The galaxy of hindu literature is very vast and voluminous. These books are in sanskrit, the sacred language of the hindus. Julius lipners hindus is widely recognised as essential reading for everyone wishing to understand one of the worlds great religious traditions. An introduction to hinduism introduction to religion. About the book max webers early twentiethcentury study of the religions and civilization of india is a great pioneering adventure in the sociology of ancient india. Sometimes the term is used for sampradayas led by a particular guru with a particular philosophy. If there is a book describing the several ways by which one can converse with god, then theres another book relating science with religion holy science and explaining the secrets of living a healthy, happy and peaceful life. Sruti literally means that what is revealed and smriti means that what is remembered. Hinduism is an ancient religion with diverse traditions such as vaishnavism, shaivism. The guru shishya tradition in hinduism for kids the guru shishya paramparatradition is a very important part of the hindu culture and religion. But, such is the nature of humanity to divide and set ourselves against one another. The veda is a rather unusual collection of literature. First, lets distinguish between two types of hindu literature.
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. One of the most popular and often cited hindu texts, this tells the tale of a warring family and the right heir to the kingdom. The puranas present an elaborate mythical cosmography. The hindu faith draws on a number of sacred texts and there is no standard set of beliefs, so it is a religion which is followed in different ways by different groups of people. Five of the hindu holy books are the rig veda, bhagavad gita, sama veda, yajur veda, and athava veda. These books shed light on the truth about life and death and the truth about god. It provided guidelines for the hindus to conduct themselves in line with their social order and religious. The hindu holy scriptures are mainly comprised of the following works written in the sanskrit language. If this is the case, then the muslim must admit that the divisions within islam are sinful. Vaishnavism and shaivism are generally regarded as monotheistic sects. A buddhism b hinduism eliminate c islam d judaism 11903929. Hinduism includes a diversity of ideas on spirituality and traditions, but has no ecclesiastical order, no unquestionable religious authorities, no governing body, no prophets nor any binding holy book.
The devotional sects do not generally regard other sects as rivals, and each sect freely borrows beliefs and practices from others. The holy scriptures of the hindu religion are divided into shruti and smriti. Online books on hinduism, hindu religion, hindu culture, shastras, hindu scripture, vedas, upanishad, hindu saints. Webers insight and analysis especially his application of the sociological perspective to the work of classical indologists and the religious texts available to him were to add much to the store of the social scientist.
Hinduism for ks1 and ks2 children hindu faith homework. Evidence of hinduism s early antecedents is derived from archaeology, comparative philology, and comparative religion. Bhagavata purana one of the maha puranic texts of hindu literature, and is sanskrit for the book of god. Hinduism as we know it can be subdivided into a number of major currents. Mahabharata an epic poem telling the story of a war between two branches of a. The heart of hinduism text book is produced by iskcon educational services, uk. These texts are glorious tales of the hindu trinity brahma, vishnu and maheshwar shiva. Sruti belongs to the vedic period while smriti belongs to. Tirupathi himalayan char dham badrinath, kedarnath, gangotri, and yamunotri. Samhita brahmana aranyaka upanishads upanishadsshow. It provided guidelines for the hindus to conduct themselves in line with their social order and religious duties.
This is one of the most popular and accessible of all hindu scriptures, required reading for anyone interested in hinduism. This diagram shows the holy books of what religion. The pilgrimage to each sacred site has its own religious significance. Hinduism comprises the religion and culture of the great majority of the people of india, a country tipped to become a world superpower politically, economically and culturally in the course of the present c. Central to the upanishads is the concept of brahman. Other holy scriptures in hinduism are called the upanisads, the smrutis, the puranas, the ramayana and the mahabharata. Some of the more popular hindu scriptures are gita, yogasutras and there are scriptures available for each set of philosophical paths in hinduism like siddhanta shastras, spandha karikas etc. The scriptures of the vedas are meant to guide hindu believers in their daily lives. Which is the holy book or sacred scripture of hinduism. Glasse, cyril, the concise encyclopedia of islam, san francisco. There is no single scripture as it is in other religions like christianity and islam. They also help to preserve the religious dimensions of family and society.
