Other holy scriptures in hinduism are called the upanisads, the smrutis, the puranas, the ramayana and the. Hinduism is an ancient religion with diverse traditions such as vaishnavism, shaivism, shaktism and others. The philosophical maxims of vedic literature have stood the test of time, and the vedas form the highest. Hinduism doesnt have a single holy book which has to be followed, as hinduism is a way of life than a religion.
The most ancient sacred texts of the hindu religion are written in sanskrit and called the vedas. Inramayana the holy book of hinduism, which is written in the year 1600 b. 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. Hinduism is an ancient religion with diverse traditions such as vaishnavism, shaivism. Hinduism is an indian religion and dharma, or way of life, widely practiced in the indian subcontinent and parts of southeast asia. Scholars regard hinduism as a combination of different indian cultures and traditions, with diverse roots. Of these, the first three books are considered the more ancient books, and the rig veda is the oldest of them. Jun 07, 2008 all hindus know that some books are considered holy by everyone, and not every book written by every author becomes holy. Hence, sruti is what ancient hindu saints heard during deep meditation. Information on hinduism for kids primary homework help. But the vedantic beliefs went under much transformation and became gradually polytheistic in character. How many holy books are in hinduism and what are their names.
But hinduism has more than one religious scriptures. That is why devi who is known by different names like durga, lakshmi, saraswati and. Hindu texts are manuscripts and historical literature related to any of the diverse traditions. 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. The religion of hinduism originated in northern india, near the river indus, about 4000 years ago and is the worlds oldest existing religion. For these reasons hinduism is referred as way of life or a family of religions. Indian religions, hinduism, jainism, sikhism, christianity.
Hinduism is the oldest religion in the world, and hindus refer to it as sanatana dharma, the eternal tradition, or the eternal way, beyond human history. Some of the other holy works and books of hinduism. List of holy books in hinduism the galaxy of hindu literature is very vast and voluminous. Hinduism is widely practiced in south asia mainly in india and nepal. The word hindu comes from the name of the river indus, which flows 1800 miles from.
The sound of om was heard at the creation of the universe. Holy books of hinduism hinduism a perspective the religions founded by individuals have one book that summarizes the philosophies of the founder or the same from the disciples perspective and so on. Despite muslims being obliged to believe in the other holy books sent down to the other prophets besides prophet muhammad pbuh, due to the alterations to the other holy books of islam, the current versions of the torah, psalms and bible are not accepted. Apr 03, 20 the puranas are holy books of hinduism that date back to gupta empire in ancient india. The philosophical maxims of vedic literature have stood the test of time, and the vedas form the highest religious authority for all aspects of hinduism and are a. Purana meaning ancient or old is the name of a genre or a group of related genres of indian. However, the puranas are supposed to be complied by muni vyasa.
Each tradition has a long list of hindu texts, with subgenre based on syncretization of ideas from samkhya, nyaya, yoga, vedanta and other schools of hindu philosophy. Throughout its extensive history, there have been many key figures teaching different philosophies and writing innumerable holy books. The vedas, upanishads, puranas, and brahmanas granth are the four sacred books in hindu religion. All hindus know that some books are considered holy by everyone, and not every book written by every author becomes holy. The sacred texts of hinduism fall into one of two categories. Without proper introduction into hinduism, it is very difficult to understand the complexity surrounding the hindu gods and goddesses and make sense of their numerous names, aspects, emanations and manifestations. Yes, the vedas1 are the common holy scripture for the hindus. The shruti refers to the body of most authoritative, ancient religious texts, believed to. Itihasas in hindu religious context this term refers to the mahabharata and the ramayana but may also be used in.
This holy book is written in the sanskrit language. The vedas scriptures guide hindus in their daily life. The vedas are the prime book of knowledge on which primary hindu beliefs stands. Hinduism is practised by more than 80% of indias population. While most of its followers are in south asia, specifically india and nepal, there are hindus around the world. These expanded over time to include brahmanas, aranyakas and upanishads. Smrtis consist of many writings including the puranas and itihaas. Hinduism is the worlds third most popular religion, with around 750 million followers. The holy book in the hindu religion is known as the vedas. The four vedas, upanishads, bhramanas, aranyakas and bhagavad gita make up the treasure of sruti literature. In fact they gave hinduism the name vaidika dharma, one of its old names. Scholars regard hinduism as a fusion or synthesis of various indian. The deities of hinduism have evolved from the vedic era 2nd millennium bce through the medieval era 1st millennium ce, regionally within nepal, india and in southeast asia, and across hinduisms. Sruti belongs to the vedic period while smriti belongs to the postvedic period.
