Science and Technology in Ancient India (I)
India is a country with a long tradition of science and technology, especially in the fields of astronomy, mathematics and medicine. The Indian nation has made great contributions to the development of world civilization.
Aliyepito was a leading mathematician and astronomer in ancient India in the 5th-6th century. His most shocking theory in astronomy was his Heliocentrism. It was not until this day that he discovered and flashed the great wisdom of ancient Indian civilization. It was not until16th century, during the European Renaissance, that the Polish astronomer Copernicus gradually made Heliocentrism known to people. Aliyepito's On Aliyepito was translated into Arabic in the 8th-9th century, and later spread to Florence, Italy and other European places on the eve of the Renaissance. Copernicus studied in Italy in 1500- 1503, so it is entirely possible for him to come into contact with Aliyepito's theory. Arie's Pitot calendar puts forward the scientific concept that midnight is the beginning of a day. His astronomical thought, especially his thought of taking mathematics as the basic scientific method of astronomical research, had a far-reaching influence on the later development of Indian astronomy.
The invention of the digital system now called Arabic numerals is another great contribution of ancient Indian mathematics to world civilization. According to the archaeological findings in India, this digital system may have appeared after the birth of Buddhism. The Indian numeral system was introduced to Europe through the Arab region in the Middle East. Westerners did not do detailed textual research, so it was called Arabic numerals, which was completely understandable in the era of underdeveloped information in ancient times. As long as an invention is practical, people will not explore its roots. However, modern people will not underestimate the significance of the Indian digital system to the world.
Basham said: "In mathematics, the extent to which the western world has benefited from India cannot be overestimated. Without a developed digital system, most of the great inventions that Europe is proud of would be impossible. If Europe has been bound by inconvenient Roman numerals, these discoveries and inventions will also be impossible. " Salton, an American historian of science, once pointed out that our use of numbers and zeros was invented by Indians and then passed on to us through Arabs. These evaluations finally clarified the facts, which is undoubtedly appropriate. The concept of zero was formed in India, which is related to the concept of emptiness in Indian religious philosophy. Infinity also seems to be related to the view that the universe is infinite in Indian philosophy. The concept of zero sum and infinity was not fully understood until the Middle Ages.
In the 5th century AD, Arie Pito's most remarkable achievement in mathematics was to calculate the approximate value of pi ∏ as 3. 14 16. At the same time, Zu Chongzhi, a great mathematician in the Southern Dynasties, also calculated the value of pi in the 5th century. He calculated the pi between 3. 14 15926 and 3. 14 15927. It should be said that Aliyepito and Zu Chongzhi represented the highest achievement of mathematics in the world at that time, and their pi values were more accurate than those of the Greeks, leading the world for more than a thousand years. Subsequently, Indian mathematicians calculated the value of pi to 9 decimal places.
In the 9th century, Indian mathematician Mokpiro also made outstanding achievements. He was the first mathematician in Indian history to mention the calculation method of ellipse area. /kloc-The famous Indian astronomer Basgalo Aguri in the 20th century was also a great mathematician. He was the first mathematician in the world to understand the meaning of dividing any number by zero. He believes that no matter what number is divided by infinity, its quotient is still infinite. Because of his superb attainments in mathematics, he is handy in astronomical research.
The mathematical and logical abilities of the Indian nation are quite outstanding among all ethnic groups in the world. India's computer software industry has sprung up in a short time since the 1990s, which is related to the profound national tradition of mathematics.
Indian ancient medicine has a long history and a self-contained system, which occupies a very unique and important position in the world. The exact number of human bones has been recorded in the Apoveda during the Vedic period. Shuluojia, who lived in the 2nd century A.D.1-,is the most famous descendant of the Vedas of Life. Shuluojia has the talent to realize that bacteria are related to human diseases, but he does not think that bacteria are the only factor that causes diseases. The Shuluo family attaches great importance to the professional ethics of doctors, and its core idea is that doctors must devote themselves to the medical cause, and the mission of saving lives is more important than the personal life of doctors. Doctors should concentrate all their energy on their work and respect the privacy of patients. Doctors must work wholeheartedly for the health of patients and never abandon patients, even at the expense of their own lives. Doctors can't get drunk; Can't do evil; You can't make friends with black sheep. . . You must be kind. . . Be considerate of patients and constantly improve their knowledge. Even today, these professional ethics are difficult for many people to achieve, so they are very valuable.
After Suruga, Miao Wencheng, a famous doctor, became the originator of Indian surgery. Miao Wen is probably the earliest and most thorough surgeon in the world who understands the importance of human anatomy to medical development. He is not only proficient in surgery, but also very good at other disciplines such as obstetrics and gynecology. In the era of low status of women, it is difficult to attach such importance to gynecology without the kindness of big doctor. His bladder lithotomy was nearly ten centuries ahead of Europeans. The flap transplantation technique he invented is still one of the basic medical methods in plastic surgery. He also repaired the damaged nose for patients suffering from nasal torture, thus creating plastic surgery in India. Because of Miao Wen's pioneering contribution, Indian surgical medicine has been in the leading position in the world for a long time. In the field of plastic surgery, India has long maintained its advantage. Surgeons of the British East India Company once put down their airs and humbly asked their Indian counterparts for advice. Indian medicine is also the first country in the world to attach importance to and advocate dental care. In addition to astronomy, calendar and medicine, ancient India has also made considerable achievements in the fields of physics, chemistry and metallurgy.
