Vimana
Encyclopedia
Vimāna is a word with several meanings ranging from temple or palace to mythological flying machines described in Sanskrit epics.
vi-māna literally means "measuring out, traversing" or "having been measured out". It can refer to (ref Monier-Williams):
The predecessors of the flying vimanas of the Sanskrit epics are the flying chariots employed by various gods in the Vedas: the Sun (see Sun chariot) and Indra
and several other Vedic deities are transported by flying wheeled chariot
s pulled by animals, usually horses (but the Vedic god Pūsan's chariot is pulled by goats, as is that of Norse Thor
).
The Rigveda
does not mention Vimanas, but verses RV 1.164.47-48 have been taken as evidence for the idea of "mechanical birds":
In Swami Dayananda Saraswati
's "translation", these verses become:
although the 'wheel' is likeliest a metaphor
ical description of the yearly cycle, and '12' and the '360' are likeliest its months and days.
In the Ramayana
, the pushpaka ("flowery") vimana of Ravana
is described as follows:
It is the first flying vimana mentioned in Hindu mythology
(as distinct from the gods' flying horse-drawn chariot
s).
Pushpaka was originally made by Vishwakarma for Brahma
the Hindu god of creation, later Brahma gifted it to Kubera
, the God of wealth, but was later stolen, along with Lanka
, by his half-brother, the demon king Ravana
.
is that the Asura
Maya
had a Vimana measuring twelve cubit
s in circumference, with four strong wheels.
The Mahabharata compliments "the all-knowing Yavanas
" (sarvajnaa yavanaa, said to mean the Greeks
), as the creators of the vimanas: The Yavanas, O king, are all-knowing; the Suras are particularly so (sarvajnā yavanā rajan shurāz caiva vishesatah).
According to the Kalpa Sūtra of Bhadra-bāhu, the 24th himself emerged out of the great ; whereas the 22nd emerged out of the great vimāna Aparijita.
The (4th) and Sumati-nātha (5th) both traveled through the sky in the "Jayanta-vimāna", namely the great vimāna Sarva-artha-siddhi, which was owned by the Jayanta deities; whereas the (15th) traveled through the sky in the "Vijaya-vimāna".
A vimāna may be seen in a dream, such as the nalinī-gulma.
is an early 20th century Sanskrit
text on aeronautics, claimed to be obtained by mental channeling, about construction of vimānas, the "chariots of the Gods".
The existence of the text was revealed in 1952 by G. R. Josyer, according to whom it is due to one Pandit Subbaraya Shastry, who dictated it in 1918-1923. A Hindi translation was published in 1959, the Sanskrit text with an English translation in 1973. It has 3000 shloka
s in 8 chapters and was attributed by Shastry to Maharishi
Bharadvaja, which makes it of purportedly "ancient" origin, and hence it has a certain notability in ancient astronaut theories.
A study by aeronautical and mechanical engineering at Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore in 1974 concluded that the aircraft described in the text were "poor concoctions" and that the author showed complete lack of understanding of aeronautics.
Etymology and usage
SanskritSanskrit
Sanskrit , is a historical Indo-Aryan language and the primary liturgical language of Hinduism, Jainism and Buddhism.Buddhism: besides Pali, see Buddhist Hybrid Sanskrit Today, it is listed as one of the 22 scheduled languages of India and is an official language of the state of Uttarakhand...
vi-māna literally means "measuring out, traversing" or "having been measured out". It can refer to (ref Monier-Williams):
- The palace of an emperor or supreme monarch
- The adytum of a Rama temple, or of any other temple
- A temple or shrine of a particular form, see Vimanam (tower)
- From that meaning, "a god's palace", RāvanaRavana' is the primary antagonist character of the Hindu legend, the Ramayana; who is the great king of Lanka. In the classic text, he is mainly depicted negatively, kidnapping Rama's wife Sita, to claim vengeance on Rama and his brother Lakshmana for having cut off the nose of his sister...
's flying palace PushpakaPushpakaPushpaka may refer to:* Pushpaka Vimana, an aircraft mentioned in the Hindu epic Ramayana*Pushpaka Brahmin, a semi-Brahmin caste in Kerala...
in the RamāyanaRamayanaThe Ramayana is an ancient Sanskrit epic. It is ascribed to the Hindu sage Valmiki and forms an important part of the Hindu canon , considered to be itihāsa. The Ramayana is one of the two great epics of India and Nepal, the other being the Mahabharata...
