The Bright Minds of India

ancient-science

India is a huge country. Yes, it is seventh largest and second most populated country in the world! Also, we have a bank of rich history associated with us. From harboring one of the oldest civilizations to being called a golden bird, we have seen it all. Many of you frequently talk as of how we lag behind the powerful nations in terms of economy, in terms of achievements and innovations and what not. But let’s stop here. Our country has given birth to such people who have given concepts which are still being discovered and that too ages ago, without the internet and even books.

science-and-medical-science-in-ancient-india

Let us fly centuries back and learn about the people who still make us proud.

  1. Aryabhatta– I believe all of you have heard of Aryabhatta. This person born in 476 AD is responsible for giving us the number ‘0’ which completes the number system. But this is not it. He has been a pioneer in the field of Mathematics and Astronomy. He also gave the place value system, the value of pi, algebra, trigonometry, the motion of the solar system, how we live in a heliocentric universe and some more. And guess what, when he was just 23 years old, he wrote the book Aryabhattiyam in which he explains all the astronomical phenomena and that too correctly.

science_in_ancient_ind

  1. Sushruta– The doctor of 6th century BC and the author of Sushruta Samhita. Sushruta is still given credit for so many things. He is known as “father of surgery” and “the first plastic surgeon.” Imagine surgery in that period, without any sort of machinery! Impossible yet true. In his book, Sushruta has explained medicine and the text is considered quite important from the aspect of Ayurveda. He even explains the surgery process in the book.

sushruta-surgeon

  1. Patanjali– The name all of us Indians are well acquainted with. Many of us use Patanjali products on a daily basis, but does anyone know where this name comes from? Patanjali or better known is Maharishi Patanjali was believed to be the incarnation of Adi Shesha, the serpent on which Lord Vishnu rests. It is assumed that he lived in the second century BC. He wrote the Yoga Sutra which gives all details about the science of Yoga.yogipathanjali-s4. Chanakya– Also known as Kautilya and Vishnugupta, he was the advisor of Chandragupta Maurya and if you have read about him, you must know the famous story of how Chanakya helped turn Chandragupta to a king and establish a vast empire. Chanakya is well known for his cleverness. He wrote the Arthashastra and has defined economics, military, and political strategy very well (and all this during 4th century BC!).
    Chanakya Niti5. Charaka– He is popularly known as the “Father of Medicine.” He, a man of the first century AD is the author of Charaka Samhita which is still an integral part of the course of the Ayurvedic colleges.
    charaka6. Brahmagupta– In the 7th century AD, he in his book Brahatsphutsiddhanta has explained how the Earth has a tendency to attract objects towards it. Yes, it is the law of gravity and our country’s brain gave it years before Newton did. He is also a pioneer in the field of mathematics and has given the concept of surds, the interpolation formula etc.
    brahmagupta-332x3507. Baudhayana– He is the mathematician who gave the Pythagoras Theorem! It is not precisely known when he lived but it is guessed to be 600 BC. He is the author of the oldest Sulbasutaras. Along with the Pythagoras Theorem, he is also responsible for estimating the value of square root of 2 and many others.

pythagoras

This was a list of few great people from ancient India whose contributions to the field of science, mathematics, and technology makes us the very first developed nation. And these are not the only ones, there are many more whose bright minds have given concepts which were given by foreign scientists and researchers much later.

Image Courtesy: The Indian ExpressIndiaDivine.orgVedic RAYS

One thought on “The Bright Minds of India