space travel in hindu mythology

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Saturday, 20 April 2024

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Space journeys in ancient India

Ancient sages freely moved from Earth to far-off planets like Brahma loka, which had different time speeds than Earth, writes Dr Asha Goswami

This study relates to the well-known theory of Astrophysics regarding space travel, ‘that among twins, one brother who stays on earth grows older and the other who is on space travel remains of the same age’ [vide Hawking, A Brief History of Time]. This is not a new notion, in fact the same phenomena of Astrophysics were even known to our ancient sages, the Puranakaras long back in the Puranic age, about 5,000 years ago. They were not only aware of space journeys, but also of the existence of other planets besides the earth which they knew as Pitriloka, Devaloka, Indraloka, Brahmaloka, so on and so forth. Not only this but, they also freely moved from earth to other far-off planets like Brahma loka which had different time speeds than Earth. They were also equipped with knowledge such as that gravity can bend time in space.

As, clue to their awareness of such a theory of the Astrophysics be derived from a chronicle as described in the Bhagavatapurana IX 3.29-36 and the Vishnupurana IV 1.20-39, which refers to a similar state of affairs during the Treta Yuga. The chronicle recounts that in the Treta Yuga, the oldest son of Revata, who was named as Kakudmi undertook space travel to reach another Planet Brahmaloka to take advice from Brahma, the sole ruler and king of that Planet with regard to the suitable match for his daughter Revati who was also accompanying him. After arriving there they had to wait for a ‘moment’ as King Brahma was busy with other guests and couldn’t attend to them immediately. Once the guests were gone, Brahma apprised Kakudmi with the above cited phenomena of Astrophysics ‘that a moment spent in his loka was equal to twenty-seven Tetra-Yugas or approximately about 216 years on earth; and a moment of wait thus spent by them at the Brahmalokawas also equal to twenty-seven Tetra Yugas on earth. Hence, from the time the king and the daughter had left the Earth, round about 216 years had passed in between. With the result at that time those suitable grooms for his daughter which he then had in his mind had also died; and the only option of suitable match for his daughter at that time could be the best of Yadus, who was Krishna’s brother Baladeva. Hence, he should go to earth and marry his daughter to Baldeva only. King Kakudmi then returned to Earth and discovered to his surprise that his whole clan had lost. In such a situation he got his daughter married to Baladeva who was of different clan than him and also much shorter in stature than his daughter Revati, whom they were also able to make of the same short stature with some medical device available to them those days.

This Puranic chronicle furnishes significant hints as regards the knowledge in the field of Astrophysics which was available to the ancient Indians those days; a) In space, there exist some Planets with different solar system and time speed worth living for the human beings like the Brahma loka which is governed by different solar system and is presided over by Brahma, its sole sovereign, and is 26 light years away from earth. b) A moment spent on such Planet like the Brahmaloka is equal to about 216 years on earth. c) Time passes with different speeds on the different Planets. d) life gets extended with space Travelling. Thus, on the basis of this the above cited revelations of the Puranic chronicle, there is no exaggeration ascertaining that our ancient sages were well conversant with these phenomena’s of Astrophysics.

Since, the hints to ancient Indians’ knowledge of Astrophysics and related issues are also derived from the Upanishadic statements with regard to the five stages of vital spirit known Prana which are latent in man without which he cannot survive. They are known as Prana,Apana, Samana, Vyana and Udana. While discussing about the five-fold functions of these five vital forces or ‘panchapraanas’, the Prashnopanishad specifically mentions ‘that the gravitation or gurutvaakarshana of the earth serves as in-support of man’s apana, the downward breathing’. Which implies that the Vital Air known as Apana when made active by the connection with gravitation of Earth, directs the ageing process of a being. On the contrary, the same vital spirit when loses contact with the gravitation of Earth, stops the deterioration of a person and helps elongation of his life. This makes apparently clear that according to the Upanishadic statement, the fivefold vital force Prana, which is the very life-aayuh of a person within its two parts as Prana and Apana, representing the upward breathing and downward breathing together exhilarate the life of a person by partaking and consuming the food. Since among them, the Prana represents the spirit that intakes the food, and the Apana is capable of forcing down food and also the life of the person. While, the Samana is responsible for prompting the digestive system; the Vyana helps the blood circulation; and the Udana prompts the thinking faculty of the person.

