in service, and are used for training cadets of
the British Navy. During World War II, Maharajas of
India have lent some hundreds of their ships to the
British for use as hospital ships.
Who invented steel? The Rig Veda mentions about steel.
Evidence for the manufacture of steel in ancient times
is available in South India. The Arabians used to make
a lot of money by selling Indian steel ingots to
Europe. In 1746, the queen of Britain had sent a
scientist named Benjamin Hauntsman to India to obtain
the secret of making steel. Hauntsman stayed in India
for some years, went back to Britain and submitted a
report to the queen. Some historic records say that he
did not write the main secret and he started his
foundry in his native town. How the secret reached
Henry Bessemer is unnecessary for us because his
process was essentially the Indian crucible method of
making steel. Another Indian contribution to industries
in Europe was the process of casting. The frames of
machine tools of that time were made of wood. Good
mechanical devices like clocks did exist in Britain as
early as 1300s. They were works of skilled crafts
persons and were not products of precision machine
tools. It was not until the structures of the machine
tools were cast using Indian casting method and their
other components were made of hard metals using Indian
steel making method, the high precision machine tools
could be made. The so called Industrial Revolution of
Europe in the 1800s heavily depended on this.
Who invented the aircraft? India had many ancient
Sanskrit texts on aeronautics. The Yantra Sarvaswa of
Maharshi Bharadwaja, Vimaana Chandrika of Maharshi
Narayan, Vyoma Yaana Tantra of Sounaka, and Vyoma
Yaanarka of Dandi Natha are some of them. They
contained topics like Maargadhi Karana (Navigation and
control of speed during flight), Lohaadhi Karana
(alloys used for various components of the aircraft)
and Saktyaadhi Karana (production and usage of various
fuels used in aircrafts). Para Sabda Grahakata is a
subject of monitoring the flight tracks of aircrafts,
navigatory communication system, and monitoring the
conversation of the pilots in the aircrafts. Maharshi
Gouthama mentioned 32 models of aircrafts used in Treta
Yuga; only one model among them, called Pushpaka
Vimaanam, became popular in the Ramayana. The
Vaimaanika Sastra describes Tripura Vimaanam that uses
solar powered engine to travel at three levels - on the
land, under the surface of water, and in the air.
Sakuna Vimaanam is a cross between an aircraft and a
rocket - a space shuttle. The British have robbed most
of our Sanskrit manuscripts during their rule in India.
In 1895, Sivasankar Thalpad of Bombay had constructed
an aircraft which flew to an altitude of 1500 feet. He
was a Vedic scholar and used to teach at the J.J.
School of Arts. He obtained the technology from some
rare Sanskrit manuscripts. He also wrote a book in
Marathi named Praacheena Vimaana Vidye Chaasodha.
Lalaji Rayanji, Maharaja of Baroda, was one of the many
witnesses who had seen the flying of that aircraft.
After the untimely death of Prof.Thalpad, his legal
heirs sold all his scripts and materials to the
British.
Who invented powder metallurgy? The Indians. The iron
pillar in Delhi which does not get rust even today is
the proof for it. It is not the only one of its kind;
there are many more scattered through out in India. The
Russians who took scrapings from the pillar confirmed
that it is made using powder metallurgy technology. The
so called space-age technology of today can make only
small pieces using powder metallurgy; they are
generally used as tips in cutting tools. How could our
ancients make such a big pillar using powder
metallurgy? The pillar is like a time capsule - it is
challenging the world. Can we rise to the pinnacles of
achievement to which our ancients had reached?
Who invented nuclear weapons? You may have heard about
the great Astras mentioned in our Puranas. But you may
not have read about them in detail:
"The Mahabharata - an ancient Indian epic compiled 3000
years ago - contains a reference to a terrible weapon.
Regrettably, in our age of the atomic bomb, the
description of this weapon exploding will not appear to
be an exaggeration: '.... a blazing shaft possessed of
the effulgence of a smokeless fire (was) let off...'.
That was how this weapon was perceived. The
consequences of its use also evoke involuntary
associations. '... This makes the bodies of the dead
unidentifiable. ... The survivors lose their nails and
hair, and their food becomes unfit for eating. For
several subsequent years the Sun, the stars and the sky
remain shrouded with clouds and bad weather'. This
weapon was known as the Weapon of Brahma or the Flame
of Indra......"[1].
Who invented plastic surgery? The Indians. It is fully
described by Maharshi Susruta, the ancient Ayurvedic
surgeon, in his Samhita. Who invented acupuncture? The
Indians. Who invented the martial arts? The Indians.
Who invented the remote sensing and imaging techniques?
