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saidevo
14 October 2009, 10:55 PM
Let us collect the verses and their interpretations that (are supposed to) deal with the Science of our ancient Hindus in this thread.

The first snippet is from yajvan's thread "Speed of Light--sAyaNAchArya":
http://www.hindudharmaforums.com/showthread.php?t=4647

**********

Sage agastya's electric cell and electroplating

The shloka--verse below from sage agastyA's agniyAn shAstra--science of avionics, is supposed to describe generating electricity from a chemical reaction--the electricity that can break water into oxygen and hydrogen.

saMsthA pye mRunamaye patre tAmrapAtreNa susAMkaratam |
chChAdyet shikhI grivenaDrArabihI kAShThApaMshubihI |
dastAloShto nidhatAvyAhA pAraDachchAditastATAhA |
saMyogAta jayate tejo mitrAvarun saMdyaTima |
aNena jalabhargostI prANodanesh vAyUShU |
eva shatanA kubhanA saMyogahA kAryakRuTasaMRutAhA ||

saMsthA pye--take, mRunamaye--soil, tAmrapAtreNa susAMkaratam--cleaned copper plate, chChAdyet--cover it with, shikhI--Morchud, Copper sulphate, kAShThApaMshubihI--saw dust, dastAloShto--zinc plate, pAras--mercury, saMyogAta--this combination, jayate--generates, tejo mitrAvarun--electricity, aNena jalabhargostI--can break water into, prANa-udAnesh vAyUShU--oxygen and hydrogen, eva shatanA kubhanA saMyogahA kAryakRuTasaMRutAhA--one requires 100 such containers for this work.

This information is from Dr.P.V.Vartek's book 'Swayambhu'.

Is the above interpretation of the shloka correct? Suppose somebody interprets to mean only spiritually, can we say that the knowledge of physical science is hidden in the spiritual message, as with some sUtras of vedic mathematics?

**********

yajvan
15 October 2009, 07:56 PM
hariḥ oṁ
~~~~~~

Namasté


the zero (0) is attributed to the veda... I have been looking for the sloka-s that perhaps defines it originally, yet have not found a reliable source. If anyone can assist , I would appreciate it.

What could one do without a zero?

praṇām

TatTvamAsi
15 October 2009, 09:17 PM
Namaste Yajvan,

The concept of zero, and infinity I might add, is attributed to the slOkA in the BrihadAranyaka/IsOvAsyA Upanishad:


"OM Poornam Adah Poornam Idam
Poornaat Poornam Udachyate
Poornasya Poornam Aadaay
Poornam Evaa Vashishyate
OM Shanti! Shanti!! Shantihi"

Namaskar.


hariḥ oṁ
~~~~~~

Namasté


the zero (0) is attributed to the veda... I have been looking for the sloka-s that perhaps defines it originally, yet have not found a reliable source. If anyone can assist , I would appreciate it.

What could one do without a zero?

praṇām

saidevo
16 October 2009, 12:31 PM
Some incontrovertible evidences of the origin of the concept, use and notation of zero in Hindu texts

The number zero and its value as emptiness in the Hindu texts was denoted by the term 'shUnya', rather than 'pUrNa' which was mostly used for 'fullness' and 'infinity'. Here is a compilation from various sources that give some incontrovertible evidences of the origin of the concept, use and notation of zero in Hindu texts.

• The vAjasaneyi recension of the yajur veda uses several sets of names for numbers arranged in a progressive geometrical series, where each number is ten times larger than the preceding. In the following passage, the names of thirteen decimal places are mentioned: eka (10^0), dasha (10^1), shata (10^2), sahastra (10^3), ayuta (10^4), niyuta (10^5), prayuta (10^6), arbuda (10^7), nyarbuda (10^8), samudra (10^9), madhya (10^10), anta (10^11), and parArdha (10^12):

इमा मे अग्न इष्टका धेनवः सन्तु ।
एका च दश च, दश च शतं च,
शतं च सहस्रं च,
सहस्रं चायुतं चायुतं च नियुतं च,
नियुतं च प्रयुतं चार्बुदं च समुद्रश्च मध्यं
चान्तश्च परार्धश्चैता मे अग्न इष्टका धेनवः
सन्तवमुत्रामुष्मिंल्लोके ।

imA me agna iShTakA dhenavaH santu |
ekA cha dasha cha, dasha cha shataM cha,
shataM cha sahasraM cha,
sahasraM chAyutaM chAyutaM cha niyutaM cha,
niyutaM cha prayutaM chArbudaM cha samudrashcha madhyaM
chAntashcha parArdhashchaitA me agna iShTakA dhenavaH
santavamutrAmuShmiMlloke |
--yajur veda 17.2

"O Agni! may these bricks (used in sacrifice) turn into milk-yielding cows for me; one (eka) and a ten, a ten (dasha) and a hundred, a hundred (shataM) and a thousand, a thousand (sahasra) and a ten-thousand, a ten-thousand (ayuta) and a hundred-thousand, a hundred-thousand (niyuta) and a million (prayuta), a ten-million (arbuda), a hundred-million (nyarbuda), a thousand-million (samudra). a hundred-thousand-million (anta), a million-million (parArdha). May these bricks become mine own cows in this and in the other world."

How can anyone dispute that this decuple terminology gave rise to the decimal place-value system, and yet it is difficult to say that this passage has a reference to shUnya--zero.

• The origin of zero is perhaps sought in the abacus, the counting board. The word 'gaNitra', a hapax legomenon (one time word or phrase) occuring in the joytisha story of divyAvadana perhaps denoted such a counting board, where emptiness in any column meant the absence of numerical value in that specific notational place, and this emptiness was indicated by the word 'shUnya' or by one of its synonyms.

• The synonyms commonly used for shUnya--zero in early Hindu mathematical and astronomical texts are: AkAsha--space, emptiness, ambara--sky, kha--a hole, hollow, gagana--sky, and occasionally ananta--endless, not in the sense of infinity but as a synonym for AkAsha; pUrNa--filled was sometimes used as synonym for zero, besides bindu--dot, detached particle, Chidra--hole, pierced and randhra--hole, aperture.

bindu, Chidra and randhra were actually used to describe the symbol used for the shUnya--zero, which was a dot (bindu) and a small circle (Chidra, randra). The modern symbol of for zero is obviously only a larger circle than the dot.

