_________Appendix I_________ The Rishi and the Brahmacharin In ancient India, the concept of the Rishi connoted the highest ideal of the teacher. The teacher was a Yogin, one who had realized or was a seeker of true knowledge that comes through the practice of Yoga, which was at that time a developing science and art of psychological concentration and perfection. The Vedic Rishis described their aspirations and victories in the form of Mantra, inevitable expression born out of innermost vision and realization. The Vedic Rishis refer to their 'forefathers' as great pathfinders, and spoke of them in legends and myths in order to describe what they had achieved. For exa

_____________Appendix II____________ Important Landmarks of Indian History (Relevant to Indian Spirituality, Religion and Philosophy) The ancient dates of Indian history are quite uncertain. The earliest records of Indian history are the Vedas, but the period, when they were composed, has been a matter of controversy and speculation. The Vedas themselves speak of the 'forefathers' who had achieved great spiritual conquests. The Vedas thus refer to a pre-Vedic period, during which, it is certain, the ancient forefathers of the Indian peoples had explored the secrets of the universe and produced momentous results. Some historians have felt that the forefathers

Index Acharyas,41 Adhikara, 33,53 Aditi, 63, 74 Agamas, 59 Agastya, 10 Age, Purano-tantric, 84 Age, Vedic, 50 Agni,6,7,8,9,13,64,65,66 Agnosticism, 61 Ahimsa, 33 Ajata Shatru, 18 Akbar, 84 Akshara, 22 Alexander, 84 Amritam, 12, 22 Angirasas, 13,14,15,63 Angirasas, legend of, 64 Animism, 2, 3, 57 Apala, 31 Aranyakas,66,87,89 Architecture, 56 Art, 31,56 Artha, 49 Arthashastra, 105 Arum, 68,69, 70,78,80 Aryaman, 10,11,12 Aryan,12 Ashoka, 84 Ashram, 18,34 Ashwins, 12,13 Ashvamedha, 42 Astronomy, 44 Atharva Veda, 6,105 Atheism

Preface This brief book consists of a few reflections for beginners who are eager to understand the basic roots of Indian Culture and to explore the fundamental task of spiritual regeneration of contemporary India. This is an introductory essay, and it might serve as a stimulus to a growing number of youths who want to think seriously about our most ancient book of wisdom and its relevance to the present cultural needs. The attempt is to present some preliminary material for a rapid reading so that the readers might feel the need to study the subject of this essay in greater depth by taking recourse to authoritative works, particularly, those of Sri Aurobindo, such as The Secret of

KIREET JOSHI

Bibliography Altekar, A.S., Education in Ancient India, Banaras, 1951. Dandekar, R.N., Vedic Bibliography (4 Vols.), Bhandarkar Oriental Research Institute, Poona. Dasgupta, S.N., A History of Indian Philosophy (5 Vols.),. Cambridge University Press. Hastings. ]., Encyclopaedia of Religion and Ethics, (13 Vols.), New York. Hiriyanna, M., Outlines of Indian Philosophy, George Alien & Unwin, London. Jayaswal, K.R, Hindu Polity, Calcutta, 1924. Kunhan Raja, C., The Vedas, A Cultural Study, Andhra University, 1957. Mira, Veda Education in Ancient India, Arya Book Depot, New Delhi, 1964. Mother, The, Mother's Agenda, (Vol.2) Institut de Res

____________1_____________ The Ancient Book of Wisdom The age of Mysteries has come to be acknowledged as a common feature among some of the most ancient cultures of the world. Whether in India or in Chaldea, in Egypt or in Greece, in Atlantis or in some previously extant but now submerged islands of ancient times, there seemed to have flourished people with knowledge of secret truths. There was, undoubtedly, even a pre-Vedic age and a pre-Chaldean age, during which there seemed to have developed remarkable experiments and explorations leading to discoveries of momentous importance The results of these discoveries seem, however, to have been lost i

___________Appendix III___________ A Note on the Vedic Literature The antiquity of the Veda has been a subject of discussion and dispute. According to the ancient Indian tradition it is impossible to determine the period of the composition of the Veda. It is, however, universally acknowledged by historians that the Veda is the earliest available collection of the most ancient body of knowledge. According to one of the Indian historians, Shri Avinash Chandra Das, Vedas could have been composed any time between 250th and 750th century B.C. According to Lokamanya Tilak, the estimated period would be any time between 45th and 50th century B.C. This coincides with t