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Bahmanis and the Mughals. But these rose and fell, either due to climatic changes (Indus valley cities) or following invasions by the Greeks, Huns and Mongols. The villages offered refuge to escaping philosophers and artists. There, the wisdom of India was nurtured, assimilating ideas and technologies that kept coming in from time to time, ideas such as centralization, imperialism, writing, coinage, stone sculptures, monotheism, prophecy and science. These mingled and merged with prevailing ideas. The accommodating rebirth framework ensured everything was included, nothing excluded. What was not good in this life, or in this context, was allowed to exist as it could be good for another life, or another context.
    Indian thought yearns not for an efficient way like Western thought, or a more orderly way like Chinese thought, but an accommodative and inclusive way. This is best explained as follows:
     
The biblical way celebrates rule-following leaders. The Greek way celebrates rule-breaking heroes. India celebrates both: the rule-following Ram and the rule-breaking Krishna of Hinduism; the rule-following chakravarti and the rule-breaking Vasudev of Jainism.
The Confucian way celebrates social responsibility while the Taoist way prefers individualistic harmony. India celebrates both: the royal Vishnu and the ascetic Shiva of Hinduism; the compassionate Bodhisattva and the introspective Buddha of Buddhism.
In Western thought, nature is danger: Greek tales speak of wild nymphs and satyrs who create pandemonium and need to be tamed, while biblical tales repeatedly refer to women and serpents who embody sexuality and temptation and need to be overpowered. In Chinese thought, nature is power, the regenerating phoenix or yin that needs to be channelized by, or harmonized with, the Emperor, who is the dragon or yang. In India, nature is both: danger and power. Embodied as the Goddess, she is wild as Kali and demure as Gauri. For Ram, she is Sita. For Krishna, she is Radha. For Vishnu she is Lakshmi, for Shiva she is Shakti. This idea of the Goddess in Hinduism is very different from the Goddess of modern Western literature that reimagines divinity along feminist lines.

    "Who is better," the West will ask, "the rule-following Ram or the rule-breaking Krishna?"
    The Indian will answer, "Both are Vishnu."
    "Who is better, the hermit Shiva, or the householder Vishnu?" the Chinese will ask.
    The Indian will answer, "Both are God."
    "So you don't have one God?"
    To this the Indian will respond, "We have one God. We also have many gods, who are manifestations of that same one God. But our God is distinct from Goddess. Depending on the context, God can be an external agency, a historical figure, or even inner human potential awaiting realization. What God do you refer to?"
    Such answers will naturally exasperate the goal-focused Western mind and the order-seeking Chinese mind. They seek clarity. Indians are comfortable with ambiguity and contextual thinking, which manifests most visibly in the bobbing Indian headshake.
Steve wanted to enter into a joint venture with an Indian company. So Rahul decided to take him out to lunch. They went to a very famous hotel in New York, which served a four-course meal: soup, salad, the main course, followed by dessert. There was cutlery on the table, such as spoons, forks, knives, to eat each dish. In the evening, Rahul took him to an Indian restaurant where a thali was served. All items were served simultaneously, the sweet, the sour, the rice, the roti, the crispy papad, the spicy pickles. Everyone had to eat by hand, though spoons were provided for those who were embarrassed to do so or not too adventurous. Rahul then told Steve, "Lunch is like the West, organized and controlled by the chef. Dinner is like India, totally customized by the customer. You can mix and match and eat whatever you wish in any order you like. The joint venture will be a union of two very different cultures. They will never be