Ancient Hindu Science

by Alok Kumar

Its Impact on the Ancient and Modern WorldsTo understand modern science as a coherent story, it is essential to recognize the accomplishments of the ancient Hindus.They invented our baseten number system and zero that are now used globally, carefully mapped the sky and assigned motion to the Earth in their astronomy, developed a sophisticated system of medicine with its mindbody approach known as Ayurveda, mastered metallurgical methods of extraction and purification of metals, including the socalled Damascus blade and the Iron Pillar of New Delhi, and developed the science of selfimprovement that is popularly known as yoga. In the modern era, thinkers and scientists as diverse as Ralph Waldo Emerson, Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, Johann Gottfried Herder, Carl Jung, Max Müller, Robert Oppenheimer, Erwin Schrödinger, Arthur Schopenhauer, and Henry David Thoreau have acknowledged their debt to ancient Hindu achievements in science, technology, and philosophy.Ancient Hindu Science is well documented with remarkable objectivity, proper citations, and a substantial bibliography. It highlights the achievements of this remarkable civilization through painstaking research of historical and scientific sources. The style of writing is lucid and elegant, making the book easy to read. This book is perfect for all students and others interested in the developments of science throughout history and among the ancient Hindus, in particular.ALOK KUMAR is a Distinguished Teaching Professor of physics at the State University of New York at Oswego. He was born and educated in India. He has been teaching in the American higher education for about four decades. He is a fellow of the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation, Germany, and a NOVA/NASA fellow. Kumar is active in the fields of atomic physics, chemical physics, history of science, and science education.

Genres: Hinduism, Science, Nonfiction, India, History

212 pages, Paperback

Published January 1, 2020

Reviews

[Divya Goel · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book brings to light contributions made by the Hindu civilization to science. The author says that while the Greek civilization is credited with the birth of modern civilization, the ancient Hindu civilization has not received the recognition it is due. He covers a vast array of sciences - mathematics, chemistry, physics, biology, medicine and astronomy.

Each chapter details major scientific inventions or discoveries and talks about how these are still in use today or contributed to modern science. Some of these are the base ten system used in mathematics, the numeral zero, binary number system, Fibonacci sequence, heights of objects, Pythagorean theorem, sine function, heliocentric solar system, the units of time and matter, damascus steel, plastic surgery and cataract surgery.

The book is well-researched, backed by adequate references from original Hindu texts where possible and from books by contemporary Islamic, Chinese and western scholars. The author uses these references to provide evidence of Hindus having discovered these ideas well before currently credited scientists or philosophers or how they aided in the development of modern science. There are references to how Greek philosophy and geometry might have been learnt from India.

He also talks about how religious beliefs were intertwined with scientific development. In many ways, scientific discoveries were necessitated by religious beliefs. For example, geometry was needed to determine the size of the fire altars. He also talks about the belief that excelling in science led to salvation (moksha), spurring excellence in sciences. Thus, there was no dogma towards new ideas that were in opposition to widely held beliefs. He also talks about the lack of chronological records as Hindus were keen on knowledge and averse to attributing credit to particular authors. This led to the lack of recognition of the contributions made by the ancient Hindus. The book also devotes a chapter on the influence of Hindu ideas and sciences on western philosophers.

This book is an important piece in documenting the excellence that the ancient Hindu civilization achieved in sciences. This should be compulsory reading in school and by every Indian.

[The Conch · Rating 5 out of 5]

“Why India with so much philosophy, intellect and prosperity could not make a substantial contribution to science?” Perturbed by that question, author made a visit to a library of California. This was the reason for existence of the book.

One may question why to read about ancient Hindu science in the age of AI and ML. Author gives reason “no culture or civilization has prospered to great heights without knowing and presenting their historic and existing knowledge base. Preserving knowledge is a process in which all generations must participate, otherwise knowledge become prone to lost forever.”

The book spreads over nine chapters beginning from introduction then moving through
- Building block of Hindu science
- Mathematics
- Astronomy
- Physics
- Chemistry
- Biology
- Medicine and Ayurveda
- Global impact of Hindu civilization and
- Timeline of Hindu Shastra (scriptures)

Introduction narrates about mysterious gap or incomplete information in the history of development of science in Europe. There was no information regarding contribution from Asia, Africa, Middle East and Latin America. Now many researchers are concentrating on these missing links.

Chapter 1 and 2 enunciate about the reason or ground, which enabled Hindus to touch zenith of science and technology. Hindus never differentiated between science and spirituality like West separated church.

Chapter 3 – 8 describe from achievement and contribution in the field of mathematics to medicine. These chapters will enhance knowledge about subjects. Chapter regarding mathematics could be shorten, however, author does an elaborative job by showing remarkable innovation of Hindu such as concept of zero which represented ‘Nirguna Bramhan’, binary system, place value system, square root and origin of Fibonacci sequence.

Chapter 4 tell about astronomy. Aryabhatta – I discovered heliocentric solar system, diurnal motion of earth. Concept of cosmology and calendar flooded countries like Middle East, China and Europe.

Hindus researched immensely in the field of space, time, matter and mass, conservation theory, atomic structure and gravitation. All those findings are very near to recent calculation. These concepts are brilliantly addressed in chapter 5.

Kautilya emphasized on mining as it drove economy of the state. Hindus were very efficient in mining operation and metallurgy. Iron pillars of New Delhi and Dhar, Madhya Pradesh are proof of highly advanced metallurgy of India. World history would be different without the existence of Wootz or Damascus steel or Faulade Hind (steel of India) or Jawabae Hind (answer from Hind – Swords made from Indian steel was called by that name. Steel was so tough that even it could cut another steel). Gunpowder and fermentation process were first discovered in India.

Long before crescograph (instrument to measure plants’ sensation) of Dr. Jagadish Chandra Bose, Hindu knew about plant and trees were living matter and they had emotion, they could feel pain and joy. Hence, vegetarianism was widely practiced out of compassion. Chapter 7 gives detail description about advancement in the field of biology.

Chapter 8 gives an account of highly advance field of medicine, surgery and Ayurveda. Whole world was crazy about receiving Hindu medicine or doctor (vaid) or pharmacy. India was major destination for surgery.

In chapter 9, it is mentioned that American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) selected only two discoveries of Hindus, “zero and astronomical observation for agriculture and religious purpose”. While Europe incinerated scientists like Bruno, Michel and imprisoned Galileo, India was influencing Arab, Persia, China, Greece with her knowledge. While West is still reluctant to accept influence of ancient Hindu science on development of western science and philosophy, eminent psychologist, philosopher, scientist like Carl Jung, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Goethe, Oppenheimar, Schrodinger, Tesla, Thoreau and Hideki Yukama were unashamed about declaring non-ignorable contribution of Hindu civilization.

Author has done tremendous hard work by arranging information from various scattered sources and presenting them as a compact book. It covers the period from Vedic age to 15th Century. All references are given in the same page so that readers can easily read reference. It will not disturb the flow.

However, author needs to research about history of Alexander’s victory in India. As per latest research Alexander - the Great has become Alexander - the Greek. Similarly, information regarding timeline of Hindu shastras (scriptures) needs serious research.

