The Quest for the Origins of Vedic Culture

The Quest for the Origins of Vedic Culture PDF

Author: Edwin Bryant

Publisher: Oxford University Press

Published: 2001-09-06

Total Pages: 401

ISBN-13: 0195137779

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This work studies how Indian scholars have rejected the idea of an external origin of the Indo-Aryans, by questioning the logic assumptions and methods upon which the theory is based.

The Quest for the Origins of Vedic Culture

The Quest for the Origins of Vedic Culture PDF

Author: Edwin Bryant

Publisher: Oxford University Press

Published: 2001-09-06

Total Pages: 400

ISBN-13: 0198031513

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Western scholars have argued that Indian civilization was the joint product of an invading Indo-European people--the "Indo-Aryans"--and indigenous non-Indo European peoples. Although Indian scholars reject this European reconstruction of their country's history, Western scholarship gives little heed to their argument. In this book, Edwin Bryant explores the nature and origins of this fascinating debate.

In Quest of the Dates of the Vedas

In Quest of the Dates of the Vedas PDF

Author: Premendra Priyadarshi

Publisher: Partridge

Published: 2014-09-02

Total Pages: 460

ISBN-13: 1482834251

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The dates of the four Vedas, as well as the homeland of the Indo-European-speaking people, have been two unresolved issues in the Indian history. This book uses the robust information recently emerging from archaeo-botanical studies, particularly palinology, as well as that originating from the researches in geology, archaeology, and genetics. The information generated from these scientific studies provides a vivid picture of the last ten thousand years of Europe and Asia. This picture has been matched against the information about the plants, animals, and climate contained in the four Vedic Samhitas, as well as that emerging from the philological studies. The final picture emerges that the Rig-Veda was composed between 8000 BC and 6000 BC, Sama-Veda between 6000 BC and 5500 BC, Yajur-Veda between 5500 BC and 2500 BC, or perhaps 2000 BC, and the Atharva-Veda between 1500BC and 1300 BC. The investigation also reveals that the Indo-European words for "lion" "kesari" "singh" "camel" "ustra" "ostrich" "opium" "lotus" etc. characteristically Indian animals and plants, have existed in the Indo-European vocabulary, although not noticed so far. That exercise fixes the location of the Indo-European homeland in Northwest India at about 10,000-8,000 BC.

Bhakti Yoga

Bhakti Yoga PDF

Author: Edwin F. Bryant

Publisher: North Point Press

Published: 2017-07-11

Total Pages: 688

ISBN-13: 0374714398

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From the author of what has become the standard edition of The Yoga Sutras of Patañjali, an exploration of probably the most significant tradition in Hinduism, along with a rendering of key texts and parables from that tradition Bhakti Yoga explores one of the eight “limbs” of yoga. In the simplest terms, bhakti yoga is the practice of devotion, which is the essential heart of yoga and of Hinduism in general. In recent times, the term has come to be used in a rather simplistic way to refer to the increasingly popular practice of kirtan, or chanting in a group or at large gatherings. But bhakti yoga is far more complex and ancient than today’s growing kirtan audiences are aware, and embraces many strands and practices. Edwin F. Bryant focuses on one famous and important school of bhakti and explores it in depth to show what bhakti is and how it is expressed. And he supplies his own renderings of central texts from that tradition in the form of “tales and teachings” from an important work called the Bhagavata Purana, or “The Beautiful Legend of God.” This clarifying work establishes a baseline for understanding, and will be welcomed by all serious students of the spiritual heritage of India.

The Indo-Aryan Controversy

The Indo-Aryan Controversy PDF

Author: Edwin Francis Bryant

Publisher: Psychology Press

Published: 2005

Total Pages: 546

ISBN-13: 9780700714636

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The articles in this survey of the Indo-Aryan controversy address questions such as: are the Indo-Aryans insiders or outsiders?

Ancient History of Vedic Culture

Ancient History of Vedic Culture PDF

Author: Stephen Knapp

Publisher: Createspace Independent Publishing Platform

Published: 2016-09-06

Total Pages: 138

ISBN-13: 9781537540122

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Ancient History of India's Vedic Culture Vedic culture has its own history, the tradition of which takes it back to the beginning of time. This book is not a typical review of the history of India, but explains what the pre-historic traditional Vedic background is, its basis, and how it developed and expanded through time. We also look at a number of artifacts that prove the ancient existence of some of the most important aspects of the Vedic customs, and how the tradition itself describes its developments. This book also helps show that the spiritual philosophy of Vedic culture seeded many of the other civilizations in their beliefs that evolved in various regions of the world. Some of the topics we view include: * Descriptions in the Vedic texts on the way the world was created. * The prehistoric date of Vedic beginnings. * How the Vedic knowledge was given to humanity. * The way the Vedic texts came from an ancient oral tradition and then was compiled by the sage Vyasadeva, and then disseminated to society. * The antiquity of Vedic culture and the Indus Valley civilization. * The times of Lord Rama and Lord Krishna, and proof of Krishna's existence. * The real time line of Lord Buddha. * The first recorded migrations out of ancient India of tribes that formed other civilizations. * Astronomical dating of the Vedas and events recorded in the Mahabharata, and more.

Persephone's Quest

Persephone's Quest PDF

Author: Robert Gordon Wasson

Publisher: Yale University Press

Published: 1986-01-01

Total Pages: 260

ISBN-13: 9780300052664

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This fascinating book discusses the role played by psychoactive mushrooms in the religious rituals of ancient Greece, Eurasia, and Mesoamerica. R. Gordon Wasson, an internationally known ethnomycologist who was one of the first to investigate how these mushrooms were venerated and employed by different native peoples, here joins with three other scholars to discuss the evidence for his discoveries about these fungi, which he has called entheogens, or "god generated within."

Vedic Culture

Vedic Culture PDF

Author: Stephen Knapp

Publisher: iUniverse

Published: 2005-11-22

Total Pages: 380

ISBN-13: 0595815197

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The Vedic tradition of India is rooted in Sanatana Dharma, the eternal and universal truths that are beneficial to everyone. It includes many avenues of self-development that an increasing number of people from the West are starting to investigate and use, including: Yoga Meditation and spiritual practice Vedic astrology Ayurveda Vedic gemology Vastu or home arrangement Environmental awareness Vegetarianism Social cooperation Global peace And much more Vedic Culture shows the advantages of the Vedic paths of improvement and self-discovery that you can use in your own life to attain personal awareness, happiness, and fulfillment. It also provides a new view of what these avenues have to offer from some of the most prominent writers on Vedic culture in the West, who discovered how it has affected and benefited their own lives. For the benefit of individuals and for social progress, the Vedic system is as relevant today as it was in ancient times. Discover why there is a growing renaissance in what the Vedic tradition has to offer in Vedic Culture.