Ancient Indian science

Scientific methods
Lost Knowledge repositories

Mechanical engineering
Electrical engineering
Civil engineering
Aeronautical engineering
Marine engineering

Mathematics
Astronomy
Time science

Ayurveda
 Scientific outlook

:
-

Let noble thoughts come to us

from all and every direction in the
universe
 Scientific outlook

Were the discoveries, innovation and findings by ancient Indian

scientists mere accidents?

Or there existed a system of

Experiments,
Evidence gathering,
Passing on of knowledge and continued research
 Scientific outlook

Whatever I learnt from experts and whatever I confirmed by

experimentation, only that, I have included in this book and whatever
could not be confirmed has not been included in my book.
Further he states that my student should reconfirm by performing
experiment by their own hands. Those who follow this is a true
teacher and students. All others are just Drama Actors.

Ref.13th Century book by Yeshodhar

 Scientists from Ancient India

Shloka referring to some of the scientists like

Kapil, Kanad, Sushrut, Bhaskar, Nagarjun, Bharadwaj, Aryabhata,
Venkataraman, and Ramanujam.
 Lost knowledge repositories
Ancient Indian Universities:
Takshila:
Established in 700 BC and about 10,500 students
from Babylonia, Greece, Syria, Arabia and China
studied more than 60 subjects
(Ref. http://www.quotesandsayings.com/gindia.htm)

Nalanda:
Once housed 90 lakh books which were burnt by
Muslim invader Bakhtiyar Khilji in the year 1205
(Ref. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nalanda)

Jhansis private library:

British soldiers burnt more than 20,000 books of
Rani of Jhashi in a bon fire
Mechanical engineering
Mechanics
Metallurgy
Mechanics - Definition

Generation of power/energy or motion, through the

continuous movement of lever, pulley, toothed wheel,
inclined plane and screw is called a machine

Ref. Yantrarnavah(14 AD)

Mechanics - applications

Examples of use of mechanisms referred in our scriptures

1. Veda refer wheel based churning apparatus for milk and curds
2. Mahabharata describes the circulating fish and shooting of its eye
3. Bhagavat Purana refers to Oil expelling device with description of
Gears
4. Kautilyas Arthashastra (4th BC) is a masterpiece on statecraft that
describes 32 machines including a projectile launcher.
Also and a weighing balance with unequal beam that also
demonstrates Mechanical leverage or Mechanical Advantage. This only
gets referred to in European history in 3rd century BC by Archimedes.
5. Aryabhata (5th Century AD) describes perpetual motion machine
Mechanics attributes of machine

Ref. Samarangana-Sutradhara, Chapter

31, Raja Bhoj (1150 AD)
Translated by Rao Saheb K.V. Vaze in
1926

Great attributes of machines are, proper union of efforts and result, good
contact, smoothness, least attention, sustaining, lightness and
noiselessness, when sound is required its predominance, not loosening or
clogging, good contact in all moving parts, no break in action, attainment
of results as desired, adherence to rhythm and timing ,showing results at
the moment desired, returning to normalcy at the other times ,not bulging
and staying in shapes, strength, softness and durability.
Metallurgy eco friendly Zawar process for Zinc

Clay Retort

Ref. Rasaratna samucchaya

Metallurgy eco friendly Zawar process for Zinc

Retort is heated to 1200oC. to vaporise

zinc. At Clay Retort
this temperature reed gets burnt
and other materials release CO to create
reducing atmosphere. Zinc trickles down
through a path created by burnt reed.

The furnace has two chambers. Retort

One with inverted retorts
another with condensing
vessels under each retort.
Ref. is filled with samucchaya
Rasaratna calcined
ore, charcoal,salt etc. A reed is
set in the middle and a funnel
like condenser fitted at the end
and sealed with the vessel.
Metallurgy eco friendly Zawar process for Zinc

Proof of the process came from excavations at Zawar in Rajasthan.

