One of the most famous scholars and astronomers in ancient India was Aryabhatta. He lived in the Gupta era, also referred to as the “golden age” of Indian scholarship. His contributions to astronomy and mathematics altered people’s perspectives. He influenced how people perceived time, numbers, and the motion of the planets. Even now, scholars and students feel motivated by Aryabhatta’s work. Because of his important theories and computations, many consider him to be the father of mathematics in India. Once Aryabhatta stated that “Knowledge of the heavens comes from observation and calculation”. In this article, you will know the meaning of this quote and it relevance.
Meaning: “Knowledge of the heavens comes from observation and calculation”
Aryabhatta was against the myth based explanation of planets, stars and cosmic phenomena but he talked about the measurement, scientific reason, mathematical calculations and timings. Aryabhatta was the one who proved that universe can only be understood by the methodical computations and deep research.
Observation is the foundation
According to the Aryabhatta, observing something is not enough but this is the good start for something because observation is the basic thing. He emphasized on the calculations which can convert your observation into knowledge. By using his mathematical knowledge, he developed the modern techniques such as arithmetic, algebra and trigonometry to calculate the movements of planets, their exact timings, their cycle and also the eclipses and their timings. He believed that calculations bring certainty and authenticity and it becomes very easy to make predictions.
Refused Mythological explanations not spirituality
Aryabhatta had a very clear vision towards astrology as he was never on the side of mythology but on the other hand did not deny spirituality. He rejected the fact that eclipses happen because of celestial demons but he believed that eclipses are shadow planets, which is completely a natural phenomena.
Importance of Time and Location
According to Aryabhatta, it was very important to know the precise time and location to make exact calculations because predictions are totally based on that. He used the timings, longitude and latitudes to make proper calculations and panchangs are designed on the basis of those calculations, which we use on a daily basis to know muhurat, choghadiya and everything.
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