ABOUT THE BOOK

The Vedas are the most ancient and comprehensive book in the recorded history, covering almost all the aspects of   society.  There are more researches covered in the Vedas than in any other  book. Greece is said to be the cradle of European culture while the Vedas originated approximately 8000 years before. The origin of language, grammar, politics, caste system, the arrangement of society, etc., can be traced to the Vedas.

The Vedas can be read for different  purposes, as they are capable of giving more messages than one  can imagine. In fact it is impossible to understand everything they say and why do they say what they actually say. Majority of the Indians regard them as revealed books because no human being could have been so wise as to cover all themes and  subjects, besides all the aspects of human life  as they do.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

R.P. Singh retired from the N.C.E.R.T. where he was Chairman, ERIC and Editor of all the journals  and Head of Teacher Education. A senior Fulbright Fellow  he  holds his Master's and doctoral degrees from the University of London. For a brief stint of time (1983-1984) he was Joint Secretary  in the MHRD. He authored several books of which two won him awards and a Gold Medal. He submitted to the NCTE a curriculum framework titled 'Teaching Teachers for a Knowledge Society'. The present book is the First in the series of ' The History of Teacher  Education in India ' .

CONTENTS

Preface . 9

Chapter - 1
The Vedas and their Message . 15

Chapter - 2
On Understanding the Vedas . 49

Chapter - 3
The Vedic Society and Culture . 77

Chapter - 4
The Vedic Community and its Occupations . 113

Chapter - 5
Vedic Knowledge: The Basics . 121

Chapter - 6
Vedic Knowledge: Vignettes for Self-Interpretation . 169

Chapter - 7
The Upanishads or Quest for the Unknown . 199

Chapter - 8
Corruption, Debauchery and Misuse of Power . 227

Chapter - 9
Modern Equations: Traditional Solutions . 233

Appendix . 261

Index . 263