येनात्मा पण्यतां नीतः स एवान्विष्यते जनैः । हस्ती हेमसहस्रेण क्रियते न मृगाधिपैः ॥

Author : Manisha Puranik
Volume : 5
Issue : 2

We can find many scientific terms in ancient Indian Literature and Darśanas are mainly among them. Six Darśanas are famous for their philosophy. From these Darśanas the Vaiśeṣika Darśana is mainly related to physics. The philosophy in this Darśana is very much similar to modern scientific concepts. Six padārthas (Dravya Guṇa Karma Sāmānya Viśeṣa and Samvāya) are used in Vaiśeṣika Darśana to classify all known objects. Among those is the Guṇa which is divided into three categories solids liquids and gases which are comparable to the physical properties in use today. The current paper aims to establish a correlation between the notions of liquid and liquidity found in select texts from the Vaiśeṣika Darśana tradition and those notions recognised by contemporary science.