FReeper Canteen ~ Part IX of War in Ancient India ~ September 7, 2004

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Part IX: War in Ancient India

No question can be more interesting in the present circumstances of the world than India’s contribution to the science of aeronautics. There are numerous illustration in our vast Puranic and epic literature to show how well and wonderfully the ancient Indians conquered the air. To glibly characterize everything found in this literature as imaginary and summarily dismiss it as unreal has been the practice of both Western and Eastern scholars until very recently. The very idea indeed was ridiculed and people went so far to assert that it was physically impossible for man to use flying machines. But today what with balloons, airplanes…..”

Turning to Vedic literature, in one of the Brahmanas occurs the concept of a ship that sails heavenwards. The ship is the Agnihotra of which the Ahavaniya and Garhapatya fires represent the two sides bound heavenward, and the steersman is the Agnihotrin who offers milk to the three Agnis. Again in the still earlier Rg Veda Samhita we read that the Asvins conveyed the rescued Bhujya safely by means of winged ships. The latter may refer to the aerial navigation in the earliest times.

In the recently published Samarangana Sutradhara of Bhoja, a whole chapter of about 230 stanzas is devoted to the principles of construction underlying the various flying machines and other engines used for military and other purposes.

The various advantages of using machines, especially flying ones, are given elaborately. Special mention is made of their use at one’s will and pleasure, of their uninterrupted movements, of their strength and durability, in short of their capability to do in the air all that is done on earth. Three movements are usually ascribed to these machines, - ascending, cruising thousands of miles in different directions in the atmosphere and lastly descending. It is said that in an aerial car one can mount up to Suryamandala, ‘solar region’ and the Naksatra mandala (stellar region) and also travel throughout the regions of air above the sea and the earth. These cars are said to move so fast as to make a noise that could be heard faintly from the ground. The evidence in its favor is overwhelming.

An aerial car is made of light, wood looking like a great bird with a durable and well-formed body having mercury inside and fire at the bottom. It had two resplendent wings, and is propelled by air. It flies in the atmospheric regions for a great distance and carries several persons along with it. The inside construction resembles heaven created by Brahma himself. Iron, copper, lead and other metals are also used for these machines. All these show how far art and science was developed in ancient India in this direction. Such elaborate description ought to meet the criticism that the vimanas and similar aerial vehicles mentioned in ancient Indian literature should be relegated to the region of myth.

The ancient writers could certainly make a distinction between the mythical which they designated as daiva and the actual aerial wars designated as manusa.

After the great victory of Rama over Lanka, Vibhisana presented him with the Puspaka vimana which was furnished with windows, apartments, and excellent seats. It was capable of accommodating all the vanaras besides Rama, Sita and Lakshman. Again in the Vikramaurvaisya, we are told that king Puraravas rode in an aerial car to rescue Urvasi in pursuit of the Danava who was carrying her away. Similarly in the Uttararamacarita in the flight between Lava and Candraketu (Act VI) a number of aerial cars are mentioned as bearing celestial spectators. There is a statement in the Harsacarita of Yavanas being acquainted with aerial machines. The Tamil work Jivakacintamani refers to Jivaka flying through the air.

Kathasaritsagara refers to highly talented woodworkers called Rajyadhara and Pranadhara. The former was so skilled in mechanical contrivances that he could make ocean crossing chariots. And the latter manufactured a flying chariot to carry a thousand passengers in the air. These chariots were stated to be as fast as thought itself.

(source: India Through The Ages: History, Art Culture and Religion - By G. Kuppuram p. 532-533).

(for more information on vimanas please refer to chapter on Vimanas

Next Tuesday, Part X of War in Ancient India

To: Kathy in Alaska

LOL...not funny really...am experiencing the same dilemma...

261 posted on 09/07/2004 6:48:18 PM PDT by laurenmarlowe

To: laurenmarlowe

How was that for a flip-flop!!!

262 posted on 09/07/2004 6:48:45 PM PDT by laurenmarlowe

To: WashStateGirl

Welcome to the Canteen, WashStatGirl. Thanks for stopping by.

263 posted on 09/07/2004 6:49:18 PM PDT by Kathy in Alaska (God Bless America and Our Troops Who Protect Her)

To: laurenmarlowe; bentfeather

This too shall pass.
Hello Google and my ISP stash, such as it is.
lauren, did you check with your ISP re closet space?

264 posted on 09/07/2004 6:53:19 PM PDT by Kathy in Alaska (God Bless America and Our Troops Who Protect Her)

To: Kathy in Alaska

265 posted on 09/07/2004 6:55:31 PM PDT by tomkow6 (Canteen CooCoo Consultant, and CookingWithLARD.com person Lard greases the way for tomorrow)

I just HATE it when my mast gets popped off....

