Among many significant
contributions of ancient Indian scientists, Vymanika Shastra is notably a
towering work dealing with vimanas and allied topics. Aviation as a subject, wrests its own charm over other disciplines
even today. This makes the presence of this work even more glamorous. For a casual reader this work may appear to
be a fantasy, for a researcher on first reading, curiosity gets kindled. Successive readings see the cream slowly
surfacing commensurate with ones ability to comprehend concepts, tolerance to
appreciate the depth of basic researches preceding the technologies and systems
of aviation science
It is the firm view of many
researchers that mere knowledge of Sanskrit or science or both synthesized
plays little role in true understanding of such works. The authors were intelligent to use coded
terms, symbolic expressions, archaic language to safeguard knowledge falling to
unauthorized sources. For right understanding
true flair and that much of extra perception to decode and interpret with
reference to context plays the decisive role. This is where many with correct
approach succeeded while others failed.
This logic remains the same be it a scientific work such as this or
Indian philosophy. Both form two sides
of the same coin, the coin being ‘Knowledge’.
As study of philosophy demands faith, perseverance, genuine insight,
ancient Indian science is no different
No one ventures into
pronouncing a scientific work unless one has something meaningful to
convey. The author, whether he was
Maharshi Bharadwaja or Mr. X must have known this too.
The work “Vymanika shastra”
is not meant for the biased scientist of the day who prefers to believe what he
want to believe.
It all started on a pleasant
winter evening of 1998. During a
discourse on renowned mythological epic Mahabharata, the eminent scholar
sidestepped to make reference to the existence of vimanas in epic era. He further elaborated to aver the existence
of ancient Indian treatise “Vymanika shastra” dealing with Aviation science and
Technology. He indicated that this work
had been ascribed to Maharshi Bharadwaja and conveyed to the world, in Sanskrit
narration, through Late Pandit Anekal Subbaraya Shastry in the first decade of
twentieth century. Not many in the
audience had known this before. At the
end of the discourse most of them had appreciated what they had heard, but
forgot it as well. There were exceptions
too. Musing over the interesting
revelations, probing started in right earnest.
The scholar delivering the lecture had nothing more to contribute. Nevertheless, he was firm on what he had
conveyed.
Perseverance led to location
of the work in a primitive library and a solitary bookstall in Bangalore. Cleaning the dust-clad copy of the work was
not a pleasant experience. A few copies
had reached the curious brains long ago, many of them being foreigners. The rest had found their way to the condemned
cellar.
Debut reading of the work
conveyed mixed feeling of amazement and skepticism. Patient successive readings generated conviction and added
interest. The eerie feeling ‘Is it a wild
goose chase? however, lingered on for a while. On gathering more information
about the work, it was discovered that we were not alone in our pursuit. We had company. Reportedly many had studied
the work. Some liked it and others
dumped it. Many others not willing to be bystanders, went skin - deep and wrote
derogatory reviews. It was not their
cup of tea. They had no clue of
understanding such works. They trailed
from where others moved ahead. Their
success was merely in creating roadblocks to genuine researchers.
Scientists with true resolve
carried on with incessant efforts. This
group included freelance researchers, science laboratories, and scholars. Dedicated topics were taken up for study as
specific projects. While freelancers, with their limited resources, came out
with impressive results, science laboratories succeeded in fabricating hardware
from the treatise as per prescribed formulae.
Scholars and scientists from abroad did not lag behind. “Vymanika Shastra” is quoted by many of them
for its relevance in many scientific literatures, particularly in USA. Germans
were reported to have bought fifteen copies of the work within few days of its
release in 1973.
Just quoting the summarized
findings from a report of Birla Science Centre, Hyderabad, relating to
researches on three types of alloys developed by them as described in the
textual content of this work, they find:
“As these materials were
found to be novel in their compositions and preparations patents have been
asked for them. The experimental
results in BISR laboratory established the originality and textual description
of the materials in “Vimana Shastra”.