Many publishers rejected publishing the book just for the word ‘Hindu’. There was immense pressure on the author to drop the word ‘Hindu’. However, author did not crawl back and ultimately won the battle against Hinduphobic force.

This book is groundbreaking in the sense that time has arrived where it becomes necessary for western academia to accept non-west source in development of science and technology honestly. This book helps to shed deep colonial consciousness of Indians that all great things arrived from either Greeks, Mughals or British.

“As India supplies the wants of all the world but is herself dependent for nothing, she must for that very reason have been the most early civilized of any country.” – Voltaire (French historian)

Grateful and ever thankful to Indic Book Club for providing such a fantastic book for review.

[Guruprasad · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Ancient Hindu Science is book on Hindu Science throughout its civilizational journey from the beginning with the rishis and Vedas and till date modern science.
Author has done fabulous work by organizing the book into different science chapters and went on providing the detailed explanation of each chapter topic and its vast influence on various civilization and its scientific discoveries where the scientists themselves acknowledge the contributions of Hindu science to their discoveries and how they were impressed and learned so much from the world’s oldest civilization and its science.
Readers get to enjoy reading various accounts of travellers who had visited India seeking knowledge of our ancient science and shared their experience of the Indian knowledge system and debates they were able to participate.
We Indians were the Masters of Mathematics, astronomy, metallurgy and textiles since the ancient times, and we were able to give the world “0” which itself makes an impact on everything around in today’s life of modern human society. we were the first ancient Hindu people to explore the cosmos science and present our views regarding the same to the world.
Our Hindu medical science had great people like charaka, who had composed Charaka Samhita which consisted of various sections of medical field like Diet, hygiene, prevention of the disease, treatment of the ailment and studying the symptoms, teaching the medical education and best practices of medical practitioners. the most fascinating thing of the Samhita is that it had entire section on toxicology.
The Love for Metals for Hindus is there since time immemorial, we were the experts of producing the greatest war weapons like Damascus blades for the world in the ancient time, Iron Pillars which standing without getting affected by the environmental elements are the testimony of the craftsmanship of our ancient Hindu metallurgist. The love of ornaments and jewels regardless of the gender is visible in the artifacts excavated from the civilizational sites of Hindus.
Author has provided detailed information on the sources he has cited whether its foreign travellers or our own ancient scriptures for the interested people to know from where the information is gathered so that it makes it difficult for the naysayers to debunk the content of the book saying its false.
Overall, I really enjoyed reading the book and thanks to Indicbookclub for sending the copy of the book.

[Gaurav Kumar · Rating 5 out of 5]

India was once known as ‘Sone Ki Chiriya’ or golden bird because she was the wealthiest country in the world. In the 1500s, India held about 24.5% of the share in world trade, which was equal to the share of entire European continent. When the world was still operating with barter system, Indians along with Greeks were among the first countries to adopt coin or money-based system. India was not only rich in material wealth but also rich in the knowledge of science.

India has a long history of spiritual knowledge. Our ancestors connected this knowledge with almost every other knowledge that was known at that time including science. Science had no conflict with the religion. In fact, they complemented each other. This was precisely the reason why Indians could make many scientific discoveries and inventions. On the other hand, in western world science was always in conflict with Catholic Church so much so that when Galileo and Copernicus said that the Earth revolves around the sun they were met with opposition from the Catholic Church as it contradicted Bible. It is interesting to note that in 5th century India (1000 years before Copernicus) Aryabhata proposed the same theory, but he did not meet with any opposition.

Alok Kumar in his book ‘Ancient Hindu Science: Its Transmission and Impact on World Cultures’ has provided a detailed list of accomplishments in the field of science by ancient Hindus. You will be surprised to know that The Ancient Hindu Science is well documented with remarkable objectivity. The author has included, proper citations, and a substantial bibliography in the book to corroborate this fact. All the claims in the book have been made after meticulous research of historical and scientific sources. The language of the book is quite lucid which makes the book easy to read. The book is equally useful to a research scholar as it is to a layperson interested to know about the developments of science among the ancient Hindus.

The book is divided into nine chapters:

1 Introduction
2 The Building Blocks of Science
3 The Hindu Mathematics
4 Astronomy
5 Physics
6 Chemistry
7 Biology
8 Medicine
9 The Global Impact

Each chapter is further divided into three or more parts. Each part gives you a detailed account of a subject. While reading I sometimes felt overwhelmed with the information provided but the desire to know more compelled me to keep going. It is not possible to absorb all the information in one go. So, I will keep revisiting the book.

Some of the interesting information I found in the book are as follows:

1. The etymological journey of ‘Zero’ from ‘Shunya’ - When the Arabs learned about zero, they literally translated the Sanskrit word ‘Shunya’ (empty) into Sifar (empty) in Arabic. Leonardo Fibonacci called zero as ‘zephir’, in Latin from which the word zero in the English language evolved.

2. The heliocentricity of our solar system - Several Hindu scriptures such as Vishnu Puran, Aitareya Brahmana, Chandogya Upanishad etc. indicate that the Sun constantly illuminates the Earth. Sunrise or sunset happen depending on the side of the Earth illuminated by the Sun at that particular instant.

3. The highly evolved smelting process - The smelting operation is defined in Rigveda where ore was dumped into fire and bellows were used to fan the fire. An analogy of a smelting device was used to describe the creation of the universe.

4. Plastic surgery evolved in India - Sushruta described the technique to graft skin. He repaired the nose or earlobes using an adjacent skin flap. Today, this procedure is popularly called as ‘the Indian method of rhinoplasty’. Live flesh from the thigh, cheek, abdomen, or the forehead was used to make the new artificial parts.

The above information is just the tip of the iceberg. There are a lot of interesting anecdotes in the book.

There are only a handful of books that not only provides you with precious knowledge but also arises a desire to know more. For me this is one such book. I would recommend this book to anyone who wants to know about the contributions of Hindus to the world of science. Also, I sincerely believe that this book should be read by every student of science. In India it will inspire the students and make them proud of their rich past. At the same time when foreign students will read about India’s contribution to science they will definitely be curious to know about the country and it will put India on the world map emphatically.

I would like to congratulate the author for writing this outstanding book. I wish that this book is translated into Indian languages so that it reaches the wider reading community.

[Avnish Anand · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an extremely important book for all Indians.

This well researched book tells us about all the scientific discoveries made in ancient India. It does ( only partially though. There’s a lot more to be done ) for the Indian civilisation what Joseph Needham did for the Chinese civilisation.

Don’t be misled by the word Hindu or the fact that the book is full of references of the Vedas and the upanishads. This is not a religious book nor an effort to promote Hinduism. It celebrates the greatness and immense scientific contribution of our great civilisation.

It’s about the ancient Indian civilisation which was a Hindu civilisation. For the simple reason that there were no other religions back then and all these scientific discoveries were made by Hindus.

Secondly, in those ancient times philosophy, spirituality and science were intertwined. The origin of many of these scientific discoveries lay in Hindu philosophy. Like the origin of zero which comes from the interpretation of god who is nowhere and everywhere.

