Gods, Sages and Kings

by David Frawley, Vyaas Houston (Foreword)

"Gods, Sages and Kings is a very important book. It fills a major void in our understanding of human history...It calls into question our entire view of human history...it is much more significantly a truly spiritual vision of where we come from and who we are." —Vyaas Houston

David Frawley is one of the few Westerners ever recognised in India as a Vedacharya or teacher of the ancient wisdom. His work in this book reflects this tradition and his contact with numerous Vedic scholars. Iy is one in a series of book by him on the different fields of Vedic knowledge, including ayurveda, Vedic astrology and Vedic yoga.

Gods, Sages and Kings presents a remarkable accumulation of evidence pointing to the existence of a common spiritual culture in the ancient world from which present civilization may be more of a decline than an advance. The book is based upon new interpretation of the ancient Vedic teachings of India, and brings out many new insights from this unique source often neglected and misinterpreted in the West. In addition, it discusses recent archaeological discoveries in India whose implications are now only beginning to emerge.

Gods, Sages and Kings reveals the geography of the ancient Vedic world, including the sacred Himalayan lands of the Soma. It shows the lineages of the Vedic kings and the realms that they ruled. It deciphers the ancient Vedic calendar and its sophisticated system of astronomy going back to before 4000 B.C. and uncovers the yogic practices of the ancient Vedic seers that appear to be behind all the religions of the world. It suggests that all the peoples of the ancient world may be related to the Vedic culture including those of Sumeria, Egypt, China and the Americas. The book challenges the accepted views of the origins of civilizations in a profound way and thus causes the reader to re-examine what it means to be a human being.

Genres: History, India, Hinduism, Mythology, Nonfiction, Anthropology, Philosophy

396 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1991

About the author

David Frawley (or Vāmadeva Śāstrī वामदेव शास्त्री), b. 1950, is an American Hindu teacher (acharya) and author, who has written more than thirty books on topics such as the Vedas, Hinduism, Yoga, Ayurveda and Vedic astrology, published both in India and in the United States. He is the founder and director of the American Institute of Vedic Studies in Santa Fe, New Mexico, which offers educational information on Yoga philosophy, Ayurveda, and Vedic astrology. He works closely with the magazine Hinduism Today, where he is a frequent contributor.[1] He is associated with a number of Vedic organizations in several countries. He is a Vedic teacher (Vedacharya), Vaidya (Ayurvedic doctor), and a Jyotishi (Vedic astrologer).

Reviews

[Manuel Vega · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is not an easy read, but definitely worth the effort. It is full of quotes from the Vedas, in themselves difficult to understand. The author makes a great effort to interpret them and to put this ancient text in its right context, that of a maritime civilization based on a solar religion... and he succeeds. I found lots of links between the Vedas and the Megalith Builders of Western Europe, which supports my own research on this fascinating subject.

[Shashi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Was surprised that not many people knew of this book. A fascinating take on the Rig Vedic civilization and the various ways in which that culture would have spread across the region. A scientifically, geographically and historically well researched book that documents various important verses from the Rig Veda. Was stunned at how many different interpretations and hidden meanings the book has. Looking forward to reading it again soon. A must read if one wishes to know more about the Vedic culture that dates back to 5000 BC and earlier.

[M · Rating 4 out of 5]

A definitive reference from a Hindu anthropological standpoint. The author’s in-depth authority on the Vedas and ancient Hindu rituals is spellbinding, even more is the way he points the richness of the scriptures in a simplistic manner, making it an easy read.

[Tushar Bhatnagar · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a wonderful book to read on Vedic Age. It’s tough to read, but the level of detail shared in this book is great.

It’s a must read for anyone who is interested in truly understanding ancient vedic civilization. It challenges the Aryan invasion theory and gives multiple accounts and references to highlight the truth.

[Mrudul Neralla · Rating 5 out of 5]

An amazingly detailed account of the Indian Civilization - its origins, development and influence on global cultures and societies. A very thorough, detailed read for the curious mind.