. - From that, a chariot of the gods, any mythical self-moving aerial car (sometimes serving as a seat or throne, sometimes self-moving and carrying its occupant through the air; other descriptions make the Vimana more like a house or palace, and one kind is said to be seven stories high.
- From that, any chariot or vehicle (especially a bierBierA bier is a stand on which a corpse, coffin or casket containing a corpse, is placed to lie in state or to be carried to the grave.In Christian burial, the bier is often placed in the centre of the nave with candles surrounding it, and remains in place during the funeral.The bier is a flat frame,...
) - In medicine, the science of (right) measure or proportion (e.g. of the right relation between the humours of the body, of medicines and remedies etc.)
- In the VimanavatthuVimanavatthuThe Vimanavatthu is a Buddhist scripture, the sixth book of the Khuddaka Nikaya in the Pali Canon of Theravada Buddhism. Its name is Pali for "Vimana Stories". The Vimanavatthu is an anthology of 85 short stories written in verse...
, a small piece of text used as the inspiration for a Buddhist sermonSermonA sermon is an oration by a prophet or member of the clergy. Sermons address a Biblical, theological, religious, or moral topic, usually expounding on a type of belief, law or behavior within both past and present contexts...
. - In some modern Indian languages, vimāna or vimān means "aircraftAircraftAn aircraft is a vehicle that is able to fly by gaining support from the air, or, in general, the atmosphere of a planet. An aircraft counters the force of gravity by using either static lift or by using the dynamic lift of an airfoil, or in a few cases the downward thrust from jet engines.Although...
", for example in the town name VimanapuraVimanapuraVimanapura is an eastern suburb of Bangalore in Karnataka in India. It is so called because it is near Bangalore HAL airport. Vimanapura houses many of the HAL offices and the HAL hospital...
(a suburb of BangaloreBangaloreBengaluru , formerly called Bengaluru is the capital of the Indian state of Karnataka. Bangalore is nicknamed the Garden City and was once called a pensioner's paradise. Located on the Deccan Plateau in the south-eastern part of Karnataka, Bangalore is India's third most populous city and...
).
Vedas
Indra
' or is the King of the demi-gods or Devas and Lord of Heaven or Svargaloka in Hindu mythology. He is also the God of War, Storms, and Rainfall.Indra is one of the chief deities in the Rigveda...
and several other Vedic deities are transported by flying wheeled chariot
Chariot
The chariot is a type of horse carriage used in both peace and war as the chief vehicle of many ancient peoples. Ox carts, proto-chariots, were built by the Proto-Indo-Europeans and also built in Mesopotamia as early as 3000 BC. The original horse chariot was a fast, light, open, two wheeled...
s pulled by animals, usually horses (but the Vedic god Pūsan's chariot is pulled by goats, as is that of Norse Thor
Thor
In Norse mythology, Thor is a hammer-wielding god associated with thunder, lightning, storms, oak trees, strength, the protection of mankind, and also hallowing, healing, and fertility...
).
The Rigveda
Rigveda
The Rigveda is an ancient Indian sacred collection of Vedic Sanskrit hymns...
does not mention Vimanas, but verses RV 1.164.47-48 have been taken as evidence for the idea of "mechanical birds":
- 47.
- 48.
- "Dark the descent: the birds are golden-coloured; up to the heaven they fly robed in the waters.
- Again descend they from the seat of Order, and all the earth is moistened with their fatness."
- "Twelve are the fellies, and the wheel is single; three are the naves. What man hath understood it?
- Therein are set together spokes three hundred and sixty, which in nowise can be loosened." ("trans." Griffith)
In Swami Dayananda Saraswati
Swami Dayananda Saraswati
Maharishi Dayanand Saraswati was an important Hindu religious scholar, reformer, and founder of the Arya Samaj, a Hindu reform movement. He was the first to give the call for Swarajya – "India for Indians" – in 1876, later taken up by Lokmanya Tilak...
's "translation", these verses become:
- "jumping into space speedily with a craft using fire and water ... containing twelve stamghas (pillars), one wheel, three machines, 300 pivots, and 60 instruments."
although the 'wheel' is likeliest a metaphor
Metaphor
A metaphor is a literary figure of speech that uses an image, story or tangible thing to represent a less tangible thing or some intangible quality or idea; e.g., "Her eyes were glistening jewels." Metaphor may also be used for any rhetorical figures of speech that achieve their effects via...
ical description of the yearly cycle, and '12' and the '360' are likeliest its months and days.