Sanskrit Classical Literature (2)
Since ancient times, the Indian people have shown extraordinary imagination and creativity. The richness and influence of Indian fable and ancient poetry literature far exceeds that of other ancient countries and occupies a unique and extremely important position in the development of world civilization. The birth story of Buddha in Pali is a huge collection of Buddhist fables and one of the oldest stories in the world. There are 547 stories in the book, telling all kinds of stories about the past life of Sakyamuni, the founder of Buddhism. Mr. Guo, a famous expert in Sanskrit Pali in China, believes that this fable collection, as the oldest collection of human poems and essays, "occupies an important position not only in the history of Indian literature, but also in the history of century literature", and this evaluation is very appropriate. The Five Classics is another famous collection of ancient Indian fables. Mr. Lu Xun once said: "If you taste the fables of Tianzhu, such as the deep springs of Dalin, the art and literature of other countries are often influenced by them." Except for fables such as forests and springs, Indian stories are like rivers and seas.
As early as the 5th century AD, works praising Buddhism were translated into Chinese and introduced to China. Translating ancient Indian poetry into classical Chinese has become a much-told story in the history of cultural exchange between China and India. Only half of the original Sanskrit has been preserved, but the Sino-Tibetan version is a whole.
Kari Tathagata is the most outstanding representative of Indian Sanskrit classical literature. He is a great poet and playwright recognized by India and the world. His reputation is enduring in India, and his works are highly praised after being translated into foreign languages. He made the creation of Sanskrit poetry and drama reach a difficult peak. It can be said that he is the leading master in the history of ancient Indian literature. Tagore, a master of Indian modern literature, regarded Cali Tuotuo as a model. As far as fame, achievement and influence are concerned, two peaks in the history of Indian culture and literature coexist. 1956 Cali Tuotuo was listed as one of the world cultural celebrities commemorated by the World Peace Council that year.
Carly Tuotuo's long poem Rhyme has been translated into various Indian local languages, and the earliest foreign language translation is the Tibetan version of about13rd century. 18 13 British scholar Wilson translated it into English, and later European literary translations such as German and French were published one after another. Goethe, a great German poet, read Wilson's translation and appreciated The Messenger of the Cloud.
1956, Mr. Jin Kemu's Chinese translation was published. Delicate emotion, beautiful language, fresh metaphor, harmonious rhythm and rich rhetorical skills make this lyric poem reach the highest level of Sanskrit poetry art.
In addition, the classical Sanskrit drama is unique among the world drama arts. Because Indians are optimistic by nature and their philosophy of life advocates living for joy, tragedies are rare in Indian dramas, and almost all of them end in happy endings. So Sanskrit dramas are basically comedies, and others are tragicomedy. Kalitoda is not only the most outstanding poet in Sanskrit classical literature, but also an unparalleled great playwright in the history of Sanskrit literature. His position in Indian drama literature is no less than Shakespeare's position in English drama literature. It is not known how many plays he actually wrote. Although the number of his plays is only a dozen of Shakespeare's, it is enough to show that his talent is not under Shakespeare. The five-act mythical love drama "Avocado Stone" is not only beautiful in content, full of twists and turns, full of drama, but also full of rich poetic and artistic meaning. The play depicts a goddess who, in pursuit of love, breaks through the fetters of heaven and becomes the embodiment of courage. She is very much like the Weaver Girl in China's ancient fairy tale "The Cowherd and the Weaver Girl". Mr Ji Xianlin has translated the play into Chinese.
Shagondaro is a seven-act love drama, a masterpiece of Cali's three plays and the highest model of Sanskrit drama literature. The script has rigorous structure, vivid characters and beautiful and fresh language, which embodies the aesthetic principles of traditional Indian aesthetic poetics. Carly Tuotuo's brand-new creative technique makes this ancient story colorful, beautiful and charming and spread all over the world. Mr. Ji Xianlin, the Chinese translator of the script, thinks that Sha Gong Da Ruo is an "extraordinary poem that will last forever", which can be described as appropriate. In 1950s and early 1980s, China Youth Art Theatre performed Sagondaro twice in Beijing, which was a great success.
Buddhism spread to China, and Buddhist scriptures were translated in large numbers. Indian culture is bound to have a far-reaching impact on China culture. Literature is no exception. The image of the Monkey King in the novel The Journey to the West is an example. The creation of the Monkey King's image is the result of Hanuman's influence on the Chinese translation of Buddhist scriptures and Ramayana. The epic Mako Bharata, which reflects the events between 1000 BC and 700 BC, has become an inexhaustible source of Indian culture, especially literature. Sakyamuni's initial sermons may have been in Magadha and semi-Magadha.
India is a nation that is good at absorbing foreign cultures and inheriting and developing its own traditional culture. The combination of Indian national tradition and western modern culture has produced a more detached cultural spirit. According to Goldman Sachs' recent forecast, India's per capita income will be 35 times that of today in the next half century. By then, China will surpass the United States to become the world's largest economic power, while India will become the world's second largest economic power after China.