• Although some dispute it, pingala's ChandaH shAstram was the earliest Hindu source of the use of zero, around 200 BCE. In this text pingala teaches a method for calculating the number of arrangements for the long and short syllables in a line of metrical text. In modern mathematical parlance, this is the binary number system that allows combination of two things in 'n' places, with repetion being also allowed.

The following verse lays down pingala's procedure:

द्विरर्धे । रूपे शून्यम् । द्विः शून्ये । तावदर्धे गुणितम् ।

dvirardhe | rUpe shUnyam | dviH shUnye | tAvadardhe guNitam |
--ChandaH shAstram, 8.28-31

"when halved, two; whenever one, zero; multiply zero (used for odd values) by two; multiply two (for even values) by itself."

Although Wiki's article on pingala says that he used 1 and 2 and not 0 and 1 for his binary system, the use of the word 'shUnya' is clear in the above verse.

• A verse from the pulishasiddhAnta, written a century prior to the AryabhATiya, is quoted bhaTTatopala's commentary on varAhamihira's bRhutsamhitA:

ख खाष्ट मुनि रामाश्चि नेत्राष्ट शर रात्रिपाः ।
भानां चतुर्युगेणैते परिवर्त्ताः प्रकीर्तिताः ॥

kha khAShTa muni rAmAshchi netrAShTa shara rAtripAH |
bhAnAM chaturyugeNaite parivarttAH prakIrtitAH ||

"The sidereal revolutions in four yugas are stated to be (the number expressed by) zero (kha), zero (kha) eight (aShTa), seven (muni), three (rAma), two (ashvin), two (netra), eight (aShTa), five (shAra), and one (rAtripa); (read serially from left, i.e., 1,582,237,800)."

• sarvanandhi's lokavibhAga, a Jain work on cosmology, 458 CE, is among the earliest sources of use of a clear and unambiguous zero with a decimal positioning system. ().

पञ्चभ्यः खलु शून्येभ्यः ।
परं द्वे सप्त चाम्बरमेकं त्रीणि च रूपं च ॥

pa~jchabhyaH khalu shUnyebhyaH |
paraM dve sapta chAmbaramekaM trINi cha rUpaM cha ||
--lokavibhAga ch.4 line 56, p.79

"After five zeroes, there are two (dve), seven (sapta), zero (ambara), one (eka), three (trINi), and one (rUpa). (that is to say, 13,107,200,000).

• Some other texts that mention the use of zero and its synonyms are:

1. varAhamihira's panchasiddhAntikA] (1.17) (ca 550 CE).

"Increase the aharyana by 2227 and divide (the sum) by 2510; with respect to the (remaining) amount, divide it by 360; the quotient is the number of lapsed years." (Tr.D.Pingree).

2. jinabhadra gaNi kShamAshramaNa's bRhat kShetra samAsa (609 CE) offers conclusive evidence of the use of zero as a distinct numerical symbol. He expresses large numbers such as 224,400,000,000 succinctly as "twentytwo,fortyfour,eight zeros" (1.69) or 3,200,400,000,000 as "thirtytwo, two zeros, four, eight zeros" (1.71).

3. siddhasena gaNi (6th century CE) in his commentary on umAsvAti's 'tattvArthAdhigamasUtra' (3.11) uses shUnya not as just a symbol for the absence of a numerical value but as a tenth multiple inherent in the notational place.

4. By 7th century CE, the decimal place-value system and zero were beginning to be used in texts other than mathematics and astronomy. In his abhidharmakoshabhAShya, vasubandhu cites vasumitra's view in the passage 5.26:

"Bhadanta vasumitra held the view of the otherness of the state. He is reported to have stated: A dharma evolving in the (three) times is designated as other whenever it enters a different state: (this change in designation is) due to the otherness of the state and not due to the otherness of the substance; just as a marker or counter is called one when it is placed in the unit's place, a hundred in the hundred's place, and a thousand in the thousand's place."

• Indirect evidence suggests Hindu development of a positional number system, as early as the first century CE. The bakshAli manuscript, 3rd century BCE uses a dot to denote the zero and has a place value system. The position of zero was called shUnyata sthAna--empty place, and the dot symbol for also used for algebraic expressions for the unknown (like the x in modern algebra).

• A legal document dated 346 in the Chhedi calendar (594 CE) shows the use of modern place value form. General consensus is that by the 6th century CE, the place value system with the zero was in common use.

• AryabhaTTa in 499 CE developed a positional number system without a zero digit, using the word "kha" for the zero position. The Indian mathematicians generally used a dot for zero as they yet had no symbol to denote it. All Hindu texts after AryabhaTTa's AryabhATiya used the number system he had developed.

• An inscription at Gwalior dated 933 in the vikrama calendar (876 CE) has a final step to the system of numerals as we are familiar with today. Unlike the earlier evidences, this one is not disputed by the historians as to its date and validity. Documents on copper plates with a 'o' (lowercase 'o') for zero dates back as far as the 6th century CE.

• The Hindu numeral system moved to Arabia in the 7th century CE, as seen from a reference to the Hindu system by the Nestorian scholar Severus Sebokht.

• According to al-Qifti's chronology of the scholars, a man from India presented himself to the Caliph in 776 CE, and displayed his skiils in Hindu mathematics. Al-Mansur ordered the book to be translated into Arabic, and a work based on the translation writeen and given to the Arabs as a solid base for computing the movement of the planets. The Hindu text translated was most likely to be brahmagupta's brahma-sphuTa-siddhAnta, written in 628 CE.

• King somadeva in his 'mAnasallolAsa' (12th century CE) describes the modern decimal system which was well in place by his time:

एकाद्वा नवपर्यन्ता नवैदाङ्का स्वरूपतः ।
दशोत्तरक्रमेणैव वर्धन्ते बिन्दिवार्धिताः ॥

ekAdvA navaparyantA navaidA~gkA svarUpataH |
dashottarakrameNaiva vardhante bindivArdhitAH ||
mAnasallolAsa 2.97

"Basically, there are only nine digits starting from 'one' and reaching up to 'nine'. By the addition of zeroes (bindus) these are raised successively to (represent the notational places of) tens, (hundreds) and beyond."

