Ind ian Journal o f T raditional Knowledge Vo l. 2(2) . April 20m. pp. 170- 1 XO

Certain scientific observations as depicted in Indian philosophical principles

Vidyanalh .Iha '"

Department of Botany. C M . Sc ience Co llege. L.N. Mithila Uni vers it y . Darbhanga X46 004

and

D N Ti wari

Depart ment o f Phil osophy. L.N. Mithila University. Darbhanga X46 004

I?eceil'ed 29 April 2()02: revised /4 FelH/ lU rv 2003

T he paper provides modern scientific interpretati ons o f about three dozen Indian phil o­sophi ca l max ims ({({ I/k ik({ /lv({m sl/lras). T he ce ntral ecologica l dogma o f prey-pred ator rela­tionship in the trophi c chain has been dep icted in Illaxi ms like 1I /{/fSWI IIW 1WI and I'(I/w/J\'ag li ra

/I\'({m w hile k({wk({rtlio I/W 1V({ refers to the water purify ing properti es o f tllC c learing nul. Plant based maxims refer to (a) rhi zoille of lotus as a fa vourite swan feed (b) waxy coa ting on a lo­tus leaf Illaking water droplets spheri ca l (c) di chasia l cy me inflorescence on a k(/(/ ({ Ill /Hl hall g iving an impress ion o f synchronous fl owering (d) fl oating endospcrm in coconut present as li quid inside a hard fruit coat (e) sa lvadora plant bearing a paradox o f biller leaves w ith sweet fruit s (f) plan tai ns fruiting onl y once in their life cycle (g) intense smell in c/WIllP({C fi nwers w ith a lasting ef fec t (h) lowe r internodes in sugarcane ha ving a sweeter jUice ( i ) compounding effect o f curd and co locynth as a febr i fuge. Animal hased maxims refer to (a) a spider seeking refuge in i ts own cobweb (b) so ft torto ise body protec ted by a hard shell (c) excretion o f d e­phant apple seemingly intact in the IXlchyderm faeces (d) a scorpi on gelling ki lled whi le g iving birth to its offspr ing th rough the process o f dehiscence (e) capacity of a ca illel to feed UpOIl (horny acacias (I) j umping mechanislll in a frog serv ing an i ll ustration to a rule in Sanskrit gralllillar (g) chicanery pr;(et iced by cuckoo in lay ing its eggs in the nes t o f a crow (h) mo ve ­Illcnt o f ants in a well defined chain ( i ) scotopic and photop ic visions respec ti ve ly o f an ow l and a crow (j ) inducti on o f lac co lour in cotton fibre. etc. Maxims based on physical phenomena depi ct (a) !lowing w ater graduall y los ing its speed in an irrig:lIi on channel (b) producti on ll f sound by the undulating sea waves (c) arc haic Illethod o f fire producti on by ru bbing acti on be­tween wood. gCIll and straw (d) i lllilli sc ibilit y o f w;lIer w ith o il (e) Illirages g iving fa lse illlpres­sion of water in a desert ( I) variations in lengths of shadows during different hours o f the day. etc. There is a need to bring these centuri es o ld observa ti ons to the noti ce o f Illodern scientific world .

M an has been held as the master of thi s planet because or his capacity to think and seek answers to hi s inquisitions . With

"'Correspondent author

the development of log ical faculty w ithin him he has been making keen observa­tions on vari ous natural phenomena un­folded around him. These observat ions find their mention in the literary and

.JH A & TIWARI: SCIENTIFIC OBSERVATIONS IN INDIAN PIIILOSOPHICAL PRINCIPLES 171

philosophic tex ts written over mill ennia . These texts are full or diverse analogi es made with plan t and animal beha viours. These depi cti ons ex tend further to a num­ber of phys ical events which recur at in­tervals. There is a need or seeking co m­parati ve illustrati on of these phenomena in the ancient tex ts written in va ri ous parts or the world . Th;s could help make a proper es timati on or the cross-cultural nuances in relati on to utility pattern s or natural biota.

Natural phenomena related with man , animal s, plants and variou s phys ical at­tributes have intluenced: ' human psyche since ancient times. Whil e fl ora and fauna have flared human imaginati on all over the globe, ph ys ical phenomena prov ided a definite direction to the growth of world civ ili zati on. Plants and animals have been profoundly illustrated in myths, tradi­ti ons, arts and va rious other forms of folklore l

.11

.

