Hinduism, with about one billion followers is the world s third largest religion, after christianity and islam. Hinduism associates many symbols, which include the lotus, chakra and veena, with particular deities. Hindus were never polytheistic, in the sense that there are many equal gods. Hinduism is widely practiced in south asia mainly in india and nepal. 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 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. Give us health, ample land, and lights, o soma, and grant us long to look upon the sunshine. 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. Hindus can choose to be polytheistic, pantheistic, panentheistic, pandeistic, henotheistic, monotheistic, monistic, agnostic, atheistic or.
But with time and changing social scenario the basic monotheistic character of the vedas were changed to polytheism. In modern times, smarta views have become highly influential in both the indian and western understanding of hinduism and what it encompasses. Chapter iii hinduism facts hinduism facts facts about. Followers of saivism are called saivas or saivites. Sometimes shankaras advaitavedanta commentary is presented in books about hinduism as if it were the original and only vedanta philosophy. Hindu religion, philosophy and concepts kindle edition by sharma, shalu. Four denominations of hinduism a splendrous lotus with four superb petals for over 200 years, western scholars have struggled to understand hinduism, a faith whose followers seemed to outsiders to arbitrarily worship any one of a dozen gods as the supreme, a religion vastly diverse in its beliefs, practices and ways of worship. Such objects are sacred in hinduism and people have faith in it. These texts are glorious tales of the hindu trinity brahma, vishnu and maheshwar shiva. Thus, hindu festivals boost the economy of india also. Shankara was born in a time when there were multiple religions in india such as buddhism, jainism, as well as hinduism and shakara wanted to show that all religions could come together if he found an original tradition. The relative authority of religious texts develops over time and is derived from the ratification. There are approximately 1 billion hindus, making hinduism the third largest religion in the world after christianity and islam, of whom approximately 890 million live in.
Hindu sacred literature is the most ancient of the living literatures of the world. There are a lot of introduction to hinduism websites and books. So to keep up that trend they categorized all existing people in to hinduism. A brahmana shall not name his family and vedic gotra in order to obtain a meal. It is made from two trikonas, shiva is represented by the upward pointing triangle and shakti by the downward pointing triangle. Smartas, followers of smartism, may actually worship one or more of the five main hindu gods vishnu, shiva, ganesha, surya and shakti as they are all considered equal.
But the vedantic beliefs went under much transformation and became gradually polytheistic in character. Hinduism was given name to the lifestyle of people from east of indus valley by the islamic invaders from middle east. The name smarta comes from the sanskrit smriti, a class of texts that are considered to be of human authorshipin contrast to the vedas, which are considered to have been divinely revealed. However, the puranas are supposed to be complied by muni vyasa. The vedas are the prime book of knowledge on which primary hindu beliefs stands. Hindus value many sacred writings as opposed to one holy book. The vedas are scriptures that the hindu people use as a guide to daily and religious life. 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. Oct 20, 2009 an esoteric meaning in smarta hinduism. Hinduism has two sets of scripture, shruti or that which is heard and smriti or that which is remembered.
It is used as an adjective to characterize certain beliefs and practices, such as shaivism. It was one of the first religions that had the idea of reincarnation that. The holy books of world religions sacred texts in world. Shakti tradition is a major sect in the bengal, assam region of india.
Hinduism origins, hinduism history, hinduism beliefs. Even animals like cow is considered very holy in hinduism. Above, a young smarta priest conducts a fire ceremony, havana, as decreed in the vedas. The four denominations of hinduism himalayan academy. Vaishnavism is the largest hindu denomination and it has numerous subdivisions. In hinduism, there are diverse approaches to conceptualizing god and gender. This educational insight is hinduism today magazines response to the controversy in california over the way hinduism is taught in publicschool history books. Five of the hindu holy books are the rig veda, bhagavad gita, sama veda, yajur veda, and athava veda. Smarta tradition is a movement in hinduism that developed during its classical period around the beginning of the common era. The four noble truths are said to be a holy teaching. Mar 17, 2015 saivism, also written shaivism and saivism, is the branch of hinduism that worships siva as the supreme god. The sacred texts of hinduism fall into one of two categories.
Many hindus focus upon impersonal absolute brahman which is genderless. Hinduism is an indian religion and dharma, or way of life, widely practiced in the indian subcontinent and parts of southeast asia. Though hinduism is polytheistic the vedas speak of one god. In india from ancient times there have been many sects, but they all have many common beliefs, by those beliefs one is identified as a hindu. Devotees worship the banana tree every thursday by offering turmeric, jaggery and. Sruti pronounced shroothee are the holy books within hinduism that are considered to be divinely inspired, and thus infallible and authoritative. When persians came to india they referred to the river sindhu as hindu. On one level, it is possible to view these sects as distinct religious traditions.