Symbols for zero

As shown earlier, the dot (bindu) and the small circle (chidra, randhra) were initially used as symbols for the shUnya--zero. Since the dot was hardly visible in inscriptions, it gradually became a small circle; the earliest occurrence of the dot is perhaps seen in the 8th century rAgholi plates of jayavardhana II, where a dot was used in writing the number 30. In the Gwalior plates of bhojadeva of 870 and 876 CE, however, clearly drawn circules appear.

In the inscriptions found in Cambodia and Sumatra, the Saka year 605 (683 CE), is written in the decimal system, using a dot for the zero. In another inscription from the Banka island, a small circle is used to represent the date Sake 608, showing that the Indian settlers there carried with them the Sanskrit language and their word numerals, decimal system and so on.

Even after the dot was replaced by the circle, the symbol continued to be called shUnya-bindu or just bindu as the texts 'manasollAsa' and 'yogavArtika' show.

• The Hindu-Arabic numerals did not appear in Europe until the the Codex Vigilanus in 976 CE. Fibonacci, an Italian mathematician, promoted it in 1202 CE and the system came into vogue only after the invention of printing in 1482 CE.
(http://www.absoluteastronomy.com/topics/History_of_the_Hindu-Arabic_numeral_system)

Sources:
lokavibhAga
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lokavibhaga

For the history of mathematical symbols, check http://www.absoluteastronomy.com/topics/Table_of_mathematical_symbols_by_introduction_date#encyclopedia

KalAtattvakosha: a lexicon of the fundamental concepts of the Indian arts, vol.2
http://books.google.com/books?id=8f38pN2lvhIC&pg=PA403&lpg=PA403&dq=%22lokavibhaga%22+zero&source=bl&ots=Y8CNi2Tmoi&sig=in9_CTXG5My2iRwBVfpie7uBPR0&hl=en&ei=hXTYSsjWOoyo8AbX3LC3BQ&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=10&ved=0CBsQ6AEwCTgK#v=onepage&q=%22lokavibhaga%22%20zero&f=false

(The story is narrated in the link http://books.google.com/books?id=7pOW-iQ88k8C&pg=PA113&lpg=PA113&dq=%22divyavadana%22+ganitra&source=bl&ots=b3KNPaFgqr&sig=QlzvAFjTeAUHovfNtg4FlShK1SU&hl=en&ei=gJ3YSpC_EYeGMornnecH&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=1&ved=0CAcQ6AEwAA#v=onepage&q=%22divyavadana%22%20ganitra&f=false)

The Sign for Zero by subhASh kAk:
http://www.ece.lsu.edu/kak/SignZero.pdf

yajvan
16 October 2009, 02:15 PM
hariḥ oṁ
~~~~~~

Namasté TTA and saidevo,

Thank you for your offers on zero.

Isn't is curious to think that adding nothing (śūnyatā शून्यता )
that a number increases in size? 1 + 0 is > then 9 .
The more 'nothing' you add, the greater the number i.e.
10
100
1000
10000
100000
1 googol = 10¹ºº


praṇām

saidevo
16 October 2009, 09:37 PM
namaste yajvan.



Isn't is curious to think that adding nothing (shUnyata)
that a number increases in size? 1 + 0 is > then 9.
The more 'nothing' you add, the greater the number i.e.
10
100
1000
10000
100000
1 googol = 10^100


This can be viewed in another way: zero or shUntaya is the underlying, unmanifest reality behind all the digits of numbers; other numbers simply manifest over it, at the place of this digit zero. In other words, a single digit number from 1 to 9 manifests by addition of that many entities to the already-existing digit 0 in the unit place. So, there is a string of zeroes--000000......to infinity--lying unmanifest already, and these are 'turned on and up' by the addition of a single digit number from 1 to 9, signifying different levels of conditional reality manifest over the underlying Absolute Reality.

Zero or nothing or shUntaya is empty only in appearance. In Reality it is the chaitanya--consciousness of the ParaBrahman, ready to 'wake up' and sprout into thoughts and archetypes which are the rudiments of all creation. Once the Cosmic Consciousness of ParaBrahman is activated, it becomes the nAda Brahman, expanding into space and starting its lIlA--sport of the creation/multiplication process.

The Babylonians had a sexagesimal (base 60) numeration system; for the Mayan vigesimal system, the base was 20. Hindu sages wisely foresaw that the knowledge of the decimal number system was bound to spread among the populace, so they kept it simple with a base of 10, as humans can count easily with their ten digits (the word digit itself meaning a finger). Contrast this with the Roman numeration system adopted for centuries in Europe, where even the skills of simple arithmetic was considered a form of scholarship.

In today's digital world, we peep into the nano world within a single digit, and the credit of making this binary system of bits and bytes possible goes to pingala.

yajvan
17 October 2009, 08:35 PM
hariḥ oṁ
~~~~~~

Namasté saidevo,




namaste yajvan.
This can be viewed in another way: zero or shUntaya is the underlying, unmanifest reality behind all the digits of numbers; other numbers simply manifest over it, at the place of this digit zero. In other words, a single digit number from 1 to 9 manifests by addition of that many entities to the already-existing digit 0 in the unit place. So, there is a string of zeroes--000000......to infinity--lying unmanifest already, and these are 'turned on and up' by the addition of a single digit number from 1 to 9, signifying different levels of conditional reality manifest over the underlying Absolute Reality.

What you write is interesting to consider. One may ponder how is 1 zero any different then zero number 5,000 in the string of infinite zeros? Hence you could have a googol of zero-s yet the sum is no differnet the initial zero.
Please note I am not suggesting any 'issue' with the subject at hand , just poking at some ideas to perhaps better understand how robust this concept of zero is.


Perhaps this contributes to the meaning of pūrṇam adaḥ pūrṇam idaṃ - That is full (whole) this is full (whole) - īśāvāsya upaniṣad

The notion is, no matter how many zero's there are there is always fullness - it cannot be depleted, cut in half, exhausted, etc.


...just a thought.


praṇām

saidevo
18 October 2009, 12:15 AM
namaste yajvan.