In hi s quest 1'01' a settl ed life man do­mes ti cated quite a good number of these biota. He applied hi s mind over the di­verse aspects of human behaviour and dev ised ways of leading a bli ssful life. This endeavour led to the evolution of knowledge systems in the form of logic, ethi cs, literature, etc . Knowledge based on exact visuali zati on also grew side by side. As the ci vi I ization advanced man started making more minute observations into the natural phenomena both of phys i­cal and biological dimensions. He started drawing analogies of plant and animal behaviours with those of human actions. This led to the evoluti on of thousands of maxims (ca lled la llkika I/vaya slIlras),

which are menti oned in innumerable

Indian tex ts. Several or these slIlras bear scientific connotations. Scientific ad­vancements in the last few centuri es have made it possible to prov ide elaborate de­tai Is of the structures and processes in­scribed in these slllros. Present communi­cation unravels a few of such depi cti ons as contained in the tex ts written by Ja­COb' ~ and Pandey' 5.

Methods The tex t tri es to provide modern inter­

pretati ons to approximately three dozen max ims that bear obvious sc ientifi c con­notati on. The maxims referred to in thi s tex t have been categori zed on the basis of (a) eco logical principles (b) plant behav­iour (c) animal life (d) physical phenom­ena. Elaborations of these maxims · also include their popular philosophical impli­cat ions.

Maxims based on ecological principles Some of the ecological thoughts as

enunciated thousands of years ago are eq ually valid even today and are used as exampl es in modern eco logy al so. These i ncl ude:

Matsya nyaya has since emerged as the central dog ma of the concept of tro­phic levels that a larger organi sm predates upon smaller organism and is itself, in turn , predated upon by a still stronger orga nism. There is a long li st of fishes constituting prey to hi gher fi shes l6

. In normal human life it represents a state of anarchy when stronger persons usurp major resources. Thi s is at the peril of the weaker ones. However, in nature the law of a bi gger fish thriving upon small er fi shes runs the roost and shall continue to do so ti II all ti me to come.

172 INDIAN .I TRADITIONAL KNOWLEDGE. VOL. 2, No.2, APRIL 2003

Vanabyaghra Ilyaya refers to the in­evitable relati onship between the forest and the lion (and all other animals form­ing different steps of the trophic chain). One cannot think of an isolated ex istence of the either of the two. Thi s .I'utra refers to the age-old concept of env ironmental preservation through protection of fores ts and wi Idl ife. The sustenance of herbi vo­rous and carnivorous animals in the jun­gle is an obvious consequence of the ex­istence of forests and associated wilder­ness. At the same time the wildlife could be saved only by safeguarding their habitat. The Project Tiger launched for protection of tigers in different countries in the world basically env isages raising the area under forests.

Hrad Ilakra Ilyaya also echoes a si mi­lar situation , which refers to the suste­nance of crocodile (and other aquatic animals also) in a big reservoir only if the same is full of water and supports all other organisms of the trophic chain.

Kataka raja Ilyayll refers to the capac­ity of the seeds of clearing nut (Strychnos pOlatorUlIl) to purify dirty (polluted) wa­ter. The copious liquid secretion around the seed surface binds with the dirt and makes it settle down. This property of purifying water is shared by some other plants including Morillga ole!fera (drum stick) whose fibrou s fruits are also util­ized for water purification . Its capacity to purify water increases when used in com­bination with the kateera gum (Slerculia urells) 17 . Tribals in different parts of India still use the seeds and fruits of S. p Olalo­mill , S. urens, M. ole!fera in their indige­nous methods of water purification. S. polalo rum is a tree mostly found in West

Bengal, Ori ssa, Madhya Pradesh and southward to western peninsula. Its seeds are reported to be a ri ch source of poly­saccharide gum.

