Traditional View Point on Hydrosphere

Hydrosphere in Indian Traditional Texts

The word “Hydrosphere” can be translated into Sanskrit as “Jalavaranam”.

Manifestation of the Water:

We have a clue about the manifestation of the water in Taittiriyopanishad: “AkasadVayuh – Vayoragnih – Agnerapah…” etc.  It means –

“Air is manifested from the Space.

Fire is manifested from the Air.

Water is manifested from the Fire.”…

It explains that, the Water was manifested with the mixture of few of the heated contents of the Air.  (H2O)

Various properties of the Water:

Various Sanskrit names of the Water explain its various properties. 

	Name	Property
1	Ap Sarvatomukha	The water spreads in all the directions.
2	Salila	The water flows.
3	Jala	The water can become “Jada”. (Snow)
4	Paniya Payas	The water can be drunk by the living creatures.
5	Kilala	The water can extinguish the Fire.
6	Kabandha Amrita	The water helps the living creatures in surviving.
7	Pushkara	The water nourishes the living creatures.
8	Nira	The water flows downwards.
9	Ghanasara	The water is present in the clouds. The water can be present in both solid and liquid forms.
10	Meghapushpa	The water becomes vapour and forms clouds.
11	Sitasparsavati	The water is cool by nature.

In this way, these various Indian traditional names of the water give us the clue for the keen observation of the great ancient Indian scientists and linguists as well.

The Water-cycle:

Ancient Indians knew the Water cycle –

The Sanskrit Text explains this cycle as – “Syadavarto-mbhasam”.

The word “AmbhasamAvarta” does also mean “A whirl-pool”.  Yet, it means even the water cycle.  The words that followed the above statement in Sanskrit text are sufficient in backing this fact.They are –

“Prishanti-Bindu-Prishatah-Viprushah”

Prishanti Prishatah	The Water makes the Air wet. The Water becomes Vapourand increases the humidity in the Air. Gradually the Vapour is condensed and forms the clouds.
Bindu	Gradually, the Vapour in the clouds is formed as the Water drops.
Viprushah	The water decreases the heat of the atmosphere/thirst of the living creatures. It is implied that this happens only when it rains.

Then, there is another sentence – “Chakraniputabhedahsyuh”.

This sentence points towards the emergence of the water-springs.  It is very natural that the water springs occurafter the rain and gradually develop into streams and rivers.

As mentioned earlier, the water can spread in all the directions.  Yet, the water flow is controlled by the banks of those streams and rivers on both the sides and directed into the Sea.  The Sanskrit text describes the banks in many words as – “KulamRodhaschaTiram cha Pratiram cha Tatam”.  Moreover, the Sea is described as the “Paravaram”.  It means the place where the journey of the water comes to an end.  As it is well-known, all the Rivers terminate themselves in the Sea.  It is a famous quotation in the Sanskrit texts – “NadinamSagarogatih”. 

The chief cause of this Water-cycle is the Sun.It was well understood by the Indian ancestors.  In his RaghuvamsaMahakavya, Kalidasa described one of the duties of the Kings like this –“A King is supposed to collect the tax from the people but should spend it back for the progress of those people only, just as the Sun takes the water (in the form of the vapour) and gives it back (in the form of rain).  “SahasragunamutsrashtumAdatte hi rasamRavih”.

Thus, it is very clear that the Indians knew the water cycle very well, even before it was understood by the western scientists.

Various sources of the Water

The following are few sources of the Water:

Abdhi Jalanidhi Udadhi	The Sea/Ocean.  It is the largest reserve of the Water.
Vapi Kupa Tataka	A Well/Pond.  Indians were well aware of the underground water, and they used to dig wells and ponds for their domestic uses.  The Kings used to dig these for the benefit of their subjects.  Digging these was considered to be a requirement for the attainment of the Heaven.
Kasara Saras	A Lake of fresh water.  ManasaSaras and Pampa Saras were well-described in the Ramayana.
Nadi Sravanti	A River.  Generally, the Rivers emerge on high Hills and Mountains and flow down on to the plains.  India is known as the land of the holy Rivers.  Ganga, Yamuna, Sindhu, Reva, Godavari, Krishna, Kaveri are some of such Rivers.
Himalaya	Almost all of the Rivers in the northern India are perennial and the source of their water is Himalayan Mountains.  The snow on these mountains melts throughout the year and comes to the plains,always making those areas free from drought.

