Ancient History : The Rise Of Guptas Empire

Q 10 / 20

UPSC CSE Prelims 2012

With reference to the scientific progress of ancient India, which of the statements given below are correct?

  1. Different kinds of specialized surgical instruments were in common use by 1st century AD.
  2. Transplant of internal organs in the human body had begun by the beginning of 3rd century AD.
  3. The concept of sine of an angle was known in 5th century AD.
  4. The concept of cyclic quadrilaterals was known in 7th century AD.

EXPLANATION

Correct Option

Statement 1 is correct.

  • The Sushruta Samhita, an ancient Sanskrit treatise on medicine and surgery, provides detailed descriptions of numerous specialized surgical instruments (yantras and shastras) used for a wide range of complex procedures. These instruments were in common use by the 1st century AD, as indicated by the comprehensive nature of the text, which is generally dated between the 6th century BCE and 1st century CE.

Statement 3 is correct.

  • The concept of the sine of an angle was established in India by the 5th century AD. Aryabhata, in his influential astronomical and mathematical work Aryabhatiya (c. 499 CE), introduced the trigonometric functions of jya (sine) and kojya (cosine), significantly contributing to the field of trigonometry.

Statement 4 is correct.

  • The concept of cyclic quadrilaterals was known in India by the 7th century AD. The mathematician Brahmagupta, in his treatise Brahmasphutasiddhanta (c. 628 CE), presented a formula for the area of a cyclic quadrilateral and described various properties related to its diagonals, known as Brahmagupta's theorem.

Incorrect Options

Statement 2 is incorrect.

  • While ancient Indian surgery, particularly as described in the Sushruta Samhita, achieved remarkable advancements in reconstructive procedures like rhinoplasty, there is no historical or textual evidence to support the practice of internal organ transplantation in the human body by the beginning of the 3rd century AD or any other period in ancient India.
SOURCEIndia's Ancient Past by R.S. Sharma, Chapter 18: Science and Civilization in Ancient India