There is something called pramana, authority, which our acharyas have recognised, and as per the acharyas a set of books are considered primary texts, whereas, other books based on these primary books can also be referred to. They got their present form between 1200200 bce and were introduced to. Hindu texts are manuscripts and historical literature related to any of the diverse traditions. The concept of hindu ism categorically termed hinduism in the narrow sense religion being a single monolithic religion is recent, dating back only to the 19th century. Hinduism part 4 download books, sacred, spiritual texts. Darshanas are schools of philosophy based on the vedas, and are part of the.
They got their present form between 1200200 bce and were introduced to india by the aryans. Christianity broadly consists of individuals who believe in the deity jesus christ. Hinduism is by far the predominant faith in india, where 82% of the population is hindu. Jan 15, 2017 here at the hinduism section of, we aim at presenting the original works that lay the foundations of hinduism. However, the puranas are supposed to be complied by muni vyasa. Hinduism is a term used to designate a body of religious and philosophical beliefs.
These four vedas form the core of the first holy books of hinduism. Apr 03, 20 the puranas are holy books of hinduism that date back to gupta empire in ancient india. I agree with all those who said bhagavadgita and bhagavata pura. In the following pages you can find a short overview of the six major schools of indian philosophy, also traditionally termed six darsanas or shaddarsanas, such as. Moreover lord rama is an avatar of vishnu and ramayana the glorious story rams journey in the mortal world. Beneath the layers of poetic imagery, colorful visions and seemingly superstitious ritual prayers practices, the vedas said to contain profound secrets of the worlds, their origins and knowledge of the spiritual realms into which. Gita is about 5000 years old, bhagavatam about years, scholars say. Since 1979 the international magazine hinduism today has been producing a treasury of educational features on all aspects of sanatana dharma. Flood traces the development of hindu traditions from ancient origins and the major deities to the modern world. They are part of the six scriptures of the hindus, the other five being shrutis, smritis, itihasas, puranas, and agamas.
Hinduism is the third largest religion in the world today with about 800 million adherents. Hinduism holy book important books and writings of hinduism. Download the bible, the holy quran, the mahabharata, and thousands of free pdf ebooks on buddhism, meditation, etc. Here at the hinduismsection of, we aim at presenting the original works that lay the foundations of hinduism. It is believed that hinduism dates back to 500010,000 bc. And, the cults which are based in these scriptures are usually referred to as tantric cults. Mimamsa sutra philosophy of rites and rituals of sage jaimini. The four vedas the rig veda, the sama veda, the yajur veda and the atharva veda are the authentic texts of hinduism and are comprised of hymns, incantations, rituals and the importance of practicing them in daily life. See also whats at your library, or elsewhere broader terms. Some of the other holy works and books of hinduism are stories and epic poems.
The four vedas, upanishads, bhramanas, aranyakas and bhagavad gita make up the treasure of sruti literature. In the religions of indian origin, a darshana refers to a body, system, or school of philosophy. I have written two books on hinduism, but they are suitable only for years and above. Hinduism is a modern term, but it represents the ancient most living thought and culture of the world. Online books on hinduism, hindu religion, hindu culture, shastras, hindu scripture, vedas, upanishad, hindu saints, sages, science and hinduism. Studying our holy books v the hindu tendency to see all faiths through their own spiritual viewpoint is patronizing and insulting to other faiths, whose followers openly reject the hindu interpretations of their own doctrines which they have understood in a different manner traditionally. All about hinduism is intended to meet the needs of those who want to be introduced to the various facets of the crystal that is hinduism. The only two religions with more adherents are christianity 2 billion and islam 1.
Hinduism does not possess a single holy book like bible in christianity and quran in islamic dharma. Mar 17, 2004 the itihasas reflect popular, nonbrahmanic interests and the rise of theistic hinduism focused on shiva, vishnu and shakti. These are the most ancient religious texts which define truth for hindus. The ancient indians were not interested in history as such, which is simply the records of kings and merchants written by the victors. Hinduism sacred books the bhagavad gita, translated from the sanskrit, with introduction and notes revised second edition. Just like the ramayana, mahabharata is also a hindu epic. The vedas are considered the earliest literary record of indoaryan civilization and the most sacred books of india. Itihasas in hindu religious context this term refers to the mahabharata and the. A concise explanation of the main hindu holy books. The vedas constitute the shruti, a word that means that which has been heard from god by the rishis and are considered of divine origin. But due to centuries of retelling, the ramayana has acquired a demireligious status. Hinduism a brief overview of the development of hinduism.
