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Yojana

August 30, 2023

This article is about the measurement unit. For the government program, see List of central government schemes in India.

A yojana (Devanagari: योजन; Thai: โยชน์; Burmese: ယူဇနာ) is a measure of distance that was used in ancient India, Thailand and Myanmar. A yojana has been estimated to be label a distance somewhere between 3.5 and 15 km.[1][2]

Yojana
Unit systemArthashastra
Unit oflength
SymbolYojan
Conversions
1 Yojan in ...... is equal to ...
   SI units   12.8 km
   Imperial/US units   2.7 mi

Edicts of Ashoka (3rd century BCE) Edit

Ashoka, in his Major Rock Edict No.13, gives a distance of 600 yojanas between the Maurya empire, and "where the Yona king named Antiyoga (is ruling)", identified as King Antiochus II Theos, whose capital was Babylon. A range of estimates, for the length of a yojana, based on the ~2,000 km from Baghdad to Kandahar, on the eastern border of the empire, to the ~4,000 km to the Capital at Patna, have been offered by historians.[3][1]

....And this (conquest) has been won repeatedly by Devanampriya both [here] and among all (his) borderers, even as far as at (the distance of) six hundred yojanas where the Yona king named Antiyoga (is ruling), and beyond this Antiyoga, (where) four kings (are ruling), (viz, the king) named Tulamaya, (the king) named Antekina, (the king) named Maka, (and the king) named Alikyashudala, (and) likewise towards the south, (where) the Cholas and Pandyas (are ruling), as far as Tamraparni.

— 13th Major Rock Edict. Translation by E. Hultzsch (1857–1927). Published in India in 1925. Inscriptions of Asoka p.43. Public Domain.

Yojana as per Vishnu Purana Edit

Yojana is defined in Chapter 6 of Book 1 of the Vishnu Purana (one of the eighteen Mahapuranas) as follows:[4]

Units Edit

Measurement Equals to... (in Hindu measurement) Notes
10 paramanu 1 parasúkshma Paramanu refers to atom.[5]
10 parasúkshmas 1 trasarenu 1.9 nanometers (atoms are 0.1–0.5 nm)
10 trasarenus 1 mahírajas (particle of dust) 19 nanometers
10 mahírajas 1 bálágra (hair's point) 0.19 microns, aka 190 nanometers
10 bálágra 1 likhsha 1.9 microns
10 likhsha 1 yuka 0.019 mm (19 microns)
10 yukas 1 yavodara (heart of barley) 0.19 mm
10 yavodaras 1 yava (barley grain of middle size) 1.9 mm
10 yava 1 aṅgula (finger-breadth) 1.89 to 1.91 cm or approx 3/4 inch – here angula does not mean 1 inch rather 3/4 inch
6 fingers 1 pada (the breadth of a foot) other sources define this unit differently: see Pada (foot)
2 padas 1 vitasti (span or distance between the tip of the forefinger and wrist)[6] ~ 22.86 cm (9 inches)
2 vitasti 1 hasta (cubit) ~ 45.7 cm (18 inches)
2 hastas 1 náriká ~ 91.5 cm (36 inches / 3 feet)
2 nárikás 1 dhanu ~ 183 cm (72 inches / 6 feet)
1 paurusa a man's height with arms and fingers uplifted (standing reach)[7] ~ 192 cm (75 inches)[8]
2,000[citation needed] dhanus 1 gavyuti (distance at which a cow's call or lowing can be heard, 52 – 79 dB, between −65 – 50 Celsius, at 0 – 2000 meters altitude[9][10][11]) 12,000 feet (3.7 km)[citation needed]
4 gavyutis 1 yojana 3.3 to 15 kilometers[2]

Variations on length Edit

The length of the yojana varies depending on the different standards adopted by different Indian astronomers. In the Surya Siddhanta (late 4th-century CE–early 5th-century CE), for example, a yojana was equivalent to 8.0 km (5 mi),[12] and the same was true for Aryabhata's Aryabhatiya (499).[13] However, 14th-century mathematician Paramesvara defined the yojana to be about 1.5 times larger, equivalent to about 13 km (8 mi).[12] A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada gives the equivalent length of a yojana as about 13 km (8 mi)[14] throughout his translations of the Bhagavata Purana. Some[who?] other traditional Indian scholars give measurements between 6.4 km and 8 km (4–5 miles) or thereabouts.[citation needed] In The Ancient Geography of India, Alexander Cunningham says that a yojana is traditionally held to be between 8 and 9 miles and calculates by comparison with Chinese units of length that it could have been between 6.7 mi (10.8 km) and 8.2 mi (13.2 km).[15]

