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Vedic physics unit 3
Vedic physics unit 3
Vedic physics unit 3
Different kinds of energy are due to different arrangements of the atoms of Agnih.
Some of these cause heat, others light, and still others electricity and magnetism.
Of these the heat atoms cause motion. This is not all. It should be remembered
that there are parmanus of vayu also. Individually they had, at first during the
earliest phase of creation, no contacts with the parmanus of Agnih, and yet they
enjoyed the inherent property of motion. Besides Agnih and Vayu, motion is
inherent in the atoms of Apah and Pritivi also. In reality motion is the property of
all the four kinds of atoms. Here are few verses of Rgveda which give clue of the
real fact.
इकाई 3
Rg. 10.45.1.
Fire first got born in solar region in the form of the sun. Secondly it got its place
in the earthly objects as jatvedas and thirdly it occupied its place in the
atmosphere as nrimanah, the benefactor of creatures, in the form of electricity.
He who knows the properties of fire appreciates it highly utilizing it in various
ways.
अि का ज सव थम सूय के प म सूयलोक म आ। दू सरा उसने जातवेद के
प म सांसा रक व ुओं म अपना थान ा िकया और तीसरे उसने िबजली के
प म ािणयों के उपकारक नृमनः के प म वातावरण म अपना थान बनाया। जो
अि के गुणों को जानता है वह िविभ तरीकों से इसका अ िधक उपयोग करने की
सराहना करता है ।
Rg. 10.45.3.r
Nrimanah, the gas called as varuna (udana) kindles this fire in ocean, the sun
which is the source of eye-sight of all creatures enkindles this fire in heaven, and
the clouds originate it in the third region, the atmosphere in cloud waters.
Rg. 2-2-1.
Agni, the electricity is generated from the rays of the sun it is born from water, it
is born from stones (lodestone), it is born from water, it is born out of wood, and
is born from herbs, it is the source of protection for men and is of the nature of
sharp devastation. It creates light.
There are several verses wherein the idea of atoms has been given. Kanada in his
treatise entitled Vaisesika expanded this idea into atomic theory. Particulars given
by Kanada are based on the Vedic idea of atoms. Vedas tell us of the pancha
tanmatra, the five rare elements which are the atoms of five gross substances
known as mahabhuta. These five gross substances are Agni, Vayu, Apah, Prithvi
and Akasa. The parmanus or the atoms of these are called panch tanmantra, the
five elements. Here are some verses :-
कणाद का परमाणु का िस ां त
The individual soul took its seat in the five elements and these five are also given
to it in the form of organs and objects. This is the real answer of the problem.
Nothing more is to be comprehended here.
जीवा ा ने पंचत ों म अपना थान हण िकया और ये पाँचों भी उसे अंगों और
व ुओं के प म िदए गए ह। यह सम ा का वा िवक उ र है । यहाँ और कुछ
नहीं समझना है ।
Rg. 10.81.3.
He whose eyes are everywhere, whose mouth is in all sides, whose arms are all
around and whose feet are in all directions is the only one Divine Being who has
created heaven and the earth by the process of integration and disintegration of
the atoms.
िजनकी आं ख सव ह, िजनका मुख सब िदशाओं म है , िजनकी भु जाएं चारों ओर ह
और िजनके चरण सभी िदशाओं म ह, वही एकमा परमा ा है िजसने परमाणु ओं के
एकीकरण और िवघटन की ि या से ग और पृ ी का िनमाण िकया है ।
Rg. 10.72.6.
In the end of chaotic state the physical forces were endowed with the energy to
assume the forms of creation. There did get rise the multitude of atoms full of
motion.
अराजक अव था के अंत म भौितक श यों को सृि के पों को धारण करने के िलए ऊजा
से सं प िकया गया था। गित से भरे परमाणु ओं की भीड़ वहाँ उठी।
In the first of the quoted verse we got the description of five elements while the
second verse reads the term samparatra for the atoms. In his kusmanjali
commentary Udayauacharya also took the term samparatra for atoms. The third
verse describes the permanus or atoms by the term renu. Renu is atom. In this
verse atom has been described to be full of motion.