Therefore there is a strong possibility that the large number of
descriptions of other new materials described may also yield good experimental results
in the laboratory.”
The study team found company
and enough company too, inland and foreign.
What is sighted at the turn of the century appears to be still the tip
of the iceberg. There is more and much
more the work “Vymanika Shastra” has to convey, hidden in the potent future
Acknowledgements:
Special Acknowledgements
The Project Study Team
gratefully acknowledges the keen interest evinced by The Aeronautical Society
of India, Bangalore and AR & DB, Ministry of Defence (R&D) for
sanctioning the study project. We are
thankful to Dr. K. Ramchand, Director, The Centre for Airborne Studies,
Bangalore and Air Marshal P. Rajkumar, PVSM, AVSM, VM, President AeSI
Bangalore, for their valuable support.
1. Dr. T.N.
Prakash, panel coordinator AR & DB.
2. Wg.Cdr.
A.E. Patrawalla, Honorary Secretary, AeSI, Bangalore.
3.
Sri.
Bannanje Govindacharya, Eminent Scholar on Indian Philosophy, Bangalore.
4.
Dr. V.
Prabhanjanacharya, Professor of Sanskrit and Illustrious scholar on Indian
Philosophy.
5. Dr.
P. Ramachandra Rao, Director, NML, Jamshedpur.
6. Air Cmde. P.S. Subramanian. V.M, Bangalore.
7. Dr. B.G.Siddarth, Director Birla Science Centre, Hyderabad.
8. Dr. Maheshwar Sharon, Dept. of Chemistry, IIT, Bombay.
9. Dr. V.K.
Didolkar, Sri. Deepak Deshpande, Sri. M.K. Kawadkar. (Bharatiya Boudhika Sampada) Nagpur.
10.
Dr. R.
Ganesh, Eminent Scholar on Indian Philosophy, Bangalore.
11. Dr. K.H. Krishna Murthy, Former Professor of
Ayurvedic Medicine, Pondichery Medical College, Bangalore.
12. GP. CAPT. M. Matheswaran VM. Indian Air Force.
13. Wg. Cdr. S.S. Yegnaswami, Bangalore
14. Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd., Bangalore.
15. Sri. N.G. Sheth, Bombay.
16.
Oriental
Research Libraries, Pune and Baroda.
17.
Sri.
Shraddhalu Ranade, Aurabindo Ashram, Pondichery.
18.
Veda-vignana
Parishat, Bangalore.
19.
Sri. S.
Krishna Murthy, Director, Public Relation, ISRO, Bangalore.
20. Sri. M. Madhu Rao, Bangalore.
21.
Dr.
Upendra Shenoi, Bangalore.
22. Indian Institute of World Culture, Bangalore.
23. Sri. K. Rajagopal, Bangalore.
24. Sri. Ahobala Shastry, Bangalore
25. Sri. P.V. Ramaprasad, Pune.
26.
Mr. M.
R. Narendra, Bangalore.
27.
Mrs
Muktha Badrishprasad, Bangalore.
28.
Mrs
Sudha P Rao, Bangalore.
29.
Mr
Satyanand. M. P., Bangalore.
30.
Mr
B.V. Rajesh, Bangalore.
NOTE: Copies or extracts of this
report shall not be taken without the written consent of the principal
investigator
VYMANIKA SHASTRA - A
BACKGROUND
The work “Vymanika Shastra”
has appeared in twentieth century in Sanskrit transcript form and subsequently
translated versions in Hindi and English have been derived. There are different versions with different
titles leading to possible confusion among the readers and research
scholars. We have therefore devoted
some effort to place the facts in the right perspective.
In this process, it is appropriate
to commence this topic with the narration front-lined on G.R. Josyer’s
publication, which reads as follows.
“Maharshi Bharadwaja’s
‘Vymanika Shastra’ or ‘Science of Aeronautics’ as revealed to venerable
Subbaraya Shastry and recorded in hand written Sanskrit script form, translated
to English by G.R. Josyer.M.A [hons] FRES, MRSE.