I don't see an 'issue' with different viewpoints about zero either. On a glance at what you said as "1 + 0 > 9", my son pointed out, "it means appending, not the arithmetic addition; but then we can say that 1+1 is even greater than 1+0 and 1+9 is the greatest of all." This remark gave me the thought that we don't look at a single zero but a string of infinite zeroes lying dormant in space. I totally agree with you that although their sum is zero, it is actually the fullness of dormant potency.

We can look at zero in many angles:

• The digit zero (0) is a visual representation of a concept, and the word 'zero' is a verbal description of it.

• The concept zero itself is mental, perceived prima facie as emptiness by the mind. Its fullness can only be intuited by buddhi--wisdom.

• In the human existence at the level of jAgrat or vaizhvAnara--waking, the concept is perceived as the emptiness of AkAsha--space and the shUnyata--void, null of zero in our worldly knowledge of maths and science.

• In the level of dreams--svapna or taijasa, we are too busy to see any space or emptiness around, because our dream world is congested with our own dynamic creations that change swiftly as the digits of a petrol pump reader.

• When we lapse into deep sleep, the concept is perceived later as the shUnyata--nothing of darkness: we have a zero-existence as it were, at this level of suShupti or prajna.

• When we become capable of the fourth level turIya, the concept is perceived as the pUrNam--fullness of light, the parashivam or paramAtma chaitanyam or whatever we choose to call it. The darkness of ignorance of the deep sleep level is lost in the all pervading and ever extant light of knowledge that fills us with sat--Reality, chit--Consciousness, knowledge and Ananda--bliss and peace.

• Since is zero is ultimately and essentially fullness, the human consciousness has always represented it symbolically as a dot, circle and hole.

• However, if we glance at the origin of the word zero, we find that its roots are: 'zephirum' of the Middle English, the Arabic 'sifr' (cipher), which in turn is a translation of the Sanskrit 'shUnyam'. Interestingly, 'zephirum' cognates with Zephyrus, the Greek god of wind, and 'zephyr' in English means 'west wind, a soft gentle breeze'. The wind is perhaps the most essential to our living just as zero is for our maths and science and philosophy. The wind is seen as emptiness but perceived as fullness.

In Sanskrit, the word 'shUnya' also means 'space, heaven, atmosphere' which is filled with the light of 'sUrya', thus becoming 'pUrNa--fullness.'

yajvan, please explain the dhAtu--root of 'shUnya' in Sanskrit and the entity it cognates with.