These were the original terms on which Kanada based and adopted a six-fold
classification of padarthas. His classification consists of substance, quality,
activity, generality, particularity and inherence. Of these the first three categories
of substance. Quality and action possess a real objective existence. The other
three generality, particularity and inherence are products of intellectual
discrimination.
उद् धृत ोक के पहले भाग म हम पाँच त ों का वणन िमला जबिक दू सरे ोक म
परमाणु ओं के िलए स रा श का योग िकया गया है । अपनी कु ां जिल टीका म
उदयौचाय ने परमाणु ओं के िलए संपा श भी िलया। तीसरा ोक रे णु श ारा थायी
या परमाणु ओं का वणन करता है । रे णु परमाणु है । इस ोक म परमाणु को गितमान
बताया गया है ।
अनं त कृित िजसम तीन कार के पदाथ और गुण ह। यह कृित एक पदाथ और गुणव ा दोनों एक
साथ िमि त अव था म िमि त है । अथात् उ जाना जाता है -
All energy is kinetic, and even potential energy is motion in imperceptible form.
According to Kapila and Patanjali the material universe is the result of
differentiation and integration within the formless prakriti. The three Gunas
which are substance and qualities both, found in forms of infinite diversity can
neither be created nor destroyed. Thus the prakriti is material substance
combined with energy. The order of evolution with the transformation of
energies follows a definite law. The qualities or properties of things are only
modes or forms of energy sometimes kinetic and sometimes potential. Parinama or
cosmic evolution is two-fold process, creative as well as destructive,
dissimilative as well as assimilative, katabolic as well as anabolic.
The ultimate constitution of matter is a question of the profoundest interest in
the system of Sankhya and Patanjali. The following orders of particles are
recognized or formulated viz.
1. Original infinitesimal particles (bhutah) or units of mass which are
homogeneous, and susceptible to the influence of energy changes with
disturbance of equilibrium ;
2. Infra-atomic particles charged with different kinds of energy (tanmatra)
;
सम ऊजा गितज है , और यहाँ तक िक थितज ऊजा भी अगोचर प म गितमान है ।
किपला और पतं जिल के अनुसार भौितक ां ड िनराकार कृित के भीतर भे दभाव और
एकीकरण का प रणाम है । तीन गुण जो पदाथ और गुण दोनों ह, अनं त िविवधता के पम
पाए जाते ह, न तो बनाए जा सकते ह और न ही न िकए जा सकते ह। इस कार कृित
भौितक पदाथ है जो ऊजा के साथ संयु है । ऊजाओं के प रवतन के साथ िवकास का
म एक िनि त िनयम का पालन करता है । चीजों के गुण या गुण केवल ऊजा के प या
प ह कभी गितज और कभी संभािवत। प रनामा या ां डीय िवकास दो गुना ि या है ,
रचना क और साथ ही िवनाशकारी, िवघटनकारी और साथ ही आ सात करने वाला,
केटाबोिलक और अनाबोिलक।
पदाथ का अंितम संिवधान सां और पतंजिल की णाली म गहन िच का है । कणों
के िन िल खत मों को पहचाना या तै यार िकया गया है ।
1. मूल अितसू कण (भूताह) या मान की इकाइयाँ जो सजातीय ह, और संतुलन की
गड़बड़ी के साथ ऊजा प रवतन के भाव के िलए अितसंवेदनशील ह;
2. िविभ कार की ऊजा (त ा ा) से आवेिशत अधः परमा क कण;
Sage Kanada conceived motion, both atomic and molecular, to be underlying the
physical phenomena of sound light and heat. Motion was defined somewhat in
the manner of the modern definition, as change of place of a particle, two types
of motion being distinguished, namely instantaneous (Ksanika) and impressed
motion or momentum (vega) which implies a series of motion. In one and the
same particle there could be only one motion at one instant and this motion might
be (1) rectilinear, i.e. in the same direction, upwards or downward, and (2)
curvilinear, with successive changes in direction i.e. rotary motion (bhramana)
and vibratory motion (spandana). Both are collectively called gamana. Various
kinds of motion were recognized, viz. (a) volition (praytna), (b) motion of body
by gravity (gurutva) which is ascribed to forces of attraction (akarshan) and
which may be counterbalanced by volition, (c) motion of fluids downward
(syandana) and (d) unclassified motion, causes for which are unknown (adrista),
examples of which are dispersion of gases, magnetic attraction, etc. He had a good
grasp of the concept of forces and was able to indicate the resultant motionwhen
a particle was subject to a number of forces or motions. The direction
depends on the fact that pressure or impact is made in the original or opposite
direction.
