Sanskrit PARAMANU - an ATOM? or a SUB-ATOMIC PARTICLE??

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The Vedic Divisions of Time

 

SOURCE: Srimad Bhagavat Maha-purana, Canto III, Chapter XI

 

Sanskrit-English Translation by Richard Shaw-Brown

 

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It is only recently that the Western scientists discovered the existence of the

atom; but the following ancient Sanskrit verses show that the atom or ANU

was already known to the Hindu seers thousands of years back. I consider

this information to be amazing, especially as it relates to modern scientific

discoveries.

 

English Translations

 

Verse 1: (The great sage) Maitreya said: "The smallest particle of material

substance, which has not yet combined with any other similar particles, is

called paramanu (a sub-atomic particle of matter). Paramanus always exist

both in the dormant and manifest states of material existence. It is the

combination of more than one paramanu (sub-atomic particle) which gives

rise to the illusory concept of a (material) unit.

 

Verse 2: And the entire manifest material existence, taken as a non-specific

whole, and before returning to an unmanifest (dormant) state, is defined as

the largest (material) size.

 

Verse 3: We can understand the short and long dimensions of (material) time,

as a potency of the Supreme all-pervading transcendental Lord, Who, in the

form of the Sun, passes across the small and large dimensions of (material)

things.

 

Verse 4: The amount of time it takes the Sun to pass across the smallest

particle of matter is called paramanu which is the smallest measure of time,

while the period it takes to cross the total expanse of material creation is

called the longest measure of time.

 

Verse 5: A combination of two paramanus constitutes an anu (atom); and

three anus (atoms) makes one trasarenu. Trasarenus are visable [to the

naked eye] when seen floating upward in the air while viewed through rays of

sunlight which enter a room through a latticed window.

 

Verse 6: Three Trasarenus is called a truti (8/13,500 part of a second), which

is a measure of time it takes (the Sun) to travel across three Trasarenus. A

combination of one hundred trutis is called a vedha (8/135 part of a second),

and three vedas together is known as a lava (8/45 part of a second).

 

Verse 7: A combination of three lavas is called a nimesha or the twinkling of

an eye (8/15 part of a second), while three such nimeshas equals a ksana (8/

5 part of a second). A combination of five ksanas is known as a kastha (8

seconds), and fifteen kasthas is equal to a laghu (2 minutes).

 

Verse 8: A conglomerate of 15 laghus is called a nadika (30 minutes). Two

nadikas equal a muhurta (hour), and six or seven nadikas equal a prahara

(approximately 3 hours to 3 and a half hours, depending on long or short

days), which is a fourth of a day by human calculation.

 

Verse 9: A nadika can be measured by taking a copper pot weighing six palas

(8 tolas=ck dictionary) that can contain about 14 ounces of water and

punching a small hole in the bottom using a 10-12" long golden needle that

weighs four mashas (ck dictionary); when the pot is placed in water it takes a

nadika of time (about 30 minutes) to fill up (and sink).

 

Verse 10: Oh Vidura, who respect all beings, (the Sage Maitreya continued),

for humans, day and night consist of four yamas (6 hour periods), while 15

such days & nights make up the bright or dark fortnight, by rotation.

 

Verse 11: Two of these fortnights (the bright and the dark) equals a masah

(one month consisting of 30 days length), and this period is taken as one day

and one night of the forefathers (Pitris in heaven). Two of these months equal

a ritu or season, while six such months is called an ayana (one full movement

of the Sun from North to South or South to North).

 

Verse 12: By the calculation of the demigods in heaven these two ayanas (12

months by human calculation) make up their celestial day and night which is

one year for humans. And the full life span for humans is 100 years.

 

PLEASE NOTE: Some Srimad Bhagavatam translations say the Paramanu is

the atom, and ANU is a "double atom." This is obviously wrong because the

first verse above says Paramanu is the smallest particle of jada or material

substance. And modern science has shown that the atom is not the smallest

particle of matter, which are "sub-atomic" particles. So obviously ANU=atom

 

Best regards,

Richard

http://www.richardshawbrown.com