Thus, the Upanishadic sages make it clear that the attractive force of Earth called as ‘gravitation’ along with these five vital air forces or the Pranas latent in all the beings on earth bring about their ageing process and their ultimate deterioration. On the contrary, during space journeys when the human body loses contact with Earth’s gravitation, his vital force stops its function of deterioration of the human body. As a result, the life of that person gets extended, or remains stable. The same fact is sufficiently evidenced from the chronicle of the Puranas showing that the king Kakudmi and his daughter retaining their same age which they had long back 216 years ago. This also proves the notion of astrophysics correct ‘that life could be extended with the device of space travelling’. Finally, it may be maintained in all fairness ‘that the ancient Indians’ knowledge of other Planets in space besides the earth with different time speeds, and of the notion that life gets extended during space journeys which they used to call ‘Vibhu-gamanam’ proves prelude to the modern-day discoveries made by the Astro-physicists; and also that our ancient sages amply gave vent to their scientific trends while presenting their revelations of the ultimate, the eternal element as Praana Brahma whom they felt  always present within themselves as the vital force’.

The writer is a noted Indologist and authority on Krishnaite Studies

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• Hinduism, Indian culture, Vedic Science, Yoga, Spirituality, India

Concept of Aeronautics in Ancient India

bY Jayasankar G. – Ph.D. scholar enrolled with Dept. of Sanskrit, Kerala University, Thiruvananthapuram 

Ancient India was not only a land of philosophy and religion but also a fertile ground for science and technology. Many great sages authored vast literature on science and technology. Of which sage Bharadvāja’s Vaimānikaśāstra is one of the most renowned and relevant texts, even during this technological peak of twenty first century.

There is mention of the usage of aircraft in the Indian epics, Rāmayāna and Mahābhārata. As mentioned in the Rāmāyana , Ravana used puspakavimāna , which had been captured from Kuvera. However, Rama took charge of this aircraft after killing Ravana and used it to reach Ayodhya along with Lakshmana, Sītā and others. Gavopākhyāna in Mahābhārata , also talks of using aircraft.

Aeronautics or Vaimānikaśastra is a part of Yantrasarvasva of Bharadvāja. This is also known as Brhadvimanasāstra. Vaimānikaśastra deals with aeronautics, including the design of aircraft, the way they can be used for transportation and other applications, in detail. The knowledge of aeronautics is described in Sanskrit in 100 sections, eight chapters, 500 principles and 3000 shlokas. Great sage Bharadvāja explained the construction of aircraft and way to fly it in air, on land, on water and use the same aircraft like a submarine. He also described the construction of war planes or fighter aircraft.

The first principle of Vaimānikaśastra defines an aircraft, ‘vegasamyat vimana aņdajānāma’, which means vimāna is the one which can fly in air like a bird. Subsequent principles explain the requirements for being a vimanādhikari or pilot.

According to Bharadvāja, there are 32 secret techniques to fly an aircraft.

They are mantrikā, tantrikā, krtaka, antarāla, gūda, driśya, adriśya, paroksa, aparoksa, sankoca, vistrita, virūpakarana, rūpāntara, surūpa, jyotirbhava, tamomaya, pralaya, vimukha, tārā, mahāśabda vimocana, langhana, sarpagamana, capala, sarvatomukha, parāshabda grāhaka, rūpākarsana, kriya rahasya grahana, dikpradarśana, ākāśakara racana, jaladāruja, stabdhaka and karsana.

In jātyādhikarana, which classifies aircrafts says, ‘jatitrividyām yugabhedāth vimānānām’.

The aircraft is classified into three types – mantrikā, tantrikā and krtakā, to suit different yugas or eras.

In Krtayuga, it is said, dharma was well established. The people of that time had the divinity to reach any place using their astasiddhis.

The aircrafts used in Tretāyuga are called mantrikāvimāna, flown by the power of hymns (mantras). Twenty-five varieties of aircraft including puspakavimāna belong to this era. The aircraft used in Dvāparayuga were called tantrikavimana, flown by the power of tantras. Fifty six varieties of aircraft including śakuna, sundara and rukmavimāna belong to this era. According to Bharadvāja, a gānyekatrimśat, which means there were thirty one instruments to fly an aircraft, including viśvakriyādarpana, to see the surroundings from the aircraft and śāktyākarsanadarpana, to absorb solar energy. Manufacturing of different types of instruments and putting them together to form an aircraft is also described.