See also Edit

References Edit

  1. ^ a b Thapar, Romila (1997). Aśkoa and the decline of the Mauryas (PDF) (Revised ed.). Oxford University Press. pp. 250–266.
  2. ^ a b Gupta, C. C. Das (1951). "A NOTE ON AN EXPRESSION IN ROCK EDICT XIII OF AŚOKA". Proceedings of the Indian History Congress. 14: 68–71. ISSN 2249-1937.
  3. ^ Inscriptions of Asoka p.43
  4. ^ Vishnu Purana, Translated to English: 45:6 In the other three Puráńas, in which this legend has been found, the different kinds of inhabited places are specified and p. 46 introduced by a series of land measures. Thus the Márkańd́eya states, that 10 Paramáńus = 1 Parasúkshma; 10 Parasúkshmas = 1 Trasareńu; 10 Trasareńus = 1 particle of dust, or Mahírajas; 10 Mahírajasas = 1 Bálágra, 'hair's point;' 10 Bálágras = 1 Likhyá; 10 Likhyás= 1 Yúka; to Yúkas = 1 heart of barley (Yavodara); 10 Yavodaras = 1 grain of barley of middle size; 10 barley grains = 1 finger, or [an] inch; 6 fingers = a Pada, or foot (the breadth of it); 2 Padas = 1 Vitasti, or span; 2 spans = 1 Hasta, or cubit; 4 Hastas = a Dhanu, a Danda, or staff, or 2 Nárikás; 2,000 Dhanus = a Gavyúti; 4 Gavyútis = a Yojana. The measurement of the Brahmanda Purana is less detailed. A span from the thumb to the first finger is a Pradeśa; to the middle finger, a Nála; to the third finger, a Gokerna; and to the little finger, a Vitasti, which is equal to twelve Angulas, or fingers; understanding thereby, according to the Váyu, a joint of the finger; according to other authorities, it is the breadth of the thumb at the tip. (A. R. 5. 104.) The Váyu, giving similar measurements upon the authority of Manu, although such a statement does not occur in the Manu Sanhitá, adds, that 21 fingers = 1 Ratni; 24 fingers = 1 Hasta, or cubit; 2 Ratnis = 1 Kishku; 4 Hastas = 1 Dhanu; 2,000 Dhanus = l Gavyúti; and 8,000 Dhanus = 1 Yojana. Durgas, or strongholds, are of four kinds; three of which are natural, from, their situation in mountains, amidst water, or in other inaccessible spots; the fourth is the artificial defences of a village (Gráma), a hamlet (Khet́aka), or a city (Pura or Nagara), which are severally half the size of the next in the series. The best kind of city is one which is about a mile long by half a mile broad, built in the form of a parallelogram, facing the northeast, and surrounded by a high wall and ditch. A hamlet should be a Yojana distant from a city: a village half a Yojana from a hamlet. The roads leading to the cardinal points from a city should be twenty Dhanus (above 100 feet) broad: a village road should be the same: a boundary road ten Dhanus: a royal or principal road or street should be ten Dhanus (above fifty feet) broad: a cross or branch road should be four Dhanus. Lanes and paths amongst the houses are two Dhanus in breadth: footpaths four cubits: the entrance of a house three cubits: the private entrances and paths about the mansion of still narrower dimensions. Such were the measurements adopted by the first builders of cities, according to the Puráńas specified.
  5. ^ "Legends of Science: Kanada – Discoverer of the Atom". 18 February 2021.
  6. ^ "Sanskrit Dictionary".
  7. ^ www.wisdomlib.org (2017-04-17). "Paurusha, Pauruṣa: 21 definitions". www.wisdomlib.org. Retrieved 2023-04-28.
  8. ^ Andy (2017-03-08). "What is Standing Reach – And How do You Measure it Correctly?". The Hoops Geek. Retrieved 2023-04-28.
  9. ^ Weeks, C. A.; Brown, S. N.; Lane, S.; Heasman, L.; Benson, T.; Warriss, P. D. (2009-09-12). "Noise levels in lairages for cattle, sheep and pigs in abattoirs in England and Wales". The Veterinary Record. 165 (11): 308–314. doi:10.1136/vr.165.11.308. ISSN 0042-4900. PMID 19749207.
  10. ^ "| How Things Fly". howthingsfly.si.edu. Retrieved 2023-04-28.
  11. ^ Snouffer, Quinton. "NASA / UNC – The Speed of Sound as a Function of Altitude" (PDF).
  12. ^ a b Richard Thompson (1997), "Planetary Diameters in the Surya-Siddhanta", Journal of Scientific Exploration, 11 (2): 193–200 [196][unreliable source?]
  13. ^ O'Connor, John J.; Robertson, Edmund F., "Aryabhata I", MacTutor History of Mathematics Archive, University of St Andrews
  14. ^ Srimad Bhagavatam 10.57.18 (translation) "one yojana measures about eight miles"
  15. ^ Alexander Cunningham, Measures of Distance. Yojana, Li, Krosa. in The Ancient Geography of India: I. I. The Buddhist Period, Including the Campaigns of Alexander, and the Travels of Hwen-Thsang, Trübner and Company, 1871, pp. 571–574

