Subject by subject, from CBSE, ICSE, IGCSE, IB and the state boards — and then from higher education — to the Sanatan discipline that holds it and the Sanskrit work that carries it. 19 school subjects, 9 vocational pathways and 12 university fields.
Every row names its source text. Where the parallel is one of method rather than of content, the row says so plainly — this map is meant to survive a sceptical reader, not to impress a friendly one.
Each chain is a record, not a footnote: discipline → tradition → text → author → locus → commentary → modern scholarship → modern application. Only a scholar moves a chain to verified; the machine may not.
| Modern subject | Sanatan discipline | What it covers |
|---|---|---|
| Mathematics CBSE · ICSE · IGCSE · IB · State | Ganita — Pati-ganita (arithmetic), Bija-ganita (algebra), Kshetra-ganita (geometry) Aryabhatiya · Lilavati · Bijaganita · Ganita Sara Sangraha | Place value and zero, fractions, ratio and proportion, series, quadratic and indeterminate equations, areas and volumes, similar figures. Decimal place value with zero as a number, with its rules of operation, is set out in the Aryabhatiya and in Brahmagupta’s Brahmasphuta Siddhanta. It is the arithmetic the whole world now uses. Aryabhata — Acharya — mathematician and astronomer. Gave a sine table, a value of pi accurate to four decimal places, and the kuttaka method for indeterminate equations. 499 CE (established). Kusumapura — today Pataliputra / Patna, Bihar (probable). Evidence: traditionally attributed. |
| Trigonometry CBSE · ICSE · IGCSE · IB | Jya-ganita, inside Jyotisha Surya Siddhanta · Aryabhatiya · Pancha Siddhantika | Sine and cosine tables, angular measure, spherical triangles used for the positions of sun, moon and planets. The jya and utkrama-jya tables of the Surya Siddhanta and the Aryabhatiya are the origin of the sine function used in every science today. Bhaskaracharya — Mathematician and astronomer. The Siddhanta Shiromani carries sine tables and spherical astronomy, and the Lilavati and Bijaganita treat arithmetic, algebra and indeterminate equations as a taught course. Twelfth century CE (established). Vijjadavida (probable). Evidence: probable. |
| Physics CBSE · ICSE · IGCSE · IB · State | Vaisheshika and Nyaya natural philosophy; Shilpa for mechanics Vaisheshika Sutra · Nyaya Sutra · Shilpa and Yantra texts | Matter as indivisible units, motion and impulse, categories of substance, quality and action; levers, water-lifting devices, siege and mill machinery. A philosophy of nature and a working mechanics — it is not modern particle physics, and the curriculum teaches it as the reasoning that came before it. |
| Chemistry CBSE · ICSE · IGCSE · IB · State | Rasashastra Rasaratna Samuccaya · Rasarnava · Rasa Hridaya Tantra | Classification of minerals and metals, calcination, distillation and sublimation apparatus, purification, alloys, mercurial preparations. Indian crucible steel was made and exported for centuries and could not be reproduced elsewhere until the modern era. The Rasashastra tradition — Rasa authors and compilers; authorship not individual. The Rasaratna Samuccaya and the Rasarnava classify minerals and metals, describe furnaces and apparatus for distillation and sublimation, and set out purification, calcination and the making of alloys as repeatable procedures. Date disputed; the texts are compilations of a longer tradition. Evidence: traditionally attributed. |
| Biology and Botany CBSE · ICSE · IGCSE · IB · State | Vrikshayurveda and Ayurvedic dravyaguna Vrikshayurveda of Surapala · Charaka Samhita (dravyaguna sections) | Plant classification, propagation, soil and manure, plant disease and treatment, medicinal properties of species. Surapala — Author of the Vrikshayurveda. The Vrikshayurveda classifies plants, and treats propagation and grafting, soil and manure, watering, plant disease and its treatment — plant science written as a practical manual. Date disputed; usually placed in the early medieval period. Evidence: traditionally attributed. |