In the ancient texts, various varieties of the sources of the water were described according to the taste salinity etc., of the water in them:

“KshirodoLavanodastathapare”.

Kshiroda	It is the water source where the taste of the water resembles that of the milk.
Lavanoda	It is the water source where the taste of the water resembles that of the salt.
Dadhyuda	It is the water source where the taste of the water resembles that of the curd.
Ikshuda	It is the water source where the taste of the water resembles that of the sugar-cane.
Ghritoda	It is the water source where the taste of the water resembles that of the ghee.

Life in the Water:

Indians pronounce that the first incarnation of MahaVishnu was “Matsya” (Fish).  It is a marine being.  The modern science also opines that the thing called “life” occurred first in the water.  We cannot consider this to be mere coincidental agreement between the Indian Tradition and modern science.

Indians used to call the sea “Yadasampati”.It does mean that the Sea is the King (shelter) of the aquatic animals.  Many water animals were described in the ancient texts of Indians.  Few of them were:Matsya,Gadaka, Sahasradamshtra, Ulupi, Nadamina, Saphari, Timi, Makara, Karkataka, Kurma, Mahilata, Kumbhira, Jaluka, Sukti, Sankha, Manduka etc.  In the Ramayana, Hanuman had to face a terrible water animal called “Simhika” which could grasp even the birds etc., flying over the sea, by dragging their shadow.

Water-plants such as Padma, Saugandhika, Utpala, Saivala were also mentioned in various texts.

Accessibility:

India is a peninsular and so, the realm of water is not a strange thing at all to the Indians.  

Even in the ancient days, Indians were well aware of various marine techniques and many of them were adapted to life with and on the water.  Many spirited Indian merchants were indomitable enough to do the overseas business from the times unknown.  They were called as “Samyatrikas or Potavaniks”. 

The various crew in aship were called as “Karnadharas and Potavahas” etc.

Various sizes of boats and ships were being built by the naval-craft architects of Indian origin with prodigious expertise.  They were called as “Pota, Nauka, TaraniandUdupa” etc.  Indians could easily cross the rivers and seas with the help of them. 

There is description of various instruments that were used to move, turn or stop the naval craft.  Few of them were - Kupaka, Naukadanda, Aritra and Sekapatra etc. 

In the History, names of few kings who maintained naval-army were mentioned.

The sea was called as “Ratnakara”.  There were great swimmers in the ancient India who could dive to great fathoms of the sea (without any oxygen cylinders on their back) and bring precious pearls from those depths.  The description of atool called “Kuddala” which was used to dig the salt mines etc.,is found.

“Dhivaras”were the Indian fisher-men.  They were the fearless risk-takers.  Thus, Indians were traditionally well-acquainted with the life related to the water.

Long back in the History, Indians learned to build dams across the rivers in order to facilitate their lands with good irrigation.  Such lands were called as “Nadimatrikas” and the lands which were dependent on rains were called as “Devamatrikas”.

The water-weapon (Varunastra) was described in Dhanurveda; the Science of Traditional Warfare.  It was used to control the fire accidents and the enemies who were experts in using fire-weapons (Agneyastra).

Sanctity of the Water in India:

Indian civilization flourished on the banks of the rivers such as Ganga, Sindhu and Sarasvati etc.

Water is treated as “Devata” by the Indians.  The Devata is called as “Varuna”.  Indians give much importance to “Saucha” (cleanliness).   Saucha is not possible without the water.  Snanavidhi, Sandhyavandanavidhi and pachanakriya cannot be done without the consumption of the water.  Indians use to bathe in the Rivers on the days of festivals and other special occasions.  The water reservoirs in the vicinity of the temples were called as Pushkarinis.  Japa, Tapas and Dana on the banks of holy rivers were considered to be the stepping stones for the human objective called Dharma.

