Rig Veda

Ravindra Godbole was inspired to write about the Birth of Indra after reading Uriel's Machine by Knight and Lomas, two writers rather than scientists (Arrow Books:2000). This was in fact a piece he wrote prior to the book. Both can be downloaded or read online at www.themeaningofvedas.com – you can access the Birth of Indra at the bottom of the table of contents of the book. In Uriel's Machine it is said a comet struck the earth around 9500 years ago, a date otherwise unassociated with a catastrophic event. The date is therefore a little fluid – possibly very fluid. What is important is that it inspired Godbole to look at the Rig Veda, the oldest Sanskrit literature, and therefore his book and the article, the Birth of Indra, is within the remit of castastrophism as it has historically been applied by the SIS and indeed, compliments the research of other people along a similar vein – in both orthodox and unorthodox circles. Members might be interested in what he says about Soma. He rejects any connection with a plant or juice but says, in Rig Veda the appearance of Indra (a comet) was contemporary with the arrival of Soma on earth. Ritual designed to appease Indra in subsequent years involved the offering of Soma – as that was what was thought to be what he desired as it had an origin in the comet. But what was it? We might not agree with what Godbole thinks was Soma, tektites or electrified sand globules, but I'm sure you can find a comparison in Worlds in Collision that you might think fits the bill. Over a period of time Soma became scarce, and then, unavailable. Substitutes were devised instead, and this is where the plant origin comes from.