Customer Reviews

Gods Within: Mind, Consciousness and the Vedic Tradition

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This most interesting book presents the latest findings from neuroscience on consciousness and shows how there is convergence between these ideas and the Vedic tradition of consciousness. For example, we now know that the cognitive centers of the mind have a discrete character which is quite like the conception of the "gods" in Vedic mythology. The book also has translation of the Shiva Sutras and chapters on Indian music and temple architecture. This book will be useful to students of Indian culture and history.

Read this book for an esoteric reading of the Vedic texts. Has a lot of persuasive arguments regarding the correctness of this approach.

Professor Subhash Kak, Head of computer science at the Oklahoma State University had written a book which will change the life of many people
including myself. This is the most convincing proof that God is within us
and Pr Kak offer us a way how to light up this flame within us.
Pr Kak is one of the greatest sage of this century.

This book makes for an easy reading giving a unique perspective to the interpretations of the Vedas. The view that different Vedic gods are components of our consiousness makes it more easier to understand. A more traditional view that each vedic god is anthropmorphic complicates matters especially when the basic view of the Vedas is that there is just one cosmic power. In this context, the present book makes useful contribution.

I would suggest reading this book in conjunction with another equally interesting book titled, "The Vedic Gods: As Figures of Biology" by V.G. Rele; Reprint. Delhi, Cosmo, 2001, 130 p; ISBN 81-7755-099-3. This book dwells on the neuro-anatomical and neuro-physiological basis for the Vedic gods.

Reading these two books, in my opinion, offers a more comprehensive understanding of the Vedic idea of our inner universe - the microcosm.

The virtue of the book is that it uses the prism of neuroscience to evaluate the claims of the Vedic approach to mind and consciousness. This makes it accessible to readers who may not know -- or care to know -- the complex symbolic language of the Vedic system.