10.10 Literature, Scientific Literature

Literature, Scientific Literature

2020-04-27 12:00:24

Literary and Scientific Texts Upto 600 CE

Sanskrit Literature

  • S acquired classical form in poetry/Kavya and prose/gadya,
  • Other composition were agama/ religious, itihasa/ traditional history, shastra/treatises
  • Ashvaghosha 1st writer to use S for non-religious purpose
  • Allahabad Prashasti in Champu Kavya,
  • Transition from Prakrit to S in royal inscription completed
  • Prakrit - Apabhramsa
  • Ambiguity concerning various writers is common
  • Kalidasa's works
    • Poetic description of love, Vaidharbhi style
    • Banabhatta and Dandin praises, Mammata describes love making of Shiva and Parvati as improper
  • Bhasa - Madhyamavayoga, DutaGhatotkacha, Dutavakya, Balacharita, Charudatta
  • Shudraka's Mrichchhakatika, Bharavi's Kiratarjuniya, Natyashastra,

Warder - Kavya obtained its widest audience in dramas performed in popular festivals

  • Sanskrit texts compiled were Puranas, Mahabharata, Ramayana
  • Bhartrihari wrote commentary on Patanjali's Mahabhasya
  • Yajnavalkya, Narada, Katyayana, Brihaspati smritis compiled
  • Kammandaka's Nitisara,
  • Meghaduta
    • Yaksha banished by Kubera asks passing cloud to relay his message to his beloved
  • Panchatantra - Vishnusharma, amusing satirical tales
  • Philosophical texts
    • Samkhya Karika of Ishvarakrishna, Vyasa commentary on Patanjali's Yogasutra
    • Prashastapadas commentary on Vaisheshika Sutra

Astronomy

Aryabhata I

  • earliest known historical astronomer,
  • Aryabhatiya, Aryabhata Siddhanta; native of Assmaka/ Godavari area
  • Earth centric view of universe, planets moved around earth
  • Scientific explanation of eclipses,
  • Earth rotated on its axis, used sine function in astronomy
  • Equation for calculating orbit of a planet, accurate estimate to calculate length of year

Varamihira

  • 6th century astrologer, astronomer, mathematician
  • Panchasiddhantika : summary of astronomical works of preceding centuries
  • Brihatsamhita :
    • It stated that moon rotates around the Earth and Earth rotates around the sun
    • encyclopaedic work, includes how to sharpen sword, ascertain value of precious metals, location of water
    • Explains seasons and discusses meteorological issues like relation b/w clouds, winds, amt of rainfall

Brahmagupta - Astronomer, Mathematician

  • Brahmasputsiddhanta : discussion of astronomical instruments, how to take readings from them, measure time, instruments that rotates perpetually
    • Accessories like compasses, hypotenuse, etc
    • Semi-hcircular plate, circular wooden plate, staff, etc

    • SR Sarma - instruments were made of bamboo not accurate astronomers relied more on computational skills

    • Referred to complex automatic devices svayamvaha yantra and Khandakhadyaka

Bower Manuscripts

  • originally belonged to Buddhist monk named Yashomitra
  • account of Ayurveda, divination by using dice,
  • incantation used against snake bite

Bakshali Manuscript

  • mathematical concepts prevalent ex fractions, square roots, arithmetic, geometric progression, simple equations, rational approximation

Mathematics

  • Shulvasutra manuals for preparation of sacrificial rituals - Pythagoras theorem, squaring a circle etc
  • Yavanajataka : earliest datable use of Decimal place value system
  • Zero was 1st used in Chhandasutra by Pingala and 1st datable use was in Varahmihira's Panchasiddhantika
  • Decimal system used by Varahmihira,
  • Aryabhata extract square root and cube root,
    • father of algebra - solve complex simultaneous equation, use of sine function,
    • Arithmetic progression, properties of a circle, value of pi,
  • No proof was given by them
  • Bhaskara I : commentaries on Aryabhatiya,
  • Brahmagupta : contributed to geometry, method to make cyclic quadrilateral, methods of solving intermediate equations
  • Mahavira lived in Ktaka under Rashtrakuta king Amoghvarsha wrote Ganitasarasangraha, circumference of ellipse
  • Bhaskara II - methods of solving intermediate equations, Lilavati

Medical Knowledge

  • Vedic texts contain ideas of healing, medicine but not of Ayurveda

  • Debiprasad Chattopadhyay : Medical lit part of secular lit

  • Kenneth Zysk : roots of AyurV in Buddhist monasteries later spread

  • Charaka, Sushrut Samhita earliest surviving

Charak Samhita

  • various sections like Sutra, Nidana, Vimana, Sharira, Indiriya, Chikitsa, Kalpa, Siddhi
  • deals w/ pharmacology, food, certain diseases, treatment, doctors, quacks, philosophical issues; taste, nutrition, pathology, anatomy, embryology, philosophy, therapy, pharmacy etc
  • Explains features of ideal hospital strong building out of path of smoke, sunlight, water, dust, unwanted noise, feelings, tastes, sights etc; Staffing of hospital, Supplies

Sushrut Samhita

  • Deals w/ surgery, 6 sections, issues like origin parts of medicine, doctors training
  • therapeutic substances, food, surgery, treatment of wounds, anatomy
  • Surgery most useful branch, info on techniques practices in ancient IN
  • Removal of cataract, cutting for bladder stone, remove splinter of arrows, suturing.
  • Concept of dosha/humours, Dhatu/tissues and Mala/waste product central to AV; dosha's are vata/wind, pitta/bile, Kapha/phlegm, 7 basic elements of body
  • Disease caused by inordinate build-up of Doshas; caused due to demons, suppression of natural urges, karma;
  • Epidemics caused by rats, bad water, mosquitoes;

Other Writings

  • Vagabhata's Ashtangahridaya and Ashtangasamgraha : comprehensive, sysematic presentation of AV medical knowledge
  • Sharangadhara Samhita
  • Kashyapa's work deals w/ disease of Children
  • Translated into Tibetan, Arabic, Persian
  • Palakapya wrote Hastyaayurveda for treatement of disease through medication, surgery