Sanskrit university project: Ant movement, frog behaviour to predict rain

The National Sanskrit University, Tirupati, is collaborating with NIT Calicut, a prominent engineering college, for a project that has drawn nearly 600 applications for 36 internship positions to study weather prediction methods recorded in ancient Sanskrit texts spanning Vedic to classical periods.

- Sanjay Maurya

The six-month programme will examine texts including the Brahatsamhita, a sixth-century work purportedly documents how frog behaviour, ant movements and specific cloud formations were used to predict rainfall; the Matsya Purana, one of the 18 major Puranas, that seemingly records flood cycles, and Kautilya’s Arthasastra, which speaks of famine management strategies. The Atharvaveda, one of the four Vedas, also contains weather-related observations.

“At a time of growing climate unpredictability, revisiting such frameworks can offer complementary wisdom,” said S Vaishnavi, assistant professor at NSU and the project's principal investigator. The academic added that the proposal emphasised rigorous documentation, translation, and comparison with modern meteorology.

Supported by the Indian Knowledge Systems division of the Union education ministry, it's among 79 projects approved from 372 applications with a combined budget of ₹3.8 crore.

Selected undergraduates will receive ₹10,000 monthly stipends for the programme, which can be extended by another six months. The 36 interns will work across six areas including textual translation, glossary preparation and scientific comparison of ancient methods with modern datasets.