Zinc metallurgy traveled from India to China to Europe. In 1738 William Champion
established Bristol Process and patented it.

Recognised by ASM in 1989, as an International Historical Landmark of Metallurgy.

Brass containing 34% Zinc were unearthed

from Taxila (4th C.BC).
Normal is 28%.
Metallurgy Dhar pillar
14 meters in height and 7 tones in weight (3 pieces together), built by
Bhoja in (1000-1055AD) and is a tallest non corrosive Iron Pillar in the
world

Historian Vincent Smith writes

While we marveled at the skill shown by ancient artificers in forging the
great mass of Delhi pillar, we must give a still greater measure of
admiration to the forgotten craftsmen, who dealt so successfully in
producing the still more ponderous iron mass of the Dhar pillar
Metallurgy official British reports

In September 1795 Dr. Benjamin Hyan writes to East India Co.

In Ramnath peth there are 40 steel furnaces near Iron mines. Price of
steel is Rs.2/Mon

James Franklin observes during 30 th April to 6th June 1827

During this period 223.5Mons of Steel was made in 4 furnaces
31.25 mon =1 English Tonne
Price of steel 11.75 Annas /mon
Mines near Jabalpur, Panna, Sagar
Furnace of about 4.25x3x1.5inch (19 cubic inch) uses coal

In 1849 Cambell writes

Presence of thousands of small furnaces with 90,000 workers

He recommended Indian Steel for English Railway due to its

high quality
In 1874 Bengal Iron company was established by Britishers
to end Indian Steel Industry
Metallurgy Vimana
Alloys preparation: Ratios of various Ingredients

Sauma Saundal Maurtvik Tankan(salt)

10 5 8 3
1 3 7 5
2 5 6 6

Furnaces/Blowers:

As per Narayan Muni, 532 furnaces are divided into 7 classes. Number
9 of 7th class is known a Kurmavyastika without which it is not
possible to make Bij Loha alloy.
 Electricity

Zinc amalgam with Mercury

Wet Saw Dust Open circuit Voltage

Copper plate 1.38 Volts and short
Earthen Pot circuit current of 23
CuSO4 Soln.
milliamps

This was confirmed by experimentation by

Dr. M.C. Sahasrabudhye, HOD Sanskrit Dept and
Prof Dr.P.P. Hole of Eng Dept. of Nagpur University

Ref. Agasti Samhita,

 Electricity
ElectroplatIng

Agasti decomposed water by using

his battery and observed that
Pran(O2) and Udan (H2)
were produced in ratio of 1:2 by volume

Udan was filled in balloon to fly it in

air and Chanakya recommended
Artificial Gold or Silver plating on
to use it to escape from an enemy
copper plate can be done by camp.
using this battery. When plated
with gold it is called as
Shatkumbh.
Aeronautics Yantra Sarvaswa

1. Maharshi Bharadwaj authored the

Yantra Sarvaswa which includes
discoveries in aviation science, space
science and flying machines.
2. It has 40 chapters , the 40th khand is
known as Brihad Viman Shastra with
8 Adhyayas
3. Of the 100 chapters and 500 Sutras ,
today 37 verses are still available
4. He had a hermitage in the holy city of
Prayag
5. Was a strong supporter of Ayurveda
and Mechanical sciences.
Maharshi Baradwaj refers 97 books & names 36
Scientists, showing the extent of collaborative efforts
involved in the research.
Aeronautics definition of Vimana

One that goes from

country to country,
continent to continent
and planet to planet
through sky is called as Vimana

Ref. Khetsastra written by Maharshi

Vishwambhar
Aeronautics Rukhma Vimana

Rukhma Vimana had long vertical

ducts with fans on the top, to suck
air from the top and send it down the
ducts, generating a lift in the
process.
Aeronautics Shakun Vimana

Length: about 53ft ,Width: 37ft . with 4 Shakti

Yantras, one oil pipe, one water pipe and an
air pipe for each .
By electrical heating, hot gas was produced
which could be directed at by Vatchodayan
Yantra.
Electric power was generated by
Kirnakarshan Yantra , placed outside the
Vimana.
Each wing about 13
ft long ,5ft wide Lower side had wheels for ground movement
Aeronautics sutra: shaktayasspta (7 energies)

All these energies are coded in a

sutra as:

This is similar to, todays coding

TMPFGI which Pilot uses to check
various equipment, just before about
to fly

Ref. Prachin Bharatiya Viman Shastra: Sutra: Shaktayasspta: by

by Captain Anand Bodas
 Aeronautics using mercury

Shri Talpade designed Vimana based Veda and Upanishidas

The Deccan Herald article refers to an article in Kesari about a flight

demonstration at the Chowpatty Beach before a large audience,
which included Maharaja Sayajirao Gaekwad III and Nyaya Murti
Ranade.
 Indian Pride
Vimana Shastra: First Pilot of Modern Times
Ref. British
Army and
British Royal
family record

He received
Kings
Commission
for bombing
Berlin, from
British King.

Dattatrya Laxuman Patwardhan, 10/7/1883

Appointed as II Lieutenant on 15/3/1916
 Civil engineering Engineering drawing

10th Century Mukteshwar Mandir in Plan of 10th Century

Bhubaneshwar Mukteshwar Mandir
in Bhubaneshwar
Architecture : Applying ancient knowledge today
Ref. TOI, dated 29th Nov 2009,Page 20

Won World Architecture Festival

(WAF) award in Barcelona from
611 entries
Green Building
Jaalies acted as Thermal Buffer
Inverted cement Matkas on roof top
Internal Curved courtyards keep the
sun out for 10 months of the year
Building raised above ground and
rain water is harvested under ground
Cost Rs.25 cr. saving of 10-15cr.
Architect :Mr. Manit Rastogi
 Astronomy : Aryabhata
1. Born in year 476 in Kerla
2. In 499 , at the age of 23, he wrote
Aryabhatiyam which is a text on astronomy
and treatise on mathematics, at Kusumpur in
Bihar
3. Credited with knowledge of Zero
4. Formulated a process of calculating the
motion of planets and the time of eclipses.
4. First to proclaim that the earth is round/
rotates around the SunCopernicus1473-
1542Bruno burnt alive in 1600
5. Calculated the value of pi
caturadhikam atamas tagun am implies that the ratio of the circumference
dvs as tistath
sahasrn m to the diameter is
ayutadvayavis kambhasysanno ((4 + 100) 8 + 62000)/20000
vrttaparin
hah . = 62832/20000 = 3.1416

Ref: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aryabhata
 Astronomy : Aryabhata

Period of rotation around the Sun

Planet Aryabhatas Value Modern
Earth, Year 365.259days 365.256days
Moon, 27.322days 27.322days
Mars, 1.881 yrs 1.881 yrs
Jupiter, 11.861 yrs 11.862 yrs
Saturn 29.477 yrs 29.458 yrs
 Astronomy : Aryabhata

Lunar eclipse results due to fall of shadow of earth on

moon!

Different part of eclipse in seen at different places, while it is not seen at

all at other place, so who can say that Eclipse is caused by Rahu ..
Lalla..700AD
Halley is credited
with 1st Eclipse
map, showing the
path of Moons
shadow across
England during
upcoming total
eclipse of 1715
Astronomy : Bhaskaracharya
1. Born in Village Vijjadit (Jalgaon)
2. Period:(1114-1183 CE)
3. Siddhanta Siromani, is divided into
four parts called Lilavati , Bijaganita,
Grahaganita and Goladhyaya.
4. Planetary positions, eclipses and
astronomical equipment.
5. Surya Sidhannta
6. "Objects fall on earth due to a
force of attraction by the earth.
(500 years before Sir Isaac Newton)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bhaskaracharya
Trade : Shipping
As per his diary kept in Spanish
Museum, Vasko da Gama, in 1497,saw
a three times bigger ship in Jhanjibar
and met its Gujarati owner named
Skanda. Skanda was coming to India.
With Skandas help Gama came to India
and thus discovered way to India.

