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Synopsis Man's innate spirit - the personification of life, energy and consciousness - has always been goading him to rise above nature by struggling against it and not by being in conformity with it. It is this struggle that results in his progress. This progress can be in two directions: external and internal. External progress leads to a better standard of living, i.e.. Civilization. Internal progress on the other hand, results in greater refinement of the whole personality, i.e., culture. Civilization and culture do not necessarily go together. Nor are they mutually exclusive. They can be elegantly harmonized, provided one knows the relative proportions in combining them. This is exactly what the ancient rsis or sages of India did when they administered or guided the great kingdoms of their times. Records of ancient and medieval history of our country as given by the foreign travelers and other foreigners bespeak not only of a high degree of civilization but also of culture as revealed in their account of appreciation of our people's deep devotion to truth and ingrained honesty. This had been possible solely because the ancient and the medieval Hindus of India never forgo that dharma - ethical values - and adhyatmavidya - spirituality - were the centre of gravity of their life.