Ramayana
Ramayana
The Ramayana is an ancient Sanskrit epic. It is ascribed to the Hindu sage Valmiki and forms an important part of the Hindu canon , considered to be itihāsa. The Ramayana is one of the two great epics of India and Nepal, the other being the Mahabharata...
, the pushpaka ("flowery") vimana of Ravana
Ravana
' is the primary antagonist character of the Hindu legend, the Ramayana; who is the great king of Lanka. In the classic text, he is mainly depicted negatively, kidnapping Rama's wife Sita, to claim vengeance on Rama and his brother Lakshmana for having cut off the nose of his sister...
is described as follows:
- "The Pushpaka chariot that resembles the Sun and belongs to my brother was brought by the powerful Ravana; that aerial and excellent chariot going everywhere at will .... that chariot resembling a bright cloud in the sky ... and the King [Rama] got in, and the excellent chariot at the command of the Raghira, rose up into the higher atmosphere."
It is the first flying vimana mentioned in Hindu mythology
Hindu mythology
Hindu religious literature is the large body of traditional narratives related to Hinduism, notably as contained in Sanskrit literature, such as the Sanskrit epics and the Puranas. As such, it is a subset of Nepali and Indian culture...
(as distinct from the gods' flying horse-drawn chariot
Chariot
The chariot is a type of horse carriage used in both peace and war as the chief vehicle of many ancient peoples. Ox carts, proto-chariots, were built by the Proto-Indo-Europeans and also built in Mesopotamia as early as 3000 BC. The original horse chariot was a fast, light, open, two wheeled...
s).
Pushpaka was originally made by Vishwakarma for Brahma
Brahma
Brahma is the Hindu god of creation and one of the Trimurti, the others being Vishnu and Shiva. According to the Brahma Purana, he is the father of Mānu, and from Mānu all human beings are descended. In the Ramayana and the...
the Hindu god of creation, later Brahma gifted it to Kubera
Kubera
Kubera , also spelt Kuber, is the Lord of wealth and the god-king of the semi-divine Yakshas in Hindu mythology. He is regarded as the regent of the North , and a protector of the world His many epithets extol him as the overlord of numerous semi-divine species and the owner of the treasures of...
, the God of wealth, but was later stolen, along with Lanka
Lanka
Sri Lanka is the name given in Hindu mythology to the island fortress capital of the legendary king Ravana in the great Hindu epics, the Ramayana and the Mahabharata...
, by his half-brother, the demon king Ravana
Ravana
' is the primary antagonist character of the Hindu legend, the Ramayana; who is the great king of Lanka. In the classic text, he is mainly depicted negatively, kidnapping Rama's wife Sita, to claim vengeance on Rama and his brother Lakshmana for having cut off the nose of his sister...
.
Mahabharata
One example in the MahabharataMahabharata
The Mahabharata is one of the two major Sanskrit epics of ancient India and Nepal, the other being the Ramayana. The epic is part of itihasa....
is that the Asura
Asura
-In Hinduism:In Hinduism, the Asuras constitute a group of power-seeking deities, sometimes considered sinful and materialistic. The Daityas and Danavas were combinedly known as Asuras. The Asura were opposed to the Devas. Both groups are children of Kasyapa...
Maya
Mayasura
In Hindu mythology, Maya , or Mayāsura was a great ancient king of the Asura, Daitya and Rakshasa races upon earth. He was also the chief architect of the people of the netherworld.-Tripura:...
had a Vimana measuring twelve cubit
Cubit
The cubit is a traditional unit of length, based on the length of the forearm. Cubits of various lengths were employed in many parts of the world in Antiquity, in the Middle Ages and into Early Modern Times....
s in circumference, with four strong wheels.
The Mahabharata compliments "the all-knowing Yavanas
Yona
"Yona" is a Pali word used in ancient India to designate Greek speakers. Its equivalent in Sanskrit, Malayalam, Kannada, Telugu and Tamil is the word "Yavana" and "Jobonan/Jubonan" in Bengali...
" (sarvajnaa yavanaa, said to mean the Greeks
Greeks
The Greeks, also known as the Hellenes , are a nation and ethnic group native to Greece, Cyprus and neighboring regions. They also form a significant diaspora, with Greek communities established around the world....
), as the creators of the vimanas: The Yavanas, O king, are all-knowing; the Suras are particularly so (sarvajnā yavanā rajan shurāz caiva vishesatah).
