Although strange to hear, but it is true that Agastya Samhita an ancient Indian book written thousands of years ago contains the method of primary electric battery or electrolytic cell manufacturing system, also how the battery is useful to "split" water in its constituent gases (hydrogen and oxygen). Even the properties of these two gasses were mentioned in this manuscript known as Agastya Samhita.
It is an unquestioned reality that ancient Indian had the high concomitant knowledge in Chemistry. They discovered the preparation process of caustic alkali several centuries before the Christian era, They found the detection process of metals by the colour of their flames, the recognition of zinc as a distinctive metal were first developed in ancient India, even centuries before these knowledge of applied science were discovered in Europe.
The iron pillar (which was constructed in 415 AD) still attracts the attention of the materials scientists because of its high resistance to corrosion and has been called a "testimony to the high level of skill achieved by the ancient Indian iron smiths in the extraction and processing of iron". Probably Misawite was used to construct such pillar. Misawite is a compound of iron, oxygen and hydrogen which does not rust.
So it's not too hard to believe that Ancient Indian knew the usage of oxygen, hydrogen and their properties before Joseph Priestley and Henry Cavendish discovered oxygen and hydrogen respectively. In this article we will discuss by which names the sages knew these gasses. In the last 400 years, electricity discoveries have been one of the most outstanding and incredible gift to mankind.
Practically the use of electricity has been only available to us from the middle of the 1800s to the late 1800s. Berlin Street Light was one of the first public projects to grab the world attention in 1882, the outstanding decoration of the Chicago World Fair with 250,000 light bulbs in 1893. So far, this short history of electricity is known to all of us, but maybe some civilizations knew the practical usage of electricity even in ancient times. Ancient Egyptians and ancient Indians (integrated India during the period of Mahabharata when Iran, Afganisthan, Pakisthan, Nepal and Bangladesh were the part of it) are said to have electroplated antimony onto copper over 4,300 years ago. Electroplating was widely used in jewelry manufacturing technique in ancient India.
संस्थाप्य मृण्मये पात्रे ताम्रपत्रं सुसंस्कृतम्।
छादयेच्छिखिग्रीवेन चार्दाभि: काष्ठापांसुभि:॥
दस्तालोष्टो निधात्वय: पारदाच्छादितस्तत:।
संयोगाज्जायते तेजो मित्रावरुणसंज्ञितम्॥
English translation: “Place a well-cleaned copper plate in an earthenware vessel. Cover it first by copper sulfate and then by moist sawdust. After that, put a mercury-amalgamated zinc sheet on top of the sawdust to avoid polarization. The contact will produce an energy known by the twin name of Mitra-Varuna. Water will be split by this current into Pranavayu and Udanavayu. A chain of one hundred jars is said to give a very effective force."-page. 422
Mr. Hole and one of his associates began arranging the appliances, following the above description. They understood everything apart from the term ‘Shikhigreeva’. After checking the Sanskrit dictionary they understood that Shikhigreeva is a pure Sanskrit term which means ‘neck of peacok’. When they went for a dead peacock in a zoo, they met with an Ayurdevic expert and told him everything in details. After reading the sloka he burst out laughing and informed them that Shikhigreeva means cuppor sulphate. (According to an ancient text Ayurved Sar Sangraha, in ancient India tamra Bhasma/copper and Copper sulfate are used for various purpose mainly to cure skin disease ). Well, later after knowing the real meaning of Shikhigreeva, Mr. Hole successfully formed a primitive cell, which could produce certain amount of voltage difference. According to some reports this cell was exhibited on 7th August, 1990 before the scholars of the 4th general meeting at the Swadeshi Vigyan Sanshodhan Sanstha, Nagpur. It was then realised that the description was of the Electrolytic Cell.
