Summary of hinduism beliefs meaning of name hinduism, from the persian hindu sanskrit sindhu, literally river. Hinduism is widely practiced in south asia mainly in india and nepal. This holy book is written in the sanskrit language. Hinduism, as the worlds most ancient surviving religion, could have it no other way. The belief system in the hindi religion is outlined from these scriptures. Hindus call their religion sanatama dharma, eternal religion or eternal truth. Here were going to talk about some of the main hindu religious books. You should read enough of the materials presented in this section concerning the tradition of hinduism in order to understand how this tradition displays the characteristics or elements that make a.
Vedas and upanishadas are the most authoritative amongst all hindu scriptures and holy books. Explained all basic facts about hinduism and answers to your question about hindu gods, hindu belief, hinduism holy book, hinduism practices and hinduism philosophy. Hindu holy days and festivals follow a lunisolar calendar, thus dates vary from year to year. However, some of these books and songs became more popular than others and came to define the culture and religion we know today as hinduism. 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. Meditation is also a form of ritual that hindus will do in order to connect with the gods and become closer to them. Religious texts are texts related to a religious tradition. The hindus have four gods brahman, brahma, vishnu, and shiva. The vedas are scriptures that the hindu people use as a guide to daily and religious life.
Hinduism is neither monotheistic nor restricted to one religious scripture. It is made up of a variety of different religious beliefs and practices. It has no founder, governing body or single holy book, although the vedas sanskrit. The early vedas refer often to certain gods such as.
It is a way for them to dive deeper into their own thoughts and minds. The vedas scriptures guide hindus in their daily life. The concept of god in hinduism varies in its diverse traditions. In the west, where the mass majority of people are part of the abrahamic faith tradition with one god, the concept of polytheism is nothing more than fantasy or mythology worthy of comic book material.
Hinduism is a compilation of many traditions and philosophies and is considered by many scholars to be the worlds oldest religion, dating back more than 4,000 years. Hinduism definition, hindu religion, gods, beliefs, history, holy book definition hinduism is commonly thought of as a religion, but this is an inaccuracy, it is a way in which most of the people of india who are not muslim live. The holy books of world religions sacred texts in world. There is no single scripture as it is in other religions like christianity and islam. Selections from the vedas are still memorized and recited for religious merit today. It is perhaps the best book for someone who has no prior knowledge of the religion, a stable stepping stone for the student of religious studies, and an. The hindu religion recognizes seven holy cities commonly known as the sapta puri.
As historical and religious literature often is, the text is written from the perspective of the most powerful groups. Hindus believe that the vedas texts were received by scholars direct from god and passed on to the next generations by word of mouth. For many hindus, religion is a matter of practice rather than of beliefs. Which i have am written here its too precious, go through it please refer the below brahma sutra. In hinduism, there is no particular holy book like christianity and islam. Other holy scriptures in hinduism are called the upanisads, the smrutis, the puranas, the ramayana and the mahabharata. Hindu deities are the gods and goddesses in hinduism. The most holy of the hindu books is written in sanskrit and is referred to as the vedas. Christianity comes in catholic, protestant and orthodox flavors, though many bizarre and fun heresies exist.
Information on hinduism for kids primary homework help. Scholars regard hinduism as a combination of different indian cultures and traditions, with diverse roots. Yet much of the religion presented in the vedas is unknown today and plays little to no role in modern hinduism. Feller learn with flashcards, games, and more for free. Hinduism does not just have one sacred book but several scriptures. Like most religions, it has basic beliefs about gods, life after death and how a person should live. Although like islam it believes in the oneness of god and is opposed to idol worship, in many respects it is an offshoot of hinduism and is much closer to hinduism.
Other holy scriptures in hinduism are called the upanisads, the smrutis, the. Hinduism spans a wide range of beliefs such as henotheism, monotheism, polytheism. Hinduism definition hindu religion, gods, beliefs, history. But hinduism has many scriptures that were written down over the ages. Hinduism is the worlds third largest religion and still growing. Hindus can choose to be polytheistic, pantheistic, monotheistic, monistic, agnostic, atheistic or humanist. You should read enough of the materials presented in this section concerning the tradition of hinduism in order to understand how this tradition displays the characteristics or elements that make a tradition one that would be termed a religion. The basic beliefs and history of a religion is often found in its sacred or revered texts. Other holy scriptures in hinduism are called the upanisads, the smrutis, the puranas, the ramayana and the. To our modern concept, there was no holy book for the greeks. Hinduism is the oldest religion in the world and the real name of this religion is sanatana or. The book, which was first published in 1947, has now been rearranged in a more convenient form, with useful additions here and there, and is now released in its fifth edition. They also help to preserve the religious dimensions of family and society.
Of all the basic books on hinduism, this rather thin volume of 160 pages is the most balanced introduction to the religion. They got their present form between 1200200 bce and were introduced to india by the aryans. It has been said that hinduism is a religion of 330 million hinduism gods. Holy book of hindu religion faith church religion and god. Lord vishnu did his job of preserving the world by incarnating himself in different forms at times of crisis. Five of the hindu holy books are the rig veda, bhagavad gita, sama veda, yajur veda. Hinduism is commonly thought of as a religion, but this is an inaccuracy, it is a way in which most of the people of india who are not muslim live. Hindu beliefs hindu gods the hindus have four gods brahman, brahma, vishnu, and shiva. The religion of hinduism originated in northern india, near the river indus, about 4000 years ago and is the worlds oldest existing religion. She whispers, in the religion section, under holy bible and holy quran. Hinduism is the worlds oldest religion, according to many scholars, with roots and customs dating back more than 4,000 years. Hinduism simple english wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. The most ancient sacred texts of the hindu religion are written in sanskrit and called the vedas. Everyone knows that the hindu religion is the worlds oldest religion and its books are also the oldest about 3000 bc.
