Customer Reviews

Astronomical Code of the Rgveda

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Our understanding of ancient science is transformed thanks to the pioneering work of Neugebauer and Kak. Neugebauer, by decoding the Mesopotamian tablets, showed how much of mathematics and astronomy Mesopotamians knew. Kak has pulled off an equally impressive scholarly feat by disovering a long-forgotten astronomy and mathematics of the early Indians of the 2nd millennium BC. Kak's work is a veritable tour de force since no one had suspected what he found in the Indic texts; his work explains many gaps in the earlier accounts of Indian civilization. The best introduction to Kak's work is THE ASTRONOMICAL CODE OF THE RGVEDA, which is an excellent guide to the more technical scholarly papers on the subject.

This is a book that should be compulsory for all students of Indian history. It opens new pathways in the labyrinth of Indian culture and provides concepts that help us see the Vedic world on its own terms.

Astronomy is central to the understanding of the Indian civilization, as it is to that of other ancient civilizations. This book is the best introduction to the subject, and it also presents the author's rediscovery of long-forgotten elements of this subject. The book is clearly written and touches upon a wealth of material.

This book presents a revolutionary new view of India's Vedic period. The author has discovered a long-lost astronomy of the Vedic texts which allows us to establish a chronology of that period with reasonable certainty. This chronology has the greatest significance in our understanding of ancient India and its civilization as also of the other Indo-European people. I recommend this book strongly!

The book presents a compelling case for an astronomical code in the organization of the Rgveda. The number of hymns in the various books have symmetries that turn out to be related to the astronomical ritual of the fire altars. In the words of Klostermaier: "I had long suspected that there was something to the Rgveda which went far beyond what our philology and history could read out. Here it is.... an epoch-making discovery."

The book discusses related material in the Brahmanas and also questions of chronology. This book should be essential reading for all students of Indian civilization.

It is not often that one finds a truly original and innovative interpretation of such an old subject as the Vedas. Prof. Kak is giving us immensely valuable insights into the astronomical backdrop of the Vedic Samhitas, which helps us better understand their ritual and metaphysical dimensions. An impressive accomplishment.

This is a revolutionary book that will change our understanding of the Vedas as currently thought. Kak presents an astronomical key to unlock the secrets of the Rigveda. Shows why the Rigveda should be prior to 2000 BC and is perhaps much older; shows how the earliest astronomy and mathematics arose in India. The study of antiquity will never be the same again!

The Astronomical Code presents a long forgotton code at the basis of the altars and the organization of the Vedic books. This discovery has the greatest implications for the understanding of ancient science and the chronology of the ancient world. A MUST BUY!

This is just to inform you that this book has been published in a new edition by Munshiram Manoharlal in 2000, ISBN: 81-215-0986-6. Professor Klostermaier has called this book an "epoch-making discovery!"

The book is intriguing and definitely plants the seeds for researching the true nature of Ancient India. However, there is no hardcore scientific evidence provided that lends credibility to the author's findings.

I'd like to see the author expand on this book with more scientific evidence.