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In Search of the Cradle of Civilization
For decades, schoolbooks have taught that Sumer was the cradle of civilization. Conventional scholarship has also held that Aryan civilization came to India by way of invasions from the north. But in this ground-breaking book, three renowned scholars show that there was no "Aryan invasion," and that India, not Sumer, was the cradle of civilized humanity. Through exploring the rich symbols, metaphors, and myths of the Vedas, this book also examines the wealth of India's spirituality and its relevance for today's world.
359 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1995
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408 people want to read
About the author
Georg Feuerstein
127 books101 followersGeorg A. Feuerstein was an Indologist and, according to his associate Ken Wilber, among the foremost Westerns scholar-practitioners of yoga. After doing his postgraduate research at Durham University in England, he moved to the United States, eventually settling in Canada with his wife and sometime co-author Brenda.
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Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews
October 17, 2020
An old but well researched and interesting historical book on Indian civilization. This book mainly considers archaeological and literary evidence to show the antiquity of Indian civilization and thought. They show the unbroken continuity of Indian civilization since the Mehrgarh times going back to 7000 or 8000 BC.
Based upon the archeological and literary evidence they make a good case for how the Vedic people are the same as those from the Sindhu-Saraswati civilization (Harappan culture), and how an out of India theory makes a lot more sense than Aryan invasion theory. The drying up of Saraswati for example led to the migration of people towards Ganga plain to the east, to the south towards Narmada and Godavari and also some westward migration out of India. There are also Vedic records that show migration of peoples from India to the West.
The most interesting part of the book is the one on the study of Astronomical observations recorded in our Vedas and other Sanskrit literature. Ancient Indians for example understood the phenomenon of axial precession and Vedas record astronomical events that go back upto 24,000 years ago. These astronomical records actually give us a far better idea of the antiquity of the texts than the arbitrary dates given by the western indologists. Vedic literature for example records an extremely rare planetary alignment that also marks the beginning of Kaliyuga at 3102 BC.
There have been many comparative studies on the vast amount of parallels between the ancient Indian, Greek, Mesopotamian and Egyptian thought. Given the antiquity of Indian civilization and other evidence, the authors propose mainly an East to West spread of ancient knowledge.
Based upon the archeological and literary evidence they make a good case for how the Vedic people are the same as those from the Sindhu-Saraswati civilization (Harappan culture), and how an out of India theory makes a lot more sense than Aryan invasion theory. The drying up of Saraswati for example led to the migration of people towards Ganga plain to the east, to the south towards Narmada and Godavari and also some westward migration out of India. There are also Vedic records that show migration of peoples from India to the West.
The most interesting part of the book is the one on the study of Astronomical observations recorded in our Vedas and other Sanskrit literature. Ancient Indians for example understood the phenomenon of axial precession and Vedas record astronomical events that go back upto 24,000 years ago. These astronomical records actually give us a far better idea of the antiquity of the texts than the arbitrary dates given by the western indologists. Vedic literature for example records an extremely rare planetary alignment that also marks the beginning of Kaliyuga at 3102 BC.
There have been many comparative studies on the vast amount of parallels between the ancient Indian, Greek, Mesopotamian and Egyptian thought. Given the antiquity of Indian civilization and other evidence, the authors propose mainly an East to West spread of ancient knowledge.
February 12, 2021
This is a wonderfully written book that proves India is the cradle of civilization of the world. The book is comprehensive and very well written. I thought it was both fascinating and educational!
December 19, 2014
I enjoyed reading this book from start to finish - the authors put forth 17 arguments (some of them convincing, some of them a stretch) to refute the Aryan invasion theory of the Indian civilization. I had never truly accepted the Aryan invasion theory despite a lack of any others, so for me this book was a happy validation. I also enjoyed the authors' theory about India being the cradle of civilization. But beyond the two theories, what the book does well is provide an in-depth look at some of the concepts and practices of this ancient civilization that are still relevant and prevalent in modern India, and will continue to be valuable to the Western world.