In 1811, Lt. Walker writes that

East India company had an
Indian ship Daria Daulat which
did not require maintenance for
87 years
 Trade : Shipping
Walker in 1811 proved statistically that Indian ships are much cheaper
and better in quality than English ships and so advised East India
Company to use Indian ships only.

Dr. Tailor writes when Indian ship landed in London, British sailors
turned panicky. Board of directors of East India company wrote that
after looking to our social life Indians will lose respect for us.

On basis of committee report, appointed under Parliamentarian

Robert Poll in 1814, an act was passed to ban Indian ships and Indian
sailors from visiting British Ports

In 1863, act was strictly implemented and heavy taxes were levied on
the goods from Indian Ships to bring about the end the Indian Ship
Industry

Sir William Dingwi writes in such a way English Queen killed Indian
Sea Queen
Ayurveda : Cardiology
Ref. Susruta-Samhita, Sutra-sthanam ,Adhyayah 14, Paragraph 3 (6th Century BC)

Bhela (7th AD) describes the

blood circulation even to foetus

Subtle energy comes from digested food called rasa. Its

place is Heart. From heart it enters through 24 arteries, and
supports and maintains the body. The blood issues from
heart, goes everywhere and through veins reaches the heart.

Hr + da + yam = Harati + Dadati + Yati = Heart

means : Receives + Propels + Circulates

In 1553AD, Michael Servetus, a Spanish physician stated that blood

circulates from heart to lungs and back. However he was burnt by Ruler
of Geneva, John Calvin (II Chrono.140).
In 1628 William Harvey is credited for todays
blood circulation theory.
Surgery Ref. Susruta Samhita(350 AD)
First published Account of Plastic surgery in the west is on Indian rhinoplasty

In 1792 Tipus soldiers cut the nose

and an arm of Kawasji, a cart driver
from British army.
A year later a Kumbhara (potter) Vaidya
of Pune reconstructed Kawasjis nose
in presence of 2 English doctors,
Thomas Cruso and James Trindlay
Photo from London Library

English doctor writes about this operation in Madras Gazette, that Such
operations are not uncommon in India and has been practiced from time
immemorial

Above article was reproduced in October 1794 in Gentleman's Magazine

Indian physician in Baghdad during reign of Abbasid Caliph Harun al-Rashid (786-
809 AD) translated Susruta Samhita into Arabic under title of Kitab-Shawasoon al
Hind of Susrud
Ayurveda

Short History of Vaccination

A group of fellows of Royal Society studies the method of
inoculating people in India and submitted report in 1760.
One of the fellow, Dr. J.Z. Holwell studied about 10 years in
Bengal. In 1767 in his lecture at the London Royal College of
Physicians he stated that nearly same salutary method now
so happily pursued in England .has the sanction of remotest
antiquity (in India), illustrating the propriety of present practice

Dr. Howell talked of Indian vaccinators inoculating people from

home to home with pus used from the inoculated pustule of the
previous year. Following inoculation the strict diet and
treatment for mild eruptive fever, was to be observed.

In 1796 English physician Edward Jenner was credited for

discovering vaccination for Small Pox who studied on above
lines
Adam Osborne-Co-founder of Apple computers
writes for Dataquest magazine:

I was raised in Tamilnadu in Ashram of Sri Raman

Maharshi at Tiruvannamalai

I was surrounded by Indians who were proud of their

nationality and heritage. They believed they had a lot
to teach us Europeans.

It is therefore with some misgiving, that today I find

myself dealing with Indians, many of whom do not
feel proud of their Indianness.

Indians are recognised throughout America, as

technically superior.

Since the day Indians learn pride, India will rapidly

move out of its third world status to become one of
the worlds industrial powers.
Botany

What the western countries were knowing about Plant Life even in
1895?

