पुरातन भारतीय विज्ञानं - AERONAUTICS !! PART-6 !!

पुरातन भारतीय विज्ञानं 

We shall start our further discussions on aeronautics after an understanding of some of the scientific concepts of ARyabhatta in his text of Aryabhateeyam.

Aryabhatta, bases all his suthras on a number system.One such number system ( something like an encryption system..) is what we have already seen ( Katapayathi sankhya) in earlier posts. 

We will have to understand this number system (aryabhateeya sankhya ) to understand his calculations.

in this number system... Sanskrit alphabets are numbered in the following manner. 

Ka- 1   Kha - 2     Ga - 3    Gha-4    Nga-5

Cha-6  Chcha-7 ....... So on and so forth with continuous numbering upto Ma-25 

Ya-30   Ra-40    La-50   Va-60   Sa-70  Sha-80 

E-100

U - 10,000

Ru-10,00,000 

Aryabhatta says in one of his suthras " Bha upa kramo Grahaansha:" 

Upa Kramo Grahamsha: makes sense as to the degree of tilting of earth....but Bha has no meaning per say.If we refer the numbering system, Bha is of the number 24.

Thus, the tilting of earth is 24 degrees according to aryabhatta ,while the mordern calculation is 23.5 degrees. 

Now , we shall move onto our Vaimanika Shastra.

Dharpanaathikaranam : The Chapter of Mirrors ! 

Dharpanaascha [ Suthra 20.Vaimanika Shastra ] 

The Mirrors ! 

This chapter Deals with Seven Different types of mirrors to be used in aeronautics.

• VishwaKriya Darpanam 
• ShakthyaKArshana Darpanam 
• Vyroopya Darpanam 
• Kuntinee Darpanam 
• Guhaagarbha Darpanam 
• Rowdree Darpanam 

1) Vishwakriya Darpanam : 

Vishwakriyaa darpana is to be fixed on a revolving stand near the pilot so that he could observe whatever is happening outside on all sides.Its construction is also detailedly explained, the silvering and all technical processes are described, but the problem lies in deciphering the meaning of the sanskrit words of the ingredients. 

2)ShakthyaKarshana Darpanam 

As the vimaana flies through the regions of the sky, three classes of destructive forces tend to overcome it. This mirror is capable of neutralising and overcoming their effects.

The wind, solar rays, and fire are known as trivargas. Each of the three has evil effects on the plane's pilot. Those evil forces this mirror will absorb and nullify.

3)Vyroopya Darpana 

When enemy planes with men intent on intercepting and destroying your vimaana attack you with all the means at their disposal, the viroopya-darpana will frighten them into retreat or render them unconscious and leave you free to destroy or rout them. The darpana, like a magician, will change the appearance of your vimaana into such frightening shapes that the attacker will be dismayed or paralysed. There are 27 such different shapes that are said to be possible. Sammohana-kriyaa-kaanda, or the work dealing with the methods causing insensibility, mentions 17 of them.

4)Kuntinee Darpanam 

We now consider the Kuntinee mirror. The wise say that the mirror by the glare of whose rays people's minds get deranged is Kuntinee mirror. Paraankusha says that in the region of the solar electric heat waves of the sky, seven streams of poisonous whirl-winds derange the mind. the Kuntinee mirror acts as a protection against that evil effect.

5) Pinjula Darpana 

The conflicting inter-action of the solar rays is called pinjulaa. It has deleterious effect on the black eye-balls of the pilots. The pinjulaa mirror, by intervening will prevent the eye-balls being blinded by the evil rays.

It is said in "Amsubodhinee", or the work on solar rays, "There are four directions, east, west, north and south, and four corner directions, south-east, south-west, north-east and north-west. The solar force of each direction has got its own intensity, owing to different fire-force, different seasonal force, the effect of the five winds, combined with the vaarunee or liquid force of the clouds, and the resulting tension gives rise to four evil forces, andha, andhakaara, pinjoosha, and taarapaa, whose glows, known as rakta, jaathara, taaraagra, and prabha, striking the eye-balls result in blindness of both eyes. 

6) Guha GArbaDarapanam 

The conflict between the electricity in the clouds, wind, and rays, generates forces harmful to pilots. The guhaa-garbha darpana, by attracting them and projecting them by electric force against enemy planes, renders the persons inside them physically disabled and incapable of figh.

7) Rowdree Darpana 

This mirror captures solar rays and concentrates them to a targetted enemy to liquify the same. 

By the mixing of roudree and solar rays an evil force called maarikaa is generated, and impelled by the solar electricity, it destroys the enemy planes."

