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History of Technology in India, Vol. I: From Antiquity to c. 1200 A.D. v1.c38.s4: Concluding Remarks

History of Technology in India, Vol. I: From Antiquity to c. 1200 A.D. v1.c38.s4

Language
English

Concluding Remarks

v1.c38.s4.1

The concepts of length, weight and time, in their origin and ramifications have been an integral part of the Indian religio- philosophical and social system. These concepts attempted to explain the limited material world on one hand and tried to speculate their relationship with unlimited world on the other. For linear measure they have developed a length - measured from aṅgula to yojana for practical purposes, but conceived as small a unit as aṇu and gave the diameter of earth as big as 10⁵ yojanas, associating them with number and extending it from beginning to infinity (ādi and ananta), which is one dimensional. Area and volume were obtained by length and breadth; length, breadth and height respectively by the same scale. Whether the Indian had clear picture of dimension upto 12th century is not known. As regards weight, the words, gaurava (density), gurūtva (gravity or heaviness), bhāra (weight) were used. According to Nyāya Vaiśesika, gravity is one of the attribute of matter and regarded it not as a force but as a causal factor associated with act of falling or rising. There was possibly no correlation with gravity and mass. But to equate māṣa with the volumes of one aṅgula of water is indeed a unique step. The word bhāra for weight was used by later scholars in the same sense as before. The number is also an attribute of matter and there are expressions from insignificant weight to a very large weight. The knowledge, view points, perceptions and numbers give it also some significance but not over practical uses. Time is divided into day and its sub-divisions months, seasons, solstices, year, yuga, kalpa and mahākalpa.

v1.c38.s4.2

Though the division is astronomical and cyclic in nature, the concept of smaller kali yuga (432000 years) and its beginning in 3102 B.C. leaves a terrestrial association in mind. The doctrine of transmigration of soul in Indian heritage i.e. life after death and effect of good and evil deeds in future life created an endless time, though the basic problem revolves round ātman, brahman, nirvāṇa (soul becomes free from the world), and the literature is full of discussion on puruṣa, prakṛti, guṇas, mind reflection of mind (māyā), immortality of mind and confusing conceptions of phenomenal world and various related matter. This is unlike Judaism, Christianity and Islam which had a limited nature of universe commencing from a period of 4000 years B.C.

v1.c38.s4.3

The idea of past, present and future gives us also an idea of linear time which is as if something is moving forward from the moment of creation. The Eurocentric imagination has introduced modernism, progress in place of future and has assimilated what is best of other cultures, first as a philosophical method then as a political method (revolution) and as an artistic method (avant garde). Modernity never looks, towards individual, rather looks towards human race through progress. There are also words like muhūrta (constant), kṣaṇa (moment) as ultimate unit of time. The followers of yoga school of Patañjali imagine that there is an uninterrupted flow of time of these moments. Ilya Prigogine, the Noble Laureate and the eminent theoretical Physicist has explained the idea of instant with a beautiful example with reference to Indian Culture. He says, be it a dancing Śiva or a miniature in temple - in which there appears very clearly the search for a junction between stillness and motion, time arrested and time passing. The instant is just like a window to the other side of time-eternity. The other world can be glimpsed in the flash of its existence. This reconciles among past, present and eternity. Indians had concepts of time but did not try to reconcile them in life with terrestrial activities, possibly because of religio-philosophical orientation in the society.

v1.c38.s4.4

1. The first ṛca (stanza) of Puruṣa - sukta (vs. 1) of the Ṛgveda, arranged in prose form is as follows:

v1.c38.s4.5

Sahasra śīrṣā sahasrākṣah sahasrapat (aṅgulaḥ) saḥ puruṣah vis vatah bhumiṃ vṛtvā (bhukarṇa prati hasta mānāya) daśāṅgulam ati atitisthat.

v1.c38.s4.6

The perimeter of the Puruṣa which remains surrounding the Earth is 1000 × 2000 × 2000 (aṅgulas). It rests one angula away of the earth of radius of one hasta (24 aṅg).

v1.c38.s4.7

2. Kauṭilya gives three sets of iron balances with length of beam and corresponding weight.

v1.c38.s4.8

For first set, length of the beam = 8 aṅg, weight = 1, ironpala = 48 māṣa, and diameter = 1, then density (D) in māṣa per unit anguli is expressed as π (1/2)² . 8 . D = 48
So, D = 24/π = 24x7/22 = 7.64 [taking π = 22/7]

v1.c38.s4.9

So the density of iron = 7.64 māṣa per cubic angula. Similarly density for other sets is calculated by method of average.

v1.c38.s4.10

3. Sarva dhātunām gaurava vṛddhau satvavṛddhiḥ !

v1.c38.s4.11

“The increase in density is increase in matter/price of all metals of equal volumes”.

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