August 9, 2021
For a book that is primarily for scholars, this books reads very fast. Like most works by Subhash Kak this is also an incredibly fascinating work. Only a fool will peddle the aryan invasion/migration theory after reading this extremely well researched book.
December 31, 2014
Detailed analysis of facts - archaeological and literary - and conclusion drawn. Good book for anyone researching into the prehistory of the Indian subcontinent.
July 10, 2019
This is one of the superior books I have had the honour of reading on this topic. The authors have outstandingly slapped the colonial Historians and through a handsome process of deduction very candidly established that the Vedic civilization was an organic growth out of the "Indus-Sarasvati civilization" or the "Indus Valley civilization". The authors propose that the Aryan Invasion theory is unsubstantiated. Aryans had been living in India as long as Indus Valley civilization had existed. Aryans were an innate part of the Indus-Valley Civilization. For this very reason, the authors like to call it the Vedic Indus Valley Civilization and provide an assortment of reasons – archaeological as well as linguistic, using the Vedas as literary source to verify their point. Interested parties would be sentient that the Aryan-Dravidian divide is a politically motivated manufacture without foundation in fact. It has spited our country for years, trying to shred our cultural framework by striking at the concord of our people. Although this theory has been methodically debunked, it continues to be circulated in academic circles, with its across-the-board tentacles spanning the range of social, political, cultural, economic, and scientific studies. Since the time this bizarre theory first made its appearance, Indian scholars toiled to disprove its claims. Luminaries such as A C Das, B G Tilak, and Aurobindo Ghose pointed out the logical fallacies of this theory. This has been further strengthened in the past seventy years, with scholars such as David Frawley, N S Rajaram, Koenrad Elst, Srikant Talageri, Aravindan Neelakandan, and Rajiv Malhotra building a solid case against the Aryan-Dravidian divide.
The authors have spent a noteworthy number of pages to focus upon the Harappan civilisation, which has implication for not only historians and archaeologists, but also the common man. Its import lies in the fact that it was one of the earliest civilisations of the world. Prior to excavation at the Harappan sites, it was believed that the cities and civilisations surfaced only after the 6th century. Some of the most remarkable aspects of the discoveries are the town planning and architecture, art and crafts and the social, religious and economic condition of that era. The Harappan civilisation did not appear all of a sudden. It developed gradually from earlier Neolithic village culture. It is believed that the better technology to exploit the fertile plains of river Indus might have resulted in increased agricultural production. This led to the production of larger surplus to feed and maintain non-agricultural people such as artisans, administrators etc. It also helped in the promotion of exchange or trading contracts with distant regions. It brought prosperity to the Harappan people and they were able to set-up cities. By around 2000 BC, several regional cultures developed in different parts of the subcontinent which were also based on the use of stone and copper tools. These Chalcolithic cultures which lay outside the Harappan zone were not so rich and flourishing. These were basically rural in nature. The origin and development of these between circa 2000 BC- 700 Be. These are found in Western and Central India and are described as non-Harappan Chalcolithic cultures. Much has been known about the town planning and architecture of the Harappan civilisation. The cities boasted of well-planned roads wide and straight, houses provided with an efficient drainage system and ventilation. The excavations have yielded a rich collection of objects in stone, bronze and terracotta. One of the most known figurines is perhaps the 'naked bronze dancing girl' necklace and a series of bangles almost covering one arm, her hair dressed in a complicated coiffure, standing in a provocative posture, with one arm on her hip and one leg half bent. Archaeologists have discovered thousands of seals with beautiful figures of animals, such as unicorn bull, rhinoceros, tiger, elephant, bison, goat, buffalo ete. The most remarkable seal is of Pashupati.
