India is known for its wit for ages. It’s a land of very important discoveries, inventions and astounding knowledge. Saints of ancient India has given the world so many things and inventions that the world will be grateful in future as well. The great ‘Granths’, ‘Puranas’, ‘Vedas’ of theirs are marvellous with great philosophies, teachings, knowledge and meanings. Their discoveries astonished even the kings of those times. Many of their inventions are now termed as modern science. The sad part is many people in the world are still unaware of their hard work and achievements. Let’s accolade some of these great saints who gave the world modern, scientific ways of thinking and solutions.

Acharya Sushruta

Acharya Sushruta is considered as the father of Indian surgery and ophthalmology. He was the first to carry out cataract operation and plastic surgery that too in 2000 BC (Before Christ). Thinking of such a medical advancement at that time is no less than magic. He made use of curved needles and pushed the lens to remove the cataract. The eyes were then immersed in warm butter and covered until they healed completely. People from all over the world came to India at that time to get his treatment.In his ‘Uttar Tantrum’, he has mentioned many eye diseases in classified manner with their signs, symptoms, prognosis and medical or surgical solutions. His work in medical sciences were translated to Arabic and passed to European countries to done further advancements. 

Bhaskaracharya

Bhaskaracharya is a very prominent Indian mathematician and astronomer of the medieval era. He is the one who first stated the laws of gravity in the book ‘Surya Siddhanta’ which was written by Aryabhatta. He had contributed to the book with many of his thesis and findings. The laws of gravitations were discovered by Bhaskaracharya 1200 years before Sir Isaac Newton. But unfortunately, the world is unaware of this. At age of 36, he wrote the ‘Siddhānta Śiromaṇī’- Crown of Treatises which is broadly divided into four parts. It deals with the calculus, algebra and arithmetic of the planets and spheres.

Saint Bharadvaja

Saint Bharadvaja is considered to have given knowledge about flying machines or Vimanas. He had made an airplane from his vayushastras that would vanish. He had revealed secrets of travelling from one planet to another.The book ‘Vaimãnika Shastra or the Science of Aeronautics’ written by Subbaraya Shastry are the teachings of Saint Bharadvaja about flying machines. As per Bharadvaja, there are three types of aviation machines- those that travel from one place to another, those travel from one country to another and those that travel from one planet to another. In Ramanaya, an ancient Indian epic has mentions of deities and powerful people travelling in flying machines. The Pushpaka Vimana of the demon king Ravana is the most famous example of vimana in Ramanaya.

Aryabhatta

The crucial number Zero in mathematics was given to the world by great Indian mathematician and astronomer Aryabhatta. He is also known for many of his findings in astronomy about his explanations of the lunar eclipse and solar eclipse, motions of the solar system, rotation of Earth on its axis, a reflection of light by the moon and many more. He has found the sinusoidal functions, trigonometry, the value of π correct to 4 decimal places and the circumference of Earth to 99.8% accuracy! His book Aryabhatiya is a Sanskrit astronomical treatise that has all his astronomical findings. India’s first satellite was named after him for his notable contribution to mathematics and astronomy. He has influenced many other saints like saint Bharadvaja, Brahmagupta and wrote many books on astronomy and mathematics with their contributions.