We shall move onto the next Chapter, Electricity In our subsequent note !! 

पुरातन भारतीय विज्ञानं - Aeronautics ! Part - 2

पुरातन भारतीय विज्ञानं 

Now that we are through with the 32 secrets that are to be the essential knowledge of a pilot, we will move onto the aerial routes as described in the second chapter of the vaimanika shastra 

MAARGADHIKARANAM - Chapter of aerial routes 

PANCHAGNASCHA [ VAIMANIKA SHASTRA.SUTRA.3] 

The pilot should know five things 

The atmospheric layers are categorised into five spheres.

• Rekhapaththa 
• Mandala
• Kakshya 
• Shakthi 
• Kendra 

There are well defined 519,800 air routes transversed by the planes.

further explanations are found in the valmiki ganitha (the mathematics of valmiki ) and texts of saunakha maharishi. 

AVARTHASCHA [ VAIMANIKA SHASTRA.SUTRA.4 ]

And also the whirlpools. 

Bharathwaja says, Though whirlpools in the atmosphere are innmerable, the whirlpools (avartha) found in the regions of the vimaanas are 5 in number. 

Shakthyavartha whirlpool occurs in the Rekha sphere (this is charecterised with lots of energy ) 

In mandala paththa there occurs Vayu avartha ; the whirlpool of strong wind 

In Kakshya , there occurs Kiranavartha, the whirlpool of sun's rays, blocking the view of pilot 

In shakthi , there occurs, Shaithavartha whirlpool of cold air 

In kendra there occurs Gharshanavartha ; whirlpool caused by collision (??) 

The pilot has a necessity to know these five dangers and should know to steer clearly away from these. 

ANGANYEKA THRIMSHAT [ VAIMANIKA SHASTRA.SUTRA.5] .

The parts are thirty one in number. 

Bharathwaja explains the thirty one basic parts of the aeroplane. 

The thirty one parts are also mentioned in the CHAYA PURUSHA SHASTRA.

We will not go into details now, it is also explained when it comes to the construction of aeroplanes.so we will only see an outlines view of the parts of the flights as desinges by there Amazing indians !! 

For further reference, Darpana means Mirror and yanthra means a machine or mechanism. 

1. Vishwakriyaadarpana or mirror of outside views.

2. Shaktyaakarshana or energy attracting mirror.

3. Parivesha mechanism above the hood of the Vimana.

4. Angopasamhaara yantra or folding up yantra at the 7th bindukeelaka.

5. Vistritakriyaa or opening out yantra location in the middle of the 11th section.

6. Vyroopya darpana and

7. Padmachakramukha at the shirobhaaga or crest of the Vimana.

8. The Kuntinee-shakti mechanism is to be in the neck of the Vimana.

9. Pushpinee and Pinjulaa Mirrors are to be in the right side of the centre.

10. At the front of the left side are to be located the Naalapanchaka or 5 pipes.

11. Guhaagarbha mirror yantra is to be in the front part of the stomach of the plane.

12. Thamoyantra at the north western side.

13. Pancha-vaataskandha-naala on the western centre.

14. Rowdree mirror.

15. Vaataskandha keelaka at the bottom centre.

16. Shaktisthaana at the front and right sides.

17. Shabda-kendra-mukha at the left side.

18. Vidyuddwaadashaka at the north-east side.

19. Praanakundala at the moola of the Vimana.

20. Shaktyudgama at the navel of the Vimana.

21. Vakraprasaarana at the side of Vimanaadhaara.

22. Shaktipanjara in the central portion.

23. Shirahkeelaka at the head of the Vimana.

24. Shabdaakarshaka yantra at the shoulder.

25. Pata-prasaarana at the bottom centre.

26. Dishaampati yantra at the left front.

27. Pattikaabhraka at the centre of the hood of the Vimana.

28. Solar power attractor at the top of the Vimana.

29. Apasmaara or poison gas at the sandhi-naala mukha or junction tube front.

30. Sthambhana yantra at the bottom.

31. Vyshwaanara-naala at the navel centre.

With these basics, Bharathwaja also goes onto explaining the clothing of pilots.the next adhikarana is VASTHRADHIKARANAM,from which we will see in the next note. 

भारतीय समय निर्माणं - Indian Time Calculation.

       भारतीय समय निर्माणं 

Indians were great achievers in all fields. In Time calculation too. The traditional indian vedic standards of time were detailed and involved lot of calculations.The shrimad bhagavatha maha purana describes this in detail. 
Believers and atheists, both would be surprised how we Indians calculated time accurately, 5000 years back.