Hinduism is the worlds third most popular religion, with around 750 million followers. They are part of the six scriptures of the hindus, the other five being. The sutras and the suttas can be considered the holy books of buddhism. Hinduism is an ancient religion with diverse traditions such as vaishnavism, shaivism. The oldest and most revered holy writings are the vedas, consisting of four books or more correctlycollections. Hinduism is a religion, or a way of life, found most notably in india and nepal, mauritius and bali indonesia. Technically, the ramayana is a hindu epic, not really a scripture. While we have the main vedas, upanishads, the mahabharata in several translations we also present newer commentaries, anthologies. The philosophical maxims of vedic literature have stood the test of time, and the vedas form the highest. The book, which was first published in 1947, has now been rearranged in a more convenient form, with useful additions here and. The dharmashastras law books are considered by many to form part of the smriti. These texts are glorious tales of the hindu trinity brahma, vishnu and maheshwar shiva. The main scriptures that come under smriti texts are.
Hinduism is practised by more than 80% of indias population. Over the ages, various schools of theology developed in hinduism through a dynamic tradition of philosophical inquiry and debate. This holy book is written in the sanskrit language. The vedas are scriptures that the hindu people use as a guide to daily and religious life. Sruti consists of four vedas, upanishads, brahmanas, aranyakas, and bhagavadgita while smriti consists of manu smriti, 18 puranas, ramayana, and mahabharata and other hindu holy books. The upanishads are also called as vedantas or the end of the vedas. The epic of gilgamesh from sumer, although only considered by some scholars as a religious text, has origins as early as 2150 bce, and stands as one of the earliest literary works that includes various mythological figures and themes.
Hinduism is the third largest religion in the world, as well as the worlds oldest religion. Hinduism is a religion with various gods and goddesses. The concluding portions of the vedas are called upanisads. The different gods and goddesses in the hindu mythology are derived from these books. The rigveda is a collection of hymns dedicated to 33 gods especially to indri and agni. The two great epics ramayana and mahabharata bhagavadgita is part of mahabharata, puranas.
Its followers, called christians, often believe christ is the son of the holy trinity and walked the earth as the incarnate form of god the father. Above, god holds the holiest of scriptures, the vedas and. The story of the mahabharata, indias longest epic poem. Hinduism hindu holy books explanation sheet teacher made. The majority of the vedas are considered the shruti, which is translated to that which is hard. They include the mahabharata and ramayana epics, two of the most beloved hindu texts, as well as the puranas. Christianity vs hinduism difference and comparison diffen. Sruti pronounced shroothee are the holy books within hinduism that are considered to be divinely inspired, and thus infallible and authoritative. We are trying to list out here as many hindu scriptures and books as possible. Sruti scriptures are considered divinely inspired and fully authoritative for belief and practice, while smruti are recognized as the products of the minds of the great sages.
Composed in vedic sanskrit hymns, the texts constitute the oldest layer of sanskrit literature and the oldest scriptures of hinduism. The darshanas are hindu sacred texts that consist of varying attempts to develop and systematize the vedas. Hinduism is the religion of over a billion hindus, who live mostly in india, but. There are also other holy books like puranas, ramayana, mahabharta etc.
Jul, 1996 this book provides a muchneeded thematic and historical introduction to hinduism, the religion of the majority of people in india. It has been described that number of verses that exist in all of the various types of hindu scriptures, as below, total 1 billion. The vedas are a large body of hindu texts originating in ancient india, with its samhita and brahmanas complete before about 800 bce. This sacred text is divided into two main sections, the old testament and the new testament which are then further divided into various books. An introduction to hindu philosophy learn religions.