The shruti refers to the body of most authoritative, ancient religious texts, believed to be eternal knowledge authored neither by human nor divine agent but transmitted by sages rishis. The rigveda is considered by many to be the most important of the vedas. Known as manavadharma shastra, or the scripture of human laws, manusmriti was considered in ancient hindu society as the ultimate guide book for human conduct and social and religious behavior. They include the vedas and their corollaries sometimes called collectively the vedic scriptures. Seeing god in everything and everyone, ramakrishna believed that all religions lead to the same end. The holy books of world religions sacred texts in world. The explains the relationship between the external body and the. The history of hinduism in india can be traced to about 1500 bce. It consist of the collection of prayers and hymns and described the real meaning of the god.
So, what are the holy books of the five major world religions. Hinduism is the worlds oldest religion, according to many scholars, with roots and customs dating back more than 4,000 years. Another hindu holy book that deals with religious duties is law of manu or the dharma shastra. Devi bhagwat sanskrit only kalki puran hindi and sanskrit download manusmriti english vimanika shaster hindisanskrit narayan kwach hindisanskrit fit to smartphone screen size.
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. Knipe creates a fivefold model for presenting the rich complexities of the hindu world, offering an absorbing survey of the central hindu deities, myths, doctrines, rituals, sects, and personalities. It began about 5000 years ago, linked to the people who lived near to the indus river in about 2500 bc. About that dot on the forehead, the ten questions people ask about hinduism says this. In india, tens of thousands of hindu pilgrims jostled to take holy baths in the sacred river ganges after performing special prayers for ancestors during the eclipse. Mar 17, 2015 vaishnavism, shaivism and shaktism are the most prevalent hindu sects. Information on hinduism for kids primary homework help. What are the top ten religions and what is the holy book for. Hinduism is hard to define, for we cannot think in terms of a mainstream. This article explores some of the varied sacred texts of this religion.
They got their present form between 1200200 bce and were introduced to. In addition to these communities, there are charismatic teachers gurus who. Until about a hundred years ago, divisions between hinduism and sikhism were not so sharp. The old tripartite universe persists, but it is modified. The smriti literature is a vast corpus of diverse texts, and includes but is not limited to vedangas, the hindu epics, the sutras and shastras, the texts of hindu philosophies, the puranas, the kavya or poetical literature, the bhasyas, and numerous nibandhas digests covering politics, ethics, culture, arts and society. Meditation, yoga, contemplation, yagna communal worship, offerings in the temple.
This is the most popular religious book in the world. There are many holy books in hindu religion which cant be read in ones life time unless you take that as ones full time job. Hindu texts are manuscripts and historical literature related to any of the diverse traditions within hinduism. Jan 20, 2006 this book encapsulates the complete wisdom of one of humanitys oldest religions in an easytounderstand format debashis majumdar, india about the author prof dr satyajit is a renowned educationist in india who has written this book after 5 years of research in hindu religion. The bible, specifically the new testament as the old testament is just taken from the torah. The alvars sung these songs at various sacred shrines. Hinduism does not just have one sacred book but several scriptures. Vedas and upanishadas are the most authoritative amongst all hindu scriptures and holy books. They consist of the rig veda book of mantra and hymn, the sama veda book of song, the yajur veda book of ritual, and the atharva veda book of spell.