Scientific Standard of Time

Until 1955 the scientific standard of time, the second, was based on the earth’s period of rotation and was defined as 1/86,400 of the mean solar day. When it was realized that the earth’s rate of rotation was irregular and also slowing down, it became necessary to redefine the second. In 1955 the International Astronomical Union defined the second as being 1/31,556,925.9747 of the solar year in progress at noon December 31, 1899. The International Committee on Weights and Measures adopted the definition the following year.

With the introduction of atomic clocks—specifically, the construction of a high-precision caesium-beam atomic clock in 1955—more accurate measurement of time became possible. This atomic clock utilizes the frequency of a spectral line produced by the caesium-133 atom. In 1967 the measurement of the second in the International System of Units was officially defined as the duration of 9,192,631,770 periods of the radiation corresponding to the transition between two hyperfine levels of the ground state of the caesium-133 atom.

Vedic standard of time : 

While we see that the atomic calculations were the basis for the modern time study that we have the base unit as seconds, the base unit in the Vedas is referred to by name “PARAMANU” which literally means “SUB-ATOMIC level”. This gives us an insight that may refer to a calculation of time with reference to atoms and not merely solar or lunar time periods.

In a text by name shrimad bhagavatham (dates back to 3070 BC), the sage maithreya says that this is taken as the basic unit for calculations and describes the same as follows:

"The smallest particle of material substance, which has not yet combined with any other similar particles, is called paramanu (a sub-atomic particle of matter). Paramanus always exist both in the dormant and manifest states of material existence. It is the combination of more than one paramanu (sub-atomic particle) which gives rise to the illusory concept of a (material) unit."

A combination of two paramanus make an anu (ATOM).Three atoms make a THRASRENU. A combination of thresranu’s are said to be visible through the sun rays through a laticced window. (Did maitreya talk abt tyndall effect ?)

Paramanu as a source and basic unit of time calculated as the time sunrays take to pass through them.

Three tersrenus are called a thruthi ( 8/13,500 of a second).

A combination of 100 thruthis is called a vedha (8/135 of a second) and three Vedas together were called as a lava (8/45 of a second)

A combination of three lavas is called a kshana ( 8/5 of a second)(this is also described in scriptures as the time taken to the twinkling of a human eye).

A combination of 5 kshanas is called a kaashta.(8 seconds) and fifteen kaashtas equal one laghu (2 minutes).

15 laghu make up a nadika (nazhiga – tamil) which is equal to 30 minutes. 6 nadikas equal one prahara (a quarter of a day).

A day consists of four yamaas(six hour periods),while fifteen such days make up alternating bright and dark fornights(moon sizes).

Two of such fortnights are taken to be a maasa (month) and two months constitute a rithu (Season) and six months constitute a ayana(time for sun to move from north to south and south to north resp)

The vedic years constitute the following yugas (collection of years).

Satya yuga:

 1,728,000 human years

 Treta yuga:

 1,296,000 human years

 Dvapara yuga:

 864,000 human years

 Kali yuga:

 432,000 human years

The world does not end here the whole completion of the above said four yugas constitute a maha yuga or a divya yuga(4.32 million years).

One thousand such cycles (4.32 billion years) make up one day of brahma.

(note: maybe there exists no god. but the Vedic traditionalists made it an embodiment or personification of time. Personification was a common practice as history, legends, facts and sciences in those days were not separated from literature. This is a striking observation because the brahma is said to have four faces which represent the four above mentioned yugas. When personification of autumn, rivers, and nations can be accepted as literature, personification of time as brahma can be accepted by atheists too)

Such a day of brahma is called as a kalpa. Each day of brahma is divided into manvantaras (14 periods) each lasting 71 cycles of the above said rotation of four constituting one such cycle.

The brahma is said to live 100 years,each consisting of 360 days.In human years the brahma’s life in  72,000 x 4,320,000,000 human years = 311,040,000,000,000 human years.

This time span is considered one breathe in and breathe out of VISHNU.

After the life of one brahma, another brahma comes into existence and the process of time continues.

So where are we now?

According to the Vedic scriptures, we are now in the first day of the second half of the life of Brahma (even he gets old, and he is now 50). Within this day of Brahma, we are in the seventh manvantara (of Vaivasvata Manu), in the 28th turnover of its 71 yuga cycles.

Modern astronomy calculates the beginning of the present Kali-yuga at 2:27a.m. on February 20th in the year 3102 B.C.