Four variants with different
titles are as follows:
A] Vymanika prakaranam
B] Vymanika shastra
C] Vimana shastra
D] Bruhad Vimana Shastra
We clarify here that the
base work for all the four versions are common-sourced from the Sanskrit
transcript of Pandit Subbaraya Shastry’s revelations and recorded by his close
associate and Sanskrit scholar Sri. G. Venkatachala sharma. They were recorded in 23 exercise books
during the period 1903 to1918.
Manuscript copies of this were sent as Vymanika Prakaranam to two
Oriental Institutes in India. One was
sent to Oriental Library at Baroda on 3rd June 1919 and the second
sent to Oriental Research Institute, Poona on 19th August 1919. Hence the work has been referred to by many
as Vymanika Prakaranam even though only Sanskrit parts of the published
versions carry this tittle. These
exercise books suffered long hybernation.
A work called “Vymanika shastra” in Sanskrit alone seems to have come
out from Dayanand Bhavan, Delhi in 1943.
This is the second variant.
The third variant is based
on the copy of “Vymanika prakaranam” sent to Baroda Oriental Library. A Hindi translated version of this book
titled ‘Brihad Vimana Shastra’ was edited by Swami Brahma Muni Parivrajak
Gurukul Kangdi, Hardwar and published by Sarvadeshika Arya Pratinidhi Sabha,
Dayanand Bhavan, New Delhi in the year 1959.
In the publication of this Hindi version, the initiative taken by Air
commodore S. N. Goyal of the Indian Air force has been particularly
appreciated. ‘Bruhad Vimana Shastra’
became the reference work for many researchers in North India.
The variant referred to as
‘Vymanika Shastra’ published in Sanskrit- English languages had its base on the
copies sent to Oriental Libraries in 1919 and something more. The work remained in manuscript form till
1923 and even later. But between 1919
and 1923 there is evidence of ‘add on’ textual content to the work in the form
of description and diagrams of four types of representative vimanas--Sundara,
Shakuna, Rukma and Tripura vimana. The work of making drawings was entrusted to
a draughtsman T.K. Ellappa working in an engineering school. The drawings were prepared by him and appended
as approved by Sri Subbaraya Shastry on 2nd December 1923. This is the last occasion that any material
went into the Sanskrit transcript. The
transcripts remained in exercise-book-form for the next three decades under the
joint custody of Sri Shastriji’s adopted son and Sri Venkatachala Sharma. It was in 1952 that the books found the
light of the day when they were brought into an exhibition of antique works
conducted by International Academy of Sanskrit Research, Mysore. Mr. G. R. Josyer, being the Honorary
Director of the Academy showed tremendous initiative. Translation work took a
long time and eventually “Vymanika Shastra” was published on 15th
March 1973. This book became the reference work for many in South India &
abroad.
A short brochure of about 30
pages was reportedly published by Acharya Charanathirtha Maharaj from Sri
Bhuvaneshwari Ayurveda Vidya Peetha, Gondah in Sourastra in September 1952.
Swany Dayananda Sarswathi, a
towering scholar of the last century, while referring to flying machines in his
commentary on Rig-Veda Bhashya Bhumika, narrates certain aspects of propulsive
thrust of vimanas in directional control.
This was in 1875.
Another book called ‘Vimana
vamanam’ authored by Nathumal Brahmachari, finds its place in Udaipur palace
library.
For practical purposes, only
“Vymanika Shastra” and ‘Bruhad Vimana shastra’ can be taken as reference, the
other titles are only of academic nature.
Sri Josyer’s publication is taken for reference by the study team.
Going into essential differences
between the two variants, apart from English-Hindi translations, Maharshi
Bharadwaja’s original version extracted from ‘Yantra Sarwaswa’ contained 500
Sutras {rules}, 8 Chapters and 10 Adikaranas. ‘Vymanika Shastra’ [English
version] contains six chapters, 2972 verses.