But after reading some of his verses, it seems that he also had knowledge of gasses like hydrogen, oxygen, electroplating, and propelled balloons. However, in various texts Agastya appeared with different names (most common name is Agastya). He is named variously after his findings.In this manuscript the hydrogen and oxygen are mentioned in connection with constructing a large balloon. Yes, Agastya, of course, did not know the gases by these names, but his terminology for them were more relevant than ours. Because of its lightness, hydrogen has been called "Udanvayu" or "upfaced," while oxygen is called as "Pranvayu/vital" or "essential to life". Agyastha used "Air" instead of gas. Just like hydrogen is “wasserstoffe” and oxygen “sauerstoffe” in German language. Now think How much were the names given by Sage Agastya accurate than ours?
In a convention, held in USA, Dr. Kokatnur read the following translation of the dry electric battery technique which was written century before Volta's birth. Other Chemists at the conventions got surprised after listening the translation of the sloka: “A well-cleaned copper plate should be placed in an earthen-ware vessel. It should then be covered first by moist sawdust. Mercury amalgamated zinc plate should then be placed on the top of the saw-dust. By their contact a light known by the twin-names MitraVaruna (cathode-anode or electricity) is produced. The water is split up by this into gases, Vital and Upfaced. The joining together of hundred such vessels is very active or effective.”
The sanskrit sloka,
अनेन जलभंगोस्ति प्राणोदानेषु वायुषु।
एवम् शतानाम् कुंभानाम् संयोगः कार्यकृत्स्मृतः
Meaning in english: if we use the power of 100 earthen pots on water, then water will change its form into life-giving oxygen and floating hydrogen.
वायु बंधक वस्त्रेण निबद्धो यंमस्तके।
उदान: स्वलघुत्वे बिभर्त्याकाश यानकम ॥
English Meaning: When the "up faced" is contained in an air-resistant bag and the bag is tied at the vehicle head the "up faced" fly with the vehicle in the sky due to its lightness. (later Hydrogen Balloon, but nowdays helium is used instead of Hydrogen as it catches fire).
Then the next sloka clarified the process of creating such air-resistant bags, It is accomplished by plunging a silk bag into the bark of trees which contain a milky liquid (probably rubber). It was once again dipped into the fluid of another tree which produced tannin after the first immersion and drying the slik cloth. It is then again dried, covered with wax and finally coated with a sort of sugar and lime mixture (Dr. Kokatnur could not understand why sugar coating was used on the cloth).
Pre-Christian Indians were familiar with air and water laws and accepted that they were not completely identical, that’s why in Hindu Puran the god of water and god of wind are different in characters though they have some similarities. They knew how to take advantage of both air and water currents. According to Dr. Kokatnur their balloons were tried to steer by sails and guided by some genetically modified trained birds. It is mentioned in the Ramayana that the “Pushpaka-aircraft" was attached to hundreds of such balloons and birds. More convincing proof of the fact that the trip was really made, is the poem provides perfect details of the aerial view of the numerous natural objects, trees, houses, rivers, mountains, regions and countries throughout the journey. According to Romesh C Dutt those poetic descriptions were always given iconic, mystical descriptions, but we realize that many of the ancient arts and sciences are lost now. But No one can conclude that this balloon/flight was actually made as described or it was just some theories that was never applied in real life or might be applied in imagination only. who can say?
Manuscripts show that they have knowledge of physics and nature because it is specifically stated that both light and sound have wavy nature. The manuscript suggested that human can not listen the sound of heaven's conversations because Pavan Dev (the god of air/wind) does not have access on the "ocean of nothingness" where planetary objects are floating in their particular manner. With the blessing of science, today we know sound wave can’t move through an empty space, either sound wave needs solid or air or water as a medium to move on. I think in the Manuscripts empty space was described by "ocean of nothingness".
