Question

what were the ideas of ancient indian philosopher about atom?​

Answer 1

Answer:

At about the same time that Democritus and others were developing some basic ideas of atoms in Greece, Indian philosophers were thinking about similar issues. As with the Greeks, the Indian philosophers were thinkers not experimentalists. So, they developed theories of fundamental objects by logic. They concluded that some fundamental building blocks—atoms—existed.

Three different schools of thought—Nyaya-Vaisesika, Jainist, and Buddhist—came to similar but slightly different conclusions.

One of the earliest philosophers (about 600 BCE) was Kanada, the founder of the Vaisesika School.  Atoms in this school of thought were indestructible and thus could not be divided into smaller objects.  They were so small that they could not be perceived by humans. Instead, the atoms combined, and it took a combination of at least three atoms to be apparent. Atoms of the four fundamental substances—earth, air, fire, and water—had other properties such as color, odor, flavor, and touch.  Earth and water also had weight.

So the system became rather complex as these atoms combined to create something that could be perceived. To make the system still more complex, atoms were associated with other components of human endeavors that are less easily observed. Thus, Kanada and his followers associated atoms with space, time, the soul, and thoughts.

The Buddhists stuck with just the basic four atoms—earth, fire, water, and air. Their atoms also could only be perceived in combinations. For them, the minimum number of atoms was seven or eight with one atom at the center and the rest surrounding it.

Explanation: