The Mahabharata, an ancient Indian saga of at least five thousand years old , is a treasure hold of the the greatest scientific specifications. But luckily or otherwise, it was coded in the lyrics of a poem. It can be judged as a POETS VERSION OF A TECHNICAL DATA SHEET.It speaks of flying machines called Vimanas that were used to launch a powerful weapon of destruction; it speaks of missile interpretation systems, performance boosters and a lots more..
Here is a reference concerning the destruction unleashed by two warring sets of adversaries:
" a single projectile charged with all the power of the universe!
The Earth shook, scorched by the terrible heat of this weapon. Elephants burst into flames and ran to and fro in a frenzy, seeking a protection from terror. Over a vast area other animals crumpled to the ground and died. The waters boiled, and the creatures residing therein also died. From all points of the compass the arrows of the flame rained continuously!"
Later we find:
"An incandescent column of smoke and fire, as brilliant as ten thousand suns rose in all its splendor. It was the unknown weapon, the iron thunderbolt, .....a gigantic messenger of death!" The effect of this weapon was that, "The corpses were so burnt that they were no longer recognizable. Hair and nails fell out. Pottery broke without cause. Birds, disturbed, circled in the air and were turned white. Foodstuffs were poisoned!"
"Dense arrows of flame, like a great shower, issued forth upon creation, encompassing the enemy
A thick gloom swiftly settled upon the Pandava hosts. All points of the compass were lost in darkness.
Fierce wind began to blow upward, showering dust and gravel.
The historical epic Mahabharata is full of reference to such advancements. But the tragedy is that when Europe came to know about this, they were in Renaissance period, and India was not free.
Mahabharata discusses the "Diyastra" (advanced weapons and missiles). Arjun did not use Diyastra in the war against Kauravs, as he did not consider it fit. It is something similar to not using the Nuclear Weapons in today's world. The "Brahamastra" was similar to our Nuclear weapons of today. Mahabharata then recorded an astronomical event of 12000 BC. Which today's astronomers confirm. No doubt that our scientists of 16th century ignored this because of their less advancements but as the time is passing we are understanding the things.
When we see the scientific advancements of that time, it feels like that was the modern world and we have passed that, somehow we lost the know how of that time (A Nuclear War could be a possibility as the radioactive content in the skeletons at Mohanjodero suggest) and again we are picking up in technology.
There are ancient Indian books describing methods of making space-crafts. The book titled Vaimanika Shastra is one of them. You will be amazed to read more about Vimana.
In Maharishi Bharadwaja's Vimana Tantra, the following is definition for a Vimana -
"desa desantharam yadath, loka lokantharam thadha, dweepa dweepantharam chaiva, yo ambare ganthu marhasi, sa vimanamithi proktham, kheda sastra vithambaraihi"
Meaning :
"from one place to another, one country to another, one island to another, whichever machine fly through the sky is called an aeroplane by those who know Khedasasthram (avionics)".