Jaina literature
Vimāna-vāsin ('dweller in vimāna') is a class of deities who served the . These Vaimānika deities dwell in the Ūrdhva Loka heavens.According to the Kalpa Sūtra of Bhadra-bāhu, the 24th himself emerged out of the great ; whereas the 22nd emerged out of the great vimāna Aparijita.
The (4th) and Sumati-nātha (5th) both traveled through the sky in the "Jayanta-vimāna", namely the great vimāna Sarva-artha-siddhi, which was owned by the Jayanta deities; whereas the (15th) traveled through the sky in the "Vijaya-vimāna".
A vimāna may be seen in a dream, such as the nalinī-gulma.
Vimanas and the Vaimanika Shastra
The Vaimanika ShastraVaimanika Shastra
The Vaimānika Shāstra वैमानिक शास्त्र is an early 20th century Sanskrit text on aeronautics obtained by psychic channeling and automatic writing...
is an early 20th century Sanskrit
Sanskrit
Sanskrit , is a historical Indo-Aryan language and the primary liturgical language of Hinduism, Jainism and Buddhism.Buddhism: besides Pali, see Buddhist Hybrid Sanskrit Today, it is listed as one of the 22 scheduled languages of India and is an official language of the state of Uttarakhand...
text on aeronautics, claimed to be obtained by mental channeling, about construction of vimānas, the "chariots of the Gods".
The existence of the text was revealed in 1952 by G. R. Josyer, according to whom it is due to one Pandit Subbaraya Shastry, who dictated it in 1918-1923. A Hindi translation was published in 1959, the Sanskrit text with an English translation in 1973. It has 3000 shloka
Shloka
A ' is a category of verse line developed from the Vedic Anuṣṭubh. It is the basis for Indian Epic verse, and may be considered the Indian verse form par excellence, occurring, as it does, far more frequently than any other meter in classical Sanskrit poetry. The Mahabharata and Ramayana, for...
s in 8 chapters and was attributed by Shastry to Maharishi
Maharishi
Maharishi is the anglicized version of the Sanskrit word Maharshi महर्षि . Maharishi is often use as an addition to a person's name as an honorary title. The term was first seen in modern English literature in the 18th century...
Bharadvaja, which makes it of purportedly "ancient" origin, and hence it has a certain notability in ancient astronaut theories.
A study by aeronautical and mechanical engineering at Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore in 1974 concluded that the aircraft described in the text were "poor concoctions" and that the author showed complete lack of understanding of aeronautics.
In popular culture
Vimanas have appeared in books, films, internet and games including:- Grant MorrisonGrant MorrisonGrant Morrison is a Scottish comic book writer, playwright and occultist. He is known for his nonlinear narratives and counter-cultural leanings, as well as his successful runs on titles like Animal Man, Doom Patrol, JLA, The Invisibles, New X-Men, Fantastic Four, All-Star Superman, and...
's VimanaramaVimanaramaVimanarama is a three-issue comic book mini-series written by Grant Morrison, with art by Philip Bond, and published by the Vertigo imprint of DC Comics.-Synopsis:...
features vimanas. - VimanaVimana (arcade game)is a vertical scrolling shooter, developed by Toaplan and released by Romstar and Tecmo in 1991 for the arcades worldwide. Vimana was unique in its combination of a Sci-Fi theme with Hindu references.-Story:...
is an arcade gameArcade gameAn arcade game is a coin-operated entertainment machine, usually installed in public businesses such as restaurants, bars, and amusement arcades. Most arcade games are video games, pinball machines, electro-mechanical games, redemption games, and merchandisers...
from ToaplanToaplan, sometimes written as Toa Plan, was a video game developer from Japan. They were responsible for the creation of a wide array of relatively famous scrolling shooters and arcade games, yet the company declared bankruptcy in 1994.-Games developed :...
wherein the player's ship earns the name. - Interstellar propulsion system called "Vimana Drive" is used in the space exploration game NoctisNoctisNoctis is an open source computer space flight simulator featuring first-person visual exploration of an imaginary galaxy...
- The psy-trance producers EtnicaEtnicaEtnica is a project originally formed by Carlo Paterno, Max Lanfranconi, Maurizio Begotti, and Andrea Rizzo. They are a very well known Goa trance project from Italy.-1992-1998:...
released 'Vimana' in 1997 with samples drawn from the film 'Roswell', which includes references to UFOs and alien life forms. - GouryellaGouryellaGouryella were a Dutch trance act comprising Ferry Corsten and DJ Tiësto. The word itself means "heaven" in an aborigine language. They are best known for the self-titled song "Gouryella" and the follow-up single "Walhalla", both epic trance tracks....