yajvan
18 October 2009, 12:52 PM
hariḥ oṁ
~~~~~~

Namasté saidevo,

thank you for your post and the insight from your son.

I wrote,

Please note I am not suggesting any 'issue' with the subject at hand , just poking at some ideas to perhaps better understand how robust this concept of zero is.


you perhaps thought why did yajvan write that? So you wrote,


I don't see an 'issue' with different viewpoints about zero either

In the spirit of insight and the practical application of jyotiṣ it would be worth one paragraph to mention why I wrote that sentence. At the time of the post the moon was completely dark - amāvāsya¹. It is the 'covered up' part (vāsya वास्य means to be covered up) that was on my mind ; That is, not much light (for the mind) is available at this time and the propensity for mis-undersanding can manifest. Hence my words were offered to insure my intent was not one of mischief. I have seen on HDF that during amāvāsya things tend to go sideways. Hence the practical application of jyotiṣ was put to use.


With regard to śūnyatā, here is my opinion to its roots :
this śūnyatā शून्यता is emptiness , loneliness , desolateness; it can also be used for absence of mind , vacancy; we know it as nothingness , non-existence.
Now śūnya शून्य also means empty , void. Why do I bring this up ? Because it (śūnya) gets us to śūnyī; śūnyī = śūnya. Why care?
Due to the fact it brings us to its root (√) kṛ . This kṛ has a list of meanings¹ - yet one is 'to cause to get rid of , free from' - getting rid of is obviously 'emptying' and we can see the fit. Lets go a little further.
śūna शून- as a noun is 'emptiness' , yet also comes the meaning of a 'swollen state' . This śū ( sometimes written as śvā) is rooted(√) in śvi which means to swell , grow , increase ' to swell much'.

So if we look at the path of words we have just been on we see śū to śvi - to swell much ; we see the influence of śūnyī = śūnya rooted in kṛ 'to cause to get rid of to be free from' . We bring this together we can see this 'swelling' to the extent of 'getting rid of ' that brings us to emptiness or śūnyatā, the ultimate 'getting rid of' to the exent of swelling to pure emptiness.


praṇām

words

kṛ we know often as 'to do' , or 'make , perform , accomplish , cause , effect'; yet it also is to prepare . to do anything for the advantage or injury of another and to execute , carry out; to manufacture , prepare , work at , elaborate , build.
amāvāsya- is made up of amā + vāsya: amā अमा means together, at home + vāsya वास्य means to be covered up

saidevo
22 October 2009, 01:17 PM
bhoja rAja undergoes brain surgery in 10th century CE

King bhoja, just before he ascended the throne, was suffering from a tumor in his brain that caused him an excruciating pain in the head. Despite all the medical aid given to him by his physicians, his condition became critical. Providence blessed the king with the services of two learned Brahmin brothers from the school of ujjain, who were pre-eminent surgeons of the era, and had arrived at Dhar about that time.

The two surgeons administered an anaesthetic called Sammohini, a powdery preparation, that made the king unconscious. Then they trephined his skull, removed the malignant growth in the brain which was the cause of complaint, closed the opening, stitched the wound and restored the patient to consciousness by another drug called sanjIvini.

bhojarAja survived his surgery remarkably well and had an illustrious reign both as a military commander and as an encyclopaedic scholar. Along with King rAjendra chozha, he fought and took back the cities Dhar and Ujjain that were captured by the chAlukyas. He also led a powerful army against Mahmud Ghaznavi who had earlier invaded and plundered the somnAth temple. Ghaznavi avoided a confrontation and retreated through the desert of sindh; bhojarAja recaptured the areas lost during his father's time, to the Islamic invaders, formed a confederation of Hindu kings and reestablished Hindu rule in the affected areas.

bhoja wrote 84 books during his life, some of them are: sarasvatI-kanThAbharaNa--a treatise on Sanskrit grammar; rAjamArtANda--a commentary on the patanjali yoga sUtras; samarangaNa-sUtradhAra--a treatise on civil engineering which, besides giving constructional details of forts, palaces and temples, also talked about building a flying machine or glider; tattva-prakAsha--a siddhAnta tantra work; rasa-rAja-mRugAngka--a treatise on chemistry specializing in extraction of metals from their oars; and jyotiSha-rAja-mRugAngka--a treatise on practical astronomy with details of construction of instruments.

Here is a sample of the surviving portion of the verses that speak of bhoja's brain surgery (with my attempt at translation, which may please be set right by our Sanskrit-proficient members):

sa tasya rogaH kenApi na nivAritaH |
For this disease there was no cure in sight.

tadanena bhojanRupAlena bhiShajvarA api svadeshAnniShkAsitAH |
There was no physician in the country who could 'egress' the disease.
...

kapAlashodanaM kRutaM bhojena, tadA praviShTaH pAThInaH |
The cure involves cleaning his skull,

tanmUlo&yaM rogaH |
where the root of the disease is located.
...

tatastAvapi rAjAnAM mohachUrNena mohayitvA
and then the king was made unconscious by smelling a poweder (mohachUrNam)

shiraH-kapAlamAdAya tatkaroTikApuTe sthitaM shapharakulaM gRahItvA
cutting open the skull, the tumor the size of a large fish was removed;

kasmishchad bhAjane nikShipya saMdhAnakaraNyA kapAlaM yathAvadArachayya
saMjIvinyA cha taM jIvAyitvA tasmai taddarshayatAm |
then the opening was rejoined and consciousness restored using saMjIvini.

tadA tad dRuShTvA rAjA vismitaH:
the king as he became consciousness and well, was amazed.

The book titled 'bhoja-prabandha' that describes such anecdotes connected with King bhojarAja, and is commented in Hindi, can be downloaded here:
http://ia311025.us.archive.org/3/items/bhojaprabandhaof00balluoft/bhojaprabandhaof00balluoft.pdf

Some links to the surgery:
http://chestofbooks.com/health/india/Sushruta-Samhita/Introduction-Part-10.html
http://www.siddha.com.my/ubb/Forum3/HTML/000039-2.html
http://www.dlshq.org/messages/ayurveda.htm

rkpande
23 October 2009, 02:21 AM
please also see on vimans,

http://www.hinduwisdom.info/Vimanas.htm

saidevo
23 October 2009, 08:09 AM
namaste pandeji.

I strongly believe that the science of aviation and avionics originated in the Hindu scriptures. When we read about the vimAnika shAstra we should remember Shivkar Bapuji Talpade, who flew an unmanned airplane based on the technology of this text in 1895, eight years before the Wright brothers flew their first plane.

Guided by his guru pandit subbarAya shAstri, the author of vimAnika shAstra, Talpade designed his aircraft that he named mArutsakhA--friend of the wind, and flew it at chowpatty beach, mumbai, before a large audience, which included mahArAjA sayAjirAo gaekvad III.

Here are the relevant links to the historical event:
Shivkar Bapuji Talpade
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shivkar_Bapuji_Talpade

A flight over Chowpatty that made history
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/890055.cms

Popular names relating to scientific inventions are often propped up by the power of vested interests. Such is the case with the invention of wireless telegraphy by Marconi, which was invented before him by the Indian scientist jagdIsh chandra bose.

saidevo
25 October 2009, 11:10 AM
Quantum Physics in the Vedas

The research paper titled "Creation--Annihilation--Vedic View" by Dr. S. Siva Ram Babu throws a new light on the much maligned slaughters and sacrifices described in the Vedas. I have given a gist of part of the paper in my own way below. This paper can be downloaded from http://www.serveveda.org/anihilation.pdf .