| Human biology, health and first aid CBSE · ICSE · IGCSE · IB | Ayurveda — Sharira (anatomy and physiology), Swasthavritta (public health) Charaka Samhita · Sushruta Samhita · Ashtanga Hridaya | Anatomy by dissection and observation, digestion and metabolism, epidemiology of season and place, diet, sleep, daily and seasonal regimen, hygiene. Charaka — Physician. The Charaka Samhita sets out internal medicine, the examination of a patient, diet and daily and seasonal regimen, epidemiology of place and season, and the ethics required of a physician. Date disputed; the received text is a redaction of an older tradition. Evidence: traditionally attributed. |
| Physical education and wellbeing CBSE · ICSE · IGCSE · IB · State | Yoga and Vyayama; Dhanurveda for the martial tradition Patanjali’s Yoga Sutra · Hatha Yoga Pradipika · Dhanurveda texts | Asana, pranayama, conditioning, concentration and the discipline of attention; traditional physical training and martial arts. Yoga is now taught in schools, clinics and armies worldwide and has a United Nations day; the source texts are these. Patanjali — Compiler of the Yoga Sutra. The Yoga Sutra sets out the eight limbs, the training of attention, the states and obstacles of the mind, and the discipline by which practice is sustained — the framework yoga teaching still follows. Date disputed. Evidence: traditionally attributed. |
| Astronomy and Earth science CBSE · ICSE · IGCSE · IB | Jyotisha — Ganita and Gola (spherics) Surya Siddhanta · Siddhanta Shiromani · Pancha Siddhantika | Rotation and revolution, eclipse prediction and geometry, planetary models, instruments, the calendar and time-reckoning. Jyotisha as taught here is astronomy and calendrics. Predictive astrology is a separate, optional senior elective and is never presented as science. Varahamihira — Astronomer. The Pancha Siddhantika reviews and compares five earlier astronomical systems — a survey of competing models, with their methods of computing planetary position and eclipse. Sixth century CE (probable). Ujjain — today Ujjain, Madhya Pradesh (traditional). Evidence: probable. |
| Computer science and computational thinking CBSE · ICSE · IGCSE · IB | Chandah-shastra (combinatorics and binary); Vyakarana (formal rules) Pingala’s Chandah-shastra · Panini’s Ashtadhyayi | Binary enumeration, the halving algorithm, the combinatorial triangle, recursion, ordered rule systems, meta-rules and rule conflict resolution. Panini’s rule system — ordered rules, meta-rules and conflict resolution — is the structure on which formal grammars, compilers and language technology are built. Pingala — Scholar of prosody. The Chandah-shastra enumerates metres as binary sequences and gives the halving algorithm, the counting of combinations and the triangle of binomial coefficients — the mathematics computing is built on. Date disputed; placed in the last centuries BCE by most accounts. Evidence: traditionally attributed. |
| Languages and grammar CBSE · ICSE · IGCSE · IB · State | Vyakarana, Nirukta (etymology), Shiksha (phonetics) Ashtadhyayi · Nirukta of Yaska · Pratishakhya texts | Phonetics and articulation, morphology, derivation, syntax and semantics — a complete descriptive grammar of a living language. The Pratishakhyas describe articulatory phonetics with a precision European linguistics reached only in the modern era. Panini — Grammarian. Composed the Ashtadhyayi: a complete generative grammar of Sanskrit in about four thousand ordered rules, with meta-rules governing how rules apply and how conflicts between them are settled. Mid-first millennium BCE (disputed). Shalatura, Gandhara (traditional). Evidence: traditionally attributed. |
| Economics, commerce and business studies CBSE · ICSE · IGCSE · IB | Arthashastra Arthashastra · Shukra Niti | Taxation and revenue, price and market regulation, weights and measures, trade routes and tariffs, public works, accounts and audit, labour contracts. Kautilya — Political and economic thinker; minister. The Arthashastra sets out revenue and taxation, price and market regulation, weights and measures, state accounts and audit, labour contracts, public works and the administration of trade routes. Date disputed; the received text shows later redaction. Evidence: traditionally attributed. |
