Question

what name did maharishi kanad assign to the smallest particle of matter?

Answer 1

Maharishi Kanad assigned the name "ANU" to the smallest particle of matter in the 6th Century B.C.  as per the ancient Hindu texts. It was then defined as the tiniest & smallest but indivisible particle of matter, having a strong urge to combine with another particle to evolve different types of substances. Later on "ANU'' got rechristened into an "ATOM".