There are no written records mentioning dates and names of the scientists. Everything is orally captured in the Vedas and the upanishads. All these people were in the pursuit of true knowledge - Moksha.

The list of discoveries that author has put together is extremely impressive. You will be astonished. It’s all based on the documented works of Islamic , Chinese and European travellers and writers.

Some examples.

The Hindu numerals which travelled to the Islamic world. Then to Europe where the likes of Fibonacci adopted them.

Or the connect of astronomy and the sun being the centre. This was done centuries before this was discovered in medieval Europe. This Hindu contribution was documented by the famous Islamic astronomer Al- Khwarzim. In turn his ideas were copied in Europe and read by the likes of Copernicus and Kepler. This is no absolute proof but enough circumstantial evidence that the European astronomers were actually borrowing the ideas of the ancient Hindus.

The Indians had discovered the right angle properties long before Pythogoras. In fact there is enough evidence that the famous Greek mathematician might have come to Indian and learned maths and philosophy over here.

The list goes on.

It’s a tragedy that the achievements of our great civilisation have been ignored completely by modern scholars and universities. A lot needs to be done. This book is a good honest start.

[Nishant · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a handbook for all kinds of references one may want to look for when researching on Indic contributions to the scientific knowledge. Multiple works showing ancient Indic contributions, in all different branches of sciences, have been done in the past. It is challenging for most of us to go through all researches done in all different fields of science. The author has done the hard work for us and beautifully compiled a major portion of those scholarships in one binding.

The book covers Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry, astronomy, Biology, medicine, and yoga. But the most interesting part is the discussion on how the great works done in Bharat were transferred to the rest of the world. Either China or Middle East, they owe a lot of detail recognition to great scholars of Bharat for all the knowledge they acquired. The greatness of those sages from Bharat don’t only lie in the inventions they did, but also in the way they planned to preserve and transfer them. The author didn’t miss to discuss the importance of memorization tradition which has helped in preserving the knowledge even after all kinds of barbaric and intellectual attacks on Bharat.

Everyone should read this book, to understand that how from Pythagoras to Copernicus, from Al-Khwarizmi to Al-Uqlidisi and Faxian to Yijing, mostly just reproduced the knowledge they got from Bharat; how from the modern number system to Damascus steel, a lot of knowledges have their roots in Bharat.

It is a sad reflection of the still pervasive colonial mindset of Indian Academia that we are not taught about Aryabhata, Susruta, Pingala etc. We are never taught that great sages of Bharat actually determined the accurate size of an atom and life of the universe. We are never told that West wrongly categorized our stories as mythology and we happily moved away from the scientific gems those stories actually teach.

A big thank you to Alok Kumar for this hard work. Detail and interesting.

[Vikrant Pande · Rating 5 out of 5]

In the book Ancient Hindu Science, author Alok Kumar has done a detailed work in bringing forth a subject which most students are now aware of. With good research and references to texts Alok maintains the authenticity.
Various topics have been covered whether the discovery of zero, the origin of plastic surgery and cataract surgery, geometry (how it was used to determine size of fire altars, and subjects like Pythagoras theorem, sine function), Indian number system, heliocentric solar system, units of time and matter and many more such topics.
I found the references very useful for someone wanting to do research on Indic contributions. One can look at the references for furthering once knowledge.
It is unfortunate that even after so many decades of discussion on changing colonial mindset, Indian professors still don’t talk of Aryabhatta, Pingala and many such greats. We are never exposed to how Indian mystics had understood the size of atom or the life of universe. We call it mythology and it is relegated to sidelines.
Am important aspect which Alok Kumar highlights is how religious beliefs were combined with science and how they complemented each other, unlike in western world where they are at opposing ends.
A book which should be read by students and adults both.

[Divya Mahajan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ancient Hindu Science by Alok Kumar is book that should be read by everyone especially the new generation that has forgotten or rather ignorant of their rrots and glorious history.
The book seems to a result of meticuloes research and careful references of ancient texts that incorporates almost every field. It is not a religious book but a collection of essays that shows advances in science, medicine and so amny other fields from ancient times. There is no glorification of particular religion or principles just facts from many sources.
Thanks @IndicBookClub for this amazing book.

[Richa Badola, Author · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is a long awaited one.
There has been a gaping absence of a comprehensive record or documenting of a literature that put all the knowledge that has been carried by the general masses in their consciousness through the decades but nowhere could be referenced as a physical document. This book satisfies that need to see the many achievements and accomplishments of the erudite ancients whose learning we still read, learn and make use of in our modern world. Although the author says that the book is an introduction to the vast knowledge systems of the Hindu learning in various fields like science (physics, chemistry, biology), astronomy, geography, geometry, mathematics, medicine etc, it very much touches the major aspects achieved in these fields and the influence it had all over the world. Bharata wasn’t the epicenter of learning just like that. It is heartening to affirm that it is indeed the ancient Hindu knowledge that enriched and helped advance not just the scientific thought but also in the spiritual and philosophical realms however long winded route the knowledge took like from India to Persia, Arabia, Greece and then to the European and Western world in general. Several translations of Indian texts made way across the world who in turn were made the richer for it. The work of al-Khwarizmi in Baghdad was made possible due to the discoveries and inventions of the ancient Hindus. His books were read by established scholars in Europe like Copernicus, Adelard of Bath, Leonardo Fibonacci, Pope Sylvester II, Roger Bacon et al who helped spread it further on. Voltaire, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, Carl Jung, Max Muller, Robert Oppenheimer, Erwin Shrodinger, Arthur Shopenhauer, Henry David Thoreau and many other intellectuals were influenced by the Hindu knowledge and in fact this was the harbinger of the ‘Oriental’ studies that evidently brought about the ‘aha’ moment to the western world allowing it to revel in it and slake its thirst from the wisdom available so easily. It can be said that the world knew the true strength and stature of our culture to which we have awakened rather late but awake we are now.
An amusing and a bit surprising point that I realized while reading this book is the constant question mark we have been putting towards the education we take and dispense, especially like geometry and mathematics. Haven’t we oft heard as to what use are we going to put the learning of quadratic equations or trigonometry in real life? And for all practical purposes that is indeed the case. We do not need to use mathematics more than the knowledge of addition, subtraction, multiplication and division. Those in specialized jobs or maths ‘nerds’ may be using the complicated and advanced calculations to some use but that is not the norm.
Guess what? The ancients had the usage of these advanced knowledge systems in daily life. For example Hindus observed the several festivals and fasts that we still see being followed in our society. These sacred days are calculated with the help of the Hindu almanac called the ‘Panchang’ that is luni-solar in its format ie the the Hindu months of the year are lunar and the years solar. The knowledge of the ecliptic circle of the moon was something that every Hindu family could calculate to find the days of Amavasya, Purnima, Ekadashi, Chaturthi or the various days of fasting, festivals or the auspicious times for worshipping etc. This is how closely science was woven into the daily fabric of life.
How could the fantastic ancient temples we see have been built without the use of trigonometry?
It is such bits of information that the book wisens us to, things that are common knowledge but lost to us of the deeper meanings they hold. As another example, the concept of zero began as a philosophical idea of ‘sunyata’ ie nothingness- a void that indicates the ‘nirguna-rupa’ form of God. This eventually evolved into a mathematical reality in the form of zero. Thereby establishing a link between an abstract subject with an exact one! Reminds me of a college student being asked by his Mathematics professor to write a paper on the link between Philosophy and Mathematics. He was at sea to say in short. This book would have helped the student in multiple ways I am sure.
The book is well researched with several citations and references duly annotated. The language is lucid and without heavy vocabulary that makes it very amenable and immensely readable especially for the younger readers but is a good resource point for even the older readers for whom it may serve as a reminder of why we believe in certain things and for what reasons?
Recommend it to all to get to know the strands of Indian history that still influence the modern world in its workings as we see it.