Indian scriptures proposed severe punishment to those who deliberately try to contaminate the water sources.

Indian mythology described the water as the shelter for Narayana.  They even describe the ocean as the father of Lakshmi Devi, the Goddess of the prosperity.  The ocean became the father-in-law of Lord Narayana by offering Lakshmi Devi to him in marriage! The scriptures portrayed Lord Siva who allowed Ganga (water) to stay on his head!

Once, a great sage called Agastya made the entire sea dry up without water at once.  Later, a great king named Bhagirathadeveloped the sea filled with water again.   These may be the symbolic indications or records of the unusual changes that took place in the hydrosphere in ancient India.

The modern science says that the pure water has no colour.   But, the Indian tradition says that the colour of the pure water is un-glowing white colour.  (AbhasvaraSukla).

Thus, the Indians knew much about hydrosphere and they never tried to disturb its composition and structure but adored it as a Deity!

Traditional View Point on Atmosphere

Definition of the Atmosphere:

The vast expanse of air which envelopes the earth all round is called the Atmosphere. 

The atmosphere is a thin layer of gas held to the earth by gravitational attraction – F.J.Monkhouse

The atmosphere is a deep blanket of gases which entirely envelopes the earth – H.J.Critchfield

The Air of the Atmosphere:It is colourless, odourless and tasteless.  We cannot feel the presence of the air unless it blows as wind.  We cannot feel the presence of the air unless it blows as wind.

The thickness of the Atmosphere:  Previously, the scientists thought that the thickness of the atmosphere was just 800km. around the Earth.  But, now, the latest discoveries hint at the atmosphere of 32,000 km. thickness,around the Earth.

COMPOSITION OF THE ATMOSPHERE

Gas/Other Elements	% by volume	Extension Alt.in KM.s.	Details
Nitrogen	78.03	128	Atmospheric pressure, force of winds and reflection of light are affected by this. It avoids quick burning. It generates protein in the plants.
Oxygen	20.99	16	It is essential for breathing.  It is the life-giver. It helps in burning the fuel.
Carbon Dioxide	00.03	Lower layers	It is the heaviest gas.  It is Essential for the growth of the vegetation.  It is transparent to the incoming solar radiation and opaque to the terrestrial radiation.  Along with the water vapour, it is largely responsible for the greenhouse effect.
Hydrogen	00.01	1100	It is a very light gas.
Ozone	0.000001	10 - 50	It saves the Earth from the ultraviolet radiation of the Sun.
Water vapour	2	2	It decreases with the altitude. It decreases from the equator towards the poles. It absorbs the part of the insolation of the Sun.
Dust Particles			It is the mixture of sea salts, fine soil, ash, pollen, dust, and disintegrated particles of the meteors.  These help the water vapour condense and form clouds.

STRUCTURE OF THE ATMOSPHERE:

The Atmosphere consists of almost concentric layers of air from bottom to its highest limit.  These layers differ from one another with respect to density and temperature.  Our atmosphere can be broadly divided into five layers.

Name of the Sphere/Layer	Extension In K.M.s	Temperature With increasing Altitudes/height	Other Details
Troposphere	8 – 18	Decreases @ 1oC for every 165meters. (@ 6.4o C for every KM.)	Lowermost layer of the atmosphere. 8 Kms high @ the poles. 18 Kms high @ the equator. Contains 90% of the water vapour. Temperature @ 8 KMs: -45o C Temperature @ 18 KMs: -80o C
Stratosphere	Upto 50	Increases	Thicker @ poles. Thinner @ equator. Temperature @ 50 KMs:0o C Contains Ozone gas. Ultra-violet rays of the Sun are absorbed here. No clouds, No thunderings, No lightenings, Ignorable amount of water vapours and dust particles.
Mesosphere	50 - 80	Decreases	Temperature @ 80 KMs: -100o C
Ionosphere	80 - 400	Increases	It contains ions.  Ions are electrically charged particles.  Radio waves transmitted from the Earth are reflected back by this layer. Temperature @ 400 KMs: 1000o C
Exosphere	Above 400	-	It has no defined upper border. It gradually thins out until no air molecules are left in the space as the altitude increases.

