India’s science heritage

Sanskrit was the medium of communication, education, law, administration, trade, commerce, art and intellectual debates till a few centuries ago. Our knowledge of astronomy was much more advanced than that of the West. This is proved when we read the Rig Veda where some of the following points have been expounded on:

The elliptical path through which all the celestial bodies move is “imperishable and unslackened”.
The mean planets move on their orbits and the true planets in eccentric circles.
The cause of eclipse is that the moon that covers the sun and the shadow of the earth covers the moon.
The influence of comets increases rapidly in the autumn and spring seasons as these naturally exist in the solar rays.
In the eighth region of the sky there are 3,07,03,2212 comets.
The moon is a satellite of the earth revolving around its mother planet.
The radius of the earth is 800 yojanas.
Massive celestial bodies are attracted towards the earth by her gravitational force.
Bhaskaracharya discovered the nadivalayam which helped people to determine the time
The shanku yantram was discovered to trace the sun’s path and find time.

Similarly, Sanskrit revealed our ancient knowledge of physics—the speed of light as 2,202 yojanas in half a minute;

the sequence of the creation of matter is as follows: akasha, vayu, agni, apa, prithvi; units of measurement, electricity generation by using copper plates and chemicals kept in earthen pots; formation of rainbow, motion, lens, elasticity, etc.