agni and the pashus

• The shatapatha brAhmaNa of the shukya yajur veda, in kANDa 6, adhyAya 2 describes an animal sacrifice.

6.2.1.1 and 6.2.1.2: prajApati set his mind upon agni's forms: He saw pancha-pashus--five animals, viz. puruShaM--man, ashvaM--horse, gAmaviM--bull and ram and ajaM--he-goat. Inasmuch as he saw them--pashya, they are (called) pashu--cattle.

Note that these 'five cattle forms' are described as the forms of agni and the descriptions continues that prajApati entered them and then slaughtered the pashus for agni.

• yajur veda 23.17 also says, "agni was pashu." How come the fire was an animal in an earlier form? At least the animal is on fire when it is sacrificed, not the other way surely?

• taittirIya brAhmaNa 1.1.4.5 confirms, "pashus are agnIya."

Now, substitute the meaning 'particle' for 'pashu' and 'energy' for 'agni'. Visualize the slaughter, sacrifice and agni appearing as pashus and viz versa as mutual transformation between particles and energy--you have advanced quantum physics in the Vedas!

• The term 'pashu' is from the root pash--to see. 'agni' means 'one that leads'; it is related to the agra--the foremost part, front. Thus, agni--energy that is always the leader and the pashu--particle is seen and observed as energy cryztallizes into matter.

The homakuNDaM where prajApati performed his experiments of slaughter and sacrifice was not the physical oven but the laboratory of his mind. Therefore he visualized agni to become pashu and vice versa. Thousands of years later, Albert Einstein performed similar experiments in the laboratory of his mind and discovered the theory of relativity and came out with the famous equation E = mc^2--a formula for transformation between matter and energy.

origin of the pashus from the agni

Vedic quantum physics postulates an interim stage for the transformation between enery into matter; this interim stage is confirmed by the non-stable subatomic particles of modern physics.

• The puruSha, hymn 10.90 of the Rig Veda describes the origin of the particles:

"From that yajna curd, butter was obtained. From that, vAyavya, AraNya and grAmya pashus were born."

The formation of curd and butter indicate the conversion of homogeneous energy into hetrogeneous, which then gave rise to three types of particles.

• The grAmya pashus are particles that tend to stay together, like the people in a grAmam--village. They are the Bosons of modern physics.

• The AraNya particles are wild and tend to stay alone. They are the Fermions.

• The vAyavya are field particles that are exchanged in particle formation, such as the photons in electromagnetic interaction as postulated in modern physics.

grAmya pashus

The Rig Veda hymn 10.90.10 further subdivides the grAyma pashus into four kinds: ashva--horses, go--cow, avi--sheep and aja--goats.

The Rig Veda hymn 1.163 describes the characteristics of this ashva--horse particle:

1.163.1 "When you roared springing from sea or land after birth, your great birth is worthy of praise you have wings of eagle and arms of deer."

This ashva--horse with wings can be considered the equivalent of the quark particles of modern physics.

1.163.2 "This horse was given by yama. trita harnessed it, indra captured him first and gandharva held its reins. vasus made this horse from sun."

The association of ashva with trita in this verse indicates that the particle carries 1/3 charge (trita), like the quarks.

1.163.3 "You are yama, you are Aditya, you are trita by a hidden act, you are well associated with soma. You have three bindings in Heaven it is said."

The ashva particles are 'hidden', just like the quarks, which in modern physics cannot be seen in isolation.

1.163.11 "O horse, your body is made for flying, your mind is rapid as wind. Your beautiful horns are placed in various ways and travel in forests."

A horse is spoken of as having horns! This can be a deliberate description to distinguish the ashva as a particle from a normal horse.

1.163.12 "Strong horse goes for slaughtering meditating upon the gods. His navel, goat is led ahead, praisers and poets follow him."

Finally, the ashva is sacrificed, transformed to become agni--energy.

**********

The author continues his paper with illustrations about the gau and aja particles, tracing their parallels in modern physics. The paper has drawn from 20 varied texts for its content. In conclusion, the author exhorts young Hindu minds to carry on the research on the lines he has indicated and come up with the Hindu paradigms of the ultimate realities of creation and annihilation.

saidevo
17 March 2010, 08:53 PM
Quantum Physics in the Vedas

The research paper titled "Creation--Annihilation--Vedic View" by Dr. S. Siva Ram Babu throws a new light on the much maligned slaughters and sacrifices described in the Vedas. I have given a gist of part of the paper in my own way below. This paper can be downloaded from http://www.serveveda.org/anihilation.pdf .

agni and the pashus

• The shatapatha brAhmaNa of the shukya yajur veda, in kANDa 6, adhyAya 2 describes an animal sacrifice.

6.2.1.1 and 6.2.1.2: prajApati set his mind upon agni's forms: He saw pancha-pashus--five animals, viz. puruShaM--man, ashvaM--horse, gAmaviM--bull and ram and ajaM--he-goat. Inasmuch as he saw them--pashya, they are (called) pashu--cattle.

Note that these 'five cattle forms' are described as the forms of agni and the descriptions continues that prajApati entered them and then slaughtered the pashus for agni.

• yajur veda 23.17 also says, "agni was pashu." How come the fire was an animal in an earlier form? At least the animal is on fire when it is sacrificed, not the other way surely?

• taittirIya brAhmaNa 1.1.4.5 confirms, "pashus are agnIya."

Now, substitute the meaning 'particle' for 'pashu' and 'energy' for 'agni'. Visualize the slaughter, sacrifice and agni appearing as pashus and viz versa as mutual transformation between particles and energy--you have advanced quantum physics in the Vedas!

• The term 'pashu' is from the root pash--to see. 'agni' means 'one that leads'; it is related to the agra--the foremost part, front. Thus, agni--energy that is always the leader and the pashu--particle is seen and observed as energy cryztallizes into matter.

The homakuNDaM where prajApati performed his experiments of slaughter and sacrifice was not the physical oven but the laboratory of his mind. Therefore he visualized agni to become pashu and vice versa. Thousands of years later, Albert Einstein performed similar experiments in the laboratory of his mind and discovered the theory of relativity and came out with the famous equation E = mc^2--a formula for transformation between matter and energy.

origin of the pashus from the agni

Vedic quantum physics postulates an interim stage for the transformation between enery into matter; this interim stage is confirmed by the non-stable subatomic particles of modern physics.

• The puruSha, hymn 10.90 of the Rig Veda describes the origin of the particles:

"From that yajna curd, butter was obtained. From that, vAyavya, AraNya and grAmya pashus were born."

The formation of curd and butter indicate the conversion of homogeneous energy into hetrogeneous, which then gave rise to three types of particles.

• The grAmya pashus are particles that tend to stay together, like the people in a grAmam--village. They are the Bosons of modern physics.

• The AraNya particles are wild and tend to stay alone. They are the Fermions.

• The vAyavya are field particles that are exchanged in particle formation, such as the photons in electromagnetic interaction as postulated in modern physics.

grAmya pashus

The Rig Veda hymn 10.90.10 further subdivides the grAyma pashus into four kinds: ashva--horses, go--cow, avi--sheep and aja--goats.

