Because of the general spirit of renunciation that pervades hinduism, the monastic life has an irresistible appeal for religiousminded hindus. The most remarkable concept in the abovecited hindu texts is that of the wind. The content of the myth the cosmic man purusa is described as a primeval. With the head of the cosmic man more or less closely identified with the celestial. The hindu interpretation of creation the story of god. The main motive to make this page is that how much we know about the hinduism which is not only a religion but it is a way of life. In the image above, we see the hindu god vishnu as the cosmic man. Hinduism is one of the living religions that originated in southern asia along with jainism, buddhism and sikhism. A concise explanation of the main hindu holy books. Hinduism flows from the misty past some 6000 to 7000 years ago. Vedas and upanishadas are the most authoritative amongst all hindu scriptures and holy books. Brahman is a vedic sanskrit word, and it is conceptualized in hinduism, states paul deussen, as the creative principle which lies realized in the whole world. These are the most ancient religious texts which define truth for hindus.
Hinduism hindu holy books explanation sheet teacher made. Because of its importance the bhagvad gita is considered as a separate holy book. However, the puranas are supposed to be complied by muni vyasa. A sourcebook translated from the sanskrit, with an introduction by wendy doniger oflaherty. Five of the hindu holy books are the rig veda, bhagavad gita, sama veda, yajur veda, and athava veda. There are three levelsheaven, earth, and the netherworldbut the first and last are further subdivided into vertical layers. The flow of hinduism can be divided roughly into major periods of change and development. The rigveda is a collection of hymns dedicated to 33 gods especially to indri and agni. A man who cannot easily earn his livelihood, when dressed as a monk always obtains a few morsels of food from godfearing and hospitable householders. But why is it that people dont really have a good answer when asked, what is hinduism. A hindu holy book which is a collection of aryan hymns that were transmitted orally before being written down in the 6th century bce. The puranas are holy books of hinduism that date back to gupta empire in ancient india.
Hinduism is an indian religion and dharma, or way of life, widely practised in the indian subcontinent and parts of southeast asia. Religion is a way of life in india, where hinduism is practiced by over eighty percent of the population. While most cultures base their cosmologies on familiar units such as few hundreds or thousands of years, the hindu concept of time embraces billions and trillions of years. Read bhagavad gita here are some of famous people comments about the same albert einstein when i read the bhagavadgita and reflect about how god created this universe everything else seems so superfluous. In symbols of transformation, carl jung speaks of the cosmic man, drawing. Another hindu holy book that deals with religious duties is law of manu or the dharma shastra. Start studying world religions rel 100 hinduism exam. A study in the evolution of the human mind is a 1901 book by the psychiatrist richard maurice bucke, in which the author explores the concept of cosmic consciousness, which he defines as a higher form of consciousness than that possessed by the ordinary man. Earth consists of seven circular continents, the central one surrounded by the salty ocean and each of the other. There are a number of scriptures and holy books in hinduism. Although technically it is not sruti, since it is part of an epic, most hindus treat it as though it is divinely inspired in practice. The knowledge in the vedas is believed in hinduism to be eternal, uncreated, neither authored by human nor by divine source, but seen, heard and transmitted by sages. They anointed the man, the sacrifice, born at the beginning, upon the sacred grass. The old tripartite universe persists, but it is modified.
Hinduism is such an ancient religion that it had many types of beliefs and religious practices. The bhagavad gita is perhaps the single most important holy book of hinduism today. Hinduism is the largest and oldest religion on earth almost 5,000 years old. Ancient sanskrit writings that are the earliest sacred texts of hinduism. Comparison between god and the holy of the cosmic connection 1647 words 7 pages ryan czerwinski 92715 the meaning of suffering in comparison to the divinity of cosmic connection while krishna in the bhagavadgita is clear about the cosmic connections of humanity, yahweh in the book of job isnt quite as straightforward.
The puranas present an elaborate mythical cosmography. Oh king, the rivers are the veins of the cosmic person and the trees are the hairs of his body. However, the following description thereof by a foreign thinker is nearer the mark than any other. Social structure to a passage from the purusha hymn rigveda 10. The priest, or brahmin, emerged from the man s mouth. It is immanent in everything both living and non living. Hindus can choose to be polytheistic, pantheistic, monotheistic, monistic, agnostic, atheistic or humanist. Its an article of faith with me that all religions worship the same god. Hinduisms understanding of time is as grandiose as time itself. For more on important books and writings of hinduism. Hinduism, one of the oldest religions in the world, dates from perhaps 3500 b. Brahman is a key concept found in the vedas, and it is extensively discussed in the early upanishads. This is because for hindus there is no single creation, but periodic cycles of creation.