The Indians. Who discovered Advanced Astrology? The
Indians. Who discovered Advanced Astronomy? The
Indians. Who discovered Groundwater Hydrology? The
Indians. We can read Brihat Samhita of Varaha Mihira;
the Indian method is better than the modern techniques
of using space satellites. Who were the first to
construct planned cities with high technology
infrastructures for water supply and sewerage? The
Indians. Who invented the hanging bridges? The Indians.
Chinese who visited India a few thousands of years ago
wrote about our hanging bridges which used steel beams
and steel ropes. Who discovered higher philosophy? The
Indians. Were there Doora Sravana and Doora Darsana
machines in ancient India? Yes. Did our ancients knew
radars and laser weapons? Yes, the techology was given
in the Sanskrit manuscript Samarangana Sutra Dhara. Who
discovered Irrigation Engineering? Another name for
India was Yilaa Varta. The hidden meaning of this name
is Jala Maaruta, the country of water laden winds. No
other country in the world has monsoons. The rainfall
in India is more than the total rainfall in the rest of
the world. India is the land of mighty rivers. In the
olden days, the water flow rate in the Ganga exceeded
that of any other river in the world. The people of
South India built and maintained an extensive system of
irrigation tanks and associated canals with
extraordinary managerial and social skills. They shared
the waters following the ways of nature from time
immemorial. Construction of small dams at every
possible location was carried out with such
completeness that a British engineer of the 19th
century thought that it would be impossible to add
another tank to that irrigation system. It was a marvel
of Indian engineering and human cooperation. Nothing
like it existed else where in the world at any time in
the past. While peasants of other countries broke their
backs to reap one harvest, the Indians produced two or
three bumper crops a year. The harvest in the Krishna
and Kauvery river basins was large enough to meet the
needs of rest of our country during periods of crisis.
Visitors from Europe and China in pre-Christian times
wrote that India was a land of plenty. Our Buddhist and
Jain religious records also say the same thing. Who
were the first to postulate the infinity of the
universe and the plurality of inhabited worlds like the
earth? The Indians. The Vishnu Purana says that the
earth is merely one of thousands of millions of
inhabited worlds like itself to be found in the
universe.
3. THE NAME OF THE COUNTRY
Why India was called Bhaarata Desam? Most of the people
of the present generation think that our country was
named after emperor Bharata. This interpretation is
probably not very old, may be some hundreds of years.
Is there any other land in the world which is named
after a male? Religions of all lands treat the earth as
a female, the mother goddess. Before the spread of
Christianity, all countries in Europe were named after
the local mother goddesses. The same is true for all
other lands in the world. Among all countries in the
world, India has inherited the largest number of
ancient manuscripts from time immemorial. They were
written on the widest range of subjects known to
humans. Indians were the originators of all higher
knowledge in the ancient times. What is impossible for
our Maharshis of yore? A Telugu poet wrote the
following line: "Pogadaraa nee thalli bhoomi
Bhaarathini" - praise your mother land Bhaarati! India
was named after Bhaarati (Saraswati), the goddess of
knowledge. No other ancient civilization of the world
could claim this coveted title. The world's oldest
educational institutions were located in India, and
scholars from China and Europe used to come here for
learning. Another hidden meaning of the name Yilaa
Varta is Bhaarati Aalaya, the temple of goddess
Bhaarati.
So much for the psyche of the Indians, but we are
psychosomatic beings. The mind is in-separable from the
body. Hence, is there anything in our bodies which
shows the blessings of goddess Bhaarati? Yes. During
the second word war, the British military doctors who
conducted autopsy on the dead found that the pineal
gland of the Indians is much larger than that in the
British. The pineal gland is the third eye. It is the
seat of higher knowledge according to the esoteric
teachings in medieval Europe. Our Sanskrit texts on
Yoga and Tantra also say the same thing. The largest
group among foreign computer programmers in the U.S.A.
at present are the Indians. Our engineers are doing
very well, even now. There are some inventions by
Indians even in our times, like the colour T.V. that we
use every day. It was invented by Guttikonda
Venkateswara Rao, a Telugu engineer who worked in the
U.S.A. The Birla Science Center at Hyderabad has
produced some alloys after studying some Hindu
manuscripts like "Vimaana Sastra" and "Amsu Bodhini".
The alloys possess some extra-ordinary properties which
are unknown to the western countries. How are the next
generation computers are going to be designed? We have
a dual-core Pentium processor which is replacing the
old one. But, the development will not be faster that
way, because they still use electron currents. We all
know that light travels faster than electron current.