Botanists and eminent member of Royal Scientific Society, Hartog

Gibs, after experimental demonstration by Dr. Jagdeesh Chandra
Basu, admitted that
I never believed that the plant has life, but now I am fully
convinced that plant do have life
Physics : Time Measurement

Ref. Mharshi Vyasa, Shrimad Bhagwat, Skand 3,

Adhyaya 11
1. Paramanu: Time required to enlighten a Molecule
=1/75936 of second

2 Three paramanu = Trus Renu: Time taken by an

electron
(Ota) to complete one cycle around Proton (Prota)

3 To days one second = 25312 Trus Renu

4 Param mahan = 7.2 x 10 21 years = Time from

start of
universe formation to end of universe

5 What is Gudhi Padva day? Manu is = 32,25,80,000

years
i.e. time taken by our solar system to complete one
circle.
Physics: Kalchakra

Ref. Shrimad Bhagwat,3rd Skand,11th Adhyaya by Maharshi

Vyasa
Kaliyuga: 4,32,000yrs
Dwaparyuga: 8,64,000yrs
Tretayuga : 12,96,000yrs
Kritayuga : 17,28,000yrs
Mahayug: consisting of all above 4 Yugas
Manvnatara: Time taken by Sun to complete
one revolution around centre of Milky way
Galaxy =30,84,48,000years
Kalpa = Age of Universe = 432,00,00,000years
= 1000 mahayugas
Brahmas day : = 2 Kalpas=864 crore years
Linear Measurement : Aryabhata I

Table of linear measurements:

Ref. Aryabhatiya by Aryabhata edited by Kripa Shankar Shukla, Page no.
xliii
8 Paramanus = 1 Trasarenu
8 Trasarenus = 1 Ratharenu
8 Ratharenu = 1 Kosas
8 Kosas = 1 Tilabhijas
8 Tilabhijas = 1 Sarsapas
8 Sarsapas = 1 Yavas
8 Yavas = 1 Angulas
12 Angulas = 1 Vitasti
2 Vitasti = 1 Hasta
4 Hastas = 1 Danda
2000 Dandas = 1 Krosa
4 Krosas = 1 Yojana = 9.0625 miles
Physics: Magnetism
Ref. Rasarnavam, Patalah6, Adyaya 40, Slokah 21
12th century A.D.

5 types of magnets
1,2,3,4,5 and multi faced
Yellow, Black and Red coloured
Thus 90 types of Magnets are possible.
Shipping
Navigating ship can have a pole,
an Oar, or an oar fixed on a wheel
with a handle called Chakrani,
Putabheda or a wooden screw
coming out of water known a
Bhoja says that iron should not be
Bramha
used for joining planks of ship bottom,
intended for sea voyage. Iron exposes
the ship to the influence of magnetic
field of magnetic rocks in the bottom of
sea. This will lead to sinking of ship

Ref. Yukti Kalpataru by Narpati

Bhoja (11th Century)

Hindus and Buddhist Monks travelled

to Kampuchea, Thailand, Sumatra
etc.
In 1st century a group of
merchants from Kuch travelled to
Java and settled there.
Ancient Indian science
With humble gratitude to the honorable authors of..

Bharatme Vigyanki Ujwal Parampara by Shri Suresh Soni , Urchana

Prakashan, Bhopal

Prachin Bharatatil Viman Shastra Captain Anand Jayram Bodas,

Manorama Prakashan

Science and Technology in Ancient India by Vijnan Bharati, Mumbai

400020

Pride of India Compiled by Bharatiya Bauddhic Sampada, Nagpur

440012, published by Samskrit Bharati, New Delhi 11055

The Week, Mid year Special, June 24, 2001

Vedic Mathematics by Jagdguru Swami Shri Bharati Krishna Tirthaji

Maharaja

Aryabhatiya by Mohan Apte, Rajhans Prakashan, Sadashiv Peth, Pune

Presented by: A.V.Natu