From the seals it appears that the Indus Valley Civilisation had trade links with Mesopotamia and perhaps merchants from India even visited and stayed there. Tools of stone, copper and bronze have been found, which in many respects were technologically sound. The blades were flat and easily bent while the axe heads had to be lashed to their shafts. The discovery of a large number of spindles of various sizes indicate that threads both of cotton and woolen must have been spun in those days. The main diet consisted of wheat, barley and milk products. Fruits, vegetables, fish and meat were also consumed. Music and dance appear to be the main sources of entertainment. No temple has yet been discovered. From the Pashupati seal, it is certain that they worshipped Shiva. There is an image of Shiva, seated on a stool flanked by an elephant. Numerous pottery figurines of Mother Goddesses have also been found. Nature worship must have been part of their ritual as revealed in the seals. There is a scene of a Horned goddess, before whom another horned deity is kneeling and animals as some male figures wearing the horns of a goat or a bull, some animals standing on rectangular pedestals, composite animals having body of a ram and trunk of an elephant, a limestone bull having a garland round his neck and a unicorn being carried in a procession. Agriculture was their main occupation. Rainfall in Sind and Punjab was heavy. There is evidence of the cultivation of wheat, barley, peas, mustard, cotton and rice. Domesticated animals were kept in the house. Horse bones have also been discovered at Surkotda, indicating use of the animal.
In particular, the excavations have provided a sequence of development in the Mature Harappan period that begins to allow the establishment of an internal chronology of development in what was previously seen as a uniform, undifferentiated period of considerable length. Many recent pieces of research have focused on aspects of Harappan technology, revealing the tremendous sophistication of Harappan craftsmanship. One notable finding is manufacture of stoneware bangles at Mohenjodaro.
The authors show that in recent years, there has been far more attention focused on rural settlement than before, although the number of excavated villages is still small. This has gone a considerable way towards achieving a broader picture of Harappan society, although there is still a long way to go. The excavation of Dholavira and of sites like Farmana in Haryana have provided important new insights into the Indus civilisation, complementing what has been learned from new work at Harappa and in Balochistan (Pakistan). What we now know is that the Harappan was a dynamic and complicated socio-cultural phenomenon that is not possible to easily characterize. Recent excavations marked most significant insight which is that the Indus civilisation was a dynamic and complicated phenomenon, regionally differentiated, yet haring some common material cultural attributes. To what degree this sharing was because local populations 'bought into' aspects of the Harappan culture (e.g., India and China have 'bought into' aspects of 'Western culture' today) or because some sites were Harappan colonies or had Harappan elites ruling over local populations remains to be determined on a site by site basis. Another most important excavation in recent times is that of Dholavira in the Kutch region of India.
The Harappans were literate people. Harappan seals are engraved with various signs or characters. Recent studies suggest that the Harappan script consists of about 400 signs and that it was written from right to left. However, the script has not been deciphered as yet. It is believed that they used ideograms i.e., a graphic symbol or character to convey the idea directly. We do not know the language they spoke, though scholars believe that they spoke 'Brahui', a dialect used by Baluchi people in Pakistan today. However, further research alone can unveil the mystery and enable us to know more about the Harappan script.
The second point they have tried to prove is that the ancient Indians were no primitives but possessed a towering level of spiritual culture, which not only influenced the evolution of the Western world in crucial ways but which still has much to teach us. India's archaic spirituality is codified in the rich symbols, metaphors and myths of the splendid Rig-Veda, which is shown to be much older than has been widely assumed by scholars. The present book also unravels the astounding mathematical and astronomical code hidden in the Vedic hymns. The Vedic Shulba Sutras (fifth to eighth century B.C.E.), denoting "codes of the rope," show that the earliest geometrical and mathematical investigations among the Indians arose from certain requirements of their religious rituals. When the poetic hallucination of the Vedic seers was externalized in symbols, rituals requiring altars and accurate measurement became apparent, providing a gateway to the accomplishment of the unmanifest world of awareness. "Shulba Sutras" is the name given to those portions or supplements of the Kalpasutras, concerned with the dimension and edifice of the diverse arenas for religious rites.
To conclude, the authors have done excellent research and all the dimensions are very well explained, though sometimes it might take some time to reach to the conclusion.