The names of the "Mitra Varuna" twin gods are really too ancient and even mentioned in Rik-Veda. In now days we have trends to name a new discovered object by the name of Greek gods or roman gods, similarly in ancient time sages used to name their object or important apparatus on the name of Hindu gods. Just like Ashwini kumar, Mitra-Varuna is twin gods. Similar Dyava-Prithvi, they always appear in pairs. The energy produced by the above assembly exists in pairs and can’t exist separately. It points positive and negative terminals of the cell and positive &negative charges electric field. Like North and South poles of a magnet they must exist in pair, just like Mitra-varuna, naturally one can not exist without another. The word "Mitra" means friend "brother," that is, "cathode," as at this place a deposit is made. "Varuna" signifies " liquefied or opponent(zinc)" and hence "anode." With such a significant meaning, the use of such a twin term is definitely brilliant. The terms "prana vayu" or "vital air for life" for oxygen and “udanavayu” (up-faced or upward-moving air) for hydrogen are simultaneously significant and meaningful.
After a thorough analysis of the Agyastha samhita and other ancient Sanskrit texts, David Hatcher Childress, the author of “Technology of the Gods: The Incredible Sciences of the Ancients”, wrote, “in the temple of Trivandrum, Travancore, the Reverned S. Mateer of the London Protestant Mission saw ‘a great lamp which was lit over one hundred and twenty years ago’, in a deep well inside the temple...On the background of the Agastya Samhita text’s giving precise directions for constructing electrical batteries, this speculation is not extravagant.”
The iron pillar (which was constructed in 415 AD) still attracts the attention of the materials scientists because of its high resistance to corrosion and has been called a "testimony to the high level of skill achieved by the ancient Indian iron smiths in the extraction and processing of iron". Probably Misawite was used to construct such pillar. Misawite is a compound of iron, oxygen and hydrogen which does not rust.
So it's not too hard to believe that Ancient Indian knew the usage of oxygen, hydrogen and their properties before Joseph Priestley and Henry Cavendish discovered oxygen and hydrogen respectively. In this article we will discuss by which names the sages knew these gasses. In the last 400 years, electricity discoveries have been one of the most outstanding and incredible gift to mankind.
Brief history of Electricity:
In 10th class we all studied the Galvani's experiment with the frog's muscle touched by the metallic object, Luigi Galvani discovered this phenomenon, known as animal electricity, in 1791. If I am not wrong, in 1800 Alessandro Volta discovered by his experiment that a certain fluids can generate continuous flow of electricity, utilizing zinc or iron as positive plates (cathode); and copper or gold as negative plates (anode). This arrangement is widely known as voltaic cell or battery.Practically the use of electricity has been only available to us from the middle of the 1800s to the late 1800s. Berlin Street Light was one of the first public projects to grab the world attention in 1882, the outstanding decoration of the Chicago World Fair with 250,000 light bulbs in 1893. So far, this short history of electricity is known to all of us, but maybe some civilizations knew the practical usage of electricity even in ancient times. Ancient Egyptians and ancient Indians (integrated India during the period of Mahabharata when Iran, Afganisthan, Pakisthan, Nepal and Bangladesh were the part of it) are said to have electroplated antimony onto copper over 4,300 years ago. Electroplating was widely used in jewelry manufacturing technique in ancient India.