When they use laser flows instead of electron flow
using Raman Effect discovered by Sir C.V.Raman, Nobel
Laureate, the next big revolution in making computers
will take place. Some researchers in U.S.A. are already
working in this line. The next drawback in a computer
is that the Numeric Co-Processor in the C.P.U. works
according to arithmetic logic. We know that the result
of multiplying an eight digit number with another eight
digit number cannot be obtained in one step. But
ancient India knows a very unique method which gives
this answer in one step - the Vedic mathematics. If the
Numeric Co-Processor was to be designed using Vedic
mathematics, each personal computer will work like a
super computer even with the present day computer
hardware.
4. INFERENCES
Coming back to the topic on light, our ancient seers
did not use light as a standard for length measurement.
How can that "which bends" be called unchangeable?
Every created thing is subject to change by time; there
is nothing like an universal constant. And the velocity
of light is no exception to this law. The velocity of
light of our Sun was greater in Krita Yuga than what it
is now, even if it is by a small fraction. The velocity
of light is proportional to the stored energy in the
Sun or any other star. Modern science also accepts that
the Sun has lost a lot of energy over billions of
years. Then, there must be some other stars in the
universe which have greater stored energies than the
Sun, and are emitting light which is faster than that
of the Sun? Yes. Modern science will confirm this after
it develops more sophisticated equipment than what they
have at present.
Why then are we not able to use our own ancient
knowledge? It is a law of nature that everything in
creation must go through cycles of time. The period of
light must be followed by a period of darkness, and the
period of wakefulness must be followed by a period of
sleep. And the period of happiness must by followed by
a period of sorrow; otherwise, the human mind will not
give the due value to happiness. After a period of
sorrow, the happiness that comes next will be much more
heartening. Hence, according to that law, the higher
psyche of Indians is at sleep now. Will it wake up in
the near future? Can we see it during our own life
time? Yes. Some astrologers, both Indian and Western,
have predicted that India will awaken to a part of its
prestigious glory in about two decades from now. One
visioner wrote:
"(In India), good character and culture will be
inculcated in all spheres of life. .... Due to the
scientific progress achieved by India and her increased
amity with America, Indian society will shed its
degenerate culture and become progressive. By 2020,
Indian society would have significantly expanded its
thinking. .... Spiritual books, originating from India,
will become extremely popular and command a global
audience. From 2010, winds of spiritualism will blow
across the entire world, awakening more and more people
in its wake. Where limits of (modern) science end,
spiritualism begins. .... Along with scientific
progress, intellectuals will start recognizing the
importance of spiritualism. .... From 2050, a new era
will begin...."[2].
The present author have also done some astrological
calculations and agree to the lines quoted above. This
is further backed-up by science and technology in our
Hindu scriptures. They are the invaluable assets given
by our ancestors. They will definitely help India to
rise.
REFERENCES
[1] Alexander Gorbovsky, Riddles of Ancient History,
The Sputnik Magazine, Moscow, Sept. 1986, p. 137.
[2] Swami Dattavadhut, Prophecies 1998 to 2100, Vanita
Books, Mumbai, 1997, pp. 33-42.
[3] http://kaalchakra0.tripod.com/id66.html
The following sites give more information on this topic:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Science_and_technology_in_ancient_India
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swadeshi_science_movement
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indian_mathematics
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vedic_mathematics
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bramhastra
http://www.hinduwisdom.info/Hindu_Culture1.htm
http://www.hinduwisdom.info/Hindu_Culture2.htm
http://www.hinduwisdom.info/Advanced_Concepts.htm
http://www.hinduwisdom.info/Vimanas.htm
http://www.hinduwisdom.info/War_in_Ancient_India.htm
http://www.hinduwisdom.info/Yantras.htm
http://www.hinduwisdom.info/Seafaring_in_Ancient_India.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vimana
http://www.hiddenmysteries.org/freebooks/history/vym2.html
http://www.bibliotecapleyades.net/vimanas/vimanas14.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:Search?search=steel
http://ccc.1asphost.com/hamidsaeed/darood/HIST-PAKISTAN.htm
http://www.vedicmathematics.co.uk/
http://www.hinduism.co.za/
http://hinduism.about.com/
http://www.vedamu.org/
http://www.wired.com/news/culture/0,1284,64575,00.html
http://www.gosai.com/science/
http://www.jainmathemagics.com/
http://www.answers.com/topic/achievements-of-ancient-indian-civilization
http://www.infinityfoundation.com/mandala/t_rs/t_rs_ship_bibliog.htm
http://www.crystalinks.com/indiascience.html
http://mathemajik.tripod.com/article/mathematics.html
http://www.crystalinks.com/indiascience.html
http://www.hindubooks.org/sudheer_birodkar/india_contribution/maths.html
http://www.mindsay.com/tags/ancient
http://www.termpapergenie.com/AncientIndianScience.html
http://www.astronomy.pomona.edu/archeo/india/as-india.html
http://www.cloudbait.com/archaeo/india.html
http://www.crystalinks.com/indiastronomy.htmlhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hindu_astronomy
Men of older generation used to say that all knowledge
is there in the Vedas. Anyone who hears such words will
have the first reaction that it is an over confident
statement. We should remember here that any sloka in
the ancient Hindu manuscripts has more than one
meaning.