I think you are confusing something that is holy from something that is dogma. The puranas are holy books of hinduism that date back to gupta empire in ancient india. Hinduism does not possess a single holy book like bible in christianity and quran in islamic dharma. Hinduism is a very old religion from india that is still practiced today. The smarta tradition began with a man named shankara in the 8th century. It is a 16page lesson on hindu history, beliefs and practices for sixth graders written from the hindu point of view. Smarta is a loos term used for a brahmin who adheres to the nonsectarian orthodoxy, one who considers himself to be neither exclusively shivoriented shaiva nor exclusively vishnuoriented vaishnava.
All hindus know that some books are considered holy by everyone, and not every book written by every author becomes holy. Apr 07, 2014 literally the only thing i know about hinduism is that it is one of the four major world religions. The shatkona has a more esoteric meaning to smarta hindus. But the smartha came to denote the followers of the sect founded by adi shankaracharya, which he did in order to create a more streamlined version of hinduism. Iskcon, the international society for krishna consciousness, belongs to the vaisnava tradition of hinduism. Devi is the central and supreme being in the shakta and saiva hindu traditions. The two hindu texts most accessible to nonhindus are the bhagavad gita and patanjalis yoga sutras. Smarta means something in hinduism, sanskrit, marathi. Smartism is a sect of hinduism that allows its followers to worship more than one god, unlike in sects like shaivism and vaishnavism, in which only shiva and vishnu are worshipped, respectively. The pervader or the immanent or one of his various incarnations avatars as the supreme manifestation of the divine. In ancient days hinduism reinvented itself and evolved in countless ways to deal with the rise of jainism and buddhism.
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 four denominations of hinduism a splendrous lotus with four superb petals for over 200 years, western scholars have struggled to understand hinduism, a faith whose followers seemed to outsiders to arbitrarily worship any one of a dozen gods as the supreme, a religion vastly diverse in its beliefs, practices and ways of worship. How many holy books are in hinduism and what are their. Vaishnavism is the name given to the faith and practices of those hindus who hold vishnu the all pervasive one and the goddess lakshmi as supreme deities.
The upanishads are also called as vedantas or the end of the vedas. Hinduism is a collective term applied to the many philosophical and religious traditions native to india. Mar 17, 2015 vaishnavism is the branch of hinduism in which vishnu or one of his incarnations usually krishna or rama is worshipped as the supreme god. Shiva represents the masculine side of god and the parashiva, the all pervasive mysterious form of shiva without qualities. The shatkona the shatkona is a symbol for shiva and shakti. In hinduism, devi is symbolized as a cow due to the fact that cows nourish us and give us endless resources.
Scholars regard hinduism as a fusion or synthesis 6 note 4. The buddha, dharma and sangha are said to be holy and worthy of reverence. Download the bible, the holy quran, the mahabharata, and thousands of free pdf ebooks on buddhism, meditation, etc. Within smarta hinduism, a variety of forms of god are seen as aspects of the one impersonal divine ground, brahman. Religious texts are texts related to a religious tradition. Smarta sect, orthodox hindu sect composed of members of the twiceborn, or initiated upper classes brahman, kshatriya, and vaishya, whose primarily brahman followers are characterized by their allegiance to all the gods of the hindu pantheon and by their adherence to rules of ritual and of conduct laid down in the ancient sutra texts the name smarta comes from the sanskrit smriti, a. It means the worship of one god without denying the existence of other gods. The primary sacred texts, known as the vedas, were composed around 1500 b. During a long and complex development, many vaishnava groups emerged with differing beliefs and aims. Four denominations of hinduism magazine web edition. 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. It is divided into ten books called mandalas and has 1028 hymns in praise of various deities. The holy book in the hindu religion is known as the vedas.
At times when hinduism seemed weak, adi shankara unified the smarta tradition and tirumular reinvigorated saiva siddhantha. Other holy scriptures in hinduism are called the upanisads, the smrutis, the puranas, the ramayana and the mahabharata. This is largely due to neovedanta, a term used to describe the interpretations of hinduism and indian culture that developed in the 19th century. They see the lower triangle as representing the three states of a human soul vishwa waking, taijasa dreaming, and prajna deep sleep. The smartabrahmanas or hereditary priests preside over the religious affairs of millions of ordinary hindus. They had come from a culture where religions were clearly defined. Since 1979 the international magazine hinduism today has been producing a treasury of educational features on all aspects of sanatana dharma. In smarta, devi is among the 5 primary forms of brahman. Hinduism has neither a specific moment of origin nor a specific founder.
The bhagavad gita by krishnadwaipayana vyasa, the upanishads by anonymous, the gita way secret recipe to achieve the purpose. Scholars regard hinduism as a combination of different indian cultures and traditions, with diverse roots. They open a rare window into ancient bharata society, proclaiming lifes sacredness and the way to oneness with god. As per the vedantic embodiments hinduism is monotheistic. Hinduism is practised by more than 80% of indias population. The sanskrit word saiva means relating to the god shiva, and this term is the sanskrit name both for one of the principal sects of hinduism and for a member of that sect. This is all evidence that blasphemy just doesnt have the same role in hinduism that it has in abrahamic religions. The belief system in the hindi religion is outlined from these scriptures. 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. We hindus believe in the one allpervasive god who energizes the. The scriptures of the vedas are meant to guide hindu believers in their daily lives. Originating in india, saivism has wide appeal across the country and is particularly strong among the tamils of southern india and sri lanka. The modern interpretation of hinduism has contributed to.