Hindu sacred texts the sacred texts of hinduism fall into one of two categories. However, the puranas are supposed to be complied by muni vyasa. Jun 07, 2008 all hindus know that some books are considered holy by everyone, and not every book written by every author becomes holy. But is there a common scripture that is considered holy by all sections of hindus. Hence, sruti is what ancient hindu saints heard during deep meditation. Apr 03, 20 the puranas are holy books of hinduism that date back to gupta empire in ancient india. Religious books are so sacred and holy that we touch them with our hands washed properly. David knipe integrates his own study of the basic hindu texts with his years of primary research and fieldwork in south asia. Hinduism is one of the oldest religions in the world. A hindu reading list 73 books goodreads share book. This title is being reprinted at present and is currently not available to order. Mar 17, 2015 most of the mahayana sutras, which number over two thousand, were written between 200 bce and 200 ce, the period in which mahayana buddhism developed. The following are the most sacred holy books in hinduism.
Sruti pronounced shroothee are the holy books within hinduism that are considered to be divinely inspired, and thus infallible and authoritative. Iskcon, the international society for krishna consciousness, belongs to the vaisnava tradition of hinduism. The vedas rgveda rigveda, yajurveda, samaveda, atharvaveda see further down 2. The basic beliefs and history of a religion is often found in its sacred or revered texts. Webers insight and analysis especially his application of the sociological perspective to the work of classical indologists and the religious texts available to him were to. Which of these were holy hindu scriptures written by gurus. Hinduism as it is commonly known can be subdivided into a number of major currents. There are a number of scriptures and holy books in hinduism. Members of the faith participate in the following types of pilgrimage. The vedas and these other works are further divided into two sections.
This new introduction to hinduism is distinguished by exceptionally useful chapter divisions, good detail combined with ease of reading, and a particular focus on the integrated quality of the evolution of hindu thoughtthe book s balance between scholarly detail and clear, readable. Classified by primary deity or deities, four major hinduism modern currents are vaishnavism vishnu, shaivism shiva, shaktism devi and smartism five deities treated as same. In addition to the four theistic sects, there are six schools of vedantic philosophy within hinduism. For children, hinduism from a to z, is an illustrated alphabet designed as twentysix minilessons on hindu thought and culture. The most holy of the hindu books is written in sanskrit and is referred to as the vedas. The last one is a commentary on the vedas, but it is considered as a revealed book. Hindu religious books for children spiritual india trip. The holy book of hindu religion by hindu religious. While there is no one text or creed that forms the basis of all hindu beliefs, several texts are considered fundamental to all branches of hinduism. Hindu sacred literature is the most ancient of the living literatures of the world. The majority of the vedas are considered the shruti, which is translated to that which is hard. Classified by primary deity or deities, four major hinduism modern currents are vaishnavism vishnu. Hindu holy book that is called geeta was founded by vyas in the name of shree krishna. Of the historical division into six darshanas, only two schools, vedanta and yoga survive.
Today, with about 900 million followers, hinduism is. Hindus holy books were edited by britishers exposed by rajiv dixit. The upanisads these consider the nature of the individual soul atman and the universal soul brahman. Online books on hinduism, hindu religion, hindu culture. Arjuna is a warrior, about to join his brothers in a war between two branches of a royal. The book contains 270 pages and is divided in 57 small easytoread chapters, containing authentic information about all the important aspects of hindu religion, culture, and philosophy. The upanishads are also called as vedantas or the end of the vedas. Book on hinduism, hindu religious beliefs and practices. There are two historic classifications of hindu texts. They are believed to be true history of ancient indian. The vedas, upanishads, puranas, and brahmanas granth are the four sacred books in hindu religion. The earliest literary source for the history of hinduism is the rigveda, consisting of hymns that were composed chiefly during the last two or three centuries of. According to mahabhasya of patanjali, there are 21 branches of rig veda, 9 types of.