A Sloka in the 10th book of Rig Veda appears to be
written for praising Lord Indra. The technical
translation of that Sloka gives the value of pi up to
28 digits accurately. It is not until the invention of
the computers that the western mathematicians could get
this value up to 16 digits accurately. Here is a test
for those who think that the computer can do any
calculation. Use the fastest computer available to you
and write a program to calculate the value of pi up to
28 digits accurately. You will know how difficult it
is.
There were many inventions in the field of science and
technology in ancient India. Since many persons of the
present generation does not know them, they will be
described briefly to enable the readers to have the
basic understanding about them.
2. THE INVENTIONS OF ANCIENT INDIA
Who invented Calculus? The western books say that
Newton invented Calculus. You can see the Sanskrit
mathematics texts which were written many centuries
before Newton that they contain Calculus. For that
matter, who invented numbers? The Indians. The ancient
Romans did not know the number zero. Ancient Indians
knew very large numbers like Mahogham (1 followed by 62
zeros) and the corresponding smaller decimal fractions.
Paavuloori Mallana of 12th century wrote Ganitha
Sastram in Telugu. One poem in the book starts like
this:
"Sara sasi shatka chandra sara saayaka ...."
The meaning appears to be a poetic description of
nature. Each word used in the poem has a methematical
terminology meaning. It deals with a methematical
problem. One grain is placed in the first square of the
chess board. Grains, Double of that number, are placed
in the second square, and so on. How many grains have
to be placed in the last square? The poem gives the
answer as 18446744073709551614 which is equal to 2 to
the power 63.
Who invented Nuclear Physics? Buddhist teacher Pakudha
Katyayana taught atomic theory. Maharshi Kanaada of 3rd
century, B.C. wrote atomic theory in Vaiseshika Sutras.
Agni Purana gives smaller magnitudes. The smallest of
them is called Paramaanu which nearly equals one
billionth part of a meter. This value tallies with the
size of an organic molecule calculated by the western
scientists. According to the Upanishads, the five
elements of the nature are Earth, Water, Air, Fire and
Akasa. (The ancient Greek or Roman philosophers did not
know Akasa). One can easily guess that the Earth
represents the solid state, the Water the liquid state
and the Air the gaseous state. The Fire is the plasma,
the fourth state of matter. Western science has not
recognized nuclear state as a state of matter, even
though some nuclear particles are stable; Akasa means
nuclear state. The Vedic dictum "Anor aniyan mahaan
mahiyan" indicates that the greatest of the great is
hidden in the smallest of the small; this is the basis
for the atomic energy. In the ancient Sanskrit text
named Anu Sidhdhantam, Maharshi Goutama described three
models of micro-scopes through which atoms can be seen.
Who were the first to calculate the velocity of light?
The Rig Veda Bhashyam by Sayana Madhava gives the
following Sloka praising the Sun:
Yojanam sahasre dve, satadve, dvecha yojane
Ekena nimeshardhena kramamaana namosthuthe
One Yojana equals 15788.8 meters, and half of Nimesha
equals 8/75 fraction of a second. This gives the
velocity of light as 325940 km/s. We have to remember
here that the above value is an approximate one
intended for easy remembrance, like remembering the
value of pi as 22/7. It is better than the value 215000
km/s given by Danish astronomer Ole Roemer in 1676.
Having discovered so many things, it is only logical to
expect that our ancestors must have used light as the
standard for length measurements; after all, modern
science considers velocity of light to be a Universal
Constant! The word "kramamaana" of the above Sloka has
the hidden meaning of gradual minute change. This will
be dealt a little later.