[Vidya · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book provides both a pleasant and a painful reading experience. Pleasant as most of the known and unknown contributions of our ancestors are provided with clear documentation, and painful as it takes time to accept the hard facts due to ingrained colonial bent of thinking.

Though the contributions of our glorious past are highlighted by various researchers like Dr. CK Raju (Maths), Dr. Raj Vedam (Astronomy) and so on, a comprehensive coverage of all the contributions at a single place is quite commendable.

While the book covers a wide range of contributions such as Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry, Astronomy, Biology, Medicine, Yoga, I still felt that this is a work-in-progress, based on the author's passion to bring out more. Another wonderful aspect of the book is that the author provided a path of transmission of knowledge across various periods of time. .

This well-researched book, adequately backed by references from original sources clearly shows the transmission, as well as situations which necessitated such discoveries. This book also furthers the developing thesis that Greek philosophy and many of its supposed contributions might actually have been imported from India.

One very important aspect, which needs to be highlighted is the point that the author clearly outlined how religious beliefs were intertwined with scientific development, and how both were complimentary to each other. In contrast to rest of the world where they were in loggerheads with each other, our ancient scientific discoveries were necessitated by our religious beliefs. Some examples provided were about development of geometry to determine the size of the fire altars or how science was a way to attain moksha.

I feel this book should be a part of curriculum for every student to learn about our ancient contributions to the world at a very early age, so that they come out of the colonial hangover.

A big thank you to Alok Kumar for his hard work and looking forward to some more interesting contributions from him.

[Bharath · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ancient Hindu Science by Alok Kumar explains the contribution of Hindu scholars in various fields ranging from mathematics, physics, biology, medicine, etc. The author has done a mammoth effort in compiling contributions of various Hindu scholars from different sources and categorised topics based on area of interests. The chapter "The building blocks of science" sets a precursor explaining some of the concepts like Shastrarta (debate), role of a Guru, Smriti, etc. Each chapter gives a brief overview of the influence that the ancient Hindu science created on other countries. The quotes from various scholars who visited Bharat are provided from multiple sources. The author has made a sincere effort to explain some of the complex concepts, especially in the chapters which deals with contribution in mathematics, by giving popular examples. The references provided for each topic are very helpful if one wishes to explore further. I would recommend this book to everyone who is interested in understanding contributions of Hindu scholars of Bharat and also to students of science. My sincere thanks to Indic Book Club for sending this book & giving me an opportunity to read and share my review.

[Ujjwala Singhania · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Ancient Hindu Science – Its Impact on the Ancient and Modern Worlds by Alok Kumar. It is the first book I received this year under the aegis of Indic Org’s 1000 Reviewers Club second edition.
All through the decades post-independence, we found sporadic mention of the great scholars like Aryabhata, Sushruta, Charaka, Vara Mihir, etc. with a sentence or two about their invention/discovery in our textbooks. However, there was never a serious effort to study them and their works at length, their impact on the ancient and modern worlds, the boost they gave to further the scientific and technological capabilities of other nations. If we contrast this to how British during their Raj, put huge amount of men and money to translate our Scriptures and leveraged the knowledge found there for their growth and propagated their superiority without giving any credit to the original source, we will understand how we have been cheated of our own heritage.
This book is an attempt to take the first important step in correcting the established history and fill the gap that our Indian Science space has today. Though it is a small book but rich in information, it is divided into nine chapters, each one covering one discipline like Hindu Mathematics, Astronomy, Physics, Chemistry…and rounding off with the global impact they have made through the ages. The author has, in each chapter, documented the history of the discipline from the earliest available resources, the scholars and their major works, how it was received by other cultures and nations of the time and its impact on world science. The author also has made an honest effort to provide ample notes, and reference to make it easier for people to do further study if they are so inclined.
With each chapter, it feels like the author is dusting off the decades of ignorance and peeling of the biases and prejudices surrounding everything Hindu and Hindu Knowledge System. From the earliest travellers to the land of Hindus, we can trace the exchange of knowledge that has happened and how other cultures and later on nations used it to the betterment of their peoples. The works of Chinese students, Islamic traders, Greek invaders, historians and court chroniclers provides ample proof of how advanced the HKS was when compared to any other cultural or society. The Hindus created multiple disciplines for the welfare of the humanity, and they never shied away from sharing their knowledge to people from other cultures if they believed they were worthy of receiving them. But over time, with Islamic invasion and British colonialism, there was a huge erosion in our knowledge system and knowledge seeker. And what we were left with is superstition, derision and a deeply rooted inferiority complex in our history and heritage.
Alok ji has used simple language to make it easier to understand and interesting for a layperson like me. And there were few points that were beautifully made and captured the attention – for example – where Western Academia puts a lot of focus in documenting and dating things, in Hindu culture, knowledge was imparted orally so there is no written document from the ancient age. Our scholars dedicated their lives to the service of ancient knowledge and its application for human service from Rig Vedic times, the intention to take credit or build a brand for themselves was not present, so, while writing a text they always made a point of saying that the knowledge already existed from the ancient time and they are just applying it. Even for the common people, the world around them was always like that, time is cyclical and not linear. But this lack of chronicling and historical documentation of our time and people has posed a serious challenge for us.
And finally, the examples of renowned scientists and philosophers, shared by the author, to show the impact of Hindu Science and Hindu Knowledge on them, in their words gives an idea how widely and how deeply our knowledge is rooted in the global conscience. We, as Hindu Society, need to bring the attention to the contribution made by our people, make resources available for dedicated research into our Ancient Hindu Science, its history, correct the historical distortions, teach ourselves and our children about them and give them their due…it sounds ambitious, but we have to start somewhere. And the first step could be this book, it can be made a compulsory reading for the children, especially the students of STEM. We need to start the discussion of how Hindu's contributed to Global Science and Global Knowledge; and be assertive of our peoples' achievements.

[Sumit Banerjee · Rating 5 out of 5]

All roads lead to Rome and just like that all the fundamental knowledge has sprouted from India. The statement indeed has a degree of exaggeration, but it is not too far from the truth. If we contextualize the statement in appropriate time, it is indeed what happened. The book Ancient Hindu Science shows how ancient Indian scholars have made far-reaching contributions in different disciplines of knowledge that have inspired scholars from other regions to adapt that knowledge or use it or produce further work on it, and how it has essentially shaped human progress.