Jan 30, 2020 the vedas are considered the earliest literary record of indoaryan civilization and the most sacred books of india. The hindu holy scriptures are mainly comprised of the following works. 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 rigveda is a collection of hymns dedicated to 33 gods especially to indri and agni. The vedas are scriptures that the hindu people use as a guide to daily and religious life. The last one is a commentary on the vedas, but it is considered as a revealed book. This sacred text is divided into two main sections, the old testament and the new testament which are then further divided into various books. The term hinduism became familiar as a designator of religious ideas and practices distinctive to india with the publication of books such as hinduism 1877 by sir monier monierwilliams, the notable oxford scholar and author of an influential sanskrit dictionary. Hinduism does not possess a single holy book like bible in christianity and quran in islamic dharma. Hindus value many sacred writings as opposed to one holy book. Other holy scriptures in hinduism are called the upanisads, the smrutis, the puranas, the ramayana and the mahabharata.
Holy books of islam the recognised holy books in islam. Thus hinduism is neither monotheistic nor polytheistic, but represents elements of both. They are the original scriptures of hindu teachings, containing spiritual knowledge encompassing all aspects of life. What are the names of the holy books of worldwide religions.
Hinduism, major world religion originating on the indian subcontinent and comprising several and varied systems of philosophy, belief, and ritual. Sep 29, 2009 throughout its extensive history, there have been many key figures teaching different philosophies and writing numerous holy books. 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. Hinduism simple english wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Hindu sacred literature is the most ancient of the living literatures of the world. These books, written from around 1200 bce to 100 ce, began with four vedas, or mantras.
Hinduism part 7 download books, sacred, spiritual texts. C by sage valmiki, there is an incident where king sri rama, the incarnation of the hindu god vishnu, when publicly abandoned her wife sita accusing her of committing adultery with another man, sita vows to sri rama that she had never commited adultery, even in words,in. The vedas, or books of knowledge, are the foremost sacred texts in hinduism. The vedas are considered the earliest literary record of indoaryan civilization and the most sacred books of india. The bible, specifically the new testament as the old testament is just taken from the torah. Sruti literally means that what is revealed and smriti means that what is remembered. Hinduism part 4 download books, sacred, spiritual texts. The quran, zaboor, torah and the bible are the four holy books.
The holy books of world religions sacred texts in world. Hinduism is one of the largest forms of religion in the world. This performance arts related sutra text is mentioned in other late vedic texts, as are two scholars names shilalin iast. Download the bible, the holy quran, the mahabharata, and thousands of free pdf ebooks on buddhism, meditation, etc. The upanishads are also called as vedantas or the end of the vedas. In hinduism, there are many sacred books including the vedas. The terms and epithets for deity within the diverse traditions of hinduism vary, and include deva, devi, ishvara, bhagavan and bhagavati. These texts are glorious tales of the hindu trinity brahma, vishnu and maheshwar shiva. 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 following is a brief description of the numerous gods and goddesses of hinduism, followed by a list of internal links that point to numerous articles explaining their significance and symbolism in hinduism. By holy book i assume you mean the central texts which are.
Hindu scriptures and holy books are divided mainly into two categories viz sruti and smriti. Mar 17, 2008 the last one is a commentary on the vedas, but it is considered as a revealed book. Hindu deities are the gods and goddesses in hinduism. Their holy scripture, the bible, is a collection of 73 books dating from about 9th century b. They also help to preserve the religious dimensions of family and society. If the indus valley civilization 3rd2nd millennium bce was the earliest source of hindu traditions, then hinduism is the oldest living religion on earth. 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.
Smriti literature is considered less authoritative than sruti. Famous hindu holy figures are recognizable to other cultures. Throughout its extensive history, there have been many key figures teaching different philosophies and writing numerous holy books. List of world religions and founders, religious books, place. Om or aum is the most important symbol in hinduism and it represents brahman, the supreme soul. Of these some called sruti are broadly considered as core scriptures of hinduism, but beyond the sruti, the list of. Hindus believe that existence is a cycle of birth, death and rebirth governed by individuals karma. The vedas is made up of four different sections, each section with four different parts. As per the vedantic embodiments hinduism is monotheistic. Hinduism does not just have one sacred book but several scriptures. This religious book defines the boundary of the religion and the followers would be expected to strictly abide by that holy book. The christians believe in a trinity of god the father, god the son, and god the holy ghost. The institutes of vishnu sbe 7 julius jolly, translator 1880 sacred books of the east, vol.
What name is given to the four holy books of the hindus. The vedas the vedas, or books of knowledge, are the foremost sacred texts in hinduism. For these reasons, writers often refer to hinduism as a way of. The quran kareem is the only recognised holy book of islam now. Hinduism holy book important books and writings of hinduism. However, smruti texts often carry almost as much authority as sruti. The puranas are holy books of hinduism that date back to gupta empire in ancient india. The most holy of the hindu books is written in sanskrit and is referred to as the vedas. Initially it was an outsiders term, building on centuries. The scriptures of the vedas are meant to guide hindu believers in their daily lives. Hindu pantheon is very complex, organized and hierarchical. These books are in sanskrit, the sacred language of the hindus. Hinduism has been called the oldest religion in the world, and some practitioners and scholars refer to it as sanatana dharma, the eternal tradition, or the eternal way, beyond human history.
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