266 posted on 09/07/2004 6:56:37 PM PDT by tomkow6 (Canteen CooCoo Consultant, and CookingWithLARD.com person Lard greases the way for tomorrow)

To: Kathy in Alaska; bentfeather

Ma, I think Ms Feather broke Fotki. She like to tell stories....

267 posted on 09/07/2004 6:58:25 PM PDT by tomkow6 (Canteen CooCoo Consultant, and CookingWithLARD.com person Lard greases the way for tomorrow)

To: WashStateGirl

Hi, WashStateGirl!

Welcome to the Canteen!

Wanna buy a burka?

268 posted on 09/07/2004 6:59:44 PM PDT by tomkow6 (Canteen CooCoo Consultant, and CookingWithLARD.com person Lard greases the way for tomorrow)

To: Kathy in Alaska

Yes, I did...it's very confusing...Fotki is soooo much easier! But, in times like these, it would be nice to have a back-up, so I should check into that further.

269 posted on 09/07/2004 7:01:50 PM PDT by laurenmarlowe

To: tomkow6; Kathy in Alaska

Ma, I think Ms Feather broke Fotki. She like to tell stories....

See Ma, how he treats me, spreads rumor's about me!

270 posted on 09/07/2004 7:02:08 PM PDT by Soaring Feather (Poetry is my forte.)

To: Old Sarge; bentfeather; laurenmarlowe; StarCMC; Fawnn; Diva Betsy Ross; All

271 posted on 09/07/2004 7:06:41 PM PDT by Kathy in Alaska (God Bless America and Our Troops Who Protect Her)

To: Old Sarge; Kathy in Alaska

Well -we have had so much rain here that everything that was left,unpacked in the garage, is covered with mold.. so I have that to clean up.. and Stephen had to go to the Doctor's today for ear infections and a stomach bug ..and the Dog has a bladder infection and is pretty sick.. So it is all excitement all the time around here. J-man had a friend over to play today and they emptied every toy bin in this joint, onto the floor. Neil has been trying for hours to get my laptop back online.. to no avail, and I can not remember how to get into my fotki or music... Which doesn't really matter anyway, because i can't make sense of this new FR interface. How long has it been like this?

OH BOY!- It is good to be back... ( sarcasm, of course)

But I did miss y'all.. so it is nice to chat with you again!

272 posted on 09/07/2004 7:08:19 PM PDT by Diva Betsy Ross (It's not Bush's fault... it's the media's fault!)

To: laurenmarlowe

I didn't know about Fotki when I started. My ISP is REALLY hard and confusing for me. But....it has NEVER gone down. LOL! It will come back.

273 posted on 09/07/2004 7:10:38 PM PDT by Kathy in Alaska (God Bless America and Our Troops Who Protect Her)

To: Diva Betsy Ross

Yeesh, what a mess that's gonna be to mop up.

274 posted on 09/07/2004 7:12:11 PM PDT by Old Sarge (ZOT 'em all, let MOD sort 'em out!)

To: Kathy in Alaska; Old Sarge; tomkow6; StarCMC; Spotsy; Diva Betsy Ross; MS.BEHAVIN; Colonel_Flagg; ..

275 posted on 09/07/2004 7:12:54 PM PDT by Soaring Feather (Poetry is my forte.)

Do you mean the Dog?.... Because she is making more of a mess than the mold.Have you ever heard of a dog getting a bladder infection?

276 posted on 09/07/2004 7:13:56 PM PDT by Diva Betsy Ross (It's not Bush's fault... it's the media's fault!)

To: Diva Betsy Ross

One less thing to worry about....Fotki is down at this very moment. Boy do you have things going on at your house! One your laptop is up again, we can start reeducating. LOL!

277 posted on 09/07/2004 7:19:21 PM PDT by Kathy in Alaska (God Bless America and Our Troops Who Protect Her)

To: Diva Betsy Ross

Two of my cats have had them. Heavy doses of Clavimox cleared it up in a few days, as well as frequent litter changes...

278 posted on 09/07/2004 7:19:30 PM PDT by Old Sarge (ZOT 'em all, let MOD sort 'em out!)

Gang, I've got something going on IRL. Be back tomorrow.

279 posted on 09/07/2004 7:22:53 PM PDT by Old Sarge (ZOT 'em all, let MOD sort 'em out!)

To: WashStateGirl

Glad you stopped by the Canteen! :o)

280 posted on 09/07/2004 7:23:09 PM PDT by StarCMC (It's God's job to forgive Bin Laden, it's our job to arrange the meeting.)

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