Maha Vishnu

The Rig Veda, one of the oldest scriptures of Hinduism, is said to mention the speed of light. In a hymn, the sun is described as traveling 2,202 yojanas in half a nimesha.

A yojana is a unit of distance that is roughly equal to 8 miles, and a nimesha is a unit of time that is roughly equal to 1/16th of a second. So, the sun is said to travel 189,547 miles in 1/16th of a second, which is very close to the modern calculation of the speed of light.

However, it is important to note that the Rig Veda is a very ancient text, and the meaning of some of its passages is not always clear. It is possible that the passage in question is not actually referring to the speed of light, but to something else entirely.

Still, the fact that the Rig Veda mentions a figure that is so close to the speed of light is intriguing. It suggests that the ancient Hindus had a sophisticated understanding of the nature of light, and that they may have been aware of the concept of the speed of light long before it was formally calculated by scientists in the 17th century.

Here is the passage from the Rig Veda that is often cited as evidence of the mention of the speed of light:Yojananam Sahastra Dwe Dwe Shate Dwe Cha Yojane Aken Nimishardhena Krammana Namostute

This passage translates to:With deep respect, I bow to the sun, who travels 2,202 yojanas in half a nimesha.

If we take the value of a yojana to be 8 miles, and the value of a nimesha to be 1/16th of a second, then the speed of light as mentioned in the Rig Veda is 189,547 miles per second. This is very close to the modern calculation of the speed of light, which is 186,282 miles per second.

Of course, there is some debate about whether the passage in question is actually referring to the speed of light. Some scholars believe that the passage is simply describing the speed of the sun’s chariot, and that it does not have any implications for the speed of light.

However, other scholars believe that the passage is indeed referring to the speed of light, and that it provides evidence of the ancient Hindus’ sophisticated understanding of the nature of light.

Ultimately, the meaning of the passage is still a matter of debate. However, the fact that it mentions a figure that is so close to the speed of light is intriguing, and it suggests that the ancient Hindus may have had a deeper understanding of the nature of light than we previously thought.