Bruhad vimana shastra contains 40 rules in 3 chapters and 2657
verses.
In substance, Bruhad Vimana
Shastra has 315 verses less. This is
possibly because of addition of descriptions of 4 vimanas that ‘Vymanika
Shastra’ contains today. This
difference will not matter as much as the difference we see from the original
work to the transcripted work. The reasons for this could be ascribed to
various factors:
The period of transcripting
spanned for over 15 years and the manuscript copies waited in the freezer for 3
to 4 decades. As G. R. Josyer observes
‘The transcripts came in various forms of decay’. Loss of such literature
through pests, quality of paper, loss during transit, change of hands could
well be imagined. Further, such works
that claimed to be of ancient Indian origin did not find recognition during the
British colonial rule facing freedom struggle.
It is said that even possession of such literature was considered
Anti-British. The scholars who
possessed such works had to keep them concealed. Loss of sheets, obliteration of manuscripts, environmental
influences could have taken a heavy toll.
AUTHORSHIP AND DATING
—VYMANIKA SHASTRA
The work
‘Vymanika Shastra’ has been ascribed to the great sage of ancient India,
Maharshi Bharadwaja. From the data
available, references related to the work have transited through earlier times
of known history. It is also claimed
that the work is among forty topics of ‘Yantra Sarwaswa’ that dealt with ‘All
about machines’. It is not a matter of
dispute that basic work for translated variants of Vymanika Shastra (English & Hindi) published in the
country was originated from Sanskrit manuscript dictated by Pundit Anekal
Subbaraya Shastry to a Sanskrit scholar, Sri G Venkatachala Sharma.
There have been
doubts and controversies raised in some earlier reviews regarding the
authorship and dating. Treatises of this nature where documented records of the
past are not available due to various reasons naturally attract such issues.
This aspect needs careful and logical scrutiny. This is especially so in the
face of some critics having made generalised statements that Indians have a
habit of eulogising the authors and works of such genesis.
Many scientists
today look at Mythology with scepticism and accept only recorded history as
gospel truth even if recorded history itself has suffered distortions. They are
antagonistic to the belief that Mythology preceded history in civilisations the
world over. This is primarily because
the links between history and mythology are loose and not conclusively
established. Periods of vacuum between
mythology and history have compounded the problems in the efforts to bridge the
gap. Repeated invasions before and during the Mogul rule, colonial rule under
the British put together spanning nearly ten centuries (with occasional
breathers of domestic supremacy) contributed a great deal towards suppression
and hybernation of ancient Indian works, Scientific, Spiritual and literary.
It is in the
backdrop of such observations that this study exercise has probed into the
subject of authorship and dating. It is
for this reason alone that ‘Background of the work’ conforming to recorded data
from the genesis of Sanskrit manuscripts conveyed by Pundit Sri Subbaraya
Shastry has been separately dealt with in earlier discussion.
Discussions: Several natural questions
do come up in this context.
Collection of answers to questions
of this nature brought out interesting answers both from Mythology and History.
Regarding Maharshi
Bharadwaja:
He is known to be a towering
scholar both in science, philosophy and warfare. His is an august name in the
pantheon of Hindu sages who recorded knowledge in the spiritual, intellectual
and scientific fields. During his period, knowledge was transmitted from mouth
to mouth and ear to ear.
Maharshi
Bharadwaja, according to some scholars, belonged to Thretha Yuga and to Dwapara
Yuga to some others, linking him with Dronacharya’s ancestry. He is known to
belong to sixth mandala of Rigveda. He
has also authored Srauta shastra and smriti work. He figures in the genealogy
of Bruhaspati, the principal preceptor of all Hindu deities and his son being
seer Bharadwaja. Bharadwaja’s son Dronacharya, again was the preceptor of
Pandavas and Kauravas during Mahabharata era. It should be no surprise that a
seer with this background of generation possessed a vast variety of knowledge
to author a work such as ‘Yantra Sarwaswa’.
