The Veda was the most precious gift for which the West had ever been indebted to the East.
— Voltaire
When the sacred teachings of ancient India reached the West in the 17th century, a new path of wisdom opened for those who were ready (and waiting). Wise beings have always known that when the student is ready the teacher will appear. Scholars in Europe began translating Sanskrit, the language of the ancient Hindu scriptures called the Vedas.
Considered the world’s oldest literature, the Vedas are a collection of hymns, poems, and writings, passed down orally for many generations before being recorded in writing between about 1500 to 1000 BCE (predating even the story of Moses).