Plant based maxims "Plant based maxims" mean the max­

ims coined to point the human behav iour and the pattern of logitating on the basis of observations and experi ences of natu­ral patterns of plant behaviour. Some of the max ims popularly used in Indian tex ts are given below:

Padmllpatramivambhllsll Ilyaya - It refers to the phenomenon of water drop­lets becoming round on lotu s leaves . This maxim preaches one to lead an unat­tached life without caring much for the world ly pleasures and sorrows. The water on the waxy lotus leaves, instead of wet­ting the surface turns into pearl shaped droplets on account of the factors related with surface tensi on, which prevent the water from ~preading out lR

. A recent en­deavour in Germany has witnessed deri­vation of an environment fri endly paint named lotusan from lotu s leaves. Pres­ence of a conspicuous layer of imperme­able wax on leaves creates an interface between water and dirt, making the lotu s leaf ex tremely water repellent. The air gaps on leaves prevent the dust parti cles from sticking to the leaf surface, leaving them free for water. Lotusan withstands harsh weather conditions and is very ef­fective for external appl ications. [t re­duces the chances of funga l and algal at­tacks and provides greater longev ity and cuts down expenses on harmful cleaning agents. This di scovery by W. Barthlott in Bonn (Germany) could find use in areas

JH A & TIWARI: SCIENTI FIC OBSERVATIONS IN INDIAN PHI LOSO PHICA L PRI NCIPLES 173

ranging from food industry and aircraft d . d" 19 eS lgn to me IClne .

Niraksiraviveka Ilyaya - This maxim rel ated to lotus refers to the capacity of swan LO diffe rentiate between milk and water in a mi xture of the two. The inher­ent scientific fac t, however, speaks of the feeding behav iour of the swan, which is fond of draw ing its food from the rhi-

f h . I " d 20 zo mes 0 t e aquati c pants InSI e water . Rhi zomes of water pl ants like species of NelulIIbo, Nyl'l/phaea, etc. are known for their nutriti onal and medi cinal properties and have attracted wider scienti fic atten­ti on2

1.22 . The bird feeds upon the same, leaving apart other things in the water.

Kadamba koraka Ilyaya - It is the maxim of the buds of the kadal1lba (A n­tllOcephalus cadalllba ) tree, which are said to burst forth simultaneously. An analogy of thi s phenomenon is drawn with simultaneous fulfilm ent of a number of worldly des ires. The inherent botanical fact is that the innumerable fl owers of the plant take the shape of a condensed ball and appear to sprout at a ti me because of their development as the di chas ial cyme inflorescence. The globose head of A. cadal11ba is highly eul ogised in Indi an scriptures as favourite to Lord Krsna. Watering the tree on a parti cular day of the week is prescribed to propiti ate ev il spirits. This maxim is used in philosophy to denote simultaneous ri se or fulfillment of a number of human desircs.

Narikela phalambll Ilyaya - It refers LO a rather unusual phenomenon of pres­ence of liquid juice covered by the hard fruit coat (3 -layered peri carp) of coconut. Coconut milk is the fl oating triploid en­dosperm, which later settles on the inner

cav ity of the endocarp. It is ri ch In re­serve food materials and growth hor­mones. These are digested and uti I ized by the seedlings till they develop green pi g­ments and are able to manufac ture their own food. Coconut mil k has the unique stimulatory properti es, whi ch the other endosperms lack. When added to the ba­sic nutri ent medium, it induces differen­ti ati on of embryoids and pl antlets from vari ous plant ti ssues. This property of fl oating coconut endosperm, however, is shared by the extract of endosperm in the milk stage, liquid endosperm of hor­sechestnut, walnut"), etc. Coconut finds a frequent mention in the sc riptures and is offered to deities for the fulfillment of worldly desires.

PUll palra Ilyaya - It refers to the leaves of Sal vadora oleoides hav ing a bitter taste as against its fruit s, which have a sweet tas te and are a favourite eat­able. Leaves are lopped for camel fodder and are used to relieve cough24. Sweet fruit s are fed to cattl e to increase lactat ion while leaves are given to horses as pur­gati ve. Fruits are also used as cure fo r enl arged spleen and rheumati sm. In phi­losophy it implies that truth may be bitter but it is sound for the rational/spiritual health of a man.

Kadali phala Ilyaya - It refers to the cessati on of growth of a banana plant af­ter only one fruiting in its life cyc le. The inflorescence of Musa spp. comes out of its pseudostem and signifies end of the parent pl ant. The pl ant, however, takes the recourse to vegetati ve propagati on by giving out underground buds, whi ch sprout into fresh pl ants.

