Acharya Kanada- An Indian Sage, Who Discovered Atom Before John Dalton

      The concepts of ATOMS were known to the people after John Dalton (1766-1844) postulated the Dalton’s atomic theory. But the concept of atoms was already discovered around in between 600-800 B.C by an Indian sage (rishi), Acharya Kanada.

Acharya Kanada called as Kashyap is believed to have been born in between 600-800 BC Prabhas Kshetra, near to Dwaraka(present day Gujarat), India. He was born to a philosopher named Ulka.

Kashyap, as a boy was more interested in the tiny particles. One day he was gathering the grains from the ground in the street while everyone was busy in offering prayers or bathing in the Ganges. The crowd after noticing the strange behavior from a boy from well-do family asked him why he was collecting the grains of rice that even a beggar wouldn’t touch.

To that question, Kashyap replied that one grain in itself is worthless but a collection of some hundred grains would feed a entire family. And for this reason alone, a single rice grain was as important as all the riches in the world. After this incidence people started calling him as Kanada were “Kan” means “The Smallest Particle” in Sanskrit.

The concept of ATOM was discovered when one day he was walking with food in his hand. He started breaking the grain into small pieces one by one until he came know that he was unable to break further. He named that indivisible particle as “anu”. He further came to know that each anu is made of still smaller particles called “parmanu”.

He also postulated that when two anu(atoms) of same substance combined with each other it forms dvyanuka(bi-atomic molecule) and three anu forms tryanuka(tri-atomic molecules) which shows the properties of individual atoms.

He gave more details about the details of atomic theory, its dimensions, motions, and chemical reactions of atoms in his book called as “VAISESIKA SUTRAS” and was known as the Father Of Atomic Theory in 600 BC.