Who invented weaving? Many experts agree that primitive
gins and spinning wheels originated in India. The
earliest samples of cotton fabric were found in the
excavations of the Indus Valley. Samples of the most
ancient mordant dyeing technique for cotton fabrics,
Kalamkari, were also found there. The Kalamkari
technique was perfected in South India and the
traditional method continues till date. The Puranas
describe spinning and weaving that match the modern
concept of an industry. The weaving industry involved
specialized factories working in association with
domestic industries and paid at piece rates. The fibers
used for spinning and the fabrics produced were of the
most varied types, unparalleled in any other country
during that period. Indians were exceptional for their
skills in spinning and weaving which have not been
surpassed by peoples of other lands even in historic
past. Pliny's Natural History informs that India
exported to Rome large quantities of sheep wool, woolen
fabrics, colored carpets, silks, cotton clothes, and
fabrics ranging from coarse canvas to textiles of the
finest texture. Ancient Indians had the reputation of
making the thinnest saree that could pass through a
finger ring. During the reign of Julius Caesar, the
Roman Emperor, the British did not know weaving and
lived naked.
Who invented the guns? Some people in medieval Europe
heard of powerful fire weapons of the India. Marco Polo
(in 13th century) was financed by the king of his
country with the specific purpose of finding the secret
of the Indian fire weapons. Marco Polo was given gold
coins and precious stones. He also brought some
prostitutes to woo people, if necessary. He first tried
to find the secret in the Punjab region. They pointed a
gun at him saying " Get out of our country. Else, we
will shoot you with this very gun". He then came to
south India and tried for the secret. The south Indians
were more tolerant. They told him that the secret is
not known to the public. The engineers who made the
guns reside in the king's fort generations. The guns
were kept in the armory and the public might not have
even seen a gun. The guns were brought out only at the
time of emergency like a war. A few persons gave hint
to Marco Polo that the knowledge of making gun powder
was given to the Chinese when some Indians visited them
in ancient times. Then Marco Polo went to China, but he
could not find any guns there. The gun powder was used
there for making some festival fire crackers and
rockets. He took samples of the gun powder and returned
to Europe. We know that the gun powder consists of
niter, sulphur and charcoal powder. Natural niter was
scarce in Europe, and what they could get from other
lands was not that pure. The world's purest niter in
its natural state is available in the mines of India.
The other problems faced by the Europeans in making the
guns are lack of good metallic alloys to make the
bodies of the guns and the non-availability of good
machine tools for making them. Manufacture of the guns
fell into temporary oblivion because most of them
back-fired or exploded. How did the British conquer
India? Not with their guns. The first war between the
Indians and the British took place at Mysore during
reign of Hyder Ali. The casualties on the British side
was 90 percent and those on the Indian side was 10
percent. The British realized that their weapons were
inferior to those used by the Indians. The Indians had
rockets and missiles besides guns and cannons. What is
a Sathagni? Most of us think that it is cannon. Satha
means 100 and Agni means fire; it is a missile
containing 100 bullets. It is launched from a cannon.
It explodes after reaching its destination. Sanskrit
manuscripts like Sukra Neethi Sastra contain many
formulas for making gun powder. The first item exported
by the then British East India company was Indian
niter.
Who invented the ships? Europe has only soft wood
trees. The ships made of those woods are good for
sailing the Mediterranean or a smaller sea. They are no
good for sailing on the oceans. The ship of Vasco de
Gama was about to collapse when it reached India. It is
the Indian marine engineers who repaired that ship and
made it worthy again for sea travel. Which country has
the trees that provide the hardest wood? India. The
Sanskrit name for deodar tree was Deva Tharu, the tree
that gives the best wood; it is native to India. Other
hard woods like teak and mahogany are also native to
India. Rig Veda mentions ships with 100 oars. Such
ships sailed over seven oceans and returned to India.
Visitors to India from Greece and Rome during the
pre-Christian times wrote that the Brahmins of India
knew that the earth is in the form of a globe and one
can reach the same place after sailing through the
seven oceans. The Buddhist Jataka stories wrote about
large Indian ships carrying seven hundred people. In
the Artha Sastra, Koutilya wrote about the Board of
Shipping and the Commissioner of Port who supervised
sea traffic. The Harivamsa informs that the first
geographical survey of the world was performed during
the period of Vaivasvata. The towns, villages and
demarcation of agricultural land of that period were
depicted on maps. Brahmanda Purana provides the best
and the most detailed description of world map drawn on
a flat surface using an accurate scale. Padma Purana
says that world maps were prepared and maintained in
book form and kept with care and safety in chests.
Surya Siddhantha speaks about construction of wooden
globe representing earth and marking of horizontal
circles, equatorial circles and further divisions. The
second item exported by the erst while British East
India Company was Indian ship. A few of these ships are
still in service, and are used for training cadets of
the British Navy. During World War II, Maharajas of
India have lent some hundreds of their ships to the
British for use as hospital ships.
Who invented steel? The Rig Veda mentions about steel.