The Baghdad Battery
In 1936 during the construction work of a railway project in Afghanistan, workers discovered a prehistoric battery which is famous in the name of 'Baghdad Battery' in internet. Well it is believed that the Battery like object, discovered in Baghdad, Afganisthan, to be two thousand years old. The prehistoric battery (the discovered object) was made up of a clay jar filled with a vinegar solution, in which an iron bar was placed, again which was covered by a copper ring. Some claimed that the device still can produce 1.1 to 2.0 volts of electricity in that time.Mr. P.P. Hole and Agastya Samhita:
In India Rishi Agastya is known as the father of science, traditional medicines and several other founder of theory. Rao Saheb Krishnaji Vajhe, who passed engineering exam in 1891, discovered few pages of Agastya Samhita. These pages were given to Mr. P.P. Hole who was the professor of engineering at Nagpur, for further investigation.संस्थाप्य मृण्मये पात्रे ताम्रपत्रं सुसंस्कृतम्।
छादयेच्छिखिग्रीवेन चार्दाभि: काष्ठापांसुभि:॥
दस्तालोष्टो निधात्वय: पारदाच्छादितस्तत:।
संयोगाज्जायते तेजो मित्रावरुणसंज्ञितम्॥
English translation: “Place a well-cleaned copper plate in an earthenware vessel. Cover it first by copper sulfate and then by moist sawdust. After that, put a mercury-amalgamated zinc sheet on top of the sawdust to avoid polarization. The contact will produce an energy known by the twin name of Mitra-Varuna. Water will be split by this current into Pranavayu and Udanavayu. A chain of one hundred jars is said to give a very effective force."-page. 422
Mr. Hole and one of his associates began arranging the appliances, following the above description. They understood everything apart from the term ‘Shikhigreeva’. After checking the Sanskrit dictionary they understood that Shikhigreeva is a pure Sanskrit term which means ‘neck of peacok’. When they went for a dead peacock in a zoo, they met with an Ayurdevic expert and told him everything in details. After reading the sloka he burst out laughing and informed them that Shikhigreeva means cuppor sulphate. (According to an ancient text Ayurved Sar Sangraha, in ancient India tamra Bhasma/copper and Copper sulfate are used for various purpose mainly to cure skin disease ). Well, later after knowing the real meaning of Shikhigreeva, Mr. Hole successfully formed a primitive cell, which could produce certain amount of voltage difference. According to some reports this cell was exhibited on 7th August, 1990 before the scholars of the 4th general meeting at the Swadeshi Vigyan Sanshodhan Sanstha, Nagpur. It was then realised that the description was of the Electrolytic Cell.
What is Electrolytic Cell
Every electrolytic cells contain three main parts: This specific arrangement of two solid electrodes, electrolyte solution, produces electric energy. The electrolyte solution (say for Cuso4) conducts electricity as it contains dissolved ions, which are free to move through around the solution. The cathode and anode in an electrolytic cell are attached to a source of electrical energy, like a battery. In an electrolytic cell, the cathode is always negatively charged and the anode is positively charged. These two electrodes are made out of materials, such as copper, silver, and zinc, that participate in the chemical reaction. These are called active electrodes. They can also be made of chemically inert materials, like graphite, silicon, or platinum.
Findings of Dr.Varam R. Kokatnur:
It was still unknown how far the Mr. Hole had progressed with the ancient texts of Agyastha but after 1924, Dr.Varam R. Kokatnur, a consulting chemist working on hieroglyphics in New York city, discovered more few pages of the manuscript of collection of Agastya from a royal library of Ujjain, India. Agastya is a sage mentioned in Puran as far back as 4000 B.C. Therefore this text, which is known as “Agastya-Samhita” is extremely old. Being a chemist Dr. Kokatnur took this manuscript with him and seized with avidity because in Hindu Puran sage Agastya is credited with being the a progenitor of several secret sciences on the field of both spirituality and materialism.But after reading some of his verses, it seems that he also had knowledge of gasses like hydrogen, oxygen, electroplating, and propelled balloons. However, in various texts Agastya appeared with different names (most common name is Agastya). He is named variously after his findings.In this manuscript the hydrogen and oxygen are mentioned in connection with constructing a large balloon. Yes, Agastya, of course, did not know the gases by these names, but his terminology for them were more relevant than ours. Because of its lightness, hydrogen has been called "Udanvayu" or "upfaced," while oxygen is called as "Pranvayu/vital" or "essential to life". Agyastha used "Air" instead of gas. Just like hydrogen is “wasserstoffe” and oxygen “sauerstoffe” in German language. Now think How much were the names given by Sage Agastya accurate than ours?