In hindu vedic religion there is only one supreme god which exist at two different levels of reality. In the hinduism culture, it is normal for them to have household and village rituals. Hinduism is practised by more than 80% of indias population. They got their present form between 1200200 bce and were introduced to. Turning believers into nonbelievers and nonbelievers into believers achuthananda, swami on. Hinduism is the worlds third most popular religion, with around 750 million followers. Hinduism is a decidedly theistic religion, but it can be difficult to determine whether it is a polytheistic, pantheistic, or even monotheistic religion.
Hindus believe that the texts were received by scholars direct from god and. Sri ramakrishna, a prominent hindu saint once wrote, there can be as many hindu gods as there are devotees to suit the moods, feelings, emotions and social backgrounds of the devotees. Hinduism has developed slowly over the thousands of years. In this article, we detail the two different categories these texts are organized into, shruti and smriti, and overview the most popular of the hindu texts.
So i would say due to the fact that so many people have different gods and interpretations, that it would be nearly impossible to figure out who wrote what book. However, islam is monothestic and the quran tells muslims how to life their life. There was public ritual and various writers wrote about gods, described various events involving the gods, etc. Today, with about 900 million followers, hinduism is. Puranas are eighteen in number, detailing about the three major gods in hinduism, known as the holy trinity.
They are written in the form of a dialogue from the hindu god rama and cover the. These are the most ancient religious texts which define truth for hindus. The holy book in the hindu religion is known as the vedas. In this book swami achuthananda cracks open the opium poppy pods, analyzes the causes for euphoria, and comes away with a deeper understanding of the people and their religion. Rather, there is a huge array of different sacred texts. 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. Compared to other religions, sikhism is a religion of recent origin, founded in the 15th century ad by its founder sri guru nanak. Nov 04, 2008 the aryans gave hinduism its priestly language, sanskrit.
Hinduism is a polythestic religion with much of their book talking about their gods stories. They also mention the history of man and the whole universe. Jul 02, 20 for more than a billion people living in india and abroad, hinduism is the religion and a way of life. 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. 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. In the west, where the mass majority of people are part of the abrahamic faith tradition with one god, the concept of polytheism is nothing more than fantasy or. Download the bible, the holy quran, the mahabharata and thousands of free pdf ebooks on buddhism, meditation etc. 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 relative authority of religious texts develops over time and is derived from the ratification. It is a religion that has slowly developed over a period of time. We do hope that all serious students of hindu religion and philosophy will find the book useful and.
There are a number of scriptures and holy books in hinduism. Today, with about 900 million followers, hinduism is the third. The veda is a rather unusual collection of literature. The most popular one of the lesser gods are brahma the creator, vishnu the preserver, and shiva the destroyer hinduism has no founder. Hindu scriptures and holy books hinduism facts hinduism facts. The holy books in hinduism are there only for guidance. The aryans gave hinduism its priestly language, sanskrit.
The vedas are greatly revered by contemporary hindus as forming the foundation for their deepest beliefs. A murti is itself not the god in hinduism, but it is an image of god and represents emotional and religious value. I hope that from this short introduction to the holy books of hinduism it is apparent that hindus consider a great variety of literature important, and that this literature is as diverse and complex as it is beautiful. Why hindus worship so many gods and goddesses is a real mystery for most people. Feb 18, 2017 selections from the vedas are still memorized and recited for religious merit today. Explained all basic facts about hinduism and answers to your question about hindu gods, hindu belief, hinduism holy book, hinduism practices and hinduism philosophy where hindu religion originates and its birthplace. But there was no form of this is the one true word of the god, as is.
So, what are the holy books of the five major world religions. A year of hindu festivals festival time rita storey. But the most important holy books of hinduism are the vedas. Unlike christianity or islam, it is a not a religion that is governed by the book. Turning believers into nonbelievers and nonbelievers into believers. If youre interested in knowing the most important aspects of the longest lasting religion in history, this reading list is for you. The oldest veda is called the rig veda and was written in sanskrit a language. Hinduism definition, hindu religion, gods, beliefs, history, holy book. It doesnt have a holy book like our bible or the islamic koran. It is the oldest major religion with a tradition reaching back millennia and having many notable peaks and periods of glory. In ancient and medieval era texts of hinduism, the human body is described as a temple, and deities are. It has influenced and been affected by other world.
Hinduism is an indian religion and dharma, or way of life, widely practised in the indian subcontinent and parts of southeast asia. Central to hinduism is the belief in a supreme god brahman. It is often referred to as not just a religion but a way of life. Hinduism is an extremely diverse religious and spiritual tradition. No 1 hindu popular country, world biggest temple and also i.
Bible, the holy bible, the dead sea scrolls christianity is the default, and presumably most common religion in nanotrasencontrolled space. Muslims went to a newport beach synagogue thursday night to sit shoulder to shoulder with jews, christians, sikhs, zoroastrians, bahais, hindus, buddhists and people. Learn vocabulary, terms, and more with flashcards, games, and other study tools. Hi friends, in this video discussing 10 true facts about hinduism, most hindu dont know. Hinduism is a religion with various gods and goddesses. According to the tenets of hinduism, god is one as well as many.