The Rig Veda hymn 1.163 describes the characteristics of this ashva--horse particle:

1.163.1 "When you roared springing from sea or land after birth, your great birth is worthy of praise you have wings of eagle and arms of deer."

This ashva--horse with wings can be considered the equivalent of the quark particles of modern physics.

1.163.2 "This horse was given by yama. trita harnessed it, indra captured him first and gandharva held its reins. vasus made this horse from sun."

The association of ashva with trita in this verse indicates that the particle carries 1/3 charge (trita), like the quarks.

1.163.3 "You are yama, you are Aditya, you are trita by a hidden act, you are well associated with soma. You have three bindings in Heaven it is said."

The ashva particles are 'hidden', just like the quarks, which in modern physics cannot be seen in isolation.

1.163.11 "O horse, your body is made for flying, your mind is rapid as wind. Your beautiful horns are placed in various ways and travel in forests."

A horse is spoken of as having horns! This can be a deliberate description to distinguish the ashva as a particle from a normal horse.

1.163.12 "Strong horse goes for slaughtering meditating upon the gods. His navel, goat is led ahead, praisers and poets follow him."

Finally, the ashva is sacrificed, transformed to become agni--energy.

**********

The author continues his paper with illustrations about the gau and aja particles, tracing their parallels in modern physics. The paper has drawn from 20 varied texts for its content. In conclusion, the author exhorts young Hindu minds to carry on the research on the lines he has indicated and come up with the Hindu paradigms of the ultimate realities of creation and annihilation.

saidevo
17 March 2010, 10:04 PM
Dharbham the Holy Grass by TRS Iyengar
http://www.trsiyengar.com/id65.shtml

The Holy Grass known as Dharbham or Dharbai - Kush Grass, Kusa - Eragrostis cynosuroides

This article is on one of the practices widely used by Indian Brahmins all over using a Holy Grass named Dharbham or Dharbai. The botonical name is Eragrostis cynosuroides and Hindi they call as Kus or Kusha. Brahmins in general and Srivaishnavites in particular use this Darbai grass in all functions, auspicious or inauspicious, a performing person needs to wear a ring made of this Dharbham. But many have lost the reason of why it is to be used in the first place.

What I learnt from my father is proved to be accurately correct by a Medicine Practitioner. A medical practitioner named Dr. Sadhashiv Rao, once visited my home. When the topic turned to many subjects, I needed to tell him about the Holy Grass named Dharbham. When I told him about the usage and the values, he could not just believe my words. So, he took out a bunch of the Dharbham from me, went straight to the clinic to take an x-ray of his palm, by covering his hand with the Dharbham. To his utter surprise, he found that the grass absorbed about 60% of the (x-ray) radiation!

When the so powerful X-ray radiation can be absorbed by the Holy Grass, why can it not absorb the ill-radiations spread over the atmosphere? While chanting and reciting some Vedic phrases and versus, one needs to wear a ring made of Dharbham on his right hand ring finger. This is most essential, while performing all the rituals, such as Agni Santhanam, Thiru-Aaradhanam, all sorts of Havans known as Homam etc.

The count of leaves depends upon the function that is held viz.: for some functions related to death only Single leaf Dharbham is used; for Auspicious and daily routine a ring made of two leaves is used; for inauspicious but not death related functions, (i.e. Amavasya Tharppanam, Pithru Pooja etc) a three leaf Dharbham ring is used. And for the Temple Prayer and Pooja, a Four-leaf Dharbham ring is used.

Also, when a fire ritual known as Agni Santhana is performed, these Dharbham are spread all the four sides of the Agni Kundam. Also, during the Eclipse time, these Dharbham are used to cover all food items to protect them from the harmful ultra violet radiation.

Whenever any function is held, firstly they perform a site-cleansing act known as "Sudhhi Punyaahavachanam". While reciting the selective versus, they hold the Dharbham bunch in their hand and placing the tip point of it over the vessel containing water. Thus the recited vibration values are absorbed by water in the vessel through the Dharbham.

They found that the Holy Grass known as Dharbham has the highest value in conducting the phonetic vibrations through its tip. Later, they sprinkle the Holy water at every nook and corner of the place, where the function is held. A Dharbham without the tip is considered of no value, as the conductor-type value is lost in it.

If dharbam is cut & collected on the Avani Amavasya day (falls during 15th August & 15th Sept) it can be retained for usage for one full year. Also, if cut on the Masi Amavasya day then also one can use it for full year. There is a specific slokha for cutting dharbam (the holy grass) that is to be recited while cutting it; I give below the same for readers to know. If Dharbam is obtained from a Brahmin who doesn't know this slokam or versus, the Dharbam is useless, states the Vedic scripts!

virinchena sahotpanna parameShThinisargaja |
nud sarvANi papAni darbha svastikaro bhava ||

My father, Late Shri Ramabathrachariar of Mukkur, fondly called by everyone as Sriraman, has taught me the immense values of Dharbham and its usage. With Sanskrit phonetic sound and vibration, using the Dharbham increases its value. The usage varies according to the functions. It is really a marvel, that in those days of Vedic Era, the Sages & Saints of Hindu land used to control the Magnetic path disturbances, just by simply using this Dharbham! While I was just preparing this article, I received an interesting E-mail from Sri. Vijay Narasimhan, which I give below without editing:



Basically all our Vedas and Upanishads are written in Sanskrit, Which basically is a phonetic based language. So I have a feeling that it is not just the mantras being powerful but mainly due to the effects "Sound" has over a humans body. I feel that our ancestors had mastered the art of sound; phonetics and acoustics as such. So when the Vedas was written and the tone set for its deliverance that had no effect whatsoever on a "Man's" body but it should have definitely had a profound effect on a "Woman's" body that would have been the reason why ladies are not allowed to chant mantra or the Vedas or Upanishads or for that matter any of the slokas that a man recites. When we do Paaraayanam, I feel that the reason why girls are not allowed to do that is basically their physique cannot take the tremendous changes effected due to sustained practice of known as Recital.

This is something that my grandpa's younger brother told me about, when we perform the Kumbabhishekam in a temple, At least 20 learned Vedic scholars would stand near the "kumba jalam" (holy water kept in the copper or brass vessel) and holding a "Dharbam", one end in their hand and other end in the water would recite all the slokas need or rather do the "Japam" - I think this is because "Dharbam" is a very good conductor of acoustic vibrations - When this happens you can surely find the difference in the water's state before and after such a japam. The reason why i am saying this has reference to my stating that Sanskrit is a phonetic based language and "Sound and Acoustics" does really change things.

Our ancestors would have done lot of research into acoustics management resulting in they mastering the art of sound and acoustics and using them to both, their constructive and destructive benefits. Again this is purely my and only my own opinion.

Keep up the good work.

Thanks and Regards - Vijay Narasimham