In this connection, discussions on the subject with a well-known scholar
of Bangalore Dr.V.Prabhanjanacharya spotlight the subject. This is enclosed as an appendix to this
chapter, which clarifies many doubts.
Maharshi
Bharadwaja transcended from one Yuga to another. He is among the seven prime seers of Mythological era. Whether there were other seers by his name
is not known. It is possible that seers succeeding him in his Gothra could have
been known by the same name. Nevertheless, he is the only Bharadwaja referred
to as one among Maharshis. He has also
authored ‘Anshu Bodhini’ dealing with cosmology, few sections of which are
still available. Its reference is made to several topics in ‘Vymanika Shastra’.
It again features commentary from Bodhananda. The style of Sanskrit in
‘Vymanika shastra’ and ‘Anshu Bodhini’ have been studied by Sanskrit scholars
for a possible commonality of authorship. Their opinion confirms common
authorship.
The introductory
part of the subject work clearly avers as follows. Maharshi Bharadwaja’s
‘Vymanika shastra’ or ‘Science of Aeronautics’ is a part of his unknown work
‘Yantra sarwaswa’ or ‘all about machines’. Here we see no reason why anyone
should be attributing the work to him without any gain for himself. No one else
down the line has claimed the authorship nor has anyone disputed.
Deliberating on the dating
aspect of the work, the data gathered by the study team explains certain
crucial issues. The work itself is not
a part of Vedas as is misunderstood by many.
No where it is claimed so either. It is claimed to be the essence and
offshoot from the principles of Vedic knowledge. It is necessary to understand
that Vedas are ‘Anaadi’ or ‘from-time-immemorial’, they had no relationship
with time cycle.
The basic structure of Vedas
has remained unaltered, interpretations however could be different.
Nevertheless, essence could have been communicated by preceptors at many points
of time, in any style of Sanskrit, which could be even in a contemporary structure
of the language. It could even be in a
different language conveyed to someone distant in any part of the world. Hence, going into the exercise of verifying
the number of Vedic Sanskrit words Vis-a-Vis medieval or modern Sanskrit
language is a tangential approach and serves no useful purpose. In fact,
Sri.G.R.Josyer who was himself an eminent Sanskrit scholar has paid tributes to
the high fidelity of Sanskrit language of the text.
Despite being one of the
most knowledgeable seers himself, Maharshi Bharadwaja has chosen to quote lucid
definitions, rules or soothras of other sages and preceptors. Bodhananda’s
commentaries have referred to expressions from these sages and Acharyas and
works on related ancient sciences.
Brief descriptions of other scientific guides / works in this book have
been given in another work of Sri. Madhusudhana Saraswati, ‘Prasthana
Thraya’.
Discussing the dating of the
work, all that can be said with a fair degree of certainty is that the work,
being a part of ‘Yantra Sarwaswa’ featured at several points of time in known
History. Science of aeronautics was in
existence even earlier than Bodhananda.
Bodhananda chose to write ‘Vritti’ or commentary or explanatory notes on
the seer’s pronouncements for ease of understanding by the users. This was a
traditional treatment given to very many works of philosophy as well. Bodhananda was known to be in 10th
century AD according to some research sources.
Confirmation on
references to the textual content of the work during the 19th century
is discovered by an observation in which Maharshi Dayananda saraswati had given
clarification on the direction of thrust of propulsive devices of Vimanas
quoting Rig-Bhashya Bhumika. This was dated to be in 1875. As we notice from that text of ‘Vymanika
Shastra’ it is a work based on many disciplines of science and technology,
described by core researchers of several fields. Each ‘sootra’ or ‘rule’ contains references to several topics of
science or technology. Under the given
conditions, there is adequate logic to accept that ‘Yantra Sarwaswa’ was an
offshoot of Vedic knowledge. The Vymanika shastra came into being in manuscript
form between 1903 to 1918 as revelations by Mystic scholar Anekal Subbaraya
Shastry.
