Summary:
Contributions of Ancient India around 5th century:
Concept of zero, differential calculus, texts on morphology, physiology and germination process of plants, and system of nomenclature.
But the invasion of Mughals, the Portuguese, the Dutch, the French and the British prevented the growth of science.
At the present
A member of nuclear club, space club and Antarctica exploration club.
World's third largest pool of trained technologies just after USA and Soviet Union.
Sushruta
Born in sixth century B.C. Sushruta was descendent of Vishwamitra. He learnt surgery from Dhanwantari.
Known as father of plastic surgery all over the world.
His book "Sushrut Samhita" is relevant even today.
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| Sushrut-Smahita |
In eighth century the book was translated into Arabic as Kitab-Shaw-Shoon a Hindi and Kitab-i-Susrud.
He was first physician to advocate caesarian operation.
He was an expert in removing urinary stones, treating fractures and eye operation for cataract.
Several centuries before Joseph Lister he put forth the concept of asepsis.
He is also called as father of anaesthesia.
He advocated for experiment with carcasses before operations.
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| Surgical-instruments-used-by-Sushruta |
Charak
First physician to present the concept of digestion, and immunity.
Gave the concept of three doshas or humours namely bile, Phlegm and wind and Dhatus namely blood, flesh and marrow.
Counted total numbers of bones 360 including teeth.
He found heart having one cavity and controlling centre connected to the body through 13 main channels.
His book "Charak Samhita" translated in to Arabic and Latin.
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| Charak-Samhita |
Kanada
Wrote Vaisheshiksutra. The relationship between man, the universe and the creator. It is a blend of science, philosophy and religion.
He gave the name Parmanu to an indivisible entity of matter.
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| Acharya-Kanada |
He told that everything is made of parmanu, it does not exists in free state.
He took a lead over other scientists in his assertion that parmanu of one substance differs from others. All things seen in the universe were formed because of peculiarity of parmanu.
He put forward the idea of chemical changes take place because of heat.
Patanjali
He was the first to present fundamentals of yoga, In second century B.C. Patanjali explained how God is attained through yoga.
Through the practice of yoga several ailments, mental and physical can be cured and extraordinary power can be attained. Yogis can live without food and or oxygen for a long time.
Patanjali compared our mind with surface of a pond. Untill and unless our mind is still will we cannot see God within us.
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| Patanjali |
Aryabhatta
Born in 479A.D. he completed his education in Nalanda University.
Gupta ruler Buddhagupta later made him the head of the University.
He was the first to deduce that the Earth is round and it rotates on its own axis creating day and night.
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| Aryabhatta |
The moon is dark and shines only because of sunlight.
Solar and lunar eclipse occurs because of the shadow cast by the earth and the moon.
Varahamihira
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| Varahamihira |
Indian sage who predicted water Discovery on Mars 1500 years ago.
Nagarjuna
A Chemist, Born in 1931A.D. near Somnath in Gujarat.
He was said to have the power to change base metals into gold.
He claimed that he was a messenger of God and treatise Rasaratnakara was in the form of dialogues between him and God.
Rasaratnakara deals with preparation of para (mercury compound) about metallurgy, extraction of metals and their purification.
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| Nagarjuna |
He claimed to prepare the elixir of life from mercury, animal and vegetable products apart from minerals and alkalis.
To dissolve diamonds metals and pearls he suggested the use of vegetable acids, juices of fruits and plants.
Bhaskara
He was a great mathematician.
He wrote "Siddhanta Siromani", it has four parts-
1. Leelavati - Dealt with arithmetic.
2. Bijaganita - Algebra
3. Goladhyay - Sphere
4. Grahganita - Planetary Mathematics.
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| Bhaskara |
Bhaskara was the first thinker to declare that a term divided zero is infinity and sum any term to infinity.
He is also called the founder of differential calculus several centuries before Isaac Newton and Leibnitz.
Emperor Jehangir
He was crowned on October 24, 1605.
Death October 28, 1627.
He was a naturalist, and has described various characteristics of animals and birds, their geographical distribution and behaviour great accuracy.
He has given detailed description of birds such as the florican, dipper, hawk and cuckoo, and animal such as polecat and monkey.
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| Emperor-Jehangir |
He mad correct estimate of gestation period of elephant as 18 to 19 months.
Jehangir has a small zoo. He made observations on sarus crane and observed that the parents not only love their chicks but each other also.
He conducted an experiment to show that air of Mahmudabad (Gujarat) was healthier than that of Ahmedabad.
He recorded solar and lunar eclipse.
He also cultivated high attitude trees such as cypress, juniper, pine on the plain.
Sawai Jaisingh
Using astrolabe and other instruments he detected errors in the position of stars and the moon given in Indian, Arab and European astronomers. This shift was caused due to change in axis of rotation of the earth.
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| Sawai-Jai-Singh |
Emperor Muhammad Shah offered him help to correct the errors as they affected the time of Hindu and Muslim festivals. and in 1724 Jantar Mantar was built in Delhi and in 1734 he published his observation Zij Muhammad Shahi in the honour of the Mughal emperor.