The authors have spent a noteworthy number of pages to focus upon the Harappan civilisation, which has implication for not only historians and archaeologists, but also the common man. Its import lies in the fact that it was one of the earliest civilisations of the world. Prior to excavation at the Harappan sites, it was believed that the cities and civilisations surfaced only after the 6th century. Some of the most remarkable aspects of the discoveries are the town planning and architecture, art and crafts and the social, religious and economic condition of that era. The Harappan civilisation did not appear all of a sudden. It developed gradually from earlier Neolithic village culture. It is believed that the better technology to exploit the fertile plains of river Indus might have resulted in increased agricultural production. This led to the production of larger surplus to feed and maintain non-agricultural people such as artisans, administrators etc. It also helped in the promotion of exchange or trading contracts with distant regions. It brought prosperity to the Harappan people and they were able to set-up cities. By around 2000 BC, several regional cultures developed in different parts of the subcontinent which were also based on the use of stone and copper tools. These Chalcolithic cultures which lay outside the Harappan zone were not so rich and flourishing. These were basically rural in nature. The origin and development of these between circa 2000 BC- 700 Be. These are found in Western and Central India and are described as non-Harappan Chalcolithic cultures. Much has been known about the town planning and architecture of the Harappan civilisation. The cities boasted of well-planned roads wide and straight, houses provided with an efficient drainage system and ventilation. The excavations have yielded a rich collection of objects in stone, bronze and terracotta. One of the most known figurines is perhaps the 'naked bronze dancing girl' necklace and a series of bangles almost covering one arm, her hair dressed in a complicated coiffure, standing in a provocative posture, with one arm on her hip and one leg half bent. Archaeologists have discovered thousands of seals with beautiful figures of animals, such as unicorn bull, rhinoceros, tiger, elephant, bison, goat, buffalo ete. The most remarkable seal is of Pashupati.
From the seals it appears that the Indus Valley Civilisation had trade links with Mesopotamia and perhaps merchants from India even visited and stayed there. Tools of stone, copper and bronze have been found, which in many respects were technologically sound. The blades were flat and easily bent while the axe heads had to be lashed to their shafts. The discovery of a large number of spindles of various sizes indicate that threads both of cotton and woolen must have been spun in those days. The main diet consisted of wheat, barley and milk products. Fruits, vegetables, fish and meat were also consumed. Music and dance appear to be the main sources of entertainment. No temple has yet been discovered. From the Pashupati seal, it is certain that they worshipped Shiva. There is an image of Shiva, seated on a stool flanked by an elephant. Numerous pottery figurines of Mother Goddesses have also been found. Nature worship must have been part of their ritual as revealed in the seals. There is a scene of a Horned goddess, before whom another horned deity is kneeling and animals as some male figures wearing the horns of a goat or a bull, some animals standing on rectangular pedestals, composite animals having body of a ram and trunk of an elephant, a limestone bull having a garland round his neck and a unicorn being carried in a procession. Agriculture was their main occupation. Rainfall in Sind and Punjab was heavy. There is evidence of the cultivation of wheat, barley, peas, mustard, cotton and rice. Domesticated animals were kept in the house. Horse bones have also been discovered at Surkotda, indicating use of the animal.
In particular, the excavations have provided a sequence of development in the Mature Harappan period that begins to allow the establishment of an internal chronology of development in what was previously seen as a uniform, undifferentiated period of considerable length. Many recent pieces of research have focused on aspects of Harappan technology, revealing the tremendous sophistication of Harappan craftsmanship. One notable finding is manufacture of stoneware bangles at Mohenjodaro.