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| Image Credit: sanskritimagazine.com |
The sanskrit sloka,
अनेन जलभंगोस्ति प्राणोदानेषु वायुषु।
एवम् शतानाम् कुंभानाम् संयोगः कार्यकृत्स्मृतः
Meaning in english: if we use the power of 100 earthen pots on water, then water will change its form into life-giving oxygen and floating hydrogen.
वायु बंधक वस्त्रेण निबद्धो यंमस्तके।
उदान: स्वलघुत्वे बिभर्त्याकाश यानकम ॥
English Meaning: When the "up faced" is contained in an air-resistant bag and the bag is tied at the vehicle head the "up faced" fly with the vehicle in the sky due to its lightness. (later Hydrogen Balloon, but nowdays helium is used instead of Hydrogen as it catches fire).
 |
| Remember The Hindenburg disaster occurred on May 6, 1937 ? Image Credit:wikipedia.org |
Pre-Christian Indians were familiar with air and water laws and accepted that they were not completely identical, that’s why in Hindu Puran the god of water and god of wind are different in characters though they have some similarities. They knew how to take advantage of both air and water currents. According to Dr. Kokatnur their balloons were tried to steer by sails and guided by some genetically modified trained birds. It is mentioned in the Ramayana that the “Pushpaka-aircraft" was attached to hundreds of such balloons and birds. More convincing proof of the fact that the trip was really made, is the poem provides perfect details of the aerial view of the numerous natural objects, trees, houses, rivers, mountains, regions and countries throughout the journey. According to Romesh C Dutt those poetic descriptions were always given iconic, mystical descriptions, but we realize that many of the ancient arts and sciences are lost now. But No one can conclude that this balloon/flight was actually made as described or it was just some theories that was never applied in real life or might be applied in imagination only. who can say?
Manuscripts show that they have knowledge of physics and nature because it is specifically stated that both light and sound have wavy nature. The manuscript suggested that human can not listen the sound of heaven's conversations because Pavan Dev (the god of air/wind) does not have access on the "ocean of nothingness" where planetary objects are floating in their particular manner. With the blessing of science, today we know sound wave can’t move through an empty space, either sound wave needs solid or air or water as a medium to move on. I think in the Manuscripts empty space was described by "ocean of nothingness".
The names of the "Mitra Varuna" twin gods are really too ancient and even mentioned in Rik-Veda. In now days we have trends to name a new discovered object by the name of Greek gods or roman gods, similarly in ancient time sages used to name their object or important apparatus on the name of Hindu gods. Just like Ashwini kumar, Mitra-Varuna is twin gods. Similar Dyava-Prithvi, they always appear in pairs. The energy produced by the above assembly exists in pairs and can’t exist separately. It points positive and negative terminals of the cell and positive &negative charges electric field. Like North and South poles of a magnet they must exist in pair, just like Mitra-varuna, naturally one can not exist without another. The word "Mitra" means friend "brother," that is, "cathode," as at this place a deposit is made. "Varuna" signifies " liquefied or opponent(zinc)" and hence "anode." With such a significant meaning, the use of such a twin term is definitely brilliant. The terms "prana vayu" or "vital air for life" for oxygen and “udanavayu” (up-faced or upward-moving air) for hydrogen are simultaneously significant and meaningful.
After a thorough analysis of the Agyastha samhita and other ancient Sanskrit texts, David Hatcher Childress, the author of “Technology of the Gods: The Incredible Sciences of the Ancients”, wrote, “in the temple of Trivandrum, Travancore, the Reverned S. Mateer of the London Protestant Mission saw ‘a great lamp which was lit over one hundred and twenty years ago’, in a deep well inside the temple...On the background of the Agastya Samhita text’s giving precise directions for constructing electrical batteries, this speculation is not extravagant.”
1. PDF of a manuscript titled "Agastyasaṃhitā" from the Raghunatha Temple Library, Jammu, India.
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