If i missed anything let me know in the comments below. Hindu scriptures and holy books hinduism facts there are a number of scriptures and holy books in hinduism. Hinduism is such an ancient religion that it had many types of beliefs and religious practices. Information on hinduism for kids primary homework help. Hindus can choose to be polytheistic, pantheistic, panentheistic, pandeistic, henotheistic, monotheistic, monistic, agnostic, atheistic or. The abrahamic religions believe that their holy books were either divinely creator or divinely inspired. There are also large numbers of adherents scattered across the globe.
There is no single scripture as it is in other religions like christianity and islam. However, there are some beliefs common to nearly all forms of hinduism that can be identified, and these basic. However, the puranas are supposed to be complied by muni vyasa. The torah was revealed to moses as on the mountain. Brahma creator, vishnu protector and shiva destroyer. Other holy scriptures in hinduism are called the upanisads, the smrutis, the. What is the difference between hinduism and abrahamic religions. There are however two holy books for hinduism the mahabhrata and the ramayana. Hindu religion is the oldest and third largest religion in the world. Max muller in 1848 victorian period and by other research for more than 120 years, it became history of hinduism, not only in the west but in india. Hinduism doesnt have a founder unlike, buddhism, christianity, islam and the other religion, hinduism doesnt have a single specific founder.
It also exists among significant populations outside of the sub continent and has over 900 million. Download the bible, the holy quran, the mahabharata and thousands of free pdf ebooks on buddhism, meditation etc. Hinduism table of contents religions of the world and. I shall be succinct and clear about this, because i want to eliminate confusion, not add to it. Introduction hinduism stands for the faith and the way of life most of the people who live in india. It is but natural that people all over the world should show increasing interest in a religion with so universal an appeal. The samhitas are the most ancient part of the vedas, consisting of hymns of praise to god. Hinduism is the third largest religion in the world with approximately 950 million followers behind christianity and islam. Hinduism does not possess a single holy book like bible in christianity and quran in islamic dharma. This is because it grew out of cultural and religious changes in india. Around 1750 bc aryan invaders from central asia settled in north west india and introduced their own religious. Hinduism, major world religion originating on the indian subcontinent and comprising several and varied systems of philosophy, belief, and ritual.
Religions were created by humans as a systematic way of building a relationship with me. Feb 07, 2012 the jews, christians and muslims all have books that come from the same god, whereas you have books from different gods. Today it is the thirdlargest religion behind christianity and islam. Most of hinduisms sacred texts were written in sanskrit in. Books on hinduism just the facts on religions religionfacts.
All are available for purchase on click book images for details. Dont think of these eastern religions in the same context of western religions like christianity. Tonight we want to speak on the joys and happiness found in hinduism, our ancient religion which brings forth the wonderful feelings of a belief in the cosmic processes of reincarnation coupled with knowledge of the laws of karma and the wisdom of dharma in which everyone has his rightful place and purpose in life. Probably the most wellknown hindu saying about religion is. Therefore, in some sense, he is understood to be the founder of the tradition.
Hindu texts are manuscripts and historical literature related to any of the diverse traditions within hinduism. Hindus value many sacred writings as opposed to one holy book. Scholars describe hinduism as the product of religious development in india that spans nearly 4,000 years, making it perhaps the oldest surviving world religion. May 04, 2010 there are many similarities between these two religions 1 trinity. Hinduism originated in the indus valley region around the river indus in the country known today as pakistan. The brahmanas are rituals and prayers to guide the priests in their duties. Hinduism is the religion of the majority of people in india and nepal. The bhagavad gita is perhaps the single most important holy book of hinduism today. Others have preferred vedic religion, using the term vedic to refer not only to the ancient religious texts known as the vedas but also to a fluid corpus of sacred. Hinduism is the practices of a variety of different religious groups which come. Apr 03, 20 the puranas are holy books of hinduism that date back to gupta empire in ancient india. What are the similarities between hinduism and christianity. The most ancient sacred texts of the hindu religion are written in sanskrit and called the vedas. Learn vocabulary, terms, and more with flashcards, games, and other study tools.
Today, with about 900 million followers, hinduism is the thirdlargest religion behind christianity and islam. 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. 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. Unlike christianity or islam, it is a not a religion that is governed by the book. Read cnns hinduism fast facts and learn more about hinduism, the thirdlargest religion after christianity and islam. Hinduism, the greatest religion in the world magazine web. Hinduism in the modern world presents a new and unprecedented attempt to survey the nature, range, and significance of modern and contemporary hinduism in south asia and the global diaspora. These texts are glorious tales of the hindu trinity brahma, vishnu and maheshwar shiva. There are a number of scriptures and holy books in hinduism. For hindus, the veda is a symbol of unchallenged authority and tradition. Hinduism table of contents center for the study of world religions harvard divinity school religions of the world and ecology series hinduism and ecology volume mary evelyn tucker and christopher key chapple, eds. The religion of hinduism originated in northern india, near the river indus, about 4000 years ago and is the worlds oldest existing religion.
