For decades, schoolbooks have taught that Sumer was the cradle of civilization. Conventional scholarship has also held that Aryan civilization came to India by way of invasions from the north. But in this ground-breaking book, three renowned scholars show that there was no "Aryan invasion," and that India, not Sumer, was the cradle of civilized humanity. Through exploring the rich symbols, metaphors, and myths of the Vedas, this book also examines the wealth of India's spirituality and its relevance for today's world.The great catastrophe and the reconstruction of early Indic civilizationThe vedic peoples in the land of the seven rivers : the literary perspective --Deciphering the Indus-Sarasvati script --The dawn of the Indic civilization : the Neolithic town of Mehrgarh --Why the Aryan invasion never happened : seventeen arguments --The spiritual heritage of ancient India --The birth of science in ritual --Vedic myths and their astronomical basis --India and the West --The Vedas and perennial wisdom.