174 INDI AN J TRADITIONAL KNOWLEDG E. VOL 2. No. 2. APRIL 20m

Campaka pata vasa nyaya - This max im refers to the retention of the in­tense odour o r Challlpa fl owers. Flowers of M icheliu c/wlllpac({ are a source o r champaca oil hi ghl y es teemed in perfum­ery. Flowers are empl oyed in preparati on or ilm ane! perfumed hair oil s. It has as­trosc lereids with short po inted arms that dominate the fl oral part. being di stribu ted diffusee!l y in the grou nd ti ss ue. Thi s very characteri sti c of this plant cou le! be linked with the retenti on of odour in its fl ower for a much lonrre r ti me even after re­mova l of the f1 ()\~er itse lf25

.

lksll danda Ilyaya - It refers to the more sweet juice or sugarcane near root as co mpared to the apica l portion. Thi s is because cane ripening proceee!s from bottom to the top and hence bottom por­t ion contai ns more sugars than the top portions. I n sugarcane maturati on and ripening are related with synthesis and accumu lation of sucrose. During thi s phase there is rapid accumu lat ion of sugar and vegetative growth is reduced . Ample sunshine, clear sk ies and diurna l variati on in temperature (coo l ni ghts and warm days) coupled with dry weather are hi ghly conducive ror ripening26

. It has been used as a source of sweet juice since primiti ve

. ~7.2X times . Dadhi trapllsam pratyakso jwara

Ilyaya - It refers to inducti on of high fe­ver in one who takes both curd and the colocynth simultaneously. Cilml/lis c%­eVIIII,is (Cucurbitaceae) is otherwi se used . b ' 1 '9 to cure 0 es lty a so- .

SaLi sampattall kodravasalla l1yaya -It speaks of the preference of eating sali (rice) as a superi or grain over that of ko­dro v (or kodo , Paspahllli serohicu/atlllll ).

Ri ce (Orvl a saliva) was widely held as a stapl e cerea l and was preferred over all other eatables. Kodo, a drought resisian t crop is otherwi se held to be a diffi cult grain on account or being very coarse with a horny seed coat whose removal before coo king is a rather tough task. Immature and mou Ided grai ns are su p­posed to be poi sonous with psychoactive properti es, often affecting cattle:lO

. .1J At­tack of a fungus C/a l' iceps paspali on it s plants is responsible for the presence- of psychoacti ve compounds in its grain s.1') . However, this mill et, in turn , is reported as an antidote to scorpi on sting, occasion-

II I I · . . Vi 1(, A a y (eve oping narcot ic properties' " . decoction of the roots and rhi zomes serves as alterative in childbirth whereas the juice fro m the stem is beneficial in corn al opacity-'7. It refers to the superior and inferi or qualities respec ti ve ly of rice (Oryw sativa) and kodo millet (P. scm ­hicli/atlllll ). Rice grain s are also know n for having a hi gh bi ologica l va lue, whi ch assigns it a status of stap le crop. It is ad­vised to use the kodo grains at leas t six months after their mat urity. .

Some other pl ant based max i ms I n­elude:

Bija vriksa l1yayo - This is a maxi m of an eternal series of seed and shoot. As the seed produces the shoot the latter aiso, in turn , reproduces the former. Each, the refore, is a cause and an effect.

Bijallkura nyaya - The maxim de­notes circularity of cause and effect, seed being the cause of sprout which , in tu rn ,

is the cause of formati on of seed. It indi­cates mutual dependence of cause and effect relation.

JHA & T IWARI: SCIENTIFIC OBSERVATIONS IN INDIAN PHILOSOPHI CA L PRI NCIPLES 175

M1l1~iadisikoddharalla Ilyaya - The maxim of the emergence of the intlores­cence of graminaceous plants in an intri­cate manner, one of the typica l exampl es bei ng that of Erial/{hus 1I1/1I!ia .

Malati pllspa Ilyaya - The bee that knows the excellence o f the perfume of jasmine cares not for darb" (grass). This refers to the superior quality of the jas­mine perfume.

Animal based maxims Simi lar to plant based maxims Indian

class ics and philosophical tex ts have used maxims based on animal behaviour. An account of some very popul ar maxims is presented here with their phil osophical , ethica l and biological connotati ons.