Air in Indian Tradition

General properties of the Air are described by the Indians like this:

*Air is that which is colourless,and possessing touch.

*It is of two sorts: eternal and non-eternal;

The first (eternal) is atomic and the second (non-eternal) is a product.

*The Air is again divided into three sorts:

a) Bodyb) Organof sense c) Gross matter.

a) The airy body is in the Vayuloka,

b) The organ of senseis the organ of touch in the shape of an airy cuticle, extending over the whole surface of our bodies.

c) Gross matter is in the form of wind that blows andshakes the trees etc.

*Breath is the Air, moving in the interior of our bodies.

Though it is one; it has different names accordingto the different parts of the body it travels over andthe different functions it performs.These are called Pancha Pranas:

1) Prana is situated in thebreast.

2) Apana is situated in the rectum.

3) Samana is situated in the navel.

4) Udana is situated inthe throat.

5) Vyana moves over the whole body.

Traditional Hathayoga texts describe that the living creatures survive as long as the Prana stays in the body.

Few Indian words are capable of conveying some properties of the Atmosphere:

	Word	Description
1	Dyau Diva	It means something that shines.  Light makes the matter shine.  Atmosphere is filled with various varieties of gases (Air).  So, it shines when the sunlight falls. (At night, even the unending sky shines with various stars.)
2	Pushkara	It means something that gives water. The clouds are formed in the Troposphere and give water through rain.
3	Ambara	It means something where the sound travels. The sound travels by the means of the air; through the space.
4	Nabhas	It means the sky, spread beyond the presence of the clouds. Clouds are not seen beyond the troposphere. So, the sky above the tropopause can be called with this name.

The general term of “Vatavarana” for the modern word “Atmosphere” is well known to the general public.

However, the Indian tradition did not mention various spheres according to the increasing/decreasing temperature or according to the presence of various gases in the atmosphere. 

Yet, Indians knew that the temperature decreases with the increasing altitudes.  Description of hot plains and cool mountain peaks in the summer is available in the ancient texts. 

Indians knew the changes of the atmosphere in various seasons.  They knew that the Air is neither hot nor cool by nature.

Some poets like Kalidasa recognized that, the zone of the clouds above the earth is restricted to a particular altitude.  That zone, where the clouds are formed and where they freely move can be called as “Parjanyavarana”.

Indians knew the technique of creating clouds and the few ancient warriors used those techniques as a weapon in the battles against their enemies.  It was called as “Parjanya-astra”.  Few other warriors could tear and terminate that “cloud weapon” by using their “wind weapon” (Vayavya-astra).  The description of these weapons is mentioned in the Dhanurveda; a text on the traditional weapon-science of Indians.

“Vayudeva” is the personified form the Air.  He was described as a “strong Devata”.  His two sons – Hanuman and Bhima - according to the Indian mythology were very strong. 

In the Bhagavata, there is an indication of whirl-winds with the name of “Trinavarta”.

In the Ramayana, there are descriptions of some Air-crafts such as “Pushpaka”.  Kubera and Ravana used that air craft to travel wherever they wanted to. Moreover, few Vanara-warriors like Vali and Hanuman were apt enough to fly through the Air.

In the Ramayana again, two bird-brothers named Sampati and Jatayu had an affable competition with each other; to fly high in the sky.  They flew to very high altitudes.  The atmosphere was very hot there.  After reaching that height, Jatayu could not fly further and lost his consciousness.  Then, Sampati spread his wings with an intention to guard his brother from the scorching sunlight.  But, unfortunately, the wings of Sampati were totally burnt by the high temperature.  We can guess that Sampati got his wings burnt in the Ionosphere; where the temperature unbearably increases.