In vastrādhikarana, the chapter describing the dress and other wears required while flying, talks in detail about the wear for both the pilot and the passenger separately.

Āhārādhikarana is yet another section exclusively dealing with the food habits of a pilot. This has a variety of guidelines for pilots to keep their health through strict diet. The Samarāngana Sūtradhāra is an encyclopedic work on classical Indian architecture written by Paramara King Bhoja of Dhārā (1018–1060 AD). In 83 chapters, subjects treated are town planning, house architecture, temple architecture and sculptural arts together with mudrās, the canons of painting, and a chapter on the mechanical contrivances, the yantras. This chapter on yantras deals with gathana, the art of mechanical constructions, delineating upon the definition of yantra, its elements; qualities and manifold varieties of pleasure machines, toy-machines, the machines of warfare as well as the domestic machines, like dvārapālayantra, the soldier machine, etc.

Some of the ideas which have been translated are given below:

“The aircraft which can go by its own force like a bird – on the earth or water or through the air – is called a vimāna. That which can travel in the sky from place to place is called a vimāna by the sage.”

“The body must be strong and durable and built of a light wood (laghu-dāru), shaped like a bird in flight with wings outstretched (mahāvihanga). Within it must be placed the mercury engine, with its heating apparatus made of iron underneath.”

Among many significant contributions of ancient Indian scientists, Vaimānikaśastra is notably a towering work dealing with vimanas and allied topics. As a subject, aviation has its own charm over other disciplines, even in these days. It is the firm view of many scholars that mere knowledge of Sanskrit or science or both plays little role in true understanding of such a work. The authors were intelligent to use coded terms, symbolic expressions, and archaic language to safeguard knowledge against falling into unauthorized hands. For right understanding, true flair in Sanskrit and science along with an expertise to decode and interpret with reference to context are the key.

Source: National Mission for Manuscripts

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Tracing Hindu mythology - 7 places you need to visit in India

Shikha Gautam Shikha Gautam / Times Travel Editor / TRAVEL NEWS , INDIA / Created : Mar 4, 2019, 14:01 IST

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India is home to many wonders and tales that have hooked the world for some centuries now. If tales, folklore, and mythology is what you are interested in, a trip to places that have a connection with Hindu mythology is imperative … Read more

India is home to many wonders and tales that have hooked the world for some centuries now. If tales, folklore, and mythology is what you are interested in, a trip to places that have a connection with Hindu mythology is imperative. You will find this handpicked guide to places mentioned in Hindu mythology all the more interesting if you fancy treading the blurred line between real and mythology. Read less

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Bangkok Takes Its Place on the Venice Stage

To promote its fourth biennale, the city has mounted an exhibit in a 17th century palazzo on the Grand Canal.

By David Belcher

Bangkok, called the Venice of the East by European missionaries and sailors who fell under the city’s spell centuries ago, will celebrate its fourth biennale this fall , but not before using the 60th Venice Biennale to showcase itself as that other city of canals, culture and art.

“The Spirits of Maritime Crossing,” an exhibition sponsored by the Bangkok Art Biennale Foundation, will run from Saturday to Nov. 24 and will be housed in the newly restored 17th-century Palazzo Smith Mangilli Valmarana on the Grand Canal, which seems fitting.

Much as Venice has long been a showcase, indoors and outdoors, for displaying art during its biennale, the Bangkok Biennale uses spaces including in warehouses, art galleries and its Buddhist and Hindu temples that dot the Chao Phraya River, which snakes through the city like its own canal.

“In 2017 when we started this idea of a biennale, we looked at Venice as a model and even announced the Bangkok Biennale Foundation in Venice that year,” Apinan Poshyananda, chief executive and artistic director of Bangkok Art Biennale and curator of “The Spirits of Maritime Crossing” exhibition, said in a recent phone interview. “This idea of water connects both cities, and we want to make artists aware of our biennale and move outside of Bangkok with our brand.”

The Bangkok Biennale attracted more than 3.5 million visitors in its first three incarnations (2018, 2020 and 2022) and included over 300 artists, with an emphasis on creating visibility for artists from the Global South. It returns Oct. 24 and runs through Feb. 25.

