KANADA’S LAWS OF MOTION
Modern science is said to have started with Newton’s three laws of Motion. Recently, a report said that Manchester University had found out that these laws were already known from the times of Kanada. Thousands of years ego, Prashastapada in his book PADARTHA DHARMA SAMGRAHA (पदार्थधर्मसंग्रह – Compendium on Properties of Matter) in the chapter on inertia (गुणनिरूपणे संस्कारप्रकरणम्), had brought out Kanada’s laws in a much more advanced form than Newton could ever imagine. He has discussed not only the three laws attributed to Newton, but also has gone much beyond. He does not accept inertia of rest because everything in the universe is ever moving (गच्छतीति जगत्). What is called as rest (स्थिति) is only the equilibrium position of all forces (गति-आगति समष्टि) acting on a point. Rest gives the particle or the body its position. A moving body has no position, but only momentum (गति). He describes physical (मूर्त) inertia (संस्कार) of motion (वेग) and goes on to add two more types of inertia: Thought (भावना) – the non-physical (अमूर्त) inertia of mind that is responsible for memory (mind functions mechanically); and Elasticity – the inertia of restoration (स्थितिस्थापक). He had also discussed Relativity in his Chapter on Motion (कर्मनिरूपण प्रकरणम्). Here we give a comparative analysis of modern view of Newton along with the more advanced views of Prashastapada.
THE LAW OF INERTIA
Newton’s First Law states that: A body at rest or uniform motion will continue to be at rest or uniform motion unless acted upon by an external force. It is said to be a statement about inertia – a tendency to retain the state unchanged unless a force acts to change the state. Any amount of force does not change the state of a body. A big boulder placed on a flat ground will require a huge amount of force to change its state of rest. The same boulder balanced on a cliff will require a small fraction of that force to produce similar effect. Hence, breaking the inertia depends not on the state of the body, but on the forces acting on it. Whenever one of the forces acting on a body at rest is removed, the body moves in that direction. Thus the state of rest is not only changed by the application of an external force, but can also be changed by removing an existing force (such as a stone from under the boulder). Rest is conditioned by forces acting on the body within certain limits depending upon its mass. Unless the applied force exceeds a threshold limit depending upon the mass of an object at rest, the body would not move. Thus, it is really a case of breaking inertia.
Kanada describes three types of inertia (संस्कार), in a compact form (सूत्रम्). Prashastapaada elaborated on this. Before proceeding further, we must understand the Vedic classification and nature of force. Here the basic principle is, if you understand the cause, you can understand the effect easily. Thus, the emphasis is on understanding the cause. Energy (शक्तिः) is a relative term. It cannot exist independent of any medium. Energy of something is its capacity to do work on another (कार्यजनन सामर्थ्यम्). Energy (शक्तिः) in its potential form (अविकुर्वाण-सुप्त) is called force (बल). In the kinetic form (कुर्वाण-कार्योन्मुखी), it is called energy (प्राणः). After energy ceases to operate (विकुर्वाण), the effect (विभागात् पूर्वसंयोगनाशः । ततो उत्तरसंयोगात् देशान्तरप्रापण) is called action or work done (क्रिया). Collectively, the three states of energy are called force (बल), which literally means that which holds something in a desirable combination (बलते निरूपयति स्वेष्टमिति). What causes these different states are called AVYAYA (अव्ययः), AKSHARA (अक्षरः) and KSHARA (क्षरः) respectively, which are the conscious, energy and material aspects of everything in the universe. We find these terms everywhere in the Vedas, Upanishads and Gita. Their mechanism will be explained later.
Everything in the universe can be divided into two categories: fermions or matter (सत्यम्) and bosons or energy (ऋतम्). Bosons (ऋतम् – भातिसिद्ध-अहृदय-अशरीरि) have no fixed structure and hence can occupy the same position or be in superposition (अध्यास). Fermions (सत्यम् – स+ति+यम् – स्थितिसिद्ध-सहृदय-सशरीरि) follow exclusion principle (विष्टम्भकत्व), because they have fixed structures. Thus, combining bosons (सोम, which is ऋतम्) will not lead to stable structure formation (निरर्थक). It would only increase the intensity of energy with its wave motion (कम्प). But combining fermions (8 types of gluons or अग्निम् in its primordial form – अग्निः, जातवेदाः, सहोजा, अजिराप्रभुः, वैश्वानरः, नर्यापाः, पङ्क्तिराधाः, विसर्पि) in the presence of bosons would help structure formation (चिति), though, without confinement, they would explode (विष्फोटक). It must be noted that quarks are not found individually. The positively charged particles are treated as AGNIM – अग्निम्, and negatively charged particles are treated as SOMA – सोम in Vedic sciences. Positively charged particles (अग्निम्) are associated with outgoing forces that creates different particles (प्रसव) and negatively charged particles (सोम) are associated with the confining force (संस्त्यान). Hence it is said that the universe is nothing but charge interaction (अग्निषोमात्मकजगत्). All structures are formed when the positive charge of the nucleus (अग्निम्) is confined by the negative charge or the electron orbit (सोम) limiting or separating it from others (चंद्रार्कमध्यमा शक्तिर्यत्रस्था तत्र बन्धनम्).
