Did Ancient India Know About Gravity?

Gurutvakarshan in Surya Siddhanta: Ancient India’s Understanding of Gravity

The term gurutvakarshan (गुरुत्वाकर्षण), derived from Sanskrit, translates literally to “attraction due to heaviness” or “gravitational pull.” This concept, widely seen today as a scientific term in the context of Newtonian physics, actually has deep philosophical and astronomical roots in ancient Indian literature. Most notably, the Surya Siddhanta, a classical Sanskrit text on astronomy, provides insight into an early Indian understanding of gravity—centuries before the advent of modern science in the West.

Etymology and Meaning of Gurutvakarshan

The Sanskrit compound gurutvakarshan is made up of two words:

• Gurutva (गुरुत्व) – meaning “heaviness” or “mass.”
• Akarshan (आकर्षण) – meaning “attraction” or “pulling force.”

Together, gurutvakarshan denotes the force of attraction that arises due to an object’s weight or mass—a concept strikingly similar to what is known today as gravitational force.

While gurutvakarshan is used more commonly in modern Sanskrit scientific discourse to denote gravity, its conceptual foundation and linguistic roots stretch back much further in time, particularly to ancient Indian astronomy.

Surya Siddhanta: An Ancient Astronomical Masterpiece

The Surya Siddhanta is one of the oldest known treatises on astronomy in India. Though its origins are difficult to pinpoint precisely, scholars generally agree that the existing version dates to around the 4th to 5th century CE, though it is likely based on even older oral traditions. This text covers a wide range of astronomical calculations, including planetary motion, eclipses, and time measurement, and reflects a sophisticated understanding of celestial mechanics.

Among its many insights is the mention of planetary attraction based on heaviness, hinting at a gravitational-like force well over a millennium before Isaac Newton formulated his law of universal gravitation in the 17th century.

Verse Alluding to Gravity in Surya Siddhanta

The most cited passage in this context appears in Chapter 12, Verse 43 of the Surya Siddhanta:

“स्वगुरुत्वेन आकृष्टा मेरुं पतन्ति न ग्रहाः”
(sva-gurutvena ākṛṣṭā meruṁ patanti na grahāḥ)

This can be translated as:

“The planets, being attracted by their own heaviness (gurutva), do not fall toward Mount Meru (the central axis).”

In this verse, we observe the idea that planetary bodies are subject to a force stemming from their own mass or “heaviness,” which pulls them toward a central point, yet they remain in orbit due to a balance of forces. The implication here is profound: this ancient text recognizes that there is an attractive force that governs celestial bodies, an insight akin to gravitational understanding.

While the exact term gurutvakarshan may not appear as a single compound word in the Surya Siddhanta, its two constituent parts—gurutva (mass or heaviness) and akarshan (attraction)—are used in a context that unmistakably conveys gravitational behavior.

Comparison to Newtonian Gravity

Newton’s formulation of gravity, famously articulated in 1687, states that every particle of matter attracts every other particle with a force directly proportional to the product of their masses and inversely proportional to the square of the distance between them. The Surya Siddhanta does not provide a mathematical expression like Newton’s law, but its qualitative explanation of attraction due to mass is conceptually similar.

The ancient Indian model explained that celestial bodies exert an attractive influence based on their weight, and this attraction affects their positions and movements. This conceptual framework, though not formulated as a physical law in the modern scientific sense, reflects remarkable observational insight and logical reasoning.

Cultural and Scientific Significance

The presence of gurutva-based attraction in the Surya Siddhanta is significant for several reasons. First, it demonstrates that ancient Indian scholars did not merely treat the sky with mythological interpretations but engaged in rigorous empirical observation and theorizing. The use of rational explanations for natural phenomena, including the motion of planets, points to a deeply rooted scientific temperament in ancient Indian civilization.

Second, it helps reframe historical narratives about the origins of scientific knowledge. Often, discussions of gravity begin with the Western scientific revolution. However, texts like the Surya Siddhanta reveal that non-Western cultures had already begun exploring such ideas through their own epistemologies and languages.

Finally, the linguistic continuity of Sanskrit allows these concepts to persist and be adapted into modern usage. The word gurutvakarshan is now commonly used in Sanskrit-based science education in India to refer to gravity, illustrating the long life and adaptability of Sanskrit vocabulary in scientific discourse.

Misinterpretations and Clarifications

It is important not to anachronistically attribute modern scientific formulations to ancient texts. The Surya Siddhanta does not contain equations or laws with the precision of Newton or Einstein. However, it would also be unfair to dismiss the depth of its insights. Ancient Indian astronomy was a blend of observation, reasoning, and mathematical modeling, often grounded in a unique cosmological framework that differed from the heliocentric model.

Rather than claiming that India “discovered gravity before Newton” in the modern sense, it is more accurate—and respectful to both traditions—to say that Indian thinkers had their own model of understanding attraction and motion, rooted in their linguistic and philosophical systems.

Legacy of Gurutvakarshan

The idea of gurutvakarshan has found new life in contemporary Sanskrit-based education and Indian philosophical thought. It is used in modern translations and explanations of physics in India and by scholars who seek to connect ancient knowledge systems with modern science.

Moreover, the recognition of such concepts in ancient texts has sparked renewed interest in India’s scientific heritage. Institutions focused on Indian knowledge systems are revisiting texts like the Surya Siddhanta not merely as historical curiosities but as repositories of intellectual value.

Conclusion

The concept of gurutvakarshan, or gravitational attraction, in the Surya Siddhanta stands as a testament to the profound observational capabilities and philosophical depth of ancient Indian astronomers. While not identical to Newtonian gravity, the essential idea of attraction due to mass was recognized and integrated into explanations of planetary motion more than a thousand years before the modern era.

This underscores the richness of ancient Indian scientific literature and the need to study these texts not as relics, but as meaningful contributions to the global history of science. By understanding gurutvakarshan in its original context, we not only appreciate the intellectual legacy of ancient India but also gain insight into the diverse paths humanity has taken in its quest to understand the cosmos.

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