HINDUISM

HINDUISM  The four basic Vedic books, which are sacrificial hymns
 World’s third largest religions with around 15% of the compiled from an earlier oral tradition, are composed of
entire population  Rig- Veda
 80% of the country’s population adhering to the  Sama-Veda
religion.  Yajur-Veda
 Hinduism was never a missionary religion.  Atharva-Veda
 Considered as the oldest and most complex of the world
all world religions.  The word Veda means “knowledge” or “sacred lore”
 Begun around the third millennium B.C.E  Earliest known Sanskrit literature from the Brahmanic
 No identifiable founder period and oldest scriptures of Hinduism.
 Hindu originated from the Persian word Hindu (in  Scholars disagree as to when the Vedas were first
Sanskrit sindhu) which means “river”. It also refers to written.
the people of the Indus Valley the Indian (Bowker 1997).  The earliest hymns may have been written around 2000
 The name Hinduism was given in the nineteenth century B.C.E or before the arrival of the Aryans in the Indus
to describe the wide array of belief system in India. Valley area
 HInduism was originally known as “Arya Dharma” or the  In the great epic Mahabharata, Brahma was said to have
“Aryan Way”. created the Vedas.
 As early as 3000 B.C.E., there were already thriving
civilizations in India, such as those discovered in the RIG-VEDA
ancient Punjab city of Harappa and in Mohenjo-Daro  Most important and oldest book that dates back around
along the Indus. 1500 B.C.E. to 1200 B.C.E.
 Unfortunately, despite having a written language, it has  Oldest living religious literature of the world
not yet been deciphered.  Collection of over a thousand hymns and more than
 Vital information concerning the pre-Aryan life and thousand verses dedicated to the Aryan pantheon of
religious beliefs has been elusive. gods.
 Aryan brought with them their sets of beliefs based on
oral text known as Vedas. YAJUR-VEDA
 The Hindu beliefs was passed down orally.  “knowledge of rites”
 The Aryan brought with them a polytheistic religion  Composed between 1200 B.C.E. to 1000 B.C.E.
similar to that of other Indo-European people.  Compilation of materials recited during rituals and
 The sun, the moon, and storms, are personified in sacrifices to deities
reference to the pantheon of gods and goddesses
worshiped by the Aryans. SAMA-VEDA
 Sacrifice was the principal form of worship to the Aryan  “knowledge of chants”
gods. Offerings to the gods include animals and dairy  Collection of verses from the basic hymn recited by
products performed on altars in open spaces. priest during sacrifices
 Aryans were nomadic, they had no temple.
 Hinduism has pre-Aryan and Aryan elements that date ATHARVA-VEDA
back to ancient times.  “knowledge given by the sage Atharva”
 Date back around 1500 B.C.E. to 1000 B.C.E.
Sacred Scripture  Contains rituals used in homes and popular prayers to
 The sacred texts of Hinduism have been principally gods
passed down throughout generations by way of music,  Contains numerous spells and incantations for medical
recitation, dance and drama. purposes and magical aids
 Sanskrit has been the language of the earliest writings.
 The sacred writings of Hindus are categorized into two Each Vedas consists of four main parts:
class; 1. Mantras
Shruti  Are hymns and chants fro praising god
Smriti
2. Brahmanas
SHRUTI  Explanations of the mantras
 Literally means “that which is heard”
 They are regarded as eternal truths that were passed 3. Aranyakas
orally until the beginning of the present age wherein  Meditations that explicate their meaning
there came the need to write them down.
 The four collection of texts of the Vedas form the shruti 4. Upanishads
and are considered primary sources and the most  sacred teachings transcends rituals to elucidate the
authoritative texts of the Hindu faith. nature of the universe and human’s connectedness to it
 Other writings that form part of shruti include the  Vedanta - many teachings embedded in the Upanishads
Samhitas, Brahmanas, Upanishads, and other Sutras.
VEDAS

HINDUISM

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HINDUISM

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HINDUISM  The four basic Vedic books, which are sacrificial hymns

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