Further reading Edit

  • East-India Register and Directory. W.H. Allen. 1819.
  • The Artha Shaastra of Kautilya, Penguin Books
  • Valmiki Ramayana
  • Dictionary of Historical and Related Terms

August 30, 2023
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This article is about the measurement unit For the government program see List of central government schemes in India A yojana Devanagari य जन Thai oychn Burmese ယ ဇန is a measure of distance that was used in ancient India Thailand and Myanmar A yojana has been estimated to be label a distance somewhere between 3 5 and 15 km 1 2 YojanaUnit systemArthashastraUnit oflengthSymbolYojanConversions1 Yojan in is equal to SI units 12 8 km Imperial US units 2 7 mi Contents 1 Edicts of Ashoka 3rd century BCE 2 Yojana as per Vishnu Purana 2 1 Units 3 Variations on length 4 See also 5 References 6 Further readingEdicts of Ashoka 3rd century BCE EditAshoka in his Major Rock Edict No 13 gives a distance of 600 yojanas between the Maurya empire and where the Yona king named Antiyoga is ruling identified as King Antiochus II Theos whose capital was Babylon A range of estimates for the length of a yojana based on the 2 000 km from Baghdad to Kandahar on the eastern border of the empire to the 4 000 km to the Capital at Patna have been offered by historians 3 1 And this conquest has been won repeatedly by Devanampriya both here and among all his borderers even as far as at the distance of six hundred yojanas where the Yona king named Antiyoga is ruling and beyond this Antiyoga where four kings are ruling viz the king named Tulamaya the king named Antekina the king named Maka and the king named Alikyashudala and likewise towards the south where the Cholas and Pandyas are ruling as far as Tamraparni 13th Major Rock Edict Translation by E Hultzsch 1857 1927 Published in India in 1925 Inscriptions of Asoka p 43 Public Domain Yojana as per Vishnu Purana EditYojana is defined in Chapter 6 of Book 1 of the Vishnu Purana one of the eighteen Mahapuranas as follows 4 Units Edit Measurement Equals to in Hindu measurement Notes10 paramanu 1 parasukshma Paramanu refers to atom 5 10 parasukshmas 1 trasarenu 1 9 nanometers atoms are 0 1 0 5 nm 10 trasarenus 1 mahirajas particle of dust 19 nanometers10 mahirajas 1 balagra hair s point 0 19 microns aka 190 nanometers10 balagra 1 likhsha 1 9 microns10 likhsha 1 yuka 0 019 mm 19 microns 10 yukas 1 yavodara heart of barley 0 19 mm10 yavodaras 1 yava barley grain of middle size 1 9 mm10 yava 1 aṅgula finger breadth 1 89 to 1 91 cm or approx 3 4 inch here angula does not mean 1 inch rather 3 4 inch6 fingers 1 pada the breadth of a foot other sources define this unit differently see Pada foot 2 padas 1 vitasti span or distance between the tip of the forefinger and wrist 6 22 86 cm 9 inches 2 vitasti 1 hasta cubit 45 7 cm 18 inches 2 hastas 1 narika 91 5 cm 36 inches 3 feet 2 narikas 1 dhanu 183 cm 72 inches 6 feet 1 paurusa a man s height with arms and fingers uplifted standing reach 7 192 cm 75 inches 8 2 000 citation needed dhanus 1 gavyuti distance at which a cow s call or lowing can be heard 52 79 dB between 65 50 Celsius at 0 2000 meters altitude 9 10 11 12 000 feet 3 7 km citation needed 4 gavyutis 1 yojana 3 3 to 15 kilometers 2 Variations on length EditThe length of the yojana varies depending on the different standards adopted by different Indian astronomers In the Surya Siddhanta late 4th century CE early 5th century CE for example a yojana was equivalent to 8 0 km 5 mi 12 and the same was true for Aryabhata s Aryabhatiya 499 13 However 14th century mathematician Paramesvara defined the yojana to be about 1 5 times larger equivalent to about 13 km 8 mi 12 A C Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada gives the equivalent length of a yojana as about 13 km 8 mi 14 throughout his translations of the Bhagavata Purana Some who other traditional Indian scholars give measurements between 6 4 km and 8 km 4 5 miles or thereabouts citation needed In The Ancient Geography of India Alexander Cunningham says that a yojana is traditionally held to be between 8 and 9 miles and calculates by comparison with Chinese units of length that it could have been between 6 7 mi 10 8 km and 8 2 mi 13 2 km 15 See also EditHindu cosmology History of measurement systems in India Hindu units of time Palya Rajju Sayana List of numbers in Hindu scripturesReferences