Here are some salient factors which may conclusively be drawn on the back
ground of Kanada’s theory of atom with special reference to his commentators:
Heat-
(1) Light and heat are different manifestation of the same substance.
(Kanada).
(2) Evaporation produces rare-faction and the phenomenon of ebullition of
a liquid is caused by the equalization of the pressure of its vapour with that
of surrounding air.
(Shankar Misra).
Optics-
a) Substances were classified as transparent, translucent and opaque to light.
b) The law of reflection and refraction of light and the phenomena of shadows
were known and explained.
c) Examples of the chemical effects of lights were known and studied.
(Jayanta).
d) Lenses and mirrors of various kinds were used and ignition of combustible
materials was brought about by focussing on them the sun’s rays.
Magnetism-
Elementary magnetic phenomena, such as the attraction of iron by lodestone, or
grass and straw by amber, were explained as due to unknown cause (adrista).
Kanad’s first law of motion
गम -
(1) काश और ऊ ा एक ही पदाथ के िविभ प ह।
(कनाडा)।
(2) वा ीकरण दु लभ-गुट पैदा करता है और एक तरल के उ जन की घटना उसके वा
के दबाव के आसपास की हवा के दबाव के बराबर होने के कारण होती है ।
(शं कर िम ा)।
कािशकी-
a) पदाथ को काश के िलए पारदश , पारभासी और अपारदश के प म वग कृत िकया
गया था।
ख) काश के परावतन और अपवतन के िनयम और छाया की घटनाओं को जाना और
समझाया गया।
ग) रोशनी के रासायिनक भावों के उदाहरण ात और अ यन िकए गए थे।
(जयंत)।
घ) िविभ कार के लसों और दपणों का उपयोग िकया जाता था और उन पर सूय की
िकरणों को के त करके लनशील पदाथ का लन िकया जाता था।
चुंबक -
ाथिमक चुंबकीय घटनाएं , जैसे िक लॉ ोन ारा लोहे का आकषण, या ए र ारा घास
और पु आल, को अ ात कारण (एिड ा) के कारण समझाया गया था।
Newton’s first law of motion is also referred to as the law of inertia. It states that
an object at rest stays at rest and an object in motion stays in motion with the
same speed and in the same direction unless acted upon by an unbalanced force.
गित का प रवतन भािवत बल के कारण होता है ।
ूटन के गित के थम िनयम को जड़ का िनयम भी कहा जाता है । इसम कहा गया है िक
एक व ु थर अव था म रहती है और एक गितमान व ु एक ही गित से और एक ही िदशा
म तब तक गित म रहती है जब तक िक असंतुिलत बल ारा काय नहीं िकया जाता है ।
Kanad’s second law of motion
(2)
The change of motion is proportional to the motive force impressed and is made
in the direction of the right line in which the force is impressed.
Newton’s second law of motion states that the acceleration of an object produced
by a net force is directly proportional to the magnitude of net force, in the same
direction as the net force and inversely proportional to the mass of the object.
Purusha sukta, one of the most frequently quoted and most important sukta of the
Rigveda. It reveals to us the character of the creation sacrifice its all-embracing
function in which the entire universe is involved. It is neither a merely divine
affair, nor a purely human endeavour, nor a blind cosmic process; it is human,
divine and cosmic all in one. Nothing separates Man from God. There is neither
intermediary nor barrier between them.
This sukta, describes the formation of the world from the body of the primordial
Man who is so vast that he covers and even overlaps the earth, not only in space
but also in time. He covers the three ages of the past, the present, and the future.
Only one quarter of the cosmic Person is visible. Temporal life is only a quarter
of the whole Man.