| Political science, civics and law CBSE · ICSE · IGCSE · IB | Rajaniti and Dharmashastra Arthashastra · Manusmriti and other Dharmashastra · Shanti Parva | The state and its organs, duties of a ruler, courts and procedure, evidence, punishment, treaties and diplomacy. Studied historically and critically — the curriculum teaches what these texts argue and where later society and modern law departed from them. The Dharmashastra and Rajaniti traditions — Several jurists and political thinkers; no single figure. Kautilya on the organs of the state, taxation and diplomacy; the Dharmashastra jurists on courts, evidence, contract and inheritance; the Shanti Parva on the duties and limits of a ruler. Dates disputed and differing by text. Evidence: traditionally attributed. |
| Psychology and study of mind CBSE · IGCSE · IB | Samkhya and Yoga Samkhya Karika · Yoga Sutra | Perception, cognition and error, attention and its training, memory, personality types, the states of waking, dream and sleep. Ishvarakrishna — Author of the Samkhya Karika. The Samkhya Karika sets out the constituents of experience, the means of valid knowledge, the analysis of perception and error, and a systematic account of the mind and its faculties in seventy-two verses. Date disputed; usually placed in the early centuries CE. Evidence: traditionally attributed. |
| Philosophy, logic and critical thinking CBSE (KTPI) · IB · A-level | Nyaya and Tarka; the six darshanas Nyaya Sutra · Tarka Sangraha · the darshana sutras | Valid means of knowledge, inference and its structure, definition, fallacy, the rules of formal debate and refutation. Gautama — Philosopher of the Nyaya school. The Nyaya Sutra sets out the valid means of knowledge, the structure of an inference, the rules of definition, the catalogue of fallacies, and the procedure of formal debate — the method the other schools argue in. Date disputed; the sutras were added to over time. Evidence: traditionally attributed. |
| Environmental studies CBSE · ICSE · IGCSE · IB · State | Vrikshayurveda, Jala-vijnana and Ritucharya Vrikshayurveda · Krishi Parashara · Arthashastra (forest and water chapters) | Water harvesting and tanks, forest and grove protection, soil and season, living within a cycle rather than against it. Surapala and Parashara — Authors of the Vrikshayurveda and the Krishi Parashara. Between them: plant health and propagation, soils and manure, rainfall and season, irrigation and tanks — with the Arthashastra adding the state chapters on forests, groves and water works. Dates disputed for both texts. Evidence: traditionally attributed. |
| Agriculture State boards · vocational | Krishi-vidya Krishi Parashara · Kashyapiyakrishisukti · Vrikshayurveda | Soil types, rainfall measurement and forecasting, seed selection and treatment, ploughing, manure, crop rotation, storage. Parashara — Author of the Krishi Parashara. The Krishi Parashara covers rainfall measurement and forecasting, soils, seed selection and treatment, ploughing and manure, crop rotation, cattle care and storage — farming written as a taught discipline. Date disputed; the tradition is older than the surviving text. Evidence: traditionally attributed. |
| Art, music, dance and drama CBSE · ICSE · IGCSE · IB · State | Natya, Sangita, Shilpa and Chitra Natya Shastra · Sangita Ratnakara · Vishnudharmottara Purana | Theatre and its structure, rasa theory, scales, rhythm and notation, dance grammar, painting and iconography, stagecraft. Rasa theory is taught in performance studies departments worldwide. Bharata Muni — Dramaturgical scholar. The Natya Shastra sets out the structure of drama, stagecraft, acting and gesture, music and rhythm, and rasa theory — the account of aesthetic experience still taught in performance studies. Date disputed; the text is layered. Evidence: traditionally attributed. |