Holy atharva veda the atharva veda is a sacred text of hinduism, part of the four books of the vedas. The smarta tradition rejects theistic sectarianism, and it is notable for the domestic worship of five shrines with five deities, all treated as equal shiva, vishnu, surya, ganesha and devi. This holy book is written in the sanskrit language. The most important and, according to scholars, oldest of the vedas. Hindu festivals, festivals in hinduism, festivals in. Among the many subjects the book addresses is the theme of holy cows. What is blasphemy according to hinduism and its holy books.
Smartism smarta smarta tradition revers all the above three traditions and worships absolute god in the form of shiva, vishnu, shakti and other forms as well. List of holy books in hinduism the galaxy of hindu literature is very vast and voluminous. Smarta definition is a member of a large hindu sect of brahmans founded in the eighth century, guided chiefly by the traditions of the smriti, holding the doctrine of advaita, worshiping all the principal deities equally, and thriving most in south india. 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. Add your comment or reference to a book if you want to contribute to this summary article. Business worth millions of dollars takes place on the days of festivals.
Hinduism is the worlds third most popular religion, with around 750 million followers. As i discuss in this answer, the word smartha originally just meant follower of smriti. The sutra s brief aphorisms followed by the smarta sect form part of the smriti literature. Hindu crisis in the great white north sanskriti hinduism. Hinduism simple english wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. There are so many hindu schools, starting with just smarta, shaivism, shaktism, and vaishnavism, what to speak of all of the orthodox vedanta schools and the heterodox schools. Letter from pj hi sir, i am 17 year old kid from a tamil family, i was born in knear nagapattinam, i moved to france when i was. Other hindu traditions conceive god as androgynous both female and male, alternatively as either male or female, while cherishing gender henotheism, that is without denying the existence of other gods in either gender. But a kshatriya who comes to the house of a brahmana is not called a guest atithi, nor a vaisya, nor a sudra, nor a personal friend, nor a relative, nor the. A concise explanation of the main hindu holy books.
Members of vaishnavism are called vaishnavites or vaishnavas. The vedas are the four holiest books of the by mankind to the next, perhaps over thousands of years each book has four major kinds of text the samhitas mantras and benedictions, the aranyakas text on rituals, ceremonies, sacrifices and symbolicsacrifices, the brahmanas commentaries on rituals, ceremonies and sacrifices, and the upanishads texts discussing meditation, philosophy. It derives from the indoaryan name atharvan, a term which. However, it is not a religion of the same kind as the other two main religions.
Smarta tradition has higher reverence for vedas and upanishads. At left, a vaishnava priest blows a conch horn during prayers in. Hinduism small hinduism is the predominant and indigenous religious tradition1 of south asia. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading hinduism made easy. Hinduism hindu holy books explanation sheet teacher made. The smarta tradition rejects theistic sectarianism, and it is notable for the domestic worship of five shrines with five deities, all treated as. Hindu sacred books shruti is canonical, consisting of revelation and unquestionable truth, and is considered eternal. The smarta tradition contrasted with the older shrauta tradition, which was. The most closest interpretation of vedas in your terms many dieties is by smarta hinduism but word like polytheism is not even acceptable in smarta hinduism. Questions in the letter are answered by london swaminathan post no. Mantras are invocations, praise and prayers that through their meaning, sound, and chanting style help a devotee focus the mind on holy thoughts or express devotion to godthe deities. Download it once and read it on your kindle device, pc, phones or tablets. Hindus dont worship cows, the book, compiled from articles and information in hinduism today magazine, notes. Vedas simple english wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
The heart of hinduism text book is produced by iskcon educational services, uk. Hearing and chanting about the transcendental holy name, form, qualities. These include indra, agni, vishnu, rudra, varuna, and other early or vedic gods. If you want to know the exact meaning, history, etymology or english translation of this term then check out the descriptions on this page. Hindu festivals promote interstate travels to many hindu pilgrimages and thus promote national tourism of india.
Hinduism download books, sacred, spiritual texts and pdf. 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. Vaishnavism is the worship and acceptance of vishnu sanskrit. The most holy of the hindu books is written in sanskrit and is referred to as the vedas. The avatara of the deity and the holy name the transcendental vibration hare krishna, hare krishna, krishna krishna, hare hare hare rama, hare rama, rama rama, hare hare is the avatara of the lord in the form of the holy name kalikale namarupe krishnaavatara, from chaitanyacaritamrta adilila 17. Rather than worshipping one deity exclusively, the smarta tradition frequently combines the worship of five major deities. 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. I do not know enough about any of them to recommend any, im afraid. The religion of hinduism originated in northern india, near the river indus, about 4000 years ago and is the worlds oldest existing religion. Metals like gold, silver, copper, iron and brass are also considered holy in hinduism.
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