Apart from the above, Dharbham cannot be planted and grown everywhere. It only grows naturally at selective places and available almost in every state in India. Several persons at many occasions tried to cultivate this plant but failed to see its growth. Why, anyone can try this now if it is possible for them to plant & cultivate in their locations! Sorry, it will not grow as one might think. It has its potential soil selection, magnetic path locations and soil conditions that add value to its growth only in selective places! Some learned scholars name it after Saint Vishwaamitra - hence Dharbham is known and also called as "Vishwaamitra". If it is kept for a longer time, say for more than six months, (excepting the one cut during Masi & Avani Amavasya days.) then it loses its value and the power of absorbing the radiation or magnetic path control values.

Dharbham cannot just be plucked straight or cut on any day; There is a specific Slokha given above, that is to be recited before cutting it; That too it can be cut only on the day next to Full Moon - known as Krishna Paksha Pradamai. A Dharbham without its tip portion is not to be used for making a Ring like item known as "Pavithram".

A word of caution for the new users of this Dharbai / Dharbam. It is sharper than a blade! The edges are so sharp, it might even hurt & cut your palm if handled carelessly, that you'll notice only when you find blood oozing from your palm! Yes, you'll not feel the pain while injuring, but later one feels it. Only when it is wet, you can twist it to the form you need to make the called Pavithram or Bugnams.

**********

Also check the article 'A Blade of Grass' here:
http://www.ibiblio.org/sripedia/srirangasri/archives/jan04/msg00142.html

flabber
18 March 2010, 04:14 AM
amazing information here. please continue your kind work. :)

btw sir can you post an english translation for the slokam that should be said before cutting the dharbham ? thank you in advance.


virinchena sahotpanna parameShThinisargaja |
nud sarvANi papAni darbha svastikaro bhava ||

saidevo
19 March 2010, 09:40 PM
namaste Flabber.

The translation of the shloka is as follows:

virinchena sahotpanna parameShThi nisargaja |
nud sarvANi pApAni darbha svastikaro bhava ||

This grass is so ancient that it was born along with the Creator BrahmA himself and is capable of relieving us of all sins through appropriate prAyaschitta karmAs, says the aforesaid sloka.

virinchena--along with Brahma, ViShNu, Shiva; sahotpanna--simultaneously;
parameShThi--supreme; nisargaja--born, produced at creation.

darbha--may this darbha (which has such greatness); nud--drive away;
sarvANi pApAni--all kinds of sins; svastikaro bhava--cause welfare and success.

There are other shlokas with meanings, chiefly from the VaiShNava POV given in this link:
A blade of grass
http://saranagathi.org/blogs/sadagopan-iyengar/a-blade-of-grass/

rkpande
20 March 2010, 01:57 AM
Dr S Radhakrishnan, in his work 'Indian Philosophy' while writing his commentary on samkhya states about the three gunas '..The three gunas are never separate. They support one another and intermingle with one another. They are closely related as the flame, the oil and the wick of a lamp. They constitute the very substance of prakrti. All things are composed of the three gunas, and the differences of the world are traced to the predominance of the different gunas....(vol 2 page263) '.

Is samkhya which was first mentioned in Svetasvatra Up, and also finds its mention in Gita,trying to tell us that sat is neutron, tamas is proton and electron is rajas.

Rajas is activity, Tamas is inertia and sat is neutral.

Is it that I am reading too much of meaning of the above.

flabber
20 March 2010, 02:20 AM
thanks Saidevo sir for the translation. :)



Dr S Radhakrishnan, in his work 'Indian Philosophy' while writing his commentary on samkhya states about the three gunas '..The three gunas are never separate. They support one another and intermingle with one another. They are closely related as the flame, the oil and the wick of a lamp. They constitute the very substance of prakrti. All things are composed of the three gunas, and the differences of the world are traced to the predominance of the different gunas....(vol 2 page263) '.

Is samkhya which was first mentioned in Svetasvatra Up, and also finds its mention in Gita,trying to tell us that sat is neutron, tamas is proton and electron is rajas.

Rajas is activity, Tamas is inertia and sat is neutral.

Is it that I am reading too much of meaning of the above.

come to think of it the 3 fundamental particles nowadays according to particle physicists are upquark, downquark and electrons. protons and neutrons are the combinations or the upquarks and downquarks. but there are so many fundamental particles according to quantum physics, so attaching the 3 gunas to fundamental particles seems quite difficult. i'm not sure. science is still not so sure about the most fundamental particles of matter or anti-matter, understanding gravity etc.. we still have a long way to go.

this is interesting. I love particle physics and astronomy. I think I should start to learn sanskrit so that it would be of good help for understanding.

smaranam
20 March 2010, 11:12 AM
[SIZE=3]Is samkhya which was first mentioned in Svetasvatra Up, and also finds its mention in Gita,trying to tell us that sat is neutron, tamas is proton and electron is rajas.

Rajas is activity, Tamas is inertia and sat is neutral.

Is it that I am reading too much of meaning of the above.

Namaste !

So, that is sAnkhya

BrahmA = rAjasic creator ----- represents proton
Vishnu = sAttvic nurturer, maintainer, preserver ----- represents neutron
Mahesh = destroyer which requires usage of tamas ----- represents electron, (although the very act of destruction of avidyA - ignorance is all-auspicious , done in All-auspicious Shiv form )

----------------------------------------------------

So THAT was the source of what my childhood friend was talking about :
God exists in eveything, even atoms and molecules (She was a very good all-round student, and learnt a lot of Vedic things from her father)
BhahmA is proton, Vishnu is neutron and Shiva is electron.


Jai Sri KRSNa
Gurur BrahmA Gurur Vishnu Gurur Devo MaheshwarA
Guru sAkshAt ParaBrahman
tasmai Shri Guruve namah

smaranam
21 March 2010, 01:01 PM
Rajas is activity, Tamas is inertia and sat is neutral.


Sorry i missed some of this the last time.

Proton is inert hence tAmasic - that's a good point, but proton is what makes the atom exist in jad form.
Although jad implies tAmas, yet causing matter to exist is rAjas creativity ?
Although electrons flow (hence active, so rAjas) , they destroy matter into energy hence tAmas ?

That is why i would map proton to rAjas , BrahmA being the presiding deity and electron to tAmas, Mahesh(Shiva) being the presiding Deity.

Very interesting, although i am only speculating.



come to think of it the 3 fundamental particles nowadays according to particle physicists are upquark, downquark and electrons. protons and neutrons are the combinations or the upquarks and downquarks. but there are so many fundamental particles according to quantum physics, so attaching the 3 gunas to fundamental particles seems quite difficult. i'm not sure. science is still not so sure about the most fundamental particles of matter or anti-matter, understanding gravity etc.. we still have a long way to go.

Deities presiding on properties of jad prakrti :

Various forms of Shakti (calm and fierce): DurgA, Gauri, TripurAsundari, kAli, shAradA, Lakshmi, LalitA ......

There is sattva-sattva, sattva-raja , raja-raja , raja-tama, tama-tama ,....

Again, very interesting, although i am only speculating for fun.

Kumar_Das
06 June 2010, 07:03 PM
.....