David Frawley, born in 1950, is an American author and educator who has extensively written on Vedic subjects, including Hinduism, yoga, Ayurveda, and Vedic astrology. He has been recognized with India's Padma Bhushan award in 2015 for his contributions.

Frawley is a proponent of the Indigenous Aryans theory, challenging the conventional Indo-Aryan migration model, and has been associated with the Hindutva movement. While his work has gained popularity, particularly among Western audiences seeking knowledge of Ayurvedic medicine and Vedic astrology, it has also faced criticism and rejection from academic circles, with some scholars labeling him a historical revisionist and a proponent of nationalist narratives.

He founded the American Institute of Vedic Studies and has taught various forms of traditional medicine. His writings often aim to present Vedic knowledge and Hindu traditions to a broader, non-academic audience.

Born into a Catholic family in Wisconsin, David Frawley is largely self-taught. He dedicated about a decade to studying Ayurveda under B. L. Vashta. Frawley also earned a "Doctor of Oriental Medicine" degree through a correspondence program from the International Institute of Chinese Medicine. He established the American Institute of Vedic Studies in Santa Fe, New Mexico, where he is the sole instructor, and previously served as president of the American Council of Vedic Astrology. His teaching experience also includes Chinese herbal medicine and Western herbology.

Frawley is known for his rejection of the widely accepted Indo-Aryan migration theory, favoring instead the Indigenous Aryans theory. He argues that opposing viewpoints are influenced by a "European missionary bias." In his book "In Search of the Cradle of Civilization," co-authored with Georg Feuerstein and Subhash Kak, he critiques the conventional understanding of Indian prehistory, specifically challenging the notion of invading Caucasoid Aryans clashing with Dravidians. He also expresses opposition to socialism, believing it leads to societal decline.

While Frawley's work has been met with skepticism and rejection in academic spheres, it has achieved considerable popularity in the general market. He is recognized as a significant figure in introducing Ayurvedic medicine and Vedic astrology to Western audiences unfamiliar with medical training. Frawley is considered a prominent ideologue within the Hindutva movement and has been described by some scholars as a practitioner of historical revisionism. Despite academic criticism, he maintains a substantial following, particularly on social media platforms.