Ancient Indian Astronomy, Mathematics & Medicine Explained!

Numerous natural and pure sciences flourished and saw notable growth and development in ancient India, alongside tremendous achievements in the fields of art and architecture, literature, philosophy, and other liberal arts and humanities. The ancient Indians achieved significant advances in biology, medicine, astronomy and mathematics. However, the Gupta period saw the pinnacle of the study of astronomy and mathematics and proved to be the “Golden Age” for scientific and mathematical studies as well.

In this article, we will look into the development of astrology and mathematics in ancient India and a few important ancient Indian scholars like Aryabhatta, Varahmihira and more for the UGC NET History Exam.

In this article the readers will be able to know about the following:

• Beginnings and Development of Mathematics and Astronomy in Ancient India
• Aryabhatta: Ancient India's Top Astronomer
• Varahmihira: An Astrologer, Astronomer, and Mathematician
• Brahmagupta: Taught Arabs about Indian Astronomy
• Other Important Scholars

Fig: Astronomy Mathematics and Medicine

Beginnings and Development of Mathematics and Astronomy in Ancient India

The earliest evidence of ancient Indian astrological knowledge may be found in Vedanga books on Jyotish or astrology, the major purpose of which was to determine the dates of sacrificial ceremonies. It, later on, evolved from astrology to astronomy or “Khagol Shastra” when scientific studies were gaining momentum in Ancient India. The Yavanajataka, a Sanskrit treatise, documents the introduction of Hellenistic concepts of astronomy and mathematics in India.

For Mathematics, Shulvasutras, appendices to the Shrautasutras, are where Indian mathematics has its roots. The Shulvasutras, which are guides for preparing the site where Vedic sacrificial rituals were to be performed and which specifically address the construction of Vedic brick fire altars, derive their name from the Sanskrit word shulva, which implies measurement. 

Mathematics was also an important component of astronomical sciences, as most of the ancient Indian scholars dealt with numbers and equations in order to make astronomical assumptions. These texts include, among other things, one of the first expressions of the idea behind what is now known as Pythagoras' theorem in geometry (the ancient Babylonians were also aware of this principle).

Vedangas are a part of the Vedic Corpus. Learn more about Vedas here.

The Aryabhatiya, a manuscript that has survived that discusses astronomy and mathematics, and the Aryabhatta-siddhanta, which is only known through references in subsequent works, are the two works written by the first historical astronomer in India, Aryabhatta I. Aryabhatta’s contribution to mathematics and astronomy is incomparable. Let us look at a few important findings discussed in Aryabhatiya about astronomy and mathematics:

• According to Aryabhatta, the planets epi-cyclically circled the earth. He was the first astronomer to provide a scientific justification for eclipses, nevertheless. He proved that the moon's passage through the earth's shadow or between the sun and the earth—rather than the demons Rahu and Ketu—is what causes eclipses.
• The idea that the earth spun on its axis was originally discovered by him. His discovery of the sine functions and their application of them to astronomy was one of his accomplishments, and it made a significant contribution to the fields of both astronomy and mathematics.
• Aryabhatta also devised the proper formula for estimating a planet's orbit and provided an incredibly precise estimation of a year's duration (365.2586805 days). 
• Aryabhatta's Aryabhatiya is a treatise on astronomy but addresses mathematical issues as well. It deals with the arithmetical progression of numbers and their squares and cubes, as well as the laws of involution and evolution.
• In the area of geometry, Aryabhatta discusses the various characteristics of a circle and provides a highly precise figure for pi at 3.1416, which is accurate to 4 decimal places.
• The inventor of algebra is considered Aryabhatta. In his work, numerous difficult simultaneous equations are solved. The trigonometric ratio sine (referred to as jya in Sanskrit) is given in the Aryabhatiya in tables for angles between 0 and 90 degrees at intervals of 3 and 3/4th degrees.

Varahmihira: An Astrologer, Astronomer, and Mathematician

Astrologer, astronomer, and mathematician Varahamihira, a resident of the Avanti (Malwa), lived in the sixth century. He lived during the Gupta era. Varahamihira made significant advances in astronomy and mathematics.

• He enumerated the five astronomical schools that were in use at the time in his Panchasiddhantika.
• His Brihatsamhita is an encyclopaedic text that covers a wide range of subjects, such as how to sharpen swords, how to determine the worth of precious metals and stones, how to get plants to grow fruit out of season, and more. It explains the seasons and goes over meteorological topics like the relationship between clouds, winds, and rainfall amounts.
• Varahamihira contributed significantly to the domains of hydrology, geology, and ecology. 
• He was a pioneering scientist who suggested that termites and plants might be indications that there is water underground. He listed six animals and thirty plants which can be a sign that there is water nearby. 
• The earliest text that can be dated that uses zero as both a symbol and a numeral is Varahamihira's Panchasiddhantika.
• Varahamihira employed the decimal system of notation, and Aryabhatta mentioned it in his Aryabhatiya.

Brahmagupta: Taught Arabs about Indian Astronomy

The Brahmasputasiddhanta and the Khandakhadyaka were written by Brahmagupta, a scholar of astronomy and mathematics of the late sixth and early seventh centuries. These works gained enormous sway within India, and Arab translations and adaptations of them taught Arabs about Indian astronomy. 

• The Brahmasputasiddhanta is also the first surviving Indian work to explain astronomical instruments in detail and to describe how to calculate astronomical elements from readings taken with those instruments.
• Svayamvaha yantras, which represent an understanding of the concept of perpetual motion, were also mentioned by Brahmagupta.
• Geometry has benefited greatly from the works of Brahmagupta. He was the first mathematician to discuss how to create cyclic quadrilaterals with rational sides and to calculate their areas. He also proposed theories for finding the diagonals of a cyclic quadrilateral in terms of its sides and the circumdiameter of a triangle.
• Interested in Indo-Arab Relations? Learn more about Arab invasions in India here!

Other Important Scholars

Several additional academics, in addition to those already named, have made contributions to the study of astronomy and mathematics in ancient India. Let's examine some of their discoveries.

• The Yavanajataka, written by Sphujidhvaja in the third century, is an astrological treatise that contains the earliest datable examples of the decimal place-value system of notation. However, zero is not mentioned in this work. In the Chhandasutra, a book from before the second century BCE, Pingala utilised the zero symbol, a dot, to represent measurements (chhandas).
• Bhaskara I (early 7th century) provided an intriguing geometrical method for algebraic formulae in his commentary on the Aryabhatiya.
• Mahavira, a renowned mathematician from Karnataka, lived in the court of Manyakheta's Rashtrakuta king Amoghavarsha Nripatunga in the ninth century. He published a book titled Ganitasarasangraha that addressed a variety of mathematical issues. He also provided formulas for calculating an ellipse's circumference.

Conclusion

The Gupta Empire ruled for several centuries and was famous for a number of things. The scientific achievement of the Gupta family was one of the reasons. Numerous innovations in the realm of science were developed and continued throughout early mediaeval India.

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