The authors show that in recent years, there has been far more attention focused on rural settlement than before, although the number of excavated villages is still small. This has gone a considerable way towards achieving a broader picture of Harappan society, although there is still a long way to go. The excavation of Dholavira and of sites like Farmana in Haryana have provided important new insights into the Indus civilisation, complementing what has been learned from new work at Harappa and in Balochistan (Pakistan). What we now know is that the Harappan was a dynamic and complicated socio-cultural phenomenon that is not possible to easily characterize. Recent excavations marked most significant insight which is that the Indus civilisation was a dynamic and complicated phenomenon, regionally differentiated, yet haring some common material cultural attributes. To what degree this sharing was because local populations 'bought into' aspects of the Harappan culture (e.g., India and China have 'bought into' aspects of 'Western culture' today) or because some sites were Harappan colonies or had Harappan elites ruling over local populations remains to be determined on a site by site basis. Another most important excavation in recent times is that of Dholavira in the Kutch region of India.
The Harappans were literate people. Harappan seals are engraved with various signs or characters. Recent studies suggest that the Harappan script consists of about 400 signs and that it was written from right to left. However, the script has not been deciphered as yet. It is believed that they used ideograms i.e., a graphic symbol or character to convey the idea directly. We do not know the language they spoke, though scholars believe that they spoke 'Brahui', a dialect used by Baluchi people in Pakistan today. However, further research alone can unveil the mystery and enable us to know more about the Harappan script.
The second point they have tried to prove is that the ancient Indians were no primitives but possessed a towering level of spiritual culture, which not only influenced the evolution of the Western world in crucial ways but which still has much to teach us. India's archaic spirituality is codified in the rich symbols, metaphors and myths of the splendid Rig-Veda, which is shown to be much older than has been widely assumed by scholars. The present book also unravels the astounding mathematical and astronomical code hidden in the Vedic hymns. The Vedic Shulba Sutras (fifth to eighth century B.C.E.), denoting "codes of the rope," show that the earliest geometrical and mathematical investigations among the Indians arose from certain requirements of their religious rituals. When the poetic hallucination of the Vedic seers was externalized in symbols, rituals requiring altars and accurate measurement became apparent, providing a gateway to the accomplishment of the unmanifest world of awareness. "Shulba Sutras" is the name given to those portions or supplements of the Kalpasutras, concerned with the dimension and edifice of the diverse arenas for religious rites.
To conclude, the authors have done excellent research and all the dimensions are very well explained, though sometimes it might take some time to reach to the conclusion.
July 15, 2013
After reading Gods, Sages & Kings (also of one of the authors, Frawley) this book reads too light. Reading them the other way around would be best. Anyway, a more popular (less scholastic) presentation of the real antiquity of the Vedic civilization. The astronomic and maritime information the authors find in the Vedas clearly debunks the entrenched idea of the Arian invasion of the Indian subcontinent by a pastoral people. So who were the Arians?
March 14, 2017
It has some cool references to Ayurveda which I found interesting. It basically states the origins of human history did not stem from the western world. The ancients were a lot more sophisticated than modern western culture gives them credit for. But anyone with a lick of education already knows that. Nevertheless, studying about Ayurveda, it is always enjoyable to read about the history of Ayurveda.
October 14, 2018
A very nice read on Ancient Indian history which contains a lot of interesting facts, clever arguments and some exciting hypotheses that will hopefully be tested in coming years or decades.
Here and there the authors bore with a more pedantic approach or put forward arguments which might just be wishful thinking without further proofs. But the book rightfully questions many existing ideas on Indus Valley Civilisation and makes us think about our ancestors and their achievements in wonder!
Here and there the authors bore with a more pedantic approach or put forward arguments which might just be wishful thinking without further proofs. But the book rightfully questions many existing ideas on Indus Valley Civilisation and makes us think about our ancestors and their achievements in wonder!
September 6, 2022
This is a very well-researched book that tries to demolish lots of prejudicial paradigms, while proposing alternatives that strikingly change the position of ancient India in history.
It is structured in two broad sections.
Part One is titled 'Journeying Back in Time: An Eight-Thousan-Year Adventure'. In this section, nine chapters are devoted towards understanding the Indus-Saraswati Civilisation, the so-called invading/migrating Aryans, and the archaeological basis of rise of civilisation in north-western part of the sub-continent along-with its impact.
