Ancient Hindu Science

Ancient Hindu Science

Author: Alok Kumar

Publisher: Springer Nature

Published: 2022-05-31

Total Pages: 197

ISBN-13: 3031794028

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To understand modern science as a coherent story, it is essential to recognize the accomplishments of the ancient Hindus. They invented our base-ten 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 mind-body approach known as Ayurveda, mastered metallurgical methods of extraction and purification of metals, including the so-called Damascus blade and the Iron Pillar of New Delhi, and developed the science of self-improvement that is popularly known as yoga. Their scientific contributions made impact on noted scholars globally: Aristotle, Megasthenes, and Apollonius of Tyana among the Greeks; Al-Biruni, Al-Khwarizmi, Ibn Labban, and Al-Uqlidisi, Al-Ja?iz among the Islamic scholars; Fa-Hien, Hiuen Tsang, and I-tsing among the Chinese; and Leonardo Fibbonacci, Pope Sylvester II, Roger Bacon, Voltaire and Copernicus from Europe. 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. The American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), one of the largest scientific organizations in the world, in 2000, published a timeline of 100 most important scientific finding in history to celebrate the new millennium. There were only two mentions from the non-Western world: (1) invention of zero and (2) the Hindu and Mayan skywatchers astronomical observations for agricultural and religious purposes. Both findings involved the works of the ancient Hindus. The 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 the perfect text for all students and others interested in the developments of science throughout history and among the ancient Hindus, in particular.


Sciences of the Ancient Hindus

Sciences of the Ancient Hindus

Author: Alok Kumar

Publisher: Createspace Independent Publishing Platform

Published: 2014-03-19

Total Pages: 0

ISBN-13: 9781497374331

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Includes bibliographical references (p. 399-447) and index.


Against Dharma

Against Dharma

Author: Wendy Doniger

Publisher: Yale University Press

Published: 2018-03-20

Total Pages: 245

ISBN-13: 0300235232

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An esteemed scholar of Hinduism presents a groundbreaking interpretation of ancient Indian texts and their historic influence on subversive resistance Ancient Hindu texts speak of the three aims of human life: dharma,artha, and kama. Translated, these might be called religion, politics, and pleasure, and each is held to be an essential requirement of a full life. Balance among the three is a goal not always met, however, and dharma has historically taken precedence over the other two qualities in Hindu life. Here, historian of religions Wendy Doniger offers a spirited and close reading of ancient Indian writings, unpacking a long but unrecognized history of opposition against dharma. Doniger argues that scientific disciplines (shastras) have offered lively and continuous criticism of dharma, or religion, over many centuries. She chronicles the tradition of veiled subversion, uncovers connections to key moments of resistance and voices of dissent throughout Indian history, and offers insights into the Indian theocracy’s subversion of science by religion today.


The Oxford Handbook of Religion and Science

The Oxford Handbook of Religion and Science

Author: Philip Clayton

Publisher: Oxford Handbooks Online

Published: 2006

Total Pages: 1041

ISBN-13: 0199279276

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The field of `science and religion' is exploding in popularity among both academics and the reading public. This is a comprehensive and authoritative introduction to the debate, written by the leading experts yet accessible to the general reader.