पु ष सू
Meaning of Purusha
पु ष का अथ
The Purusha has thousands of heads, thousands of eyes, and thousands of feet.
Encompassing the universe, He rules (pervading the place that measures) with
ten fingers.
Thousand is used in the sense of infinite. The most crucial point in this verse is
that Purusa exists outside the universe in ten-finger form. Here the ten finger
represent ten dimensions. In modern terminology, direction will mean dimension.
Thus universe is considered ten dimensional.
All this universe is the Purusha. What existed, what will exist, and what grows by
food are He, the Lord of immortality.
Rg 10.90.3
Such is the glory pertaining to the universe. The purusha is greater and older
than it. One quarter of His opulence pertains to the material world. The three-
fourths are in the transcendental heaven. All things exist in that way.
ऐसी है ा की मिहमा। पु ष उससे बड़ा और पुराना है । उनके ऐ य का एक चौथाई भौितक संसार से
संबंिधत है । तीन चौथाई पारलौिकक ग म ह। सभी चीज उसी तरह से मौजूद ह।
One fourth of universe is in earth and three fourth of the universe is in heaven.
The knowledge of the vedas is coded. Here the earth means observer space and
heaven is light space.
Rg 10.90.4
The Purusha, who has the three fourths and who is above, went beyond (at the
time of universal annihilation. Afterward, at the time of creation) the one fourth
of His again occurred here. From that fourth, the souls proceeded toward that
which is endowed with food (the path of material enjoyment) and that which is
endowed with scant food (the path of liberation).
One fourth of the Purusa is in the earth and is born repeatedly, while three fourth
of the Purusa is in the heaven, where there is neither birth nor death. Here eating
of food refers to the transformation of matter into energy.
Virat (the egg-shaped universal shell) came into being from Him. The Adhi-
Purusha was born after Virat and remained separate. Subsequently He created
all the worlds in front.
When universe starts to expand, it is given the name Virata meaning extremely
big. The expansion of universe is accompanied by its division in earth and heaven.
Bhumi refers to earth and Pura to the boundary of the universe.
When the demigods performed a yajna by means of the Purusa (Virat), who was
the offering, spring became the ghee for this sacrifice, summer became the fuel,
and autumn became the oblation.
The Purusa himself was sacrificed in this yajna. The yajna refers to the creation
of matter, energy and space, none of which existed before the creation.
The demigods, who are accomplished beings, sprinkled that Purusa, the firstborn, the
Sacrifice. He was on sacrificial grass. They worshipped Him by means of Him,
and so did the Rsis.
As the yajna is the creation of the stuff universe is made of, it is no wonder that
the vedic sages do not get tired of describing the importance of yajna. They
declare that the yajna is the navel of the universe, meaning the universe exists
because of the yajna.
दे वताओं ने, जो िस ाणी ह, उस पु ष, े पु , य का िछड़काव िकया। वह बिल घास पर थे। उ ोंने उसके
मा म से उसकी पूजा की, और ऋिषयों ने भी।
िजस कार य ां ड की रचना है, इसम कोई आ य नही ं है िक वैिदक ऋिष य के मह का वणन करते नही ं
थकते। वे घोषणा करते ह िक य ां ड की नािभ है, अथात ां ड का अ य के कारण है।
Rg 10.90.8
From that sacrifice, which sacrificed everything, a mixture of yogurt and ghee
was effected. It created forestial animals, whose presiding deity is Vayu, and
domesticated animals.
As the yajna proceeded, that is the creation of universe proceeded, the earlier
homogeneous state became inhomogeneous. This inhomogeneity is represented
by coagulated butter. The universe was no longer same everywhere. It separated
into matter and energy. Matter particles were given the name animals, and divided in
three categories: Gramya meaning those living in villages, Aranya meaning wild
animals, and Vayavya meaning birds.