Even though jesus didnt say anything about trinity, christians believe in trinity as father, spirit and jesus. Hinduism is the worlds oldest religion, according to many scholars, with roots and customs dating back more than 4,000 years. Vedas and upanishadas are the most authoritative amongst all hindu scriptures and holy books. Choose from 500 different sets of multiple choice quiz world religions hinduism flashcards on quizlet. Hinduism is the worlds oldest known religion with its roots going back to over. The most important are the four vedas called rigveda. The history of hinduism in india can be traced to about 1500 bce. 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. However, some texts say that the first human to receive the sacred texts is manu. As sruti revealed texts, the vedas are regarded as the absolute authority for religious knowledge and a test of hindu orthodoxy both jains and buddhists reject the vedas. Hinduism has been explained with its origins, beliefs, way of life, sacred texts, gods and.
The first veda holy text, the rigveda, was thought to have appeared between 1700 and 1100 bce, and many refer to hinduism as the oldest living religion. The religious texts of hindus encompass a very large corpus. A collection of handselected books on hinduism, chosen on the basis of apparent usefulness and quality. All about hinduism is intended to meet the needs of those who want to be introduced to the various facets of the crystal that is hinduism. Religionfacts does not necessarily endorse the contents of these books. Hinduism is the worlds third largest religion and still growing.
Besides vedas, bhagavad gita is a popularly known holy book of hindus. Hindus consider their religion timeless and claim that it has existed forever. Hinduism is a religion from the indian subcontinent. The authors and dates of most hindu sacred texts are unknown, although the oldest text the vedas. Hinduism is practised by more than 80% of indias population. The vedas just the facts on religions religionfacts. Yet, western academics and some indian academics who follow their lead tend to keep hinduism away from the ambit of religions. The most holy of the hindu books is written in sanskrit and is referred to as the vedas. 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. Evidence of hinduisms early antecedents is derived from archaeology, comparative philology, and comparative religion. Hinduism is the worlds third most popular religion, with around 750 million followers. Hinduism 1 is the religion of the majority of people residing in india and nepal.
Once hinduism was spread in nearly all parts of the world. Read cnns hinduism fast facts and learn more about hinduism, the third largest religion after christianity and islam. Your choice of religion and holy text is simply that. Sruti pronounced shroothee are the holy books within hinduism that are considered to be divinely inspired, and thus infallible and authoritative. Other holy scriptures in hinduism are called the upanisads, the smrutis, the puranas, the ramayana and the. Here are 25 interesting facts about hinduism that you probably didnt know before. Organized to reflect the direction of recent scholarly research, this volume breaks with earlier texts on this subject by seeking to overcome a misleading. May 25, 2017 hinduism or sanatana dharma has been in practice for eons. A few texts are shared resources across these traditions and broadly considered as hindu scriptures. Jan 07, 2009 the dhammapada is a good book and actually the bhagavad gita is more buddhism than hinduism. Five of the hindu holy books are the rig veda, bhagavad gita, sama veda, yajur veda, and athava veda. The vedas are believed to be the literal sounds of creation.
While abrahamic religions, christianity and islam, are. Hinduism holy book important books and writings of hinduism. The broad term hinduism encompasses a wide variety of traditions, which are closely related and share common themes but do not constitute a unified set of beliefs or practices. Nov 27, 2012 hi, there are loads of books for all religions, but i will just list the main ones hinduism the upanishads, the mahaburata, and the vedas. It has influenced and been affected by other world. Max muller in 1848 victorian period and by other research for more than 120 years, it became history of. Most interesting facts about hinduism sanatana dharma vedicfeed. 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.
In the strict sense of the term, it is very difficult to translate dharma into english because the language does not have an equivalent word for the same. Our intention is, as the title suggests, to compare religions. Learn multiple choice quiz world religions hinduism with free interactive flashcards. Hinduism is neither monotheistic nor restricted to one religious scripture. The most sacred scriptures of hinduism are the vedas books of knowledge, a collection of texts written in sanskrit from about 1200 bce to 100 ce. Muhammad saw was given the holy quran through divine intervention throughout his lifetime. Whether you know everything about this fascinating religion or very little, you cant deny these are some incredible facts about hinduism. The most ancient sacred texts of the hindu religion are written in sanskrit and. Christianity vs hinduism difference and comparison diffen.
Hinduism just the facts on religions religionfacts. This article discusses about hindu customs, philosophy, history, beliefs, hindu culture, etc. Hinduism is so diverse that the basics are spread over thousands of texts and these depict a vast series of events that unfolded over a long course of time. In which way does hinduism differ from other religions. About that dot on the forehead, the ten questions people ask about hinduism says this. Hinduism worlds oldest religion explained origins, beliefs, facts. It is a polytheist anthropomorphic religion with a highly ritualized form of worship. It is the oldest major religion with a tradition reaching back millennia and having many notable peaks and periods of glory.