Alberuni's understanding of Indian Sciences

 

·       Al-Biruni was an Iranian scholar and polymath and regarded as one of the greatest scholars of the medieval Islamic era. In 1017 he traveled to South Asia and authored a study of Indian culture for which he has been given the title of "founder of Indology.

Motivation

·       Some scholars have indicated that he had a great sympathy for Indians, as just like his countrymen they have also suffered at the hands of Mahmud Ghazani.

·       But it seems like he was motivated by purely scientific and intellectual curiosity and wanted to know what all factors have determined the thought process of Indians.

·       He was also interested in comparative religion.

·       He sees history as unfolding of God’s divine plan, through prophets, in the other he seems to be adhering to the view that both sciences and recording of history are aimed at finding out truth.

·       His views on Indian History: He warns of the numerous lies and concoctions which are mixed up with almost all historical traditions and records, especially when it comes to analyzing and
reading of Indian texts. He criticizes the Hindus for the lack of interest in history.

Importance

·       Unlike the prevalent Puranic traditions of recording the genealogies or the west Asian tarikh tradition of narrating the political history in a chronological manner, the work is of a very critical nature.

·       It provides information ranging from regional geography, political narratives to customs and traditions and even mathematics and science.

·       He has analyzed not only written sources but also oral sources. His work has elements of scientific historiography and advices historians to be more careful with their sources and critically examine them.

·       Al-Biruni was careful in mentioning the written sources of social and cultural history of India, specifically about the Indian scientific works and their authors.

Content

Political History

·       Al-Biruni’s work on India was not intended to be a political narrative; it nevertheless contains some valuable information.

·       The animosity between the Muslim Turkish invaders and the Indians is for the first time attested in the record of Al-Biruni. He laments the widespread destruction caused due to invasions and the migration of the learned men to further east.

·       He accurately dates the conquest of Somnath by Sultan Mahmud, and also noted its exact location and the legend behind building of the temple.

·       Al-Biruni also records the history of the Hindushahi’s who faced the brunt of Mahmud’s invasion.

·       He also mentions the dynasties of Kashmir, Kalchuris and even mentions Rajendra Chola.

Society

For his keen observations on Indian society and cultural ethos of the time, some scholars have actually written of him as the ‘first anthropologist’.

·       Caste ridden society: He seems to be well informed about the fourfold division of the varna order, and the social position and duties associated with each caste. He also informs that the caste system and the associated segregation of men is one of the principle obstacles for any rapprochement between the Hindus and the Muslims.

·       Closed Society:  He notes that going to far-off places was considered undesirable by Brahmins which was further aggravated by a false sense of superiority.

·       Stagnant Knowledge: He remarks that the knowledge in India was at the lowest ebb and they can’t differentiate between dates and sour grapes.

·       Social Evils: He mentions child marriage, sati, low position of women in general and women in particular.

·       Religious beliefs and practices: Covers all major Hindu texts-Gita, Upanishads, puranans, Vedas and highlighted choices parts.

Science

When Al-Biruni came to India he had knowledge of Indian astronomy, which he had acquired by studying Arabic translations of some Sanskrit texts. He considered the Indians well versed in astronomy and mathematics, but he also mentions that Indians mix up science with poplar religious belief.

Mathematics

·       With regard to Indian system Al-Biruni writes that numerical signs have different shapes
and styles in different regions of India.

·       Al-Biruni quotes that the decimal system, symbol for zero, higher order numbers were all known to the Indians.

·       Al-Biruni also mentions that according to Brahmagupta π=√10 and also gives the value of π given by Aryabhatta.

Astronomy

·       He mentions Varaha Mihira’s Panchasiddhantika (6^th century), Brahmagupta’s Brahma Siddhanta and Khandakhadyaka (7th century); Aryabhatta I’s Dasagitika and works of Aryabhatta II.

·       According to him, Indian astronomers generally divided the zodiac into 27 or 28 lunar stations or nakshatras, and gave the number of stars in each nakshatra along with its distance from the sun.

·       He also mentions that Indian astronomers knew about the real cause behind solar and
lunar eclipses and notes two methods given in Khandakhadyaka for ascertaining the time of an eclipse.

·       Makes passing reference to the precision in the calculation of equinoxes and refers to Brahmasphutasiddhanta regarding the revolution of sun, moon and planet.

Physical Sciences

·       In his account of the Indian views on the origins of the world, he seems to be well aware of the Samkhya philosophy and its exposition of the spirit in relation to matter.

·       Al-Biruni also mentions the different methods of weighing and measuring practised in India at the time.

·       Chemistry:  According to him, Hindus do not give much importance to rasavidya, i.e. alchemy. From the point of view of history of alchemy in India, al-Biruni’s detailed account of three alchemists – Bhanuvasa, Nagarjuna, and Vvadi.

Limitations

·       Written with a faulty reading and understanding of the Sanskrit texts, Al-Biruni at times fails to grasp the nuance of the original in its entirety.

·       His reliance solely on Sanskrit texts as representatives of the books of faith and repository of scientific knowledge in the country, ignores a huge corpus of Buddhist and Jain literature, written in prakrit, pali and other local languages.

·       He also limits his audience only to the upper caste groupings within the Indian society, and hence we are devoid of any real understanding of varna order when seen from the point of view of the lower classes.