Ancient Hindu Science is a book that separates the chaff of hearsay from the grain of established knowledge about Indian contribution to different disciplines. Alok Kumar has referenced every tiny bit of claim throughout the book with either ancient Hindu texts or accounts of Arab or Chinese travellers or books by modern Western academics. The book explores the contribution of Hindu philosophers and academics in the field of astronomy, mathematics, physics, chemistry, biology, medicine, and other areas.

The contribution of our luminaries like Aryabhatta I, Charaka, Sushruta, Brahmagupta, and Manu among others have been appropriately credited. The fact that the solar system is heliocentric, the Hindu numeral system, the sine wave, the Pythagoras theorem, the Fibonacci sequence, the alchemy of metals, the understanding of gravity, and the art of plastic surgery are but a handful of the academic contributions made by Indians of yore. The book explores these facts and many more.

This is the first book I have read that strives to appropriate the knowledge of our ancestors. While I agree that we cannot rest on our laurels (moreover those which we had discovered/ invented millennia ago), it is important in academics to correctly assign the credit for new knowledge creation. Otherwise, a Pythagoras theorem may as well be called the Hopkins theorem. This book is the first one I have come across in reclaiming the Indian knowledge for us and I sincerely believe it should be made mandatory reading for school kids. This not only puts knowledge discovery in context but also sets the bar for the pursuit of knowledge. If we have done such great things in past, surely, we can do that again.

The book is so meticulous in its referencing that at times I had cognitive dissonance to understand why we have not been made aware of all these facts. It is one thing for the West to not recognize our contribution, but it is important for us to know what we have gifted the world. This book fills in the vacuum created by our educational system and elucidates how knowledge developed by the Hindu philosophers and researchers travelled from ancient India to other regions of the world.

[S. Maanav · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ode to the Eternal derivations

There are very few times when you come across a book that you do not want to give up. You are so impressed by the text that you have to take it with you throughout its reading. There is no patience to wait till the reading table is reached.

Author talks about the impacts of ancient hindu science on ancient and modern worlds, as is evident from the title. He has maintained his line of work throughout the text. The best part being that by the time you finish the text you start seeing the world from the eyes of rationale and also see restriction in our self critical stand.

We are not just a bunch of educated chances but a complete legacy of ancient wisdom and multicultural science. We have to realise that we are a part of the fundamental building blocks of science and we need to acclaim the true significance of our ancient means. The Saastraartha method or the questioning method may need to be attributed a new origin or the usually maligned smriti or memory tradition of passing knowledge has its own set of pros or the Yoga is a very scientific solution to our problems.

The Reader understands that how indeed it was due to the Hindu numerals that the world could reach the moon and the significance of infinity was also expressed by us. The Fibonacci sequence, Algebra, the value of pie, the so called Pythagorean theorem, all have one sacred thread of commonness - their ancient Indian association.

May it be Greenwich being the Ujjain of the Modern world or Hindu Cosmology as per the understanding of Paramaanu or the marvels of Iron Pillar, we get to be amazed at all these fronts because of our own somewhat forgotten past. Our ecological perspectives, surgery techniques, personalization of medicine, ayurveda are all gifts of our earlier generations.

So its high time we start seeing the world from our own glasses. We need to appreciate our Aryabattas and our Charaks and then maybe we will rise again as true leaders of the world driven by the energies from our ancient line of intellect.

[Nitesh Singh · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you want to know the contribution of Hindu scholars to science, it's a handbook for you. It's what we all should know but probably don't know.

Being a student of science, I didn't know that the famous Fibonacci series was originally given by Virahanka and Gopala. It's an eye-opener for me.

The author has well documented the impact our ancestors have on the world, from Zero to Infinity, from astronomy to astrology, geography to surgery. This book is written in easy-to-understand language that can be read by all the students and one who has an interest in the history of science.

A must-read book!

[Anni Bhardwaj · Rating 5 out of 5]

The book has so many references from ancient hindu texts that you almost feel what we have lost as a nation. Almost like a CK Raju one.


And I hope that we back home In India are able to create institutions catering to such vast ocean of knowledge.

[Rohit Rawat · Rating 5 out of 5]

Let me start this review with a news article I read recently that AIIMS has decided to conduct research on Maharishi Sushruta's surgical methods based on the book Sushruta Samhita written more than 3000 years ago. It seems the knowledge of our ancestors and that written in our scriptures is finally getting the credit and validation it deserves. But we still have a long way to go!

Until a few years ago, I was skeptical about the capabilities of our ancestors. Not about their fighting or administrative skills, we have more than enough examples for that, but about their knowledge in scientific concepts. Were they really that great as we perceive them to be? Or was it just a figment of our imagination?

Then I came across certain books, articles, and videos that provided factual evidence. My interest and hope piqued. And then slowly and steadily, there came a time when I didn't have even a small doubt about our glorious history, about the significant contributions that ancient Hindus have made in every field that influence the world even today.

But the problem was that I couldn't find any book where all these developments with a timeline were compiled.

And then I got this book!

"Ancient Hindu Science: Its Impact on the Ancient and Modern Worlds" by Alok Kumar provides a detailed analysis of contributions made by ancient Hindus and how that knowledge disseminated to the rest of the world through travelers of different countries who came to India. 

These foreign travelers have given credit to Hindus in their books for major scientific discoveries and inventions, something that seems to be missing in the modern world.

The book is divided into 9 parts focussing on Mathematics, Astronomy, Physics, Chemistry, Biology, and Medicine.

Each chapter gives a detailed account by mentioning the book and very specific concepts and how the people we revere today in the scientific community, learned from it or were influenced by it. He has also provided archeological proof and evidence to validate his points.

The author also explains the lack of a definite chronology of ancient scriptures to be a pain-point. That is because the ancient Hindus believed in passing the information verbally and memorizing it. It is because of this reason that we were able to save some of our ancient knowledge even though the libraries of Nalanda University and Takshashila University were burnt down.

I am grateful to the author for writing this book. It is obvious that it must have required meticulous research and going through hundreds of sources. I can say with full confidence that every word in this book is pure gold. He also cancelled a deal with a foreign publisher when he was asked to remove the word "Hindu" from the book. Hats off to him for standing by what he believes in!

I highly recommend everyone to read this book. The time has come for the world to acknowledge the contributions of ancient Hindus.

[Partha Sadhukhan · Rating 4 out of 5]

The curse of being dharmic people is, they can be forced under slavery by cruel and domineering races. No wonder why Hindus had to be subjected under 700 long years of foreign subjugation resulting in the dominating foreign powers erasing Hindus' glorious past and scholarly achievements. Today, this colonialism is so ingrained in the Hindus that they not only forgot their glory, but often mock their own past achievements as wild imagination. That way, we Indians are colonized even today. Macaulay has successfully converted us to mental Britishers who hate their Hindu identity and this is why we need to reiterate the stories from our glorious past and remind Hindus of their past achievements. This book "Ancient Hindu Science by Prof Alok Kumar" is a right step towards that direction.