While this much
of discussion is devoted for protagonists of Vedas, mythology, the seers and
the like, let us turn to the antagonistic scholars and scientists who prefer to
view the subject of authorship and dating under their self-imposed scientific
frame work. If it is appropriate and tenable to go by recorded history and
ignore the mythological relationship, let us go by the validation of textual
content and correlate with modern science wherever possible. Let not such critics be concerned with Bharadwajas
of the distant past.
Life-
sketch of Sri Anekal Subbaraya Shastri:
In the chain of relating the
work to Pundit Anekal Subbaraya Shastry’s revelations, propriety demands
deliberations on his life sketch as well as linking his work up to the stage it
was printed and published in 1973. This data has been collected from his
biographical sketch, his descendants, younger associates of his time and other
detailed inquiries during the probe of the study.
An autobiography
of Sri Anekal Subraya Shastry was published by Sri M.C. Krishna Swamy Iyengar
and Sri Venkatachala Sharma on 12th March 1972. This was an English version; translated by
Sri G.V. Sharma based on the narration of Sri Shastriji in his vernacular. From this autobiographic sketch it is evident
that Sri Shastriji had committed to Dr Jagdeesh Chandra Bose, an eminent
scientist of the yester years, that he would send his biographic script. This has been addressed separately to both
Dr. J.C. Bose and Sri Babubhai Iswardas Ichcharam whom Sri Shastriji had met at
Bombay and had close interaction. Sri
Ichcharam, besides being his ardent disciple had supported him financially
too. This biographic sketch, though in
minute detail, has an abrupt ending. It
covers his life story up to the year 1918.
Curiously, this sketch does not include a significant part of a special
message conveyed by his godfather Sri Guruji Maharaj. This special message, however, features in another Biographic
sketch (a much-abridged version) also brought out by Sri Krishna Swamy Iyengar.
According to his autobiography
Sri Shastriji was born in 1866 AD in a village called Togare Agraharam in Hosur
Taluk, Dharmapuri Dist of Tamil Nadu.
He was born as the eldest son in a large orthodox Brahmin family. His father was a learned and benevolent
individual who supported many students at home. As his own family grew in size, he found it increasingly
difficult to maintain. Eventually he
became penniless even when children were still urchins. Sri Shastriji lost his parents early in life
and had to bear the brunt of supporting all his younger ones. From then onwards, it is a story of misery
and poverty. Soon he had to take up
begging. Compounding his travails was
his marriage with an eight-year-old girl, his own age being twelve. Fortunately his infant wife had not yet
joined him to undergo suffering. It did
not take very long for the lot of children to choose the pavements for their
living. As though this was not enough,
cholera and small pox broke out in the district, killing people in
hundreds. Sri Shastriji’s family was
not spared. All but two brothers fell
prey to the deadly epidemic. Eventually
it was his turn to invite infection.
His body became a home of infectious blisters, puss oozing out. His sight was abhorring. People drove him out. He survived on tender leaves and vegetation
around. In short he felt that the world
just discarded him. Left with no
option, he sent his brothers away to fend for themselves.
Then came the ultimate
decision to call it a day from this world.
He kept walking for days and reached a forest near a place called Avani
in Kolar Dist. He lived in the wild,
visited often by snakes and tigers. He
wondered how he survived in this deadly company, living on vegetation and water
for many years.
There is an end for
everything and possibly, for his travails too.
One day, while he was roaming in the forest, he entered a cave and after
some distance he found a vast under-ground enclosure. There, he came across a woman whom he recalls as his dead
mother. He was consoled and taken care
of for some time and she vanished as mysteriously as she had appeared.
According to Sri Shastriji’s life sketch it was in this underground cave that he sighted Sri.Guruji Maharaj who bore super huma