Luta tantu nyaya - It refers to the fine network carved out of the liquid secreti on of a sp ider, which turns into fibre and has fibrion as the highly insoluble protein component. The network is strong enough to provide the spider sufficient leverage for its anchorage. The B-keratins in the spider web form stringy inso luble protein which are fl ex ible and supple and do not stretch . The structure repeats at 0.7 nm intervals . It has high contents of amino ac ids like glyc ine and alanine, which have small es t R groups's . Spiders are known to spin up to seven different kinds or high-grade polymer fibres. Spicier silk is fi ve Ii mes stronger than steel and far more elasti c than rubber. Defense sc ien­ti sts in USA have been trying to find ways of turning it into ultra-st rong, li ght­weight, bullet-proof ves ts. They have re­centl y succeeded in spli ci ng silk making genes into the mammary cell s of cow and the kidney cell s of hamster. The spider

silk developed in the cow ce ll s was later oozed out and carved into 'b ios teel ' . Steps have been initi ated to transform the milk of geneti ca ll y modi fi ed goats into spider silk. This 'biostee l ' is set to find multiple applicati ons as medical sutures, biodegradab le fi shing lines, soft body

d · . I . W armour an unIque maten a composI tes' . In metaphysics and religion it is used as an analogy to explain the crea ti on of world by God out of no ex tern al material or instrumental cause.

Kurmallga nyaya - It refers to the so ft body of tortoise bei ng concea led and protected by a very hard shell that faci li ­tates the escape of the organi sm from predation by other higher animals in the water body. The enormous toughness or the shell is due to the presence of phos­phates of Ca and M g and also that of CaC01.Ca, (PO")2 const itutes 80% of the total shell component. The arched, osse­ous plate is ca lled carapace whi Ie the lower ventral plate is known as plastron.

It is made up of fibrous a -keratin s wi th a repeating structural unit of 0.54 nm's Tortoise is worshipped by a section of populace claiming their ori gin from thi s an imal (Kas" yaps among the Hindus or Kac" c" aps amongst the tri bals, Adiv([sis ). In certain parts of India, the tortoise shell is uti li zed as a ceremonial lamp base during marital rituals.

Gajabhllktakapittha Ilyaya - It rerers to the excret ion of the fruits of Faol/ia elephal/{wlI with their outer coat seem­ingly intact and the inner content , how­ever, hav i ng been turned into the ele­phantine excreta. F. elep" al/{UIII , as the name suggests, is a favouri te food of the elephants. This SlIrra suggests the action

176 INDI AN J TRADITIONAL KNOWLEDGE. VOL 2. No. 2. APRIL 2003

of digestive ac ids, which make the fruit coat permeable to the di ges ti ve enzy mes in the elephant' s gut. Thi s helps the di­gesti on of the inner contents followed by the subsequent absorption of the digested materi al in the intes tine outside the fruit coat.

Vriscikigarbha Ilyaya - It refers to the large number of offspring emerging out of the body of a scorpion (or a crab), the mother often getting kill ed in the process. In normal life thi s slIlro is used to draw an analogy with parents who are overbur­dened with multitude of children and find it difficult to nurse them properl y. This illustrati on could be cited for propagation of the principl e of limiting the famil y sizes. This maxim is used to denote one of the sorts of creation in which the cause transforms itself into effect by losing its own ex istence.

Ustra kalltaka bhaksana nyaya - It refers to the capacity of camels to feed upon the thorny acac ias growing in de­serts . This is possible because of their hard , wavy palate having wider molar and premolar teeth . Outer layer of the buccal ep ithelium is stratified and gets kerat­inized to prov ide toughness to the palate.

Malldllkapluti Ilyaya - It refers to the capacity of an amphibi an like frog to jump. The frog also has a well-developed mechanism for swimming that is ev ident in the presence of webbed appendages. Jumping in thi s organi sm is an emergency adaptation to escape the predator. The large muscul ar hind limb helps in jump­ing. This maxim also constitutes an illus­trati on to a rule in Sanskrit Grammar.

Kakapika Ilyaya - It refers to the age­old chicanery of the cuckoo in laying its

eggs in the nests of crows. Finding the cuckoo eggs quite similar in appearance to those of its own, the crow roosts ove r both types of eggs and nurses the emerg­ing infants of its ow n as we ll as those of the cuckoo. Nursing its young ones thi s way is a survival mechani sm with the cuckoo (koel) as it does not form a nest of its own. In literature it is used as an ev i­dence of distinction between vice and virtue, which unveil s only when eX­

pressed. Pipilika gati Ilyaya - It refers to the

movement of ants in a well-defined chain . This is because the pheromone emitted by the preceding ants helps the succeed ing ants to move ahead in a defined direction. Ants leave scent trails by pressing their stomach close to the ground . Scents per­sist for just a short time. However. the scent trail is refreshed by other ants re­peating the same procedure. In literature it is used to indicate discipline and soli ­darity of the followers of an order. Ant behaviour often forms the basis of fore­casts to rains, more parti cularly when the ants move upwards on trees with eggs in their mouths. This finds a menti on in the ancient text Parasara SOli/hila also.