There have been numerous instances of one or both the parents taking on the role of guru for continue reading hindu religious books for children. Download the bible, the holy quran, the mahabharata, and thousands of free pdf ebooks on buddhism, meditation, etc. By holy book i assume you mean the central texts which are. Hindus can choose to be polytheistic, pantheistic, panentheistic, pandeistic, henotheistic, monotheistic, monistic, agnostic, atheistic or. Prayer, sacraments some branches, worship in church, reading of the bible, acts of charity, communion. Jul 23, 2015 holy books are the basic foundation of the knowledge we have about our religion. Of the historical division into six darsanas philosophies, two schools, vedanta and yoga, are currently the most prominent. Those chapters in the mahabharta which are krishnas discourses on religious philosophy are called bhagvad gita. They got their present form between 1200200 bce and were introduced to india by the aryans. However, he goes on to suggest that merely because these views are expressed in a religions holy book, it is not fair to assume that all religious leaders accept them.
Hindu denominations are traditions within hinduism centered on one or more gods or goddesses, such as shiva, vishnu and brahma. The bhagavad gita, usually considered part of the sixth book of the mahabharata dating from about 400 or 300 b. There are three levelsheaven, earth, and the netherworldbut the first and last are further subdivided into vertical layers. Both versions state that satis body was thus dismembered into 51 pieces which fell on earth at various places. In hindu religion and spirituality, the pilgrimage has great significance. What name is given to the four holy books of the hindus. This book features in simple terms, the various aspects of both beauty and depth in thi. The terms sacred text and religious text are not necessarily interchangeable in that some religious texts are believed to be sacred because of the belief in some theistic religions such as the abrahamic religions that the text is divinely or supernaturally revealed or divinely inspired, or in nontheistic religions such as some indian. The oral transmission of sacred knowledge, from the teacher to the student, continues till today. These are the most ancient religious texts which define truth for hindus.
The 108 upanishads muktika the upanishads are the last chapter of the vedas. The aryans gave hinduism its priestly language, sanskrit. In the wars that occur in the holy books, as in mahabharta, the different sides had different war weapons which had characters similar to modern day war weapons. Hindus believe that the vedas texts were received by scholars direct from. For many hindus, religion is a matter of practice rather than of beliefs. The most ancient sacred texts of the hindu religion are written in sanskrit and called the vedas. Some of the other holy works and books of hinduism are stories and epic poems. There are four vedas namely rigveda, yajurveda, samaveda and atharvaveda. The book is clothed in deep metaphors and symbolism, and there have been hundreds of thousands of translations.
The nature of hinduism, hindu metaphysics, how hindus worship, spiritual practices, family life and culture, and hindu ethics. There are many communities within hinduism, and many of them have their own chains of leaders. The religion of india the sociology of hinduism and buddhism. Another hindu holy book that deals with religious duties is law of manu or the. Hindu religious leader, founder of the school of religious thought that became the ramakrishna order. This veda is divided into a series of ten smaller books, called mandalas, which contain odes dedicated to the various hindu deities.
You can browse similar titles or contact us for a personalised recommendation. Earth consists of seven circular continents, the central one surrounded by the salty ocean and each of the other. The vedas are the oldest religious scriptures available to us. Shruti that which is heard, and smriti that which is remembered. The stotras hailing 5 bring out the excellence of hindu devotion. The vedas scriptures guide hindus in their daily life. One of the upanishads contains the earliest reference to the reincarnation of the soul in different. Several different listings of these 51 holy places, known as shakti peethas, are available. This book also contains a gayatri mantra and the hindu story of primal man, which is similar to the story of adam and eve.
Hindus can choose to be polytheistic, pantheistic, panentheistic, pandeistic, henotheistic, monotheistic, monistic, agnostic, atheistic or humanist. Christianity vs hinduism difference and comparison diffen. Indian culture is admired and respect all over the word for its beauty and depth. Because of its importance the bhagvad gita is considered as a separate holy book. Many of the gurudwaras, where the holy book was kept, and where people gathered to pray, were managed by. The heart of hinduism, in the spirit of the tradition, aims to be nonsectarian, evenhanded, and respectful in its description of all the hindu traditions. Which of these were holy hindu scriptures written by gurus to help connect people to heavenly forces. Hindu scriptures and holy books are divided mainly into two categories viz sruti and smriti.
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