Jump to content
IndiaDivine.org
Sign in to follow this  
suchandra

Hinduism’s Ancient contributions to modern science

Rate this topic

Recommended Posts

Hinduism’s Ancient contributions to modern science

 

July 27th, 2008<!-- by admin -->

 

http://americantemples.com/2008/07/27/hinduisms-ancient-contributions-to-modern-science/

 

As a child growing up with the staple knowledge diet of British-formed and communist-inspired education system in India, I was accustomed to hearing only one thing: “Hinduism is a religion of blind faith, superstition and is one of the most unscientific faiths on earth.” This would often make me wonder why so many people continue to follow the faith if it were true. Then as I grew older and did some of my own reading, interaction and introspection I came to understand that these statements in the history books and science books I read were aimed at breaking the self-confidence and spine of Hindus who have led the world in science, spirituality and peaceful co-existence.

For example even now when I am studying Macroeconomics in the US, they talk about 18th century economist Adam Smith, author of The Wealth of Nations as the founder of modern economics. But the truth is that way back in 300 BC before these westerners had even become aware of a civilised life, Kautilya or Chanakya in India had written Artha Shastra, the world’s first treatise on socio-political-economics. In the Artha Shastra, Chanakya talks about how a kingdom’s finances have to be managed, how a kingdom can prosper and become wealthy etc. But of course he had written in Sanskrit which the westerners can’t even pronounce, let alone read and understand. Till date I haven’t come across a westerner who can pronounce my name correctly even after repeating it several times.

And like Chanakya who should occupy the right place in the world history as the founder of economic thought, there are several great Hindu scientists whose contributions have been completely ignored and sometimes attributed to others who have merely copied their research and published fallaciously as their own. I recently came across this article on Google Knowl titled “Ancient Contributions of Hinduism to Science” which gives a very balanced and detailed account of various scientists from India who have contributed immensely to the scientific advancement of the world.

Most of their work was done in the BC era, a time when the westerners who claim to be the most scientific civilisation did not know the necessity of bathrooms. I would like to briefly quote a few profiles from the article:

Acharya Kapil (3000 BCE) - Father Of CosmologyCelebrated as the founder of Sankhya philosophy, Acharya Kapil was born in 3000 BCE to the illustrious sage Kardam and Devhuti. He gifted the world with the Sankhya School of Thought. His pioneering work threw light on the nature and principles of the ultimate Soul (Purusha), primal matter (Prakruti) and creation. His concept of transformation of energy and profound commentaries on atma, non-atma and the subtle elements of the cosmos places him in an elite class of master achievers - incomparable to the discoveries of other cosmologists. On his assertion that Prakruti, with the inspiration of Purusha, is the mother of cosmic creation and all energies, he contributed a new chapter in the science of cosmology. Because of his extrasensory observations and revelations on the secrets of creation, he is recognized and saluted as the Father of Cosmology.

Varahamihir (499-587 CE) - Eminent Astrologer And Astronomer

Renowned astrologer and astronomer who was honored with a special decoration and status as one of the nine gems in the court of King Vikramaditya in Avanti (Ujjain). Varahamihir’s book “panchsiddhant” holds a prominent place in the realm of astronomy. He notes that the moon and planets are lustrous not because of their own light but due to sunlight. In the ” Bruhad Samhita ” and ” Bruhad Jatak ,” he has revealed his discoveries in the domains of geography, constellation, science, botany and animal science. In his treatise on botanical science, Varamihir presents cures for various diseases afflicting plants and trees. The rishi-scientist survives through his unique contributions to the science of astrology and astronomy.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

It should be noted that Ancient India's alleged contributions to modern science are in most cases unsubstantiated and untrue.

 

The zero as we use it today was developed in India and spread to Europe by Arab mathematicians & this is an acknowledged fact. Other than this, there is really no other contribution to speak of. It should be noted that Zero was independently developed by the Mayans too, for their base 20 numeral system.

 

Speaking of Varahmahira, he thanks the Mlechchas for giving us the knowledge of astronomy. He says "though they are impure, they are trained in science and we thank them for giving us this knowledge". There you go...

 

There is no point in holding on to pretensions of ancient grandeur which do not have a basis in reality. There were no Rishis in the Himalayas who picked up scientific knoweldge out of thin air through magic.

 

Cheers

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

 

It should be noted that Ancient India's alleged contributions to modern science are in most cases unsubstantiated and untrue.

 

The zero as we use it today was developed in India and spread to Europe by Arab mathematicians & this is an acknowledged fact. Other than this, there is really no other contribution to speak of. It should be noted that Zero was independently developed by the Mayans too, for their base 20 numeral system.

 

Speaking of Varahmahira, he thanks the Mlechchas for giving us the knowledge of astronomy. He says "though they are impure, they are trained in science and we thank them for giving us this knowledge". There you go...

 

There is no point in holding on to pretensions of ancient grandeur which do not have a basis in reality. There were no Rishis in the Himalayas who picked up scientific knoweldge out of thin air through magic.

 

Cheers

When I started to apply the knowledge of Bhagavat-Purana in my daily life, I actually fully realized at one point that I'm not a combination of material elements but an eternal soul, part and parcel of the Supreme Lord Sri Krsna. I fully realized the knowledge of the ancient Vedas, like going successfully through a scientifc experiment. But as Krsna Himself points out in Bhagavad-Gita, it is sometimes different and the jivas actually insist to live in that understanding that vedic knowledge is not scientific but something we can believe and not believe. Interestingly, the whole world seems to be made like that, everyone can be believe what he/she likes and there is even no limit to this freedom. How merciful the Supreme Lord is, is beyond human understanding. Imagine, you give an appartment to some people and tell them, basically you can do what you like, you can enjoy full freedom.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You are posting as a guest. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

Loading...
Sign in to follow this  

×
×
  • Create New...