Kakollikanisavat nyaya - It refers to a l;roW and an owl having different visi ons durin !~ ni ght. Owl has scotopic vision, which is due to the near absence of cones in the eyes of thi s nocturnal bird . The rods in eyes are much more sensiti ve to low illumination, thereby facilitating the animal to be active during ni ght. The crow on the other hand has photopic vi­sion, which allows it to be active durin g daytime. This is on account of abundance of cones in its eyes. Man, however. has

JHA & TIWARI : SC IENTIFI C OBSERVATIONS IN INDIA PHILOSOPHICAL PRINCIPLES 177

got an evolved statu s in the presence o f both rods and cones in hi s eyes and thi s keeps him active during low illumination as well. The maxim refers to subjecti v ity or knowledge vary ing from person to per­son as per thei r capac i t y and fi tness to observe a thing.

Swapucchollllayall nyaya - It refers to the tai I of a dog that cannot be strai ght­ened. Thi s is because the intervertebral disc in the caudal region is made up o f elastic fibres. making it a cushioned structure .

Laksarasavasikta karpasa bija Ilyaya - It refers to the capacity of lac juice to induce change in the colour of the cotton fibre. Ancient Sanskrit and Prakrt tex ts refer to the development of red tinged cotton when the seeds are treated w ith red I .. ~() ~ I Tl' . Id 'd ac .Juice ' . liS maxim cou prov i e a val uable feed back to the recent rev iva l o f interes t in natural co lours. more parti cu­larl y the development of naturall y co l­oured cotton varieti es 1'0 1' which re­searches have been initiated at the cotton based research inst itutes in India and abroad.

Some other max i ms depicti ng ani mal behaviour include:

Gaddarikapravah Ilyaya - It depicts the continuous ru sh of sheep. It is used to indicate the blind following or others like a rI ock of sheep.

Simhavalokallanyaya - It refers to the glance of a li on. This i s based on a lion ' s habit of look ing in frollt and behind. after killin g its prey, to sec if there is any ri va l to dispute the possessicn.

Patanga dipaka Ilyaya - It refers to the behaviour of insects of getting at­tracted to a source of li ght. The phe-

nomenon is utili zed to minimi se the in­sect populati on after the rainy season by holding the fes tival of li ghts.

Vyala n.akula Ilyaya - It refers to the innate antipathy between snake and mon­goose.

Maxims based on physical phenomena Quite a good number of maxims illus­

trate physical phenomena centred on ob­j ects of nature like water, oil, iron. mag­net, mirages in deserts. length s of shad­ows, waves in seas. nature of fire, etc . Some of these max i ms are as under:

Kedari kulya Ilyaya - It depicts vari a­ti on in the rate of tl ow of water in in'iga­tion channels, the rate slowing down with distance in the branch channels. The knowledge or the method of collecting water from rivers and catchment areas and carry ing it through canals (klllva) to di stant areas was known to the ancient Indians dating back to the Vedic peri()d~2 .

Stlwli pulaka Ilyaya - It depicts the maxim of rice in the cooking pot. In a cooking vesse l all the grains are equally moistened by th e boiling water. When one grain is found to be well cooked the same may be inferred with regard to the other grains al so.

Klipa yalltra ghatika nyaya - It de­pi cts the maxi m o f the pots attached to waterwheel of a well. As the wheel re­volves, some of the pots go up and the others go down, some are full whilst oth ­ers are empty and so it is applied to illus­trate the circle of changes and chances or thi s mortal life. The max im is used to de­note various vicissitudes of worldly ex is­tence. In phil osophy it is used to indicate that life is a circle of birth and death.

I DIAN J TRADITIONAL KNOWLEDGE. VOL 2. No. 2. APRIL 20m

Vici tarallga Ilyaya - It refers to the wave undulations accounting for the pro­ducti on of sound (that the sound comes to the seat or hearing in the same manner as th e undulating sea waves).