Unifying Hinduism

Unifying Hinduism

Author: Andrew J. Nicholson

Publisher: Columbia University Press

Published: 2013-12-01

Total Pages: 282

ISBN-13: 0231149875

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Some postcolonial theorists argue that the idea of a single system of belief known as "Hinduism" is a creation of nineteenth-century British imperialists. Andrew J. Nicholson introduces another perspective: although a unified Hindu identity is not as ancient as some Hindus claim, it has its roots in innovations within South Asian philosophy from the fourteenth to seventeenth centuries. During this time, thinkers treated the philosophies of Vedanta, Samkhya, and Yoga, along with the worshippers of Visnu, Siva, and Sakti, as belonging to a single system of belief and practice. Instead of seeing such groups as separate and contradictory, they re-envisioned them as separate rivers leading to the ocean of Brahman, the ultimate reality. Drawing on the writings of philosophers from late medieval and early modern traditions, including Vijnanabhiksu, Madhava, and Madhusudana Sarasvati, Nicholson shows how influential thinkers portrayed Vedanta philosophy as the ultimate unifier of diverse belief systems. This project paved the way for the work of later Hindu reformers, such as Vivekananda, Radhakrishnan, and Gandhi, whose teachings promoted the notion that all world religions belong to a single spiritual unity. In his study, Nicholson also critiques the way in which Eurocentric concepts—like monism and dualism, idealism and realism, theism and atheism, and orthodoxy and heterodoxy—have come to dominate modern discourses on Indian philosophy.


The History of Hindu India

The History of Hindu India

Author: Satguru Bodhinatha Veylanswami

Publisher:

Published: 2011-10-01

Total Pages: 128

ISBN-13: 9781934145388

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A book for kids, teenagers, parents and teachers, the history of today's Hindus, one-sixth of our human race, extends back beyond recorded history. In this book, we pick up the threads of Hindu practice evident in the Indus-Sarasvati civilization, which was the largest and in many ways the most advanced of the ancient civilizations. From there we trace the development of Hinduism through the early empires of India, a time of great advances in science, architecture, art and literature—during which Europe was experiencing the Middle Ages. Then came the years of trial by invasion, followed by colonization and finally, in the 20th century, independence from the British Crown. Throughout these periods of history, we highlight the people, philosophical ideas and religious practices that are key to the Hindu religion today. While the text is written for sixth grade social studies classes in US schools, it is also suitable for high school classes. It has even been used in college course work, due to its refreshingly accurate, terse but comprehensive presentation of the world's most ancient faith.Review: from amazon.com: 5.0 out of 5 stars Great reference book for travel to India..., October 23, 2011 By MilsP - See all my reviews This review is from: The History of Hindu India (Hardcover) I picked up this book (History of Hindu India) on a whim. I really enjoyed the photographs throughout the book; I would read further and further just to find out what the picture was depicting. The book is true to its title, the authors give us a much better understanding of the Hindu religion from its origins to present day and how the multitude of invaders left their mark on the religion. An aspect of this book that I found surprising and wonderful was the way the authors linked the history of the religious teachings with modern day "heroes" if you will, such has Martin Luther King and Gandhi. Overall I really enjoyed the book and I felt that it is a great reference book and would be very useful to anyone who may be considering a trip to India as well.


Holy Science

Holy Science

Author: Banu Subramaniam

Publisher: Feminist Technosciences

Published: 2019

Total Pages: 0

ISBN-13: 9780295745596

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"Subramaniam examines how science and religion have come together to propel a vision of the modern Indian nation, and in particular, a Hindu nationalist vision of India. Five illustrative cases of bionationalism animate this book: Hindu nationalist narratives of scientific development, colonial law and sexual politics in India, surrogacy and women's roles, the politics of caste and race in the language of genes and genomics, and the alignment of environmental scientists and religious activists. Subramaniam demonstrates that the politics of gender, race, class, caste, sexuality, and indigeneity are deeply implicated in the projects and narratives of the nation. At the same time, she seeks spaces of possibility and new narratives for planetary salvation that defy binary logics, incorporating science and religion, human and nonhuman, and nature and culture"--


The Hindus

The Hindus

Author: Wendy Doniger

Publisher: Penguin

Published: 2009

Total Pages: 808

ISBN-13: 9781594202056

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An engrossing and definitive narrative account of history and myth that offers a new way of understanding one of the world's oldest major religions, The Hindus elucidates the relationship between recorded history and imaginary worlds. The Hindus brings a fascinating multiplicity of actors and stories to the stage to show how brilliant and creative thinkers have kept Hinduism alive in ways that other scholars have not fully explored. In this unique and authoritative account, debates about Hindu traditions become platforms to consider history as a whole.