Part Two is titled 'The Splendor of Ancient India: Its Cultural and Spiritual Legacy'. Five chapters of this section tries to understand how the spiritual concepts of ancient past have survived and thrived. This section tries to show how astronomy had shaped the myths, while mathematics had grown around them.
Overall, this book, despite being almost two and a half decades old, still holds good in terms of exploration of our past. Most importantly, it is a very good addition in the list of modern works that are helping us in getting rid of the politically motivated versions that had been pushed down our throat.
Recommended.
It is structured in two broad sections.
Part One is titled 'Journeying Back in Time: An Eight-Thousan-Year Adventure'. In this section, nine chapters are devoted towards understanding the Indus-Saraswati Civilisation, the so-called invading/migrating Aryans, and the archaeological basis of rise of civilisation in north-western part of the sub-continent along-with its impact.
Part Two is titled 'The Splendor of Ancient India: Its Cultural and Spiritual Legacy'. Five chapters of this section tries to understand how the spiritual concepts of ancient past have survived and thrived. This section tries to show how astronomy had shaped the myths, while mathematics had grown around them.
Overall, this book, despite being almost two and a half decades old, still holds good in terms of exploration of our past. Most importantly, it is a very good addition in the list of modern works that are helping us in getting rid of the politically motivated versions that had been pushed down our throat.
Recommended.
July 17, 2019
Satiating my interest in History and following Dr. Frawley one of the authors in Twitter and a recommendation from an archaeology enthusiast friend, I read this book. The myth that the Indus Valley Civilization and the Vedic Civilization were different and did not have any similarity is busted in this book. The continuity of the Indus Harrapa in the present Indian Culture in forms of symbols and practices which matches the Vedic Heritage and performing culture and arts was astonishing. However, scripts were it to decipher.
The book makes the case for these similarities and makes its case to the common man or for a person who is interested in History and who may not be essentially a student of History. The authors have put a tea table discussion in the form of the book which gives Hinduism or the Vedic Thought and Culture its rightful place. How many history books you get, which talks about the spiritual quest of the man or the place of spirituality in the human existence and how closely it is associated with the history of mankind? It grows beyond the Leftist and Western Historical thought processes and discusses the work of Indologists from the modern history and takes you back to the time of dawn.
A must read for anyone who wants to read History from the Indic or Indian point of view.
The book makes the case for these similarities and makes its case to the common man or for a person who is interested in History and who may not be essentially a student of History. The authors have put a tea table discussion in the form of the book which gives Hinduism or the Vedic Thought and Culture its rightful place. How many history books you get, which talks about the spiritual quest of the man or the place of spirituality in the human existence and how closely it is associated with the history of mankind? It grows beyond the Leftist and Western Historical thought processes and discusses the work of Indologists from the modern history and takes you back to the time of dawn.
A must read for anyone who wants to read History from the Indic or Indian point of view.
December 20, 2013
The authors are trying to prove that Aryan Invasion theory is not exactly right. Aryans have been an integral part of India from the starting of civilizations in India and are contemporary to Indus Valley civilization ( He likes to call it Vedic Indus Valley civilization).
September 9, 2016
Very good and easy to read. The thesis that India rather than Sumeria was the origin of the PIE culture is an interesting one. I do not know whether this argument gets much scholarly credence, but the book makes it sound like it should?
March 24, 2021
I would not recommend this book. The authors argument against the aryan invasion theory is not at all convincing. There are better books out there.
July 27, 2023
I've read a handful, now, of these cheapo self-published monograph flimflams, written by fringe-theorists & outright crackpots, and this one has been the most disappointing of them all. It failed not once but twice, insofar as the author(s) clearly couldn't help but fall prey to the very sort of wishful thinking they dismiss the earlier "Aryan invasion" theory as being, nor could they at least make up for their rational shortcomings with an ample supply of interesting factoids.
