ANCIENT INDIAN WISDOM IN MODERN LIFE
Saying that the history of India is rich is an understatement. From the studies in the field of mathematics like the invention of “0” and calculus to the studies in medicine by Ashwin and Charaka, ancient Indian concepts and paradigms have contributed a lot to the modern world. In this article, we shall take a deep look into the world of the wisdom of ancient India.
Ancient Indian civilization, among other civilizations, is the oldest and is distinguished by its profound thought and wisdom. This civilization is identified as the Vedic Civilization, Sindhu-Sarasvati civilization, and Aryan civilization. While other ancient civilizations reached their zenith and disappeared from the pages of human history, the heritage of ancient Indian Civilization continued to endure and continues in its living tradition in India.
The foundation of the Vedic civilization was laid by sages or seers, Rishis, whose vision penetrated deeply into humanity’s perennial questions, but did not stop at these mundane inquiries.
They explored further into the meaning of natural laws, the nature of spirit, the origin of the universe, and what is beyond the cycle of life, birth, and death, the relationship between body, mind, intelligence, soul, and spirit. Their vision touched on the nature of divinity, the supreme coordinating power that may underlie natural laws. In short, they aspired to know everything that the mind can comprehend — from the atom to infinity, the creation of the universe, and its meaning. Even in 1500 BC, the position of the star cluster Kṛttikā Sanskrit: कृत्तिका, sometimes known as Kārtikā, corresponds to the open star cluster called the Pleiades in western astronomy; it is one of the clusters which makes up the constellation Taurus was well explained in Shatapata Brahmana. Solar Eclipse is mentioned in Rigveda as the “ Shadow of Arten sun”. Researchers all over the world have always referenced ancient Indian texts to gain more knowledge about astronomy.
India is a land of great mathematicians like Aryabhatta, Bhaskaracharya, and many more. A verse in Jyotishvedanga goes like this-
“Yatha shikha mathuranang naganang manayoyatha ,
tatva vedanang ganitang murdhanivardate”
which means: “ Just like a plumage to the peacock, pearl to the serpents, mathematics makes its place on top of all Vedanga shastra”.
Even the very well-known “ Pythagoras Theorem” was first found in Surya Siddhanta, way before the theorem was actually discovered by Pythagoras.
India was always very advanced in the field of medicine and surgery. There are descriptions of successful artificial iron thigh transplants on King Kanishka’s wife (in 2nd century BC).
Even the modern concepts of mental health can be seen in ancient Indian texts like The Charaka Saṃhitā or Compendium of Charaka. In the pre-2nd century CE, Charaka was the first man in mankind to speak about diseases to be psychosomatic. He also spoke about health to be a perfect state of the physical, mental, and spiritual well-being of a person.
As we can see, throughout history, Indian texts and the wisdom in them have helped mankind to grow and find its glory. This is what India needs to do now, learn from the past and make the country great again. Incorporating the past with the new is what makes the future bright, and with the great past that we have, the task to make the future great becomes way easier. Through research and archaeological advancements, nothing is impossible. The resurgence of yoga and Ayurveda is a huge example of ancient Indian wisdom positively impacting the world. This article proves enough that India still has a lot more to offer to this world. Books like Charaka Saṃhitā, Upanishads, and the four Vedas need to be given their due respect in our culture today. There should be more awareness about our history and texts among the youth of today, which is very lacking in today’s world. Through proper awareness and research of these texts, the day is not far when the glory of ancient India will become a reality for future India.