| Design, technology and engineering CBSE · IGCSE · IB | Shilpa Shastra and Vastu Shastra Manasara · Mayamata · Samarangana Sutradhara | Measurement and proportion, materials, foundations, structures, town planning, water works, and the machines (yantra) chapters. The Manasara tradition — Shilpa and vastu compilers; authorship not individual. The Manasara sets out units of measurement and proportion, site selection and orientation, foundations, columns and superstructure, town layout and the ordering of a building from plan to finish. Date disputed; the text is a compilation. Evidence: traditionally attributed. |
| Ethics and values education CBSE · ICSE · IB · State | Dharma and Niti Bhagavad Gita · Dharmashastra · Panchatantra · Thirukkural | Duty and consequence, conflict of obligations, self-command, conduct in public and private life. This is one domain of eight — the moral grounding of the syllabus, not its subject. Vyasa, by tradition — Attributed compiler; authorship traditional, not established. The Bhagavad Gita puts duty against consequence in a case where both choices cost something, and the Panchatantra and the Thirukkural teach conduct through story and maxim rather than command. Dates disputed across all these texts. Evidence: traditionally attributed. |
Traditional professions taught as trainable, examinable skills — each with the tradition behind it and the work it leads to.
| Pathway | Sanatan tradition | What the training covers |
|---|---|---|
| Ayurveda and wellness assistant Leads to: Wellness centre, panchakarma clinic, Ayurvedic pharmacy | Ayurveda — Kaya-chikitsa and Swasthavritta Charaka Samhita · Ashtanga Hridaya | Dinacharya and ritucharya, diet, common preparations, patient routine and record-keeping, clinic assistance. |
| Yoga teacher Leads to: School, studio, hospital wellness, corporate programmes | Yoga and Hatha traditions Patanjali’s Yoga Sutra · Hatha Yoga Pradipika · Gheranda Samhita | Asana and pranayama practice and correction, sequencing, contraindications, the sutras a teacher must be able to explain. |
| Agriculture and horticulture worker Leads to: Farm supervision, nursery, organic certification support | Krishi-vidya and Vrikshayurveda Krishi Parashara · Vrikshayurveda of Surapala | Seed selection and treatment, soil and manure, seasonal calendar, grafting and propagation, water management, storage. |
| Traditional construction and heritage craft Leads to: Heritage conservation, temple construction, craft workshops | Shilpa Shastra and Vastu Shastra Manasara · Mayamata · Samarangana Sutradhara | Measurement and proportion, stone and timber craft, temple elements, restoration practice, site setting-out. |
| Sanskrit teacher Leads to: School Sanskrit teaching, Learning Centre classes, online tutoring | Vyakarana, Shiksha and Chandas Ashtadhyayi · Siddhanta Kaumudi · Pratishakhya texts | Pronunciation and recitation, grammar to a teachable level, reading unaided, pedagogy for children. |
| Classical arts practitioner Leads to: Performance, teaching, festival and temple programmes | Natya and Sangita Natya Shastra · Sangita Ratnakara | Repertoire and technique, rhythm and scale, rasa and expression, stagecraft, teaching practice. |
| Temple and festival management Leads to: Temple administration, festival operations, heritage tourism | Agama and temple-administration traditions; Arthashastra for administration Agama texts · Arthashastra (administration chapters) | Daily and festival calendar, ritual scheduling and materials, crowd and queue handling, records, accounts, donations and receipts. |
| Pandit and ritual practitioner Leads to: Temple service, family purohit, samskara practice | Karma-kanda, Grihya and Shrauta traditions Grihya Sutras · Karma-kanda paddhati literature | Samskaras from naming to marriage to last rites, recitation, procedure and materials, conduct with families. |
| Jyotisha practitioner Leads to: Panchang and muhurta service, consultation practice | Jyotisha — Ganita and Phalita Surya Siddhanta (ganita) · Brihat Parashara Hora Shastra (phalita) | Calendar and muhurta computation, chart construction, the reasoning of the phalita tradition and its limits. |
What a degree course covers today, and the Sanatan discipline it descends from — the faculties Takshashila, Nalanda and Vikramashila taught.