The author(s) does not consider the Vedas in their vital relation to the Avesta; does not emphasize sufficiently the phylogenetic standing of Indic speakers as members of the (uhh... hello?) Indo-European language family; gropes at vague likenesses in order to establish the Indus Valley Civilization as "Vedic" (whatever that means) a priori; grinds with limp, pseudo-scholarly wrists his flaccid ax that India has been the éminence grise of all the world's great thoughts & achievements; maintains that India's salient mysticism is somehow superior to all other Occidental modes of un-thought that have come & gone on the world stage like so many piss-drinking, boneclad stooges, shivering in the wings around a garbage can full of fire.
Maintains, furthermore, that the same people who settled & cultivated the Indus Valley were compelled by some dire cataclysm to leave their home and, in the process, forget altogether their old gods, their old legends, their old trades, their old way of writing, their old way of speaking, eating, drinking, shitting, laughing, love-making: their old culture in its entirety. Every man Jack of them... good god, what an idea.
It makes me think of the way millions upon millions of natives revere the mighty Ganges, bathing in its purifying waters while, 10 feet away, a bloated, putrefied cow's corpse floats. It's nice to think things are precisely the way you imagine them to be.
The author(s) does not consider the Vedas in their vital relation to the Avesta; does not emphasize sufficiently the phylogenetic standing of Indic speakers as members of the (uhh... hello?) Indo-European language family; gropes at vague likenesses in order to establish the Indus Valley Civilization as "Vedic" (whatever that means) a priori; grinds with limp, pseudo-scholarly wrists his flaccid ax that India has been the éminence grise of all the world's great thoughts & achievements; maintains that India's salient mysticism is somehow superior to all other Occidental modes of un-thought that have come & gone on the world stage like so many piss-drinking, boneclad stooges, shivering in the wings around a garbage can full of fire.
Maintains, furthermore, that the same people who settled & cultivated the Indus Valley were compelled by some dire cataclysm to leave their home and, in the process, forget altogether their old gods, their old legends, their old trades, their old way of writing, their old way of speaking, eating, drinking, shitting, laughing, love-making: their old culture in its entirety. Every man Jack of them... good god, what an idea.
It makes me think of the way millions upon millions of natives revere the mighty Ganges, bathing in its purifying waters while, 10 feet away, a bloated, putrefied cow's corpse floats. It's nice to think things are precisely the way you imagine them to be.
March 11, 2021
Interesting points but reads too light to be anything other than a skimming spoon to reveal the milk. I could have done without the ideological pretensions but the proposition- in its historical significance and ideological platitude- has been done justice. One is eager to study a detailed account of minerals around the dried up Sarasvati, and one shall.
July 6, 2007
This book is about the cultural history of India - the Rig Vedas, some archeology, a refutation of the Indo-European invasion (come to think, India is a hard place to get to, especially with chariots).
This is all well and good, but the part I don't get at all is this (leafy?) drink called "soma" which seems to have made an essential contribution to their culture. What is this stuff? The gurus got whacked on it, and thus perhaps we have all the existential insightfulness which we gain from ancient Indian literature. There's no real soma recipe in the Vedas. They say it's some kind of "juice", if that's the right translation, although animal products, such as bull and horse semen, could be mixed in for consistency. Perhaps it's like "koumiss", a hard-to-get-down fermented mare's milk which they still drink in Kazakstan, and the subject of endless jokes for the ethnic Russians there.
There is also a book "Food of the Gods", which I've skimmed a bit, which sorts out the questions of which culture was stoned out on what. They're also stumped on soma.
In Huxley's "Brave New World", there's soma:
.. kiss me till I'm in a coma
Love me honey, snuggly bunny,
Love's as good as soma.
I'm by no means a drug person, but, in the interests of science I'd be willing to quaff a soma cocktail, if somebody could get the recipe.
This is all well and good, but the part I don't get at all is this (leafy?) drink called "soma" which seems to have made an essential contribution to their culture. What is this stuff? The gurus got whacked on it, and thus perhaps we have all the existential insightfulness which we gain from ancient Indian literature. There's no real soma recipe in the Vedas. They say it's some kind of "juice", if that's the right translation, although animal products, such as bull and horse semen, could be mixed in for consistency. Perhaps it's like "koumiss", a hard-to-get-down fermented mare's milk which they still drink in Kazakstan, and the subject of endless jokes for the ethnic Russians there.