When it comes to science, Hindus had phenomenal achievements in the olden days in almost all fields of science. We often forget that our own shashtras are treasure trove of knowledge. We often forget that Hindu philosophy is no wild imagination as most of our philosophical texts turned out to be knowledge hubs for modern scientists. This book, just shows us how in almost all fields of modern science, ancient India had excelled without being equipped with modern equipment.

I must say that every Indian should read this book to understand what our forefathers have achieved and how India was taking the human race forward in scientific temperament and discoveries. I still wonder how our forefathers could correctly talk about earth's rotational and axial motion around the sun. I am also astonished to know that they correctly predicted that moon is not a light source or the universe is ever expanding. Many of our Hindu religious texts today seem to be more scientific to me than any sci-fi story. Unfortunately, common Hindus today do not have time to read their shashtras, and that is where books like these become extremely important.

I thank the Indica book club for sending this book to me and for giving me this unforgettable reading experience. Since I am a research oriented guy, and do research on such topics, I wanted to know more about how our rshis could gain these amazing knowledge. This book only increased my hunger to know more on this matter, and hence I felt for a research oriented people like me, - 'yeh dil mange more'. And hence I kept the rating at 4*. However, for an average Indian who want to know these topics this is a must read book as it is also written in a comprehensible lucid language.

[Reading Diet · Rating 4 out of 5]

I always had a question in my mind!

Why India, with so much philosophy, intellect, and prosperity, could not make a substantial contribution to science? I started getting the answer only after I came in contact with Sadhguru 🙏🏻 and by reading good books.

The history of science as we know it from textbooks is simply incomplete. By writing this book author is simply trying to fill these gaps.

It is not possible that anyone can describe details of the achievements of the ancient Hindus in one introductory book. Their contributions are enormous and this book presents only the 'tip of the iceberg'.

Preserving knowledge is a process in which all generations must participate otherwise the knowledge becomes prone to be lost forever.

I was always curious about our ancient tells and finding their scientific means. If those all had some scientific reasons then how could almost no one is aware of it?
How suddenly did Hindu science was disappeared?
And gradually I started getting answers to all my questions. Some global forces were behind this and were hiding the truth intentionally.

I salute the Author Alok Kumar for his efforts in finding and writing the Hindu science by digging into the lots of Hindu scriptures. At one point you might be afraid of turning a page by seeing long mathematical equations but as a being science student, I really enjoyed it. The entire book is mainly divided into 6 major chunks explaining the role of Hindu science in various fields.

Mathematics 🧮
Physics 📝
Astronomy 🪐
Chemistry 🧪
Biology 🧬
Medicine 💊

I’d enjoy it more if it was printed with a bit large fonts. It comes with a paperback cover. However, a Hardcover will add more value to the book title.

In the end, I’d say that It’s a must-read for all. Here, I am not talking about only Hindus, but everyone who belongs to the motherland of India should read it.

It'll give you immense pride that how intelligent your ancestors were.

[Sudha · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ancient Hindu Science by Alok Kumar.

Ancient Hindu Science by Mr. Alok Kumar is a book that should be read by all Indians, especially the younger generation. Ancient rishis of our country have contributed vastly to various streams of knowledge like mathematics, physics, astronomy, medicine, metallurgy etc. Though the knowledge originated from Bharatavarsha, many a times it was not given its due.
Today many concepts that are originally discovered by our rishis are spread throughout the world giving acknowledgement to the western scientists who discovered them many centuries later. Many a time, these western scientists took the knowledge from the Hindu concepts and then they were known as the person who discovered this knowledge.
Today Indians look for validation from the west for everything. Mostly they don’t even realise the basis of this knowledge started in our great past. People who believe that the knowledge came from our Hindu past also are unable to justify it when faced by naysayers. This book is the answer to that. Mr Alok Kumar through his research has painstakingly given references and proofs about the origin of these concepts. Having this book not only gives us a sense of pride to learn about our great Hindu knowledge, it helps to give references to people who try to negate it.
A must read book.

Thank you #ibc #indicacademy #indicbookclub.

[Sivachandran Paramasivam · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent overview of India's contribution to the world in various fields of science. The author is meticulous in supporting each and every information presented with evidence. Few chapters felt like too detailed but it could be because I don't have grasp on those subjects.

[Tuhin Mondal · Rating 4 out of 5]

First of all, I humbly pay my respects to the author, as a student of science, for the ultimate opportunity to know the intricate history of the nuances of science.

The simplicity, comprehensibility, foresight, and informative mindset of the author's language will be less to be said.Suffice it to say that the way each topic is described here as per the table of contents is capable of bringing extreme creativity in the attitude of any student.

The word numerals,the place value notations,The concept of Zero and infinity,and the binary numer systems ( appropriate description ),the fibonacci sequence etc and every smaller topic in physics and mathematics as much as possible has been illustrated here meticulously in an authentic way ... Just enough to being amazed.
Like -
The length of the earth shadow =( Sun's distance × Earth's distance )/ (Sun's diameter - Earth's diameter )
The book has been enriched with many such details, known and unknown information. I am overwhelmed.

Total page number 197.Page quality is much better. Back cover is admirable. Language is lucid. Easy to understand . Contents division is fantastic.and the Title is also captivating .

Wonderful read really.

[Neel Preet · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Ancient Hindu Science" by Alok Kumar is a comprehensive and insightful book that explores the scientific and technological advancements of ancient India. The book delves into the various fields of science that were developed and studied by ancient Hindus, such as astronomy, mathematics, medicine, and engineering, and provides a detailed account of the contributions made by ancient Hindus in these fields!

The book begins by providing a historical overview of ancient Indian science, highlighting the various periods of scientific advancement, and the key figures who contributed to these advancements. It explains how the ancient Hindus used a holistic approach to understanding the world around them, combining spiritual and philosophical concepts with scientific and mathematical principles.

One of the most striking aspects of the book is the way in which the author presents the scientific advancements of ancient India in a clear and concise manner. He explains the scientific principles used by ancient Hindus in a way that is easy to understand, and provides numerous examples and illustrations to help the reader visualize the concepts.

The author also provides a detailed account of the contributions made by ancient Hindus in different fields of science. For example, he explains how ancient Hindus made significant advancements in the field of astronomy, including the development of accurate astronomical tables and the mapping of the night sky. He also delves into the field of mathematics, highlighting the contributions made by ancient Hindus in the development of algebra, geometry and trigonometry. The author also touches on the field of medicine, and how ancient Hindus developed a holistic approach to healing and wellness, which is still being practiced today in Ayurveda.

Another key theme that the author explores is the continuity of ancient Hindu science and how it still influences the modern-day science. He explains how the concepts and principles developed by ancient Hindus continue to influence the way in which we understand the world around us today.

Throughout the book, the author provides many references and citations from ancient texts and inscriptions, which lends credibility to his arguments. He also draws upon a wide range of sources, including the Vedas, the Upanishads, and the writings of other scholars and experts in the field, which adds to the scholarly value of the book.

Overall, "Ancient Hindu Science" is a well-researched and informative book that provides a detailed account of the scientific and technological advancements of ancient India. It is a must-read for anyone interested in understanding the historical context and contributions made by ancient Hindus in various fields of science. The author's writing is clear, concise and engaging and the book is a great addition to any library or collection of books on the history of science!