[Riju Ganguly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reading this book was truly an experience in itself! It has been arranged and displayed like a research paper, with very small font-size and dense lay-out. Also, the author expects the readers to be erudite enough to do justice to his work. Despite all that, I found the book to be a gripping read.
Following Vyaas Houston's 'Foreword', it has the following chapters~
A. Introduction: Ancient History from the Vision of the Seers;
B.
Part I: The Vedic World
1. The Image of the Ocean
2. The Saraswati River
3. The Land of the Seven Rivers
Part II: The Throne of Indra
1. From the Rig Veda
2. From the Brahmanas and Puranas
Part III: Vedic Astronomy
1. Hindu Astronomy
2. Breaking Through the Barrier of Time
Part IV: Vedic Religion
Part V: Peoples of the Ancient World
Appendices

Frawley has written this book to counter the Marxist lies spread about India’s past. Unfortunately, without relying on any kind of archaeological evidence and basing his work solely on interpretations of allegories in the Vedic literature, he has also stepped into a similar trap. The only way to substantiate these claims and suppositions would be to find out some corroborative material evidence, starting with the script of Indus-Saraswati Civilization.
Nevertheless, this is an incredibly important book that tries to undo the injustice done to Indian history. If only the publisher had taken some pain to make it more readable!
Recommended.

[Sam Savage · Rating 4 out of 5]

As far as a psuedohistorical account goes, it's pretty good. Anybody with a Hindu bias is going to really dig this book. I enjoyed it fairly. There are a few very dense, boring chapters that only make sense to expert astrologers. But most of the chapters are very interesting.

[Nancy McQueen · Rating 5 out of 5]

A well researched, in depth book on the history of Vedic culture

[M · Rating 5 out of 5]

Difficult read but worth the attempt.

[Adi Treehugger · Rating 5 out of 5]

I feel like I can read this book again and again and uncover truths as I learn. This is a great book to incorporate with your personal practice - whether Yoga or meditation or just cultivating a clear understanding on the matters of life. If you are fortunate enough to find a copy of this book, I encourage you right now to give it a chance and read and learn.

[Uma Dhanwatey · Rating 3 out of 5]

The people in this world are connected in strange ways.Its interesting to go back to the roots (our roots) and see here we come from.Inportant these days as we get so lost in the "modern world"!

[Venkat Krishnan · Rating 5 out of 5]

A wonderful treatise on Rig Veda.

The book questions our entire view of human history. It presents compelling evidence to show that the Vedic civilization was a very refined and advanced civilization that evolved along with Sanskrit over a very long period of time.

Much new information has come out that supports the claim that ancient India was more central to the origins of civilization than is presently considered, and that it may be the source of civilization as we know it.

One cannot understand India while being ignorant of the Sarasvati River and the first major historical epic of Sudas and his legendary 'Battle of the Ten Kings' (Dāśarājña yuddha). The book provides an excellent summary of both, which comprise the foundation of Indian civilization.

The book makes a strong case that the Rig Veda as a spiritual book may not be understood from a non-spiritual perspective, any more than a book on science can be understood by one who is not a scientist. We should not interpret an ancient text according to our preconceptions of where and by whom it should have been written. We must first of all try to hear its own voice.

This book does a phenomenal job of making us understand the true spirit of the Rig Veda.

[Rajasimhan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Biased. Skipping and not considering alternate possibilities. Fixated on his opinion. Charles Allens 'Aryan' is must read to get the other side of the coin. Giving four stars for the research work and made my life easier to get some facts and figures from the vedas.

Ignores DNA evidence, Pan Indian dravidian civilization, open statements in the vedas hinting at confrontation between aryans and dasas and dashyus are portrayed in philisophical and spiritual langauge and swept under the cupboard.

[Himabindu Kolla · Rating 5 out of 5]

Need to read it twice and thrice. Every young Indian shoukd read this and understand and consume this.

[Sushant · Rating 2 out of 5]

2 stars for setting the context and asking interesting questions about the nature of societies before capitalism or industry was invented. Everything other than that was a vague attempt to prove the perspective which the author does a poor job at

[Ujjwal Chaturvedi · Rating 5 out of 5]

A wonderful and research on Rigveda and history of human civilization and Hinduism