Evidence for the manufacture of steel in ancient times
is available in South India. The Arabians used to make
a lot of money by selling Indian steel ingots to
Europe. In 1746, the queen of Britain had sent a
scientist named Benjamin Hauntsman to India to obtain
the secret of making steel. Hauntsman stayed in India
for some years, went back to Britain and submitted a
report to the queen. Some historic records say that he
did not write the main secret and he started his
foundry in his native town. How the secret reached
Henry Bessemer is unnecessary for us because his
process was essentially the Indian crucible method of
making steel. Another Indian contribution to industries
in Europe was the process of casting. The frames of
machine tools of that time were made of wood. Good
mechanical devices like clocks did exist in Britain as
early as 1300s. They were works of skilled crafts
persons and were not products of precision machine
tools. It was not until the structures of the machine
tools were cast using Indian casting method and their
other components were made of hard metals using Indian
steel making method, the high precision machine tools
could be made. The so called Industrial Revolution of
Europe in the 1800s heavily depended on this.
Who invented the aircraft? India had many ancient
Sanskrit texts on aeronautics. The Yantra Sarvaswa of
Maharshi Bharadwaja, Vimaana Chandrika of Maharshi
Narayan, Vyoma Yaana Tantra of Sounaka, and Vyoma
Yaanarka of Dandi Natha are some of them. They
contained topics like Maargadhi Karana (Navigation and
control of speed during flight), Lohaadhi Karana
(alloys used for various components of the aircraft)
and Saktyaadhi Karana (production and usage of various
fuels used in aircrafts). Para Sabda Grahakata is a
subject of monitoring the flight tracks of aircrafts,
navigatory communication system, and monitoring the
conversation of the pilots in the aircrafts. Maharshi
Gouthama mentioned 32 models of aircrafts used in Treta
Yuga; only one model among them, called Pushpaka
Vimaanam, became popular in the Ramayana. The
Vaimaanika Sastra describes Tripura Vimaanam that uses
solar powered engine to travel at three levels - on the
land, under the surface of water, and in the air.
Sakuna Vimaanam is a cross between an aircraft and a
rocket - a space shuttle. The British have robbed most
of our Sanskrit manuscripts during their rule in India.
In 1895, Sivasankar Thalpad of Bombay had constructed
an aircraft which flew to an altitude of 1500 feet. He
was a Vedic scholar and used to teach at the J.J.
School of Arts. He obtained the technology from some
rare Sanskrit manuscripts. He also wrote a book in
Marathi named Praacheena Vimaana Vidye Chaasodha.
Lalaji Rayanji, Maharaja of Baroda, was one of the many
witnesses who had seen the flying of that aircraft.
After the untimely death of Prof.Thalpad, his legal
heirs sold all his scripts and materials to the
British.
Who invented powder metallurgy? The Indians. The iron
pillar in Delhi which does not get rust even today is
the proof for it. It is not the only one of its kind;
there are many more scattered through out in India. The
Russians who took scrapings from the pillar confirmed
that it is made using powder metallurgy technology. The
so called space-age technology of today can make only
small pieces using powder metallurgy; they are
generally used as tips in cutting tools. How could our
ancients make such a big pillar using powder
metallurgy? The pillar is like a time capsule - it is
challenging the world. Can we rise to the pinnacles of
achievement to which our ancients had reached?
Who invented nuclear weapons? You may have heard about
the great Astras mentioned in our Puranas. But you may
not have read about them in detail:
"The Mahabharata - an ancient Indian epic compiled 3000
years ago - contains a reference to a terrible weapon.
Regrettably, in our age of the atomic bomb, the
description of this weapon exploding will not appear to
be an exaggeration: '.... a blazing shaft possessed of
the effulgence of a smokeless fire (was) let off...'.
That was how this weapon was perceived. The
consequences of its use also evoke involuntary
associations. '... This makes the bodies of the dead
unidentifiable. ... The survivors lose their nails and
hair, and their food becomes unfit for eating. For
several subsequent years the Sun, the stars and the sky
remain shrouded with clouds and bad weather'. This
weapon was known as the Weapon of Brahma or the Flame
of Indra......"[1].
Who invented plastic surgery? The Indians. It is fully
described by Maharshi Susruta, the ancient Ayurvedic
surgeon, in his Samhita. Who invented acupuncture? The
Indians. Who invented the martial arts? The Indians.
Who invented the remote sensing and imaging techniques?
The Indians. Who discovered Advanced Astrology? The
Indians. Who discovered Advanced Astronomy? The
Indians. Who discovered Groundwater Hydrology? The
Indians. We can read Brihat Samhita of Varaha Mihira;
the Indian method is better than the modern techniques
of using space satellites. Who were the first to
construct planned cities with high technology
infrastructures for water supply and sewerage? The
Indians. Who invented the hanging bridges? The Indians.