, a former tranceTrance musicTrance is a genre of electronic dance music that developed in the 1990s.:251 It is generally characterized by a tempo of between 125 and 150 bpm,:252 repeating melodic synthesizer phrases, and a musical form that builds up and breaks down throughout a track...
duo, used Vimana as one of their aliases. - In Fate/zeroFate/zerois a prequel to Type-Moon's visual novel Fate/stay night. It is a light novel by Gen Urobuchi, illustrated by Takashi Takeuchi. The first volume was released on December 29, 2006, and is a collaboration between Type-Moon and fellow developer Nitroplus. The second volume was released on March 31,...
, Archer has a vimana in his arsenal. - In The ObjectiveThe ObjectiveThe Objective is a 2008 science fiction horror film, directed by Daniel Myrick who also directed The Blair Witch Project and Believers, starring Jonas Ball, Matthew R. Anderson, and Michael C. Williams...
, a US Special Forces ODA searches for vimanas in AfghanistanAfghanistanAfghanistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located in the centre of Asia, forming South Asia, Central Asia and the Middle East. With a population of about 29 million, it has an area of , making it the 42nd most populous and 41st largest nation in the world... - In the game Deep LabyrinthDeep Labyrinthis a 3D role-playing video game for mobile phones and the Nintendo DS. Key contributors for this game include writer Masato Kato and composer Yasunori Mitsuda.-Plot:...
, the labyrinth is referred to as Vimana by its caretakers. - There was a Brazilian progressive-rock group (1974–1979) called Vímana (stress on the first syllable) that, in spite of achieving little success, is particularly interesting because three of its former members later became music stars in Brazil: LobãoLobãoLobão, born João Luiz Woerdenbag Filho is a Brazilian rock and MPB singer and composer. He also plays the drums and guitar.Lobão is better known in Brazil for his 1980s hits, specially "Me Chama"...
(drummer), RitchieRitchieRitchie as a name is a surname, and may also occur as a given name or diminutive. It may refer to:-Surname:*Albert Ritchie , governor of Maryland 1920-35*Alistair Ferguson Ritchie , Afrit, crossword compiler...
(bassist), Lulu SantosLulu SantosLulu Santos, stage name of Luiz Maurício Pragana dos Santos is a Brazilian singer and guitarist, considered one of the great names of Brazilian rock.- Career :...
(guitarist/vocalist). The band also had in its ranks, for two years (1977/1979), swiss keyboardist Patrick MorazPatrick MorazPatrick Philippe Moraz is a progressive rock keyboard player. He is best known as the keyboardist for the progressive rock band Yes, from 1974 to 1976, and the Moody Blues from 1978 to 1991...
, then fresh from YesYes (band)Yes are an English rock band who achieved worldwide success with their progressive, art, and symphonic style of rock music. Regarded as one of the pioneers of the progressive genre, Yes are known for their lengthy songs, mystical lyrics, elaborate album art, and live stage sets...
. They issued one record, in 1976, and disbanded shortly after finishing recording the second. Vimana playing "Marimba" - Michael Scott (Irish author)Michael Scott (Irish author)Michael Scott is an Irish author.Michael Scott is a seasoned and prolific writer of over 100 books during his 25 plus years of writing thus far...
wrote The Alchemyst, a fantasy series that included flying vimanas in the later books. - Mainak Dhar wrote VimanaVimanaVimāna is a word with several meanings ranging from temple or palace to mythological flying machines described in Sanskrit epics.-Etymology and usage:Sanskrit vi-māna literally means "measuring out, traversing" or "having been measured out"...
, a fantasy fiction novel.
External links
- WorldMysteries.com The Anti-Gravity Handbook (Lost Science) by David Hatcher ChildressDavid Hatcher ChildressDavid Hatcher Childress is an American author and publisher of books on topics on alternative history and historical revisionism. His works cover such subjects as pre-Columbian trans-oceanic contact, Atlantis, Lemuria, Ancient Astronauts, UFOs, Nikola Tesla, the Knights Templar, lost cities and...
* Vymanika Shastra - UFOs and Vimanas
- Los Vimanas (a collection of various texts, partially in Spanish and partially in English) http://www.bibliotecapleyades.net/esp_vimanas.htm#inicio