Different perception and reactions arise from the differentiation of the medium (प्रकाशकाधारस्य भिन्नत्वे सति). The medium always has resistance (impedance – रस), which increases with its density. Density arises when similars are bombarded on one point (चिति) and are held together by a force (खं सन्निवेशयेत् खेषु चेष्टनस्पर्शनेऽनिलम् । पक्तिदृष्ट्योः परं तेजः स्नेहेऽपो गाञ्च मूर्तिषु). Both bombarding and holding in one place require energy (बल), which generates inertia. It breaks the resistance of the medium to resist and make it less resistant (मूर्छा). Hence the confined structure is called matter (मूर्छनात् मूर्तीः). Thus, the evolution of the entire creation can be explained only by two concepts of impedance – रस (रसो वै सः – तैत्तिरीय उपनिषद) and energy (बल – नायमात्मा वलहीनेन लभ्यो – मुण्डक उपनिषद), which generates inertia (संस्कार).
Since force causes motion (गति), cessation of force should imply cessation of motion (गतिराहित्य). However, since the bodies are seen to move even after the force ceases to operate, there must be some force that moves an object even after the original force ceases to operate. Kanada explains this by what he calls a shadow force (प्रतियत्न), as it mimics the normal effect of force through extension like shadow is our extension that moves with us. This shadow-force (प्रतियत्न) is called inertia (संस्कार). The inertia of motion (वेग) is found not only in solids (पृथ्वी), but also in fluids (जल), radiations (तेजः) and forces (वायुः), in addition to mind (मनः), though the last cannot be verified physically (अमूर्तगुणः). It has only to be inferred from its effects.
Prashastapada says: वेगो मूर्तिमत्सु पञ्चसु द्रव्येषु निमित्तविशेषापेक्षात् कर्मणो जायते नियतदिक्क्रियाप्रबन्धहेतुः स्पर्शवद्द्रव्यसंयोगविशेषविरोधी क्वचित् कारणगुणपूर्वक्रमेणोत्पद्यते ।
Let us discuss it part by part.
- वेगो मूर्तिमत्सु पञ्चसु द्रव्येषु नियतदिक्क्रियाप्रबन्धहेतुः ।
Literally it means: Inertia of motion (वेगो) in the five corporeal substances (मूर्तिमत्सु पञ्चसु द्रव्येषु) is the cause (हेतुः) of successive controlled (प्रबन्ध) motion in a definite direction (नियतदिक्क्रिया).
What are the five corporeal substances? These are, solids (पृथ्वी – प्रथति विस्तारयति – चरणसंचारयोग्य), fluids (जल –धीयते अनेनेति – तस्य भावः), radiations (तेज – तेजयति तेज्यतेऽनेन वा), (non-heat) forces (वायु – वातीति – वा गतिगन्धनयोः) and mind (मनः – मन्यते बुद्ध्यतेऽनेनेति). The inertia of motion (वेग) is perceptible through observation (चक्षुग्राह्य) or contact (स्पर्शग्राह्य or संयोगज). What is the proof that others apart from solids have inertia of motion? Let us examine each case separately.
Inertia in solids is well known. But inertia between fluids is no less common. When two rivers combine, their forces increase that continues to remain even after they move away from the point of intersection. The dynamics inside the Sun are examples of inertia of radiation. Hurricanes, cyclones, and typhoons are created with sufficiently warm sea surface temperatures, atmospheric instability, high humidity in the lower to middle levels of the troposphere, enough Coriolis force to develop a low pressure center, a pre-existing low level focus disturbance, and low vertical wind shear. These are examples of inertia of atmospheric air. Thought is the inertia of mind, which will be discussed separately.
Forces only push objects. There is nothing as a pull. At best what appears as a pull, is a push from the opposite direction. Thus, when a force is applied from a controlled direction (नियतदिक्क्रियाप्रबन्धहेतुः), it pushes the object in the same direction, provided, it is sufficient to break the inertia. The push can be of two types: 1) away from the center of mass towards the periphery till it is confined (गति); and 2) from the periphery or the field or the background structure towards the center, confining the outgoing radiation (आगति). The former is called positive charge (पुंलिङ्गम् characterized by प्रसव – creation of new particles) and the latter is called negative charge (स्त्रीलिङ्गम् characterized by संस्त्यान – confinement). Here charge is defined as the observable creative potential of everything (सामर्थ्य सर्वभावानां लिङ्गमित्यभिधीयते). Thus, confinement is a characteristic of the background or the field (स्त्रीयः सतीस्ताँ उ मे पुंस आहुः Rhk Veda 1-164-16). The interaction between charges determines the structure and properties of everything.
The other types of inertia (thought – भावना, and inertia of restoration or elasticity – स्थितिस्थापक) and other laws of motion (Second Law: वेगो … क्वचित् कारणगुणपूर्वक्रमेणोत्पद्यते, and third law: स्पर्शवद्द्रव्यसंयोगविशेषविरोधी) will be discussed in the second part.