The scriptures of the vedas are meant to guide hindu believers in their daily lives. Hinduism is hardly a dogma but a working hypothesis. Today, for better or worse, the power of religion touches all of our lives, no matter what our faith. The vedas and these other works are further divided into two sections. Rather, there is a vast array of narrativestheological, ethical, ritual, mythical, socialthat different. In early vedas, purusha meant a cosmic man whose sacrifice by the gods created all life. Comparison between god and the holy of the cosmic connection. For crosscultural discussion of religious beliefs, phenomena, and practices, see. Study 78 terms world religions rel 100 hinduism exam.
Although not manuals or handbooks in the manner of the later shrautasutras, the brahmanas do contain details about the performance and meaning of. Hinduism has a span of three thousand years of history in which various forms of religious experience took shape and grew into a wide and rich variety of myths and cults, beliefs and practise, doctrines and disciplines, which have nurtured millions of hindus throughout the ages. The most holy of the hindu books is written in sanskrit and is referred to as the vedas. Hindu scriptures and holy books hinduism facts hinduism facts. The hindu supreme god vishnu depicted as the cosmic man, which the whole hindu universe in it. Hinduism is diverse on ideas on spirituality and traditions, but has no ecclesiastical order, no unquestionable religious authorities, no governing body, no prophets nor any binding holy book. Each part of the man represents the four classes of indian society. The ancient indians were not interested in history as such, which is simply the records of kings and merchants written by the victors. These texts are glorious tales of the hindu trinity brahma, vishnu and maheshwar shiva. 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.
Information and translations of holy book in the most comprehensive dictionary definitions resource on the web. Learn vocabulary, terms, and more with flashcards, games, and other study tools. 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. As per hinduism every human being has the power to reach the level of mahavira, gautama buddha, jesus christ or prophet mohammed. Some of the other holy works and books of hinduism are stories and epic poems. 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. Other holy scriptures in hinduism are called the upanisads, the smrutis, the puranas, the ramayana and the mahabharata.
In fact, it cannot be defined precisely as any other religion can be. Religious texts are texts related to a religious tradition. The rig veda, the first scripture of hinduism, tells of how the universe was created from a single cosmic man, purusha, when he was sacrificed. In the seeming absence of the holy they each live the book of job and. The vedas conceptualize brahman as the cosmic principle. They differ from literary texts by being a compilation or discussion of beliefs, mythologies, ritual practices, commandments or laws, ethical conduct, spiritual aspirations, and for creating or fostering a religious community. King venas beliefs have a parallel in modern times. Attached to each samhita was a collection of explanations of religious rites, called a brahmana, which often relied on mythology to describe the origins and importance of individual ritual acts. 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. The majority of the vedas are considered the shruti, which is translated to that which is hard. Hinduism holy book important books and writings of hinduism. Unlike other religious traditions, hinduism has no single, unifying sacred narrative. Hinduism, through its authority called,vedas,rig, yajur,sama and atharva explains the root of the world as brahman, reality.
It is only hinduism that says clearly every human being has the power to become a man god. More than a billion people are followers of indias eternal faith. Apr 03, 20 the puranas are holy books of hinduism that date back to gupta empire in ancient india. They got their present form between 1200200 bce and were introduced to india by the aryans. About the book among the traditional philosophies and schools of hinduism the idea of the identity between macrocosm and microcosm is prominent in classical advaita vedanta as well as in the more philosophical aspects of tantric hindusim. Hindu sacred texts the sacred texts of hinduism fall into one of two categories. Download the bible, the holy quran, the mahabharata and thousands of free pdf ebooks on buddhism, meditation etc. Why doesnt hinduism have a holy book about creation. There is no single scripture as it is in other religions like christianity and islam. Cosmogony and cosmology a single cosmic man purusha when his body was offered at the primordial sacrifice. In the rig veda, one of the earliest vedic texts, there are actually several.
The man who realized god in 1993 explains the concept of important books and writings of hinduism. Hinduism simple english wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. The upanishads are also called as vedantas or the end of the vedas. It is the principle, beyond words, thoughts, space and time. Do hindus use one holy book, or many, and whats in them. Introduction hinduism stands for the faith and the way of life most of the people who live in india. Depending on source and historical timeline, it means the cosmic man or self, consciousness, and universal principle.
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