Edit a b Thapar Romila 1997 Askoa and the decline of the Mauryas PDF Revised ed Oxford University Press pp 250 266 a b Gupta C C Das 1951 A NOTE ON AN EXPRESSION IN ROCK EDICT XIII OF ASOKA Proceedings of the Indian History Congress 14 68 71 ISSN 2249 1937 Inscriptions of Asoka p 43 Vishnu Purana Translated to English 45 6 In the other three Puranas in which this legend has been found the different kinds of inhabited places are specified and p 46 introduced by a series of land measures Thus the Markand eya states that 10 Paramanus 1 Parasukshma 10 Parasukshmas 1 Trasarenu 10 Trasarenus 1 particle of dust or Mahirajas 10 Mahirajasas 1 Balagra hair s point 10 Balagras 1 Likhya 10 Likhyas 1 Yuka to Yukas 1 heart of barley Yavodara 10 Yavodaras 1 grain of barley of middle size 10 barley grains 1 finger or an inch 6 fingers a Pada or foot the breadth of it 2 Padas 1 Vitasti or span 2 spans 1 Hasta or cubit 4 Hastas a Dhanu a Danda or staff or 2 Narikas 2 000 Dhanus a Gavyuti 4 Gavyutis a Yojana The measurement of the Brahmanda Purana is less detailed A span from the thumb to the first finger is a Pradesa to the middle finger a Nala to the third finger a Gokerna and to the little finger a Vitasti which is equal to twelve Angulas or fingers understanding thereby according to the Vayu a joint of the finger according to other authorities it is the breadth of the thumb at the tip A R 5 104 The Vayu giving similar measurements upon the authority of Manu although such a statement does not occur in the Manu Sanhita adds that 21 fingers 1 Ratni 24 fingers 1 Hasta or cubit 2 Ratnis 1 Kishku 4 Hastas 1 Dhanu 2 000 Dhanus l Gavyuti and 8 000 Dhanus 1 Yojana Durgas or strongholds are of four kinds three of which are natural from their situation in mountains amidst water or in other inaccessible spots the fourth is the artificial defences of a village Grama a hamlet Khet aka or a city Pura or Nagara which are severally half the size of the next in the series The best kind of city is one which is about a mile long by half a mile broad built in the form of a parallelogram facing the northeast and surrounded by a high wall and ditch A hamlet should be a Yojana distant from a city a village half a Yojana from a hamlet The roads leading to the cardinal points from a city should be twenty Dhanus above 100 feet broad a village road should be the same a boundary road ten Dhanus a royal or principal road or street should be ten Dhanus above fifty feet broad a cross or branch road should be four Dhanus Lanes and paths amongst the houses are two Dhanus in breadth footpaths four cubits the entrance of a house three cubits the private entrances and paths about the mansion of still narrower dimensions Such were the measurements adopted by the first builders of cities according to the Puranas specified Legends of Science Kanada Discoverer of the Atom 18 February 2021 Sanskrit Dictionary www wisdomlib org 2017 04 17 Paurusha Pauruṣa 21 definitions www wisdomlib org Retrieved 2023 04 28 Andy 2017 03 08 What is Standing Reach And How do You Measure it Correctly The Hoops Geek Retrieved 2023 04 28 Weeks C A Brown S N Lane S Heasman L Benson T Warriss P D 2009 09 12 Noise levels in lairages for cattle sheep and pigs in abattoirs in England and Wales The Veterinary Record 165 11 308 314 doi 10 1136 vr 165 11 308 ISSN 0042 4900 PMID 19749207 How Things Fly howthingsfly si edu Retrieved 2023 04 28 Snouffer Quinton NASA UNC The Speed of Sound as a Function of Altitude PDF a b Richard Thompson 1997 Planetary Diameters in the Surya Siddhanta Journal of Scientific Exploration 11 2 193 200 196 unreliable source O Connor John J Robertson Edmund F Aryabhata I MacTutor History of Mathematics Archive University of St Andrews Srimad Bhagavatam 10 57 18 translation one yojana measures about eight miles Alexander Cunningham Measures of Distance Yojana Li Krosa in The Ancient Geography of India I I The Buddhist Period Including the Campaigns of Alexander and the Travels of Hwen Thsang Trubner and Company 1871 pp 571 574Further reading EditEast India Register and Directory W H Allen 1819 The Artha Shaastra of Kautilya Penguin Books Valmiki Ramayana Dictionary of Historical and Related Terms Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Yojana amp oldid 1170807136, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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