Widsom of the Ancient Seers: Mantras of the Rig Veda

by David Frawley

This book reviews the astronomical references in the Vedas and describes the geography of Sapta Saindhava, the original home of the Indo- Aryans. This region lay roughly between the Indus and the Ganga rivers, although the periphery of the Aryan world stretched all the way to the steppes of Central Asia, to the Caspian sea and the Oxus river. The Rigvedic hymns were composed mostly on the banks of Sarasvati and its tributary Drishadvati in the Aryan heartland called Brahmavarta. Frawley has now written a series of books on different aspects of Vedic civilization. He is always equipoised and rational; his books are very useful guides to understand the variegated complexity and yet the fundamental unity of Indian civilization. In view of the fact that the Vedic or Indo-European heritage lies at the basis of contemporary European and American as well as Far Eastern civilizations, these books are of universal relevance. Frawleyís deep knowledge of the various aspects of Vedic society gives him the ability to walk that narrow path of fidelity to the original where one is not using later categories to interpose imagined meanings. Frawley has made the Rig Veda accessible to the informed layman. Undoubtedly, these books will serve as torchlights to those who wish to chart their own ways in the dawning new age. The Rig Veda is perhaps the oldest book in the world, dating back the dawn of history. It is the fountainhead of the spiritual traditions of India and the oldest text in any Indo-European language. It is a compendium of wisdom, poetry, mythology, riddles, and above all yogic and meditational insights which are relevant for all who wish to understand the deeper spiritual impulses behind human civilization. This is the first translation of the Rig Veda available in the West by an author trained in the Vedic spiritual and yogic traditions. As such the book unlocks many of the mystical and esoteric keys to the Vedas not previously noted.

275 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1992

About the author

David Frawley (or Vāmadeva Śāstrī वामदेव शास्त्री), b. 1950, is an American Hindu teacher (acharya) and author, who has written more than thirty books on topics such as the Vedas, Hinduism, Yoga, Ayurveda and Vedic astrology, published both in India and in the United States. He is the founder and director of the American Institute of Vedic Studies in Santa Fe, New Mexico, which offers educational information on Yoga philosophy, Ayurveda, and Vedic astrology. He works closely with the magazine Hinduism Today, where he is a frequent contributor.[1] He is associated with a number of Vedic organizations in several countries. He is a Vedic teacher (Vedacharya), Vaidya (Ayurvedic doctor), and a Jyotishi (Vedic astrologer).

Reviews

[Gavin White · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've been looking for book like this for some time. It explores the hymns from the Rig Veda from an informed religious perspective but one that is still accessible to a layman like me.
The introduction discusses many aspects of the hymns and the nature of the Vedic gods. Then a selection of hymns are translated with additional commentaries.
Even though I felt that some of the English translations sounded a bit uncomfortable - at times quite unpoetic - they are very well augmented by the commentaries that throw much light on the nuances and multiple meanings conveyed in the texts.
Alongside the Penguin edition (by Wendy O'Flaherty) this volume has helped me expand and enrich my understanding of these remarkable hymns.

[Paul Bard · Rating 2 out of 5]

The title says there are mantras but the text has none.