2025, Vol. 11, Issue 5, Part D

Sanskrit literature represents one of the richest intellectual traditions in human history, serving as both a repository of India’s cultural identity and a foundation for early scientific inquiry. This paper explores the deep interconnections between Sanskrit scholarship and the development of scientific thought in ancient and medieval India. Through an examination of seminal works in mathematics, astronomy, medicine, and engineering, it highlights how the Sanskrit intellectual tradition nurtured empirical reasoning, systematic observation, and theoretical abstraction long before the rise of modern science. The discussion traces India’s pioneering achievements such as the invention of the decimal numeral system and zero, the formulation of algebraic and trigonometric principles by Aryabhata and Bhāskara, and advances in surgery and anatomy by Sushruta and Charaka. The study further considers how British colonial attitudes toward Indian culture ranging from early curiosity and translation to later denigration affected the recognition and transmission of this knowledge. Finally, it situates the decline of scientific progress in the colonial and postcolonial periods within historical and geographical contexts, suggesting that rediscovering India’s scientific heritage through Sanskrit sources can inspire renewed engagement with rational inquiry and innovation in the modern era.