The Myth of Invariance: The Origin of the Gods, Mathematics, and Music from the Ṛg Veda to Plato

In antiquity, musical symbolism and mathematics were recognized spiritual languages that often were used to communicate fundamental spiritual ideas. In modern times, the symbolic importance of music and mathematics has been forgotten; for this reason, scholars have long been mystified by crucial passages that deal with numbers in great works of early literature. In 'The Myth of Invariance', music is recognized as the one force capable of providing a philosophic synthesis of ancient religion and cosmology. Ernest McClain shows that identical and similar numbers occur in the literature of Babylon, Egypt, Greece, and Palestine. His analysis confirms that mathematical and musical languages were used to transmit a basic spiritual tradition common to these early civilizations. 'The Myth of Invariance' provides persuasive explanations of passages in the Rg Veda, the Egyptian Book of the Dead, the Bible, Plato, and other texts, giving life and meaning to what previously was considered to be mathematical nonsense or literary inanity. This investigation of the role of music in ancient cultures raises serious questions about the early development of mathematical thinking and the possible origins of both the mathematics of music and its early mythology. The musical analysis of imagery in the Rg Veda and other early texts also provides a new tool for the study of the origins of science and the roots of Western civilization.