In Search of the Cradle of Civilization: New Light on Ancient IndiaFor 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. |
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Page xi
... human body 215 Fig . 44 : Contemporary drawing of Krishna and Arjuna's chariot , having a deep symbolic meaning 222 Fig . 45 : Drawing explaining the astronomical phenomenon of the precession 238 Fig . 46 : South Indian temple 244 Fig ...
... human body 215 Fig . 44 : Contemporary drawing of Krishna and Arjuna's chariot , having a deep symbolic meaning 222 Fig . 45 : Drawing explaining the astronomical phenomenon of the precession 238 Fig . 46 : South Indian temple 244 Fig ...
Page xiii
... human rights movement . Most recently , Hindu wisdom about Yoga , mind - body connection , and self - knowledge has swept the Western hemisphere . It appears that , by understanding the heart of India's great civilization , we are ...
... human rights movement . Most recently , Hindu wisdom about Yoga , mind - body connection , and self - knowledge has swept the Western hemisphere . It appears that , by understanding the heart of India's great civilization , we are ...
Page xv
... human mind . It is here that Indic ideas will possibly prove even more valuable and decisive . Clearly , there are a ... humanity's future destiny . The Indic culture area provides us with extensive material , across a very broad time ...
... human mind . It is here that Indic ideas will possibly prove even more valuable and decisive . Clearly , there are a ... humanity's future destiny . The Indic culture area provides us with extensive material , across a very broad time ...
Page xix
... human spirit struggling for self - ex- pression and self - understanding , which is a struggle that continues to this day , perhaps more so than ever . We live in an age of unprecedented challenges and opportuni- ties . On the one hand ...
... human spirit struggling for self - ex- pression and self - understanding , which is a struggle that continues to this day , perhaps more so than ever . We live in an age of unprecedented challenges and opportuni- ties . On the one hand ...
Page xx
... human as anyone else . This is true whether we are considering physics , chemistry , as- tronomy , archaeology , or historiography ( the description of history ) . The alarming truth is that we have no firm grasp on what all the ...
... human as anyone else . This is true whether we are considering physics , chemistry , as- tronomy , archaeology , or historiography ( the description of history ) . The alarming truth is that we have no firm grasp on what all the ...
Contents
Revisioning the Past Envisioning the Future | 3 |
The Vedas Pyramids of the Spirit | 13 |
The Aryans Exploding a Scientific Myth | 45 |
An Archaeological Surprise The Cities of the Indus Valley | 61 |
The Great Catastrophe and the Reconstruction of the Early Indic Civilization | 77 |
The Vedic Peoples in the Land of the Seven Rivers The Literary Perspective | 101 |
Deciphering the IndusSarasvati Script | 127 |
The Dawn of the Indic Civilization The Neolithic Town of Mehrgarh | 143 |
The Spiritual Heritage of Ancient India | 165 |
The Birth of Science in Ritual | 195 |
Vedic Myths and Their Astronomical Basis | 229 |
India and the West | 249 |
The Vedas and Perennial Wisdom | 269 |
287 | |
305 | |
313 | |
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Common terms and phrases
Agni ancient India archaeological archaeologists artifacts Aryan invasion theory astronomical Atharva-Veda Brahmanas Brahmi called century Chapter cities constellations cosmic culture Dilmun divine Dravidian earlier early Indic civilization Earth East Egypt Egyptian equinoxes Europe European evidence fact fire altar Goddess Gods Greek Harappan Hindu Hinduism human hymnodies ideas Indo-European Indra Indus Indus River Indus-Sarasvati civilization knowledge language later linguistic mantra Maya meaning meditation Mehrgarh millennium B.C. mind modern Mohenjo-Daro Müller myth Neolithic original period philosophy planets priests Proto-Indo-European Puranas reality references religion religious Rig-Veda sacred sacrifice sages Sama-Veda Sanskrit Sarasvati River scholarly scholars scientific script scriptures seals seers Shiva soma spiritual Sri Aurobindo stars Sumerians symbolic temple texts thought thousand tion towns tradition truth University Upanishads urban Vedas Vedic Aryans Vedic deities Vedic fire altar Vedic hymns Vedic literature Vedic ritual West Western wisdom word Yajur-Veda Yoga yogic