| Degree field | Sanatan discipline | What it covers |
|---|---|---|
| Medicine and surgery (MBBS, MS) | Ayurveda — Kaya-chikitsa, Shalya-tantra, Shalakya-tantra Charaka Samhita · Sushruta Samhita · Ashtanga Hridaya | Internal medicine, surgery with a described instrument set, ophthalmology and ENT, obstetrics, paediatrics, toxicology, geriatrics and rejuvenation. The forehead-flap nose reconstruction of the Sushruta Samhita was carried out of India and entered world surgery under the name ‘the Indian method’. |
| Pharmacy and pharmacology | Dravyaguna and Rasashastra Bhavaprakasha Nighantu · Rasaratna Samuccaya | Materia medica, preparation and dosage forms, purification of metals and minerals for internal use, incompatibility and toxicity. |
| Engineering and architecture | Shilpa and Vastu Shastra Manasara · Mayamata · Samarangana Sutradhara | Structural proportion, temple and civil construction, hydraulic works, metallurgy of large castings, mechanical devices. The iron pillar at Delhi and India’s large ancient castings are studied by modern metallurgists for their corrosion resistance. |
| Law and jurisprudence | Dharmashastra and Vyavahara Yajnavalkya Smriti · Narada Smriti · Arthashastra | Procedure, evidence and witnesses, contract, debt, partnership, inheritance, and the judge’s duty. |
| Management, public administration and economics | Arthashastra and Rajaniti Arthashastra · Shukra Niti | Organisation and delegation, audit and anti-corruption, revenue policy, logistics, crisis and famine administration, intelligence. |
| Linguistics and computational linguistics | Vyakarana, Shiksha, Nirukta Ashtadhyayi · Mahabhashya · Nirukta | Generative rules, morphology and derivation, phonology, semantics, and the meta-rules that order rule application. Panini is on linguistics reading lists worldwide and is cited in the history of formal language theory. |
| Mathematics and mathematical sciences | Ganita and Chandah-shastra Aryabhatiya · Lilavati · Bijaganita · Yuktibhasha of the Kerala school | Algebra and indeterminate equations, combinatorics, infinite series for trigonometric functions, iterative approximation. The infinite series for sine, cosine and arctangent are stated and proved in the Yuktibhasha of the Kerala school of Madhava. |
| Astronomy and astrophysics | Jyotisha — Ganita and Gola Surya Siddhanta · Siddhanta Shiromani | Planetary theory, eclipse computation, spherical astronomy, instrument design and observation. |
| Psychology and cognitive science | Samkhya, Yoga and Buddhist Abhidharma Yoga Sutra · Samkhya Karika | Attention training, states of consciousness, perception and error, the structure of mental events. Meditation and attention research in modern psychology and neuroscience draws directly on these practices. |
| Philosophy | The six darshanas and their debate tradition Nyaya Sutra · Vaisheshika Sutra · Samkhya Karika · Yoga Sutra · Mimamsa Sutra · Brahma Sutra | Epistemology, metaphysics, logic, philosophy of language, and a formal tradition of public debate between rival schools. |
| Performing arts | Natya and Sangita Natya Shastra · Sangita Ratnakara | Dramaturgy, aesthetics, music theory, dance grammar and stage practice. |
| Agriculture and environmental science | Krishi-vidya and Vrikshayurveda Krishi Parashara · Vrikshayurveda | Agronomy, meteorology, plant health, water management and conservation. |
It does not say a school should stop teaching physics and teach Vaisheshika instead. It says the Sanatan tradition has a discipline, a literature and a method behind almost every subject a modern school or university teaches — and that a student can be taught that inheritance properly, examined on it, and certified for it, alongside the board the school already runs. Scripture and dharma are one part of that syllabus, not the whole of it.