The Scientific Literature In Sanskrit-Part I

 

Characteristics of the Sanskrit Scientific Literature

The Sanskrit word for a scientific work is Saastram. In India science originated from theology and was at first cultivated in Vedic Schools.  The recitation of the Vedic hymns, the necessity to pronounce correctly words and expressions of the holy-scriptures and that for their wider circulation and the effort to understand them as far as possible led people early to realize the importance of grammatical studies and the beginning of a lexicography.  On account of the great mystic significance that was already attributed to the metres in the Braahmanams section of Vedic Hymns, it is no wonder that man passionately worked in the field of prosody.

The preparation of the Vedic calendar for the ceremonies necessitated study of heaveny bodies and of their movements, and this led to the beginning of the astronomical science.  The construction of sacrificial Altars required measurements and this led to geometry. 

                                                                                                - continued.