The sacred texts of hinduism fall into one of two categories. From timeless and universal questions such as the purpose of life to the relationship between humans and the divine existence, pure being, light of consciousness emerged many schools of thoughts or darshanas. Guide to understanding hinduism and the hindu religion, beliefs, customs, rituals, gods, mantras and converting to hinduism shalu sharma 4. Hindu philosophy is not mere speculation or guesswork. Online books on hinduism, hindu religion, hindu culture. Used the indian renaissance to generalize hinduism and emphasize the unity of all religions. The holy book in the hindu religion is known as the vedas.
Another hindu holy book that deals with religious duties is law of manu or the dharma shastra. In the history of hinduism, the six orthodox schools had emerged before the start of the common era, and some schools emerged possibly even before the buddha some scholars have questioned whether the orthodox and heterodox schools classification is sufficient or accurate, given the diversity and evolution of views within each major school of hindu philosophy, with some subschools combining. Manu, yajnavalkya and parashara emerged who codified existing laws to ensure that the hindu way of life was consistent with both the vedic spirit and the changing times. Smriti is a literature which includes various shastras and itihasas epics like ramayana, mahabharata, harivamsa puranas, agamas and darshanas. This book provides a muchneeded thematic and historical introduction to hinduism, the religion of the majority of people in india. Smriti literature is considered less authoritative than sruti. The scriptures of the vedas are meant to guide hindu believers in their daily lives. Jan 30, 2020 the vedas are considered the earliest literary record of indoaryan civilization and the most sacred books of india. The tantras are the books which initiate the devotee into the technique of worship. All hindus know that some books are considered holy by everyone, and not every book written by every author becomes holy. In hinduism there are six such darshanas or schools of philosophy, namely sa. The bhagavadgita introduction and chapter summaries. Different ways have developed over the history of hinduism, vedic hinduism being the oldest, and then the ascetic and mystical way known as vedantic hinduism, and more recently the way of devotion, or bhakti. While we have the main vedas, upanishads, the mahabharata in several translations we also present newer commentaries, anthologies, and entirely new branches of hinduism.
The religion of hinduism originated in northern india, near the river indus, about 4000 years ago and is the worlds oldest existing religion. One of the oldest known religious texts is the kesh temple hymn of ancient sumer, a set of inscribed clay tablets which scholars typically date around 2600 bce. Tantras or agamas have had a profound impact on the way hinduism is practiced in our daily lives. The two major categories in which all hindu scriptures are divided are the shruti and the smriti. The institutes of vishnu sbe 7 julius jolly, translator 1880 sacred books of the east, vol. The word sruti comes from a sanskrit root meaning to hear, as it was believed that ancient seers heard or perceived these texts by direct revelation from a higher power. They are rig veda, sama veda, yajur veda and atharva veda. Oct 11, 2017 it has been described that number of verses that exist in all of the various types of hindu scriptures, as below, total 1 billion.
They are the original scriptures of hindu teachings, containing spiritual knowledge encompassing all aspects of life. The vedas are considered to be very holy, brahman himself in the form of words and sounds. Each has a long history, believers, literary sources, and several sub schools. These billion verses are summarized into 700 verses by lord krishna in his bhagavad gita, as confirmed by adi shankr. The shruti refers to the body of most authoritative, ancient religious texts. Guided by the founder, satguru sivaya subramuniyaswami, the magazines editors, who are initiated monks of the kauais hindu monastery, collaborated with holy men and women and experts around the world in creating graphically rich guides to virtually.
While the first four are intuitional, and the fifth inspirational and emotional, the darshanas are the intellectual sections of the hindu writings. However, smruti texts often carry almost as much authority as sruti. The following description should help you to prepare a short presentation for your 7year olds. It is indias major religion, but unlike many other religions in the world, hinduism has no founder. The principles of dharma that are taught in the vedas are called the vaidika dharma or shrauta dharma and are considered to be infallible without error, universal and eternal. The holy books of world religions sacred texts in world.
The itihasas reflect popular, nonbrahmanic interests and the rise of theistic hinduism focused on shiva, vishnu and shakti. Darshanas are schools of philosophy based on the vedas. The puranas are holy books of hinduism that date back to gupta empire in ancient india. The vedas and these other works are further divided into two sections.