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IntroductIon 7

science is something Sagan considered accidental. But is it? My own
feeling is that at least we should consider whether there may be more
to the Vedic literature than meets the eye.
While there are numerous schools of Vedic thought, I have chosen
to draw inspiration from one: the Gaudiya Vaishnava teachings given
by the prominent Vedic scholar A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
(1896–1977), founder and preceptor of the International Society for
Krishna Consciousness. Prabhupada wrote more than fifty books on
Vedic culture. Educated at a British college in Calcutta during the
British Raj, he was also familiar with Western science and philosophy.
In his work discussing thirty-five prominent Western philosophers, he
accepted Darwin to have been the most influential on modern thought.
His critique of Darwinism, given in a series of conversations with Dr.
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Thoudam Singh, a chemist and student of Nobel laureate Harold Urey,
was published in 1976 in a much circulated book titled Life Comes
From Life.
To form a meeting place for Vedic philosophy and modern science,
Prabhupada established a research center known as the Bhaktivedanta
Institute, with its main branch in Mumbai, India. In the years since
his death, researchers associated with the Bhaktivedanta Institute have
published numerous books and papers on modern science and Vedic
thought, many of which have dealt specifically with Darwin’s theories.
This book is a footnote to their effort.
In conclusion, I owe gratitude to many for contributing to this
book. First, I again have to express my deep and heartfelt thanks to
Jonathan Wells, Michael Behe, and William Dembski. Although both
they and I know they do not agree with everything in my Vedic presen-
tation, they broadmindedly agreed to contribute to this book. I thank
Michael Cremo, who not only wrote the chapter “Human Origins and
the Archeological Record” but also served as a close advisor while I
was writing and gave many valuable suggestions. Several scientists
have reviewed and critiqued the manuscript in full or in part during its
writing. In particular, biologist Dr. Jerry Bergman of Northwest State
College, Ohio, USA, reviewed the entire manuscript midways. Among