Chinese who visited India a few thousands of years ago
wrote about our hanging bridges which used steel beams
and steel ropes. Who discovered higher philosophy? The
Indians. Were there Doora Sravana and Doora Darsana
machines in ancient India? Yes. Did our ancients knew
radars and laser weapons? Yes, the techology was given
in the Sanskrit manuscript Samarangana Sutra Dhara. Who
discovered Irrigation Engineering? Another name for
India was Yilaa Varta. The hidden meaning of this name
is Jala Maaruta, the country of water laden winds. No
other country in the world has monsoons. The rainfall
in India is more than the total rainfall in the rest of
the world. India is the land of mighty rivers. In the
olden days, the water flow rate in the Ganga exceeded
that of any other river in the world. The people of
South India built and maintained an extensive system of
irrigation tanks and associated canals with
extraordinary managerial and social skills. They shared
the waters following the ways of nature from time
immemorial. Construction of small dams at every
possible location was carried out with such
completeness that a British engineer of the 19th
century thought that it would be impossible to add
another tank to that irrigation system. It was a marvel
of Indian engineering and human cooperation. Nothing
like it existed else where in the world at any time in
the past. While peasants of other countries broke their
backs to reap one harvest, the Indians produced two or
three bumper crops a year. The harvest in the Krishna
and Kauvery river basins was large enough to meet the
needs of rest of our country during periods of crisis.
Visitors from Europe and China in pre-Christian times
wrote that India was a land of plenty. Our Buddhist and
Jain religious records also say the same thing. Who
were the first to postulate the infinity of the
universe and the plurality of inhabited worlds like the
earth? The Indians. The Vishnu Purana says that the
earth is merely one of thousands of millions of
inhabited worlds like itself to be found in the
universe.
3. THE NAME OF THE COUNTRY
Why India was called Bhaarata Desam? Most of the people
of the present generation think that our country was
named after emperor Bharata. This interpretation is
probably not very old, may be some hundreds of years.
Is there any other land in the world which is named
after a male? Religions of all lands treat the earth as
a female, the mother goddess. Before the spread of
Christianity, all countries in Europe were named after
the local mother goddesses. The same is true for all
other lands in the world. Among all countries in the
world, India has inherited the largest number of
ancient manuscripts from time immemorial. They were
written on the widest range of subjects known to
humans. Indians were the originators of all higher
knowledge in the ancient times. What is impossible for
our Maharshis of yore? A Telugu poet wrote the
following line: "Pogadaraa nee thalli bhoomi
Bhaarathini" - praise your mother land Bhaarati! India
was named after Bhaarati (Saraswati), the goddess of
knowledge. No other ancient civilization of the world
could claim this coveted title. The world's oldest
educational institutions were located in India, and
scholars from China and Europe used to come here for
learning. Another hidden meaning of the name Yilaa
Varta is Bhaarati Aalaya, the temple of goddess
Bhaarati.
So much for the psyche of the Indians, but we are
psychosomatic beings. The mind is in-separable from the
body. Hence, is there anything in our bodies which
shows the blessings of goddess Bhaarati? Yes. During
the second word war, the British military doctors who
conducted autopsy on the dead found that the pineal
gland of the Indians is much larger than that in the
British. The pineal gland is the third eye. It is the
seat of higher knowledge according to the esoteric
teachings in medieval Europe. Our Sanskrit texts on
Yoga and Tantra also say the same thing. The largest
group among foreign computer programmers in the U.S.A.
at present are the Indians. Our engineers are doing
very well, even now. There are some inventions by
Indians even in our times, like the colour T.V. that we
use every day. It was invented by Guttikonda
Venkateswara Rao, a Telugu engineer who worked in the
U.S.A. The Birla Science Center at Hyderabad has
produced some alloys after studying some Hindu
manuscripts like "Vimaana Sastra" and "Amsu Bodhini".
The alloys possess some extra-ordinary properties which
are unknown to the western countries. How are the next
generation computers are going to be designed? We have
a dual-core Pentium processor which is replacing the
old one. But, the development will not be faster that
way, because they still use electron currents. We all
know that light travels faster than electron current.
When they use laser flows instead of electron flow
using Raman Effect discovered by Sir C.V.Raman, Nobel
Laureate, the next big revolution in making computers
will take place. Some researchers in U.S.A. are already
working in this line. The next drawback in a computer
is that the Numeric Co-Processor in the C.P.U. works
according to arithmetic logic. We know that the result
of multiplying an eight digit number with another eight
digit number cannot be obtained in one step. But
ancient India knows a very unique method which gives
this answer in one step - the Vedic mathematics. If the
Numeric Co-Processor was to be designed using Vedic
mathematics, each personal computer will work like a
super computer even with the present day computer
hardware.