The theme of water — how it connects and separates us — courses through “The Spirits of Maritime Crossing” and its 40 artworks (paintings, mixed media, sculptures and video installations) by 15 artists.

It will have as its centerpiece a 34-minute video installation of the same name , played on an continuous loop throughout the biennale, with the Serbian artist and performer Marina Abramovi c and the Thai dancer Pichet Klunchun depicting a wandering spirit traveling to new lands as a way to connect East and West, Bangkok and Venice.

And the idea of connections and crossings take on various meanings in the exhibition. The movement of people plays a huge role in the embroidered artwork of the Thai artist Jakkai Siributr, 54. A scaled-down version of his large installation “There’s No Place,” (2020) will be housed in one of the rooms. It is a series of embroidered panels depicting the displacement of people.

“I had an opportunity to travel to the Thailand-Myanmar border to a village where about 20 years ago there had been an influx of the Shan ethnic minority from Myanmar,” Siributr said in a video interview from Chiang Mai, Thailand. “I conducted a storytelling workshop, but we told their stories through embroidery rather than orally.”

But he took it a step further by asking the Thai people about how the influx of immigrants affected them.

“I invited the public to participate and work on the same artwork, which was a way to create a dialogue,” Siributr said. “The Shan community depicted their hopes and dreams and their history through colored yarn. For example, there’s one panel of a dream home of a Shan youth, and someone local added a background of trees.”

Migration — and its impact — is also at the center of a video installation by the artist Priyadeetha Dia, whose ancestors migrated from India to Malaysia in the early 20th century. “The Sea is a Blue Memory,” commissioned by the Kochi-Muziris Biennale in Kerala, India, in 2022, takes viewers on a journey that feels immediate in this era of mass migration. It’s also a virtually undocumented bit of history for the artist.

“In my research into rubber plantations, looking mostly at images that depict the laborers’ day to day life, what I found that was missing was the journey to Malay,” said Pria, 31, who lives in Singapore. “There are no images or documentation of the journeys on boats. I felt that was something to build a narrative on.”

What came out of that was a video installation, with sound design by Tini Aliman , also Singaporean, which runs just over 10 minutes and will be on a continual loop for the run of the Venice Biennale.

“The work was produced using C.G.I. [computer-generated imagery], and I thought of the journey through different notions of space and time,” she explained. “You have a sense of floating around in space. We also wanted to think about sound through sonic waves. It captures the sounds of water, ripples and echoes under the sea.”

The other artists represented in “The Spirits of Maritime Crossing” come from Indonesia, Laos, Thailand, the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Singapore and Myanmar. For Poshyananda, it’s the perfect fit for the 60th Venice Biennale and its theme of “Stranieri Ovunque,” or “Foreigners Everywhere.”

“When the Europeans came to Siam, they were fascinated by the houses on stilts on the canals and the water,” he said. “And now we’re showing Southeast Asian artists in a neoclassical palazzo with murals and décor that depict images from as far away as Africa and Asia, and even Greek mythology. We’re among many spirits on this grand body of water.”

Inside the Venice Biennale

The 2024 venice biennale features work by more than 330 participating artists from some 90 countries scattered throughout the city..

Photos:  Our photographer is on the ground covering the spectacle that makes the Biennale  one of the premier events in the art world’s global calendar.

Critiquing and Representing the U.S.:  Jeffrey Gibson’s history-making turn at the Biennale  brings the gay and Native American artist center stage with works of struggle and freedom.

Protests Go On:  Israel’s exhibition was already closed after its artist refused to display her work  until there was a cease-fire and hostage deal in Gaza. But that didn’t calm the discontent .

Can Adriano Pedrosa Save the Biennale?:  Balancing diplomacy and geopolitics is hardly new for the first Biennale curator from Latin America. He isn’t scared to make a strong statement  on contemporary art.

A Match Made in Venice:  An American institution is sponsoring an exhibition by a Chinese artist in collaboration with a Japanese architect at a centuries-old Venetian building. Here’s how Tadao Ando and Zeng Fanzhi came together .

Criticism Meets Optimism:  The group show “Nigeria Imaginary” will be one of the most ambitious African presentations  ever at the Biennale.