His main contribution was measurement of precession of equinox and other obliquity of the ecliptic.
Sawai Jaisingh designed three instruments-
1. Samrat Yantra
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| Samrat-Yantra |
A kind of sundial which measured time up to accuracy of half a minute.
2. Ram Yantra
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| Ram-Yantra |
A tall pillar inside a graduated cylinder which measured the altitude and azimuth of heavenly bodies up to high accuracy.
3 Jai Prakash
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| Jai-Prakash-Yantra |
A wide concave bowl on which position of all heavenly bodies can be mapped. His findings were far more accurate than his predecessors like Ptolemy and Ulugh Beg.
Questions and Answers:
Q.1 What have most Indians not included in their
great heritage?
Ans. Most Indians have not included
science in their heritage.
Q.2 How old is the evidence of the scientific
knowledge of the Indians?
Ans. The evidence of the
scientific knowledge of the Indian’s is more than 3000 years.
Q.3 Which was the golden age of science in ancient
India?
Ans. The golden age of science
in ancient India was from 4thcentury B.C. to 6thcentury
B.C.
Q.4 Name of the kings under whom science in ancient
India flowered?
Ans. The kings under whom
science flowered in ancient India were Maurya, Kushanas & Guptas.
Q.5 Name two things that were discovered around
first century?
Ans. The two things that were
discovered around first century was the concept of zero and differential
calculus.
Q.6 What prevented India from
becoming one of the earliest homes of modern science?
Ans.
The invasions of Mughals, Portuguese and the Dutch prevented India from becoming
one of the earliest homes of modern science.
Q.9
In which sphere is India next only to the
USA and the USSR?
Ans. In the sphere of technology,
India is next only to the USA and the USSR.
Q.8 Which Indian scientist is known as the father of plastic surgery?
Ans. Sushruta is the Indian
scientist who known as the father of plastic surgery.
Q.9 Which of Sushruta’s book was translated into
Arabic?
Ans. Sushruta’s book “Sushruta Samhita”
was translated into Arabic.
Q.10 According to Charak, what does
human body contain?
Ans. According to Charak, human
body contains three doshas namely bile, phlegm and wind.
Q.11 What was the total number of bones in
human body, according to Charak?
Ans. According to Charak, there
are 360 bones including teeth in human body.
Q.12 Where was Charak wrong about the
human heart?
Ans. Charak believed that the heart had
only one cavity.
Q.13 Which Indian scientist
first used the term parmanu?
Ans. Kanada was the first Indian scientist
who used the term parmanu.
Q.14 In what did Kanada take
lead over other old Indian philosophers?
Ans. Kanada took lead over the
other philosophers on his idea of parmanu.
Q.15 What, according to Kanada,
was responsible for any chemical change?
Ans. According to Kanada, heat
was responsible for any chemical change.
Q.16 Who presented the first
fundamentals and techniques of Yoga?
Ans. Patanjali was the first man who presented
fundamentals and techniques of Yoga.
Q.17 According to Patanjali why
one cannot see God within?
Ans. According to Patanjali, one cannot
see God within because our mind is in constant agitation.
Q.18 What can the yogis live
without for along time?
Ans. The Yogis can live without
food or oxygen for a long time.
Q.19 What was Aryabhatta first
to say about the earth?
Ans. Aryabhatta was the first to say that
the earth is round and rotates on its axis.
Q.20 What did Aryabhatta say
about solar and lunar eclipse?
Ans. Aryabhatta said that the solar and
lunar eclipse occur because of the shadow cast by the earth and the moon.
Q.21 Why did Varahamihira shift
to Ujjain?
Ans. Varahamihira shifted to Ujjain
because it was the centre of learning and had many schools of arts, science and
culture there.
Q.22 Which claim of
Varahamihira is receiving attention in the science of world?
Ans. His claim of plants and termites
serve as indicators of underground water is now receiving
attention of world.
Q.23 What does Rasaratnakara
deal with?
Ans. Rasaratnakara deals with preparation
of mercury.
Q.24 According to Nagarjuna
what can dissolve diamonds, metals and pearls?
Ans. According to Nagarjuna, vegetable
acids and juice of fruits and plants can dissolve diamonds metals and
pearls.
Q.25 What are emperor
Jehangir’s original contributions to the natural science?
Ans. Emperor Jehangir made a correct
estimate of the gestation period of elephants and give details of pairing sarus
cranes.
Q.26 What human quality did emperor
Jehangir observe in sarus cranes?
Ans.
Jehangir observed that the parents not only love their
chicks but each other also.
Q.27 What astronomical errors
did Sawai Jai Singh detect?
Ans. Sawai Jai Singh detected
the errors in the positions of stars.
Q.28 What instrument did Jai
Singh design?
Ans. Sawai Jai Singh
designed instruments known as Samrat Yantra, Ram Yantra and Jai Prakash.
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