4. INFERENCES
Coming back to the topic on light, our ancient seers
did not use light as a standard for length measurement.
How can that "which bends" be called unchangeable?
Every created thing is subject to change by time; there
is nothing like an universal constant. And the velocity
of light is no exception to this law. The velocity of
light of our Sun was greater in Krita Yuga than what it
is now, even if it is by a small fraction. The velocity
of light is proportional to the stored energy in the
Sun or any other star. Modern science also accepts that
the Sun has lost a lot of energy over billions of
years. Then, there must be some other stars in the
universe which have greater stored energies than the
Sun, and are emitting light which is faster than that
of the Sun? Yes. Modern science will confirm this after
it develops more sophisticated equipment than what they
have at present.
Why then are we not able to use our own ancient
knowledge? It is a law of nature that everything in
creation must go through cycles of time. The period of
light must be followed by a period of darkness, and the
period of wakefulness must be followed by a period of
sleep. And the period of happiness must by followed by
a period of sorrow; otherwise, the human mind will not
give the due value to happiness. After a period of
sorrow, the happiness that comes next will be much more
heartening. Hence, according to that law, the higher
psyche of Indians is at sleep now. Will it wake up in
the near future? Can we see it during our own life
time? Yes. Some astrologers, both Indian and Western,
have predicted that India will awaken to a part of its
prestigious glory in about two decades from now. One
visioner wrote:
"(In India), good character and culture will be
inculcated in all spheres of life. .... Due to the
scientific progress achieved by India and her increased
amity with America, Indian society will shed its
degenerate culture and become progressive. By 2020,
Indian society would have significantly expanded its
thinking. .... Spiritual books, originating from India,
will become extremely popular and command a global
audience. From 2010, winds of spiritualism will blow
across the entire world, awakening more and more people
in its wake. Where limits of (modern) science end,
spiritualism begins. .... Along with scientific
progress, intellectuals will start recognizing the
importance of spiritualism. .... From 2050, a new era
will begin...."[2].
The present author have also done some astrological
calculations and agree to the lines quoted above. This
is further backed-up by science and technology in our
Hindu scriptures. They are the invaluable assets given
by our ancestors. They will definitely help India to
rise.
REFERENCES
[1] Alexander Gorbovsky, Riddles of Ancient History,
The Sputnik Magazine, Moscow, Sept. 1986, p. 137.
[2] Swami Dattavadhut, Prophecies 1998 to 2100, Vanita
Books, Mumbai, 1997, pp. 33-42.
[3] http://kaalchakra0.tripod.com/id66.html
The following sites give more information on this topic:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Science_and_technology_in_ancient_India
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swadeshi_science_movement
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indian_mathematics
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vedic_mathematics
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bramhastra
http://www.hinduwisdom.info/Hindu_Culture1.htm
http://www.hinduwisdom.info/Hindu_Culture2.htm
http://www.hinduwisdom.info/Advanced_Concepts.htm
http://www.hinduwisdom.info/Vimanas.htm
http://www.hinduwisdom.info/War_in_Ancient_India.htm
http://www.hinduwisdom.info/Yantras.htm
http://www.hinduwisdom.info/Seafaring_in_Ancient_India.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vimana
http://www.hiddenmysteries.org/freebooks/history/vym2.html
http://www.bibliotecapleyades.net/vimanas/vimanas14.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:Search?search=steel
http://ccc.1asphost.com/hamidsaeed/darood/HIST-PAKISTAN.htm
http://www.vedicmathematics.co.uk/
http://www.hinduism.co.za/
http://hinduism.about.com/
http://www.vedamu.org/
http://www.wired.com/news/culture/0,1284,64575,00.html
http://www.gosai.com/science/
http://www.jainmathemagics.com/
http://www.answers.com/topic/achievements-of-ancient-indian-civilization
http://www.infinityfoundation.com/mandala/t_rs/t_rs_ship_bibliog.htm
http://www.crystalinks.com/indiascience.html
http://mathemajik.tripod.com/article/mathematics.html
http://www.crystalinks.com/indiascience.html
http://www.hindubooks.org/sudheer_birodkar/india_contribution/maths.html
http://www.mindsay.com/tags/ancient
http://www.termpapergenie.com/AncientIndianScience.html
http://www.astronomy.pomona.edu/archeo/india/as-india.html
http://www.cloudbait.com/archaeo/india.html
http://www.crystalinks.com/indiastronomy.htmlhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hindu_astronomy