उस य से, िजसने अपना सव ौछावर कर िदया था, दही और घी के िम ण का भाव आ। इसने जंगली
जानवरों का िनमाण िकया, िजनके इ दे वता वायु ह, और पालतू जानवरों को बनाया।
जै से-जै से य आगे बढ़ता गया, अथात ां ड का िनमाण होता गया, पहले की सजातीय अव था िवषम हो गई। इस
िवषमता को जमा आ म न ारा दशाया गया है । ां ड अब हर जगह समान नही ं था। यह पदाथ और ऊजा म
अलग हो गया। पदाथ कणों को जानवरों का नाम िदया गया था, और तीन ेिणयों म िवभािजत िकया गया था: ा
का अथ है जो गां वों म रहते ह, अर का अथ है जंगली जानवर, और वाय का अथ है प ी।
Rg 10.90.9
Verses of praise (rc) and songs (sama) manifested from that sacrifice, which
sacrificed everything. The Vedic meters manifested from that. The sacrificial
mantras in prose (yajus) originated from that.
This verse is traditionally quoted to prove the origin of the Rigveda, the samveda,
the yajurveda and the atharveda from God. The Atharveda is not explicitly
mentioned and commonly Chhanda is identified with the Atharveda to prove the
divine origin of the Atharveda. Of all four vedas, the rigveda is considered the
most sacred and even other vedas get their recognition of being divine by this
verse in the rigveda itself.
Rg 10.90.10
Horses were born from that sacrifice. Which ones were they? They have two sets
of teeth. Obviously, cattle were born from that sacrifice. Goats and sheep were
born from that.
This verse sheds more light on Gramya animals described earlier. Four Gramya
animals are listed here: horse, cow, goat and sheep. Vayavya and Aranya animals
are not listed.
उस य से घोड़ों का ज आ। वे कौन से थे ? उनके दां तों के दो सेट होते ह। जािहर है, उस य से मवेशी पैदा
ए थे । उससे बक रयां और भेड़ पैदा ईं।
यह ोक पहले विणत ा पशु ओं पर अिधक काश डालता है। यहाँ चार ा पशुओं की सूची दी गई है:
घोड़ा, गाय, बकरी और भे ड़। वाय ा और अर जानवर सूचीब नही ं ह।
Rg 10.90.11
When they made the Purusha, in how many ways did they conceive of him? What
is his face? What are his two arms? What are his two thighs called? What are his
feet?
ाह◌् ि◌णोऽ◌् य ि◌◌ु ख◌ाि◌◌ास◌ीद◌् व◌ाह◌ू र◌ाजन◌् य। य ति◌◌्य यद◌् व◌ै श◌् य◌ः
पद◌् यय◌ा◌ं शय
The Brahmanas are his face, the Ksatriyas his arms, the Vaisyas his thighs and
the Sudras his feet.
Rg 10.90.13
The moon was produced from his mind and the sun from his eyes. Indra and Agni
originated from his mouth and Vayu from his breath.
Rg 10.90.14
Outer space arose from his navel. The heavens came into being from his head,
the earth from his feet, and the directions from his ears. They imagined the worlds
in that way.
These four verses are figurative and describe the society and cosmos as various
parts of the Supreme Being. The idea of god as a human being is described in a
poetic way in these verses. These verses form the basis of the idea of god making
man in his own image in semitic religions.
Rg 10.90.15
For this sacrifice, there were seven fencing sticks. Twenty-one logs of wood for
fuel were made. While performing that sacrifice the demigods bound the Purusha,
the sacrificial animal.
इस बिलदान के िलए सात तलवार थी ं। ईंधन के िलए लकड़ी के इ ीस ल े बनाए गए। उस
य को करते समय दे वताओं ने बिल के पशु पु ष को बाँ ध िदया।
This verse can be considered the key to understanding the vedas. It contains the sacred numbers three and
seven, both of which are encountered again and again in the vedas. These refers to the three lokas: Prithvi,
Antariksa and Heaven. Eachloka contains seven firelogs making the total twenty one. The sacrifice here
means a change of form, a change from unmanifested form to a form of manifested universe.
Rg 10.90.16
The demigods performed a sacrifice to Sacrifice by means of sacrifice. Those
religious principles were the first ones. These glories clearly pertain to heaven,
where the demigods, the initial accomplished beings, abide.
Once the process of creation had started, it continued by itself. Vedic sages were
worshippers of knowledge. They wanted their descendents to continue that
tradition. Therefore they promised union with gods for those, who knew the
process of creation.