Use of Aircrafts

Would have Vimanas or Aircrafts existed in ancient days ? How could it be ? It involves complex technology and before five thousand years was it possible ? Will it not be a mere imagination of the author ?

These questions are very rational, but going into the history of the Indian sub-continent and the ancient science that prevailed, the hypothesis of "vimanas existed" comes close to true. Ancient Indians have frequently   witnessed alien spaceships or Vimanas.  Throughout the ancient Indian texts,  whether it is the Vedas or Ramayana or Mahabharata vimanas have become an integral part. I believe ancient Indian Intellectuals had the visionary of developing aircrafts, but lacked systems to produce and assemble them. Moreover the origin of conceptualizing theories like "Vaimanika shasthra" would have been originated by witnessing the alien spaceship, resulting in a deep introspecting research for the underlying science by Maharishi Bharadhwaja.

The Vaimaanika shasthra of Maharishi Bharadhwaja gives description of aircrafts that are much more advanced than our present generational aircrafts. Since here we discuss only about Mahabharatha, let me not go deep into that.

According to the Dronaparva, Vimanas are described as shaped like a sphere and can move along at great speed on a mighty wind generated by mercury. It says the vimana moved like a UFO, going up, down, backwards and forwards as the pilot desired. 

Section XLIII of Vana Parva describes about Arjuna's arival at the city of Indra 'Amaravati'. Here not only vimanas are mentioned but even an area similar to airport, where vimanas are properly stationed and these vimanas are landing and taking off similar to the view we experience in busy airports.  

"And having beheld those celestial gardens resounding with celestial music, the strong-armed son of Pandu entered the favourite city of Indra. And he beheld there celestial vimanas by thousands, capable of going everywhere at will, stationed in proper places. And he saw tens of thousands of such cars moving in every direction"

Also in section CLXV of VANA PARVA mentions about aircrafts. "And from all sides in vimanas resplendent as the sun, hosts of Gandharvas and Apsaras began to follow that represser of foes, the lord of the celestials. And ascending a vimana yoked with steeds, decorated with burnished gold, and roaring like clouds, that king of the celestials, Purandara blazing in beauty came unto the Parthas. And having arrived (at that place), he of a thousand eyes descended from his vimana".

The "steeds" being mentioned is only a substitution for engines (look at the sentence "roaring like clouds" which is self explanatory).  

Also when Arjuna being dropped by Shiva's space ship at section CLXIV and "Matali" being the driver."And it came to pass that once a day as those mighty charioteers were thinking of Arjuna, seeing Mahendra's vimana, yoked with horses of the effulgence of lightning, arrive all on a sudden, they were delighted. And driven by Matali, that blazing vimana, suddenly illuminating the sky, looked like smokeless flaming tongues of fire, or a mighty meteor embosomed in clouds and seeing before them that vimana driving in which the slayer of Namuchi had annihilated seven phalanxes of Diti's offspring, the magnanimous Parthas went round it. And being highly pleased, they offered excellent worship unto Matali, as unto the lord of the celestials himself. And then the son of the Kuru king duly enquired of him after the health of all the gods. And Matali also greeted them. And having instructed the Parthas even as a father doth his sons, he ascended that incomparable vimana, and returned to the lord of the celestials".

Again the horses being mentioned is only a substitution for engines or similar advanced technologies. The mentioning of "smokeless flaming tongues of fire" could be clearly perceived as an eco-friendly jet engine's emision.