The Positive Sciences of the Ancient Hindus c5.s9: Section 9. Serial Motion

The Positive Sciences of the Ancient Hindus c5.s9

Language: English

Section 9. Serial Motion

c5.s9.2

Several Santânas (series) of motions are incidentally noticed, *e.g.* vibration (स्पन्दन, कम्पसन्तान), wave motion (वीचितरङ्ग), current motion (स्यन्दन).

In an interesting passage, Charaka notes three instances of serial motion, viz. those of water, sound, and light (जलसन्तान, शब्दसन्तान and अर्चिःसन्तान), to which he compares the course (सन्तान) of chyle (or chyle-blood) in the Dhamanîs (veins) and other ducts of the body.

c5.s9.4

Dalvana thinks that downward, oblique, and upward currents of chyle are respectively intended by the three illustrations; but Chakrapâṇi points out that the Santâna (wave) of sound travels in all directions (the same is of course true also of light), and that differences in speed (and not in direction) are here meant. In other words, a Santâna of sound travels more rapidly than that of water, and less rapidly than one of light (अर्चिःसन्तान), and Charaka's meaning is that the metabolic course may complete its circuit with greater or less speed. Whether, in this passage, the three Santânas are viewed as waves or currents, is not specified; but the difference between a wave (वीचि) and a current (स्यन्दन) was well known.

c5.s9.5

A current of water (स्यन्दन, downward flow) consists of particles moving in an uninterrupted series under the action of gravity and fluidity (गुरुत्व and द्रवत्व, Śankara Miśra). A wave (वीचितरङ्ग), on the other hand, is constituted by the transmission of vibratory motion (स्पन्दन) in the water-particles (*e.g.* Jayanta, सततष्टनव-योविन्दुसन्दोहस्पन्दनक्रमात्—Nyâya-Manjarî, Âhnika 2).

c5.s9.6

A ray of light, on the other hand, was supposed to imply the rectilinear propagation of indefinitely minute corpuscles in all directions, with inconceivable velocity, and a sort of conical dispersion (अचिन्त्योहि वेगातिशयः तेजः प्रसर्पति पृथ्वग्रत्वात्—Udyotakara, Vâchaspati).

Linked texts (1)

Nyāyamañjarī — Jayanta Bhaṭṭa, Sanskrit