There is also a book "Food of the Gods", which I've skimmed a bit, which sorts out the questions of which culture was stoned out on what. They're also stumped on soma.
In Huxley's "Brave New World", there's soma:
.. kiss me till I'm in a coma
Love me honey, snuggly bunny,
Love's as good as soma.
I'm by no means a drug person, but, in the interests of science I'd be willing to quaff a soma cocktail, if somebody could get the recipe.
September 8, 2021
It's a thoroughly researched work, historically pertinent in view of today's world.
At first when I started to read the book my thoughts were that it was too much to call the IVC as the cradle of civilization,what about other equally great and antiquated civilizations?
But the authors, tell us a different perspective, not one eulogizing the IVC but factually telling us why it should be considered as the cradle.
Concepts like perennial philosophy, unity,diversity,the one essential Truth, the understanding of such concepts and then putting them into words and propagating them through centuries of practice and learning all point to a very high level of philosophical sophistication not seen in any other civilization.
This book doesn't try to force the idea of the "superiority" of the IVC but explains it to you through many concepts that why it really is "superior" in the sense of its spiritual and philosophical achievements.
This is a must read for everyone who wants to know about the true concepts of Vedic civilization.
At first when I started to read the book my thoughts were that it was too much to call the IVC as the cradle of civilization,what about other equally great and antiquated civilizations?
But the authors, tell us a different perspective, not one eulogizing the IVC but factually telling us why it should be considered as the cradle.
Concepts like perennial philosophy, unity,diversity,the one essential Truth, the understanding of such concepts and then putting them into words and propagating them through centuries of practice and learning all point to a very high level of philosophical sophistication not seen in any other civilization.
This book doesn't try to force the idea of the "superiority" of the IVC but explains it to you through many concepts that why it really is "superior" in the sense of its spiritual and philosophical achievements.
This is a must read for everyone who wants to know about the true concepts of Vedic civilization.
May 16, 2023
A persuasive and phenomenally insightful book on ancient Indian history.
Prevailing misconceptions and vested interests have long hampered an unbiased study of ancient India's civilization. But, our understanding of history can prove crucial to how we interpret life in the present.
This book does an amazing job of reviewing the latest developments in archaeology and history in a comprehensive and comprehensible fashion. It removes distortions by providing objective data to counter them.
Anyone who wishes to have a correct understanding of ancient India should certainly read this book. It will also help one to benefit from the ancestors' wisdom distilled in the crucible of life.
Prevailing misconceptions and vested interests have long hampered an unbiased study of ancient India's civilization. But, our understanding of history can prove crucial to how we interpret life in the present.
This book does an amazing job of reviewing the latest developments in archaeology and history in a comprehensive and comprehensible fashion. It removes distortions by providing objective data to counter them.
Anyone who wishes to have a correct understanding of ancient India should certainly read this book. It will also help one to benefit from the ancestors' wisdom distilled in the crucible of life.
July 4, 2021
Book uncovers many aspects of Vedic civilization and comparative analysis on how Vedic knowledge spread across the Roman, Egyptian and sumer civilization.
It very well denounce Aryan Invasion Theory with many proofs including mittani treaty. Book brings up the articulated details on how Vedic folks were keen observer of sky and practitioner of yoga.
Wonderful read!
It very well denounce Aryan Invasion Theory with many proofs including mittani treaty. Book brings up the articulated details on how Vedic folks were keen observer of sky and practitioner of yoga.
Wonderful read!
May 30, 2023
Amazing analysis of religion and history. Its a must read for everyone irrespective of nationality and religion. Brings a new way of looking at Indic and world history and raises very pertinent questions. This book is going to stay relevant for generations, such is its impact!!
May 8, 2012
Good book. Gives lot of interesting information regarding ancient civilization of India.
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