ACHARYA KANAD (600 BCE)
FOUNDER OF ATOMIC THEORY
As
the founder of " Vaisheshik Darshan "- one of six principal
philosophies of India - Acharya Kanad was a genius in philosophy. He is
believed to have been born in Prabhas Kshetra near Dwarika in Gujarat .
He was the pioneer expounder of realism, law of causation and the atomic
theory. He has classified all the objects of creation into nine
elements, namely: earth, water, light, wind, ether, time, space, mind
and soul. He says, "Every object of creation is made of atoms which in
turn connect with each other to form molecules." His statement ushered
in the Atomic Theory for the first time ever in the world, nearly 2500
years before John Dalton . Kanad has also described the dimension and
motion of atoms and their chemical reactions with each other. The
eminent historian, T.N. Colebrook , has said, "Compared to the
scientists of Europe , Kanad and other Indian scientists were the global
masters of this field."