Some other maxims based on phys ical phenomena are as follows:

!sllvega ksaya lIyaya - It refers to the simile or the gradua l diminution of the speed or an arrow.

Trillarallimalli Ilyaya - It refers to the simile of straw, oralli wood and the burning gem as means of produci ng fire.

Lail/Ill cilmbaka Ilyaya - It depicts the attract ion of iron towards magnet.

lala taila lIyaya - It depicts the im­misc ible nature of water with oil.

Vahllisplllllling Ilyaya - It depicts the spark s around fire.

Na hi mal'lllllarici sarasi kralllasah sllsyati - It refers to the unend ing mi ­rages giving fal se impression o f water in sandy deserts.

Purvalllla clllIya Ilyaya - It dep icts the longer morning shadows, which gel gradually shorter till noon when the sun is just over the head.

Aparalwa chaya Ilyaya - It depicts the shorter noon shadow gradually getting longer up to the close or the day.

Discussion This communicati on intends to bring

the ancient Indian wisdom to the noti ce df the present day world , albeit with a new angle of providing modern interpretations to the earl y observations and thus make an improvement upon the archaic con­cep ts which hold true even today, so far as the genuineness o f the visua li zati on IS

concerned.

Keeping in view the signi f icance or the IOl/kiko IIvava sl/lros in shaping tile hu­man psyche, several texts exc lu sive ly devoted to these maxims have been wril-

. I I 14 IS I . I ' I . ten In lle ast century " . t IS llg 1 lIme efforts were made to bring to the not ice of the modern world the maxims witil hi th ­erto undeciphered scientifi c connotation. This would help the future generati ons have an easy grasp over the situation as obta ining in the past and also the role played by respecti ve plant and an i mal groups in shaping the thoughts or ancient thinkers in evo lution o f the va riou s philo­sophica l paradigms. These illustr<.:.r ions could act as mi ss ing links for the poster­ity in understanding the diversity of natu­ral heri tage. A rew of the usages of plants described above could be applied even today for so lv ing the prob lem or water pollution. For example, seeds of Slrycl l ­

II OS polalomlll could be utili zed for evolving a bio logica l method of puri fi ca­ti on of defiled water. Similarly, there has been a rev i va l of interest in use or natural co lours fo r dyeing the fabri cs, colouring the food items or even paintings. Stress is being laid upon propagating the natu rally co loured colton varieties also.

Looki ng into these maxims may al so help in tracing the antiquity of the know l­edge of the useful properties of c rta in plants and animals as well as the behav­iour of organi sms. This cou ld be fu rther ela orated in finding the first enli stment of such information in our ancient tex ts. Th is would help safeguard the intellectual property ri ghts by their proper docurnen­tation.

G lobal concern is being expressed over the rapid loss of biodiversity . Quite a

.lH A & T IWA RI: SC IENT IFIC OBSERVATIONS IN I DIAN PH ILOSOPH ICA L PR INCIPLES 179

good number of processes/phenomena evo lved/observed by indigenous com mu­niti es for the utili sation of the di verse biologica l enti ti es are also getting eroded . It is ex tremely essential to save the in­digenous acumen from conseq uent ex­tinct ion on the one hand and from the danger of rampant biop iracy on the other~') Thi s is obv ious in case of recent

attempts by fo reign agencies in seek ing fal se patents on hasllwli ri ce, J1 eCI/I , tur­meri c, etc. Indi a has had to seek legal re­dressal for protect ion of its intell ectual property ri ghts. It is in thi s contex t th at apex scientifi c bodies of the coun try have taken up the task of documenting the in­formation contained in all the texts re­lated with indigenous sys tems of medi­c in e~~. The concept of evo lv ing peoples' biodiversity reg ister would definitely help safeguard our indi genous knowledge to

L t' b Lt" ~s ~6 ~ our own uture ene tt s . .

Acknowledgements Thanks are due to Dr. S.K. Jain ,

F.N.A. (Lucknow), Dr. P.Sensanna (Kol­kata), Prof. J ai bnta M ishra (A lIahabacl), Dr. Sas inath Jha. Dr. Arv ind Kumar, Dr. A nil Kumar Jha and Sri Ram Shankar Sharma (all from Darbhanga) fo r inspi ra­tion and help during this study.

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