THE VEDA AND INDIAN CULTURE

This is an introductory essay on the Veda meant for the beginners. The book avoids pedantic discussions and presents in a rapid manner the core of the Vedic discovery. The Vedic Rishis have described the human journey, its difficulties and its battles as also the secret of the victory. The central issue is how to perfect our ordinary psychological faculties. The entire science of yoga owes its origin to the Vedic psychology. At present mankind is passing through a crisis which can be met only at the deepest psychological level. In this context, the Veda has contemporary relevance.

The author has presented the quintessence of the Vedic message in a few brief chapters, and the language is deliberately nontechincal. There is a growing thirst among young people who want to be introduced to the secret of the Veda and to understand how various developments of Indian culture are rooted in the Veda. The present book may serve to meet this need. The book also contains material, both in the main text and in the appendices, which may also be of interest to scholars.

About the Author:

KIREET JOSHI was Member-Secretary of the Rashtriya Veda Vidya Pratishthan. He was formerly Educational Adviser to the Government of India and also Special Secretary in the Ministry of Human Resource Development. His publications include Education for Personal Development, A Philosophy of Education for the Contemporary Youth, A Philosophy of Education for the Contemporary man, A Philosophy of the Role of the Contemporary Teacher, and Sri Aurobindo and the Mother.

Preface

1. The Ancient Book of Wisdom
2. The Mystic Fire
3. The Human Journey
4. The Deeper Secret
5. Significance of the Upanishad
6. The Veda and Indian Culture
7. The Teacher and the Pupil
8. The Rishi and the Society
9. The Veda, Intuition and Philosophy
10. The Veda and the Concept of Dharma
11. Dharma and Fourfold Social Order
12. Spirituality and Indian Culture

APPENDIX II
Important Landmarks of Indian History

APPENDIX III
A Note on the Vedic Literature
Bibliography
Index