[Seetha Parthasarathy · Rating 3 out of 5]

An Important and Informative Work
Two extremes have marked the discourse on ancient Indian, specifically Hindu, knowledge in the past decade or so. On the one hand are those making fanciful-bordering-on-bizarre claims. On the other are those who rightly mock these claims. But in doing this, they are silent about, and thus unfairly deny, many genuine achievements of ancient scholars. So there is an entire generation growing up not knowing that zero is India’s gift to mathematics, Aryabhatta’s contribution to mathematics and astronomy, Susruta’s and Charaka’s contributions to medicine and much, much else.
Alok Kumar’s Ancient Hindu Science is an important book in this context, helping separate the whacky from the sane. As he himself writes, he has “sorted out the hard facts from fantasy”. This is not a boastful claim. This book is actually a very well-researched one, as the copious footnotes and 22 page bibliography show.
The book deals with Hindu contribution to six areas – mathematics (the most extensive section, and one which can be daunting for those who don’t have a love for numbers), astronomy, physics, chemistry, biology and medicine. The book has a wealth of information on ancient India’s contribution in these six areas.
Zero is not the only contribution to mathematics, the word sine in trigonometry also has its roots in Sanskrit. Aryabhatta assigned diurnal motion to earth and kept the sun stationary centuries before Copernicus. Charaka, Susruta and Kautilya had written about oxidation, calcination and distillation. The claim that Ganesha’s elephant head is proof of plastic surgery in ancient times is much mocked; Kumar points out that Susruta had described the technique to graft skin – a procedure adopted in the west only in the fifteenth century.
For those who want western/foreign validation on anything related to India, Kumar quotes ancient and modern foreign scholars who have either acknowledged Hindu contribution to these fields or have lamented the lack of such acknowledgement.
Fortunately, the book is written in simple language, which makes it easy for the lay reader, who may not be a mathematician, scientist, geologist, chemist etc. Experts in individual fields may already know much of what is in this book. However, there are points at which interest does flag, when it reads like a mere recounting of achievements. But these is a very minor quibble.
It is possible that someone will challenge much of what Kumar states. But that does not take away from the value of this work.

[Bimit · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sanatan Dharma, popularly known as Hinduism is the oldest religion and is in sync with science This feature of the Indic civilisation has led to many discoveries and inventions in the Indian subcontinent.
The Indic brand of knowledge (or Vedic knowledge) was mainly passed through Sanskrit poetry before the writing came into existence. Even after the invention of writing, the oral transmission of knowledge was still the primary source of dissemination because through the oral spread of knowledge, the knowledge becomes memorized and one need not check the book every time for reference.

Indian knowledge is impossible to cover in one book. In 163 pages, The author has grazed the following topics:-
- Vedic base of Science and Creation
- Vedic Mathematics
- Vedic Astronomy
- Vedic Physics, Chemistry and Biology
- Vedic Medicine
- Surgery

The book is a result of thorough research and careful references to the old texts that cover almost every topic. The book quotes Indian sources like Vedas, Upanishads, Puranas and Itihaasa along with accounts of foreign travellers and the folks who have credited their findings to the Indian sources. The reader gets to read excerpts and testimonies from the writings of Al Biruni, Henry David Thoreau, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Muhammad ibn Musa al-Khwarizmi, Marco Polo and many more significant people from all over the planet.

The author has compiled an impressive list of discoveries and inventions and covering topics such as Discovery of Zero and Infinity, Techniques of Plastic Surgery, Baidhayana Theorem/Pythagoras Theorem, Vedantic Inspiration on Western Philosophy, God and Creation, Indian Roots of Damascus Steel, Ayurveda, Indian Number System, Types of Alcohol and their recipes in Ancient India, Yoga, Importance of Flora & Fauna and many more.

Ancient Hindu Science is an academically oriented book. The author specifies very clearly the specific objectives he seeks to achieve and how the book intends to assist the reader. Simple language and concise sections characterize this book.

[Ritu Raj · Rating 5 out of 5]

A book which make us proud of our ancestors and their scientific way of living showing how far they where in scientific exploration.

Excellent book about the glorious science of sanatan civilisation which all Hindus must read and know.

This well researched book tells us about some of the scientific discoveries made in ancient India.There’s a lot more to be done for the Indian civilisation what Joseph Needham did for the Chinese civilisation.

This book will give you an idea why our sages were called modern scientists.

Don’t be misled by the word Hindu or the fact that the book is full of references of the Vedas and the upanishads. This is not a religious book nor an effort to promote Hinduism. It celebrates the greatness and immense scientific contribution of our great civilisation.

It’s about the ancient Hindu civilisation. For the simple reason that there were no other religions back then and all these scientific discoveries were made by Hindus.

Secondly, in those ancient times philosophy, spirituality and science were intertwined. The origin of many of these scientific discoveries lay in Hindu philosophy. Like the origin of zero which comes from the interpretation of god who is nowhere and everywhere.

There are no written records mentioning dates and names of the scientists. Everything is orally captured in the Vedas and the upanishads. All these people were in the pursuit of true knowledge - Moksha.

The list of discoveries that author has put together is extremely impressive. You will be astonished. It’s all based on the documented works of Islamic , Chinese and European travellers and writers.

Some examples.

The Hindu numerals which travelled to the Islamic world. Then to Europe where the likes of Fibonacci adopted them.

Or the connect of astronomy and the sun being the centre. This was done centuries before this was discovered in medieval Europe. This Hindu contribution was documented by the famous Islamic astronomer Al- Khwarzim. In turn his ideas were copied in Europe and read by the likes of Copernicus and Kepler. This is no absolute proof but enough circumstantial evidence that the European astronomers were actually borrowing the ideas of the ancient Hindus.

The Indians had discovered the right angle properties long before Pythogoras. In fact there is enough evidence that the famous Greek mathematician might have come to Indian and learned maths and philosophy over here.

The list goes on.

It’s a tragedy that the achievements of our great civilisation have been ignored not only by modern scholars and universities but by our own system of Education. A lot needs to be done. This book is a good honest start.

[Bharathi · Rating 5 out of 5]

One book that EVERY Indian must read.
Whether you have some grounding in the subject or this is your first glimpse into what the ancient Hindus did and were capable of, this book will rivet you. It's written in a very straight forward way, no superlatives or dramatizing adn that makes it really, really a very easy read.
Apart from the zero distraction narrative, the author has neatly arranged the subject matter into helpful topics so if you are looking for the view of the ancient Hindus on medicine you just go to the relevant section. This makes this book a stupendous ready reckoner (in which capacity I plan to use it very much).
I was most impressed by the amount of intense research that has gone into this and the author does NOT ever just state something adn expect us to take him at his word. He's liberally backed up his statements with excerpts not only from our texts but from the western world to convince everyone out there for whom a western world label matters the most.
The only two regrets I have about this book are:
I could not read it at one sitting so I lost some of the impact and continuity
It is SO full of facts and excerpts and info that there is NO way my limited memory can store all this so several readings will be necessary.
But DO READ and btw, it makes an excellent gift too literally for anyone from age 10 upwards.

