Ebook: The Rigveda: A Historical Analysis

New Delhi: Aditya Prakashan, 2000. — 540 pp. — ISBN 81-7742-010-0.The Rigveda: A Historical Analysis is a contribution to the "Aryan invasion debate" which was taking place in Hindu nationalism at the time. The book gives Talageri's examination and interpretation of the Rig Veda. In the eighth chapter Talageri discusses the interpretations of the Rig Veda Vedantic thinkers such as Bal Gangadhar Tilak, B. R. Ambedkar, Vivekananda, Dayananda Sarasvati and Aurobindo. In the ninth chapter he gives a critique of Michael Witzel's interpretation of the structure and the history depicted by the Rig Veda. Witzel responded in a later review while the debate was reviewed by Koenraad Elst in his book "Update on the Aryan Invasion Debate" (1999).
Talageri gives also his views on unsettled topics like the chronological order of the Mandalas. Differing from mainstream scholars, Talageri's order for the earliest seven Mandalas is as follows: 6, 3, 7, 4, 2, 5 and 8, or: Early period – Books 6,3,7 early I: 3400 – 2600 BCE; Middle period – Books 4,2, middle 1: 2600–2200 BCE; Late period – Books 5,8,9,10, rest of 1: 2200-1400 BCE.
Talageri argues that the Indo-Iranian Airyanem Vaejah lies in Kashmir. He states that the Indo-Iranians migrated from there to the Punjab and later to Central Asia. According to Talageri, the Rigvedic Aryans lived in Haryana, from where they migrated to the Sarasvati River region, and then westward to Iran and Europe.Preface.
The Rigveda.
The Anukramanis.
The composers of the Rigveda.
The chronology of the Rigveda.
The geography of the Rigveda.
The historical identity of the Vedic Aryans.
Beyond the Rigveda.
The Indo-Iranian homeland.
The Indo-European homeland.
Appendices.
Misinterpretations of Rigvedic history.
Michael Witzel—an examination of western Vedic scholarship.
Sarama and the Panis—a mythological theme in the Rigveda.