[Narayana Navilekar · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you are confused about the contrasting views in the media about the status of science in ancient India, this is the book you should be reading. On the one side are people who deride everything Indian and believe that India should be thankful to the West for the modern scientific discoveries. On the opposite are those who believe ancient India had done tremendous advancements in all aspects of science which was pilfered by west during the colonial rule. The examples such as Pushpak Vimaana and test tube babies are used by both parties to either bolster or deride the ancient Indian science. So what is the truth?

The book deals with this topic in a detailed way covering various branches of science such as Mathematics, Astronomy, Physics, Chemistry, Biology, Medicine and concluding with the a discussion on the global impact of Indian science.

It is fairly well known that decimal number system and the invention of zero are credited to ancient Indian mathematicians. But are you aware that ancient Indians had derived value of Pi, had sutras for calculating square roots? The word Algebra is derived from the title of a book by the Arabian genius astronomer Al Khwarizmi. Three of his best books on mathematics were based on Hindu mathematics. Ancient Indians also had elaborate knowledge on geometry.

That the shape of earth is spherical was long known in India. They also knew that the Moon gets its luminosity from the Sun. They were clear that the Sun does not rise or set every day. They were aware of eclipses and their causes. Aryabhata I had come out with a detailed explanation on the solar system in which earth was also rotating (contrary to western belief of a stationary earth).Ujjain was the reference point for all astronomical calculations just like Greenwich is today. In due course the sacred books of Hindus on astronomy reached Middle East and China from where it further developed and propagated across.

The concept of space is discussed in the ancient Upanishads. Aryabhata I explains that the Time does not have a beginning nor end. Indians had divided a day into time segments. Kanada’s atomic theory was formulated between 2600 – 3000 years before today. Ancient Indian texts talk about gravity is the cause of objects falling to the ground as well as swelling of ocean tides.

The well-known ancient medical doctors of India , Charaka and Sushruta had defined processes for transformation and purification of metals. Creation and use of alloys was known in ancient India. You will be surprised to know the famous Damascus steel was originally produced in India. Aristotle praises copper processing in India and says it is as good as gold. Mining and metallurgy were well developed.

Ancient Hindus believed the nature is a sacred living entity. Nature is not a property owned by humans for their use. Humans were a part of this nature. Herbal medicines were well developed. There were around 8000 units manufacturing 25000 effective herbal medicines.
Medical science had highly developed during those days. Between Charaka and Sushruta, they have identified more than 750 medicinal plants, 57 animal origin drugs and 64 mineral and metal based formulations. Indians knew about diabetes as sugar in urine much before Europeans did. Charaka had developed a detailed code of conduct for doctors similar to Hippocratic Oath. There were procedures for physical examinations of patients, actions during surgery, characteristics of a good surgeon etc., Sushruta has defined the procedure for skin grafting which went to Europe much later.

I can go on and on with many more such examples. The author, who is a Distinguished Professor of Physics at State University of New York, has applied the academic rigour to research the topics and provide copious references which include not only Indian ancient texts such as Vedas, Upanishads but also extensively quoted Western researchers, Arabian / Turkish and Chinese medieval travellers among others. The reference section in the end lists 356 entries. Every claim is backed with a relevant reference.

As I mentioned in the beginning, if you really want to know the achievements of the ancient Indian Hindus, this is the book. It’s easy- to- read style keeps the interest of the reader going. I urge you to please read this and gift to young men and women in college.

[Rama Rao · Rating 3 out of 5]

Science, medicine, and astronomy in ancient Hindu India

This book provides a brief sketch of the scientific contributions of Hindus and reminds us of the mathematical tools perfected for astronomical and physical calculations. The author articulates the essence of Hindu science that includes mathematics, science, and medicine. He gives equal allocation of time and space for these subjects to highlight the dominance of ancient Indian Hindu science and mathematics. Often, the author uses the quotes of European authors like Florian Cajori (1859–1930), a Swiss American historian who did not specialize in the history of Indian science. The author could have considered the Indian discoveries and inventions on its merit than start off with a European view. Most Western historians of 19th and 20th centuries were Eurocentric, and Cajori’s focus was Greek and European mathematics, and often underestimated Indian contributions. However, the proudest moments for Hindu science were when Indian mathematicians like Aryabhata (fifth century CE) and Brahmagupta developed the concept of zero as a number and created the decimal system. Early Hindu scholars wrote about algebra (called Bijaganita) and trigonometric functions like sine (jya) and cosine. Aryabhata proposed that the Earth rotates on its axis and planets move in elliptical orbits long before it was “discovered” in Europe. Indian astronomers calculated the length of the solar year very precisely and developed methods to predict eclipses. In short, ancient India was a scientific powerhouse making discoveries not only in mathematics and astronomy, but also in health, medicine, surgery, chemistry, and agriculture that founded modern science.

The wisdom of Hindus may be found in the earliest Hindu scriptures: "Let noble thoughts come to us from every side." Rigveda 1.89.1, a call for open-mindedness and wisdom from all directions. "Truth alone triumphs, not falsehood." Mundaka Upanishad 3.1.6a. And "You have the right to perform your duties, but not to the fruits of your actions." Bhagavad Gita 2.47.

The author could have expanded on the chapters that focus on mathematics, and astronomy. But for in-depth studies, I recommend: “The History of Ancient Indian Mathematics" by C.N. Srinivas Iyengar; Works by D.D. Kosambi; and “The Crest of the Peacock" by George Verghese Joseph.

[Charan Kruthik · Rating 5 out of 5]

McCawley has succeeded in transforming us into spiritual Englishmen who hate Hindu identities. It is no surprise that Hindus faced eons of British colonisation, and as a result, the dominant foreign powers wiped out Hindus' illustrious past and scientific achievements. Today, this colonialism is so deeply rooted among Hindus that they not only forget their glory, but often ridicule their own past achievements as a wild imagination. That is how we Indians are still colonized today. Therefore, we must repeat the glorious past stories and remind Hindus of their past achievements. This book, Ancient Hindu Science, by Professor Alok Kumar is the first step in the right direction. When it comes to science, Hindus have once had tremendous achievements in almost every scientific discipline. It's easy to forget that our own Shastra is a treasure trove of knowledge. I need all Indians to read this book to understand what our ancestors have achieved and how India has advanced humanity in terms of scientific temperament and discovery. I'm also baffled sthat the Moon wasn't the light source and that it correctly predicted that the universe was constantly expanding. Much of our Hindu Bible today seems to me to be more scientific than any science fiction story. Unfortunately, ordinary Hindus today do not have time to read their Shastra, where books like this become very important. We often forget that Hindu philosophy is not a wild imagination, as most of our philosophical texts have proven to be central to the knowledge of modern scientists. This book only shows how good ancient India was in almost every area of modern science, without the blessings of modern equipment. Researching on such topics, I wanted to know more about how saints can gain this amazing knowledge. This book only heightened my desire to learn about our ancient wisdom. This is also a must read for the average Indian who wants to learn about these subjects, as it is also written in a clear language that they can understand.