The holy spirit in christianity is called paramatma in sanskrit, or parakalate. Other holy scriptures in hinduism are called the upanisads, the smrutis, the puranas, the ramayana and the mahabharata. The vedas scriptures guide hindus in their daily life. The vedas contain hymns, incantations, and rituals from ancient india. The yajur veda was used by udgatri priests and contains brief prose to accompany ritual acts, many of which are addressed to the ritual instruments and offerings.
Hinduism does not just have one sacred book but several scriptures. The upanishads are also called as vedantas or the end of the vedas. The philosophical maxims of vedic literature have stood the test of time, and the vedas form the highest religious authority for all aspects of hinduism and are a respected source of wisdom for mankind in general. Other than a few quirks like this, this is the only book i could find that gives a good, lucid. It includes four vedas with teachings, like the procedures of wedding in the rig veda, sacrificial rites in the yajur veda, chanting of songs of. They have words called mantras which are chanted at the religious ceremonies. It is indias major religion, but unlike many other religions in the world, hinduism has no founder. Sindhu or indus as nowadays is known as was the main river. Islam term is of arabic origin, means submission and muslims are those who submit to god. Each mantra of vedas can have several meanings spiritual, social, physical etc. This sacred text is divided into two main sections, the old testament and the new testament which are then further divided into various books. There is only one holy book in christianity and that is the bible, however, protestant christian denominations use a bible with 66 books, while catholics use a bible with 73 books.
For example, the story of creating the world in seven days is told in avesta one of the texts that predate the bible. Yet christian scholars opine that jesus was born in 4 bce and was. Learn vocabulary, terms, and more with flashcards, games, and other study tools. Is it true that name of the god isnt mentioned in the vedas. Hinduism is the worlds third largest religion with over 1 million hindus in the united states alone. Christianity has the bible, islam has the quran, judaism has the torah, taoism has. 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 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. These texts are glorious tales of the hindu trinity brahma, vishnu and maheshwar shiva. It is believed that hinduism originated in northern india, and in india today, more than 80% of the population are followers. They are the original scriptures of hindu teachings, containing spiritual knowledge encompassing all aspects of life. Comparing hinduism and christianity kids of courage. It includes the original texts known as mantra and the commentary portion as brahmana. Today, with about 900 million followers, hinduism is the thirdlargest religion behind christianity and islam.
The vedas are relevant to all geographies of world and all periods and not restricted to a particular geography or period like quran or bible. A recent flurry of articles and website postings have been made to indicate that the fable of jesus is mentioned in the vedas bhavisya purana. In others christianity, the canonical texts include a particular text bible but is an unsettled question, according to eugene nida. They were sung by the hindu priests and other hindus during religious activities. What are the top ten religions and what is the holy book. Baptism means celebrating an individual entrance into christianity. Hinduism is not based on a strict set of rules, it is not based on. The holy book of christians, the bible, is worlds bestselling book with about 50 copies sold every minute and. The veda is a rather unusual collection of literature. Hinduism is the worlds oldest religion, according to many scholars, with roots and customs dating back more than 4,000 years.
Besides their spiritual value, they also give a unique view of everyday life in india four thousand years ago. Along with the book of the dead, the enuma elish, the i ching, and the avesta, they are among the most ancient religious texts still in existence. It is believed that hinduism dates back to 500010,000 bc. Hindu scriptures and holy books hinduism facts facts. Considering the above anomalies and the fact that no edition of the. Here are some facts about hinduism, the main religion of the indian subcontinent, and one of the most popular religions worldwide. Members of these communities have adhered to their religion faithfully for several generations. The vedas are a set of four hindu holy texts, written about 2,500 years ago. Since the latter part of the 19th century, large hindu communities have been established in eastern and southern africa particularly in south africa, malaysia, the islands of the pacific ocean and the indian ocean, and some islands of the west indies. Is there really a prophecy about jesus in the vedas. The philosophical maxims of vedic literature have stood the test of time, and the vedas form the highest religious authority for all aspects of hinduism and are a. Several parallels can also be traced between another text called the gathas of zarathushtra yasna and the book of isaiah.
The scriptures of the vedas are meant to guide hindu believers in their daily lives. It is the most followed religion in the world with about 2. They got their present form between 1200200 bce and were introduced to. Our scriptures say that eternal knowledge of god is the vedas. For example, this book has the gayatri mantra in the yajur veda, which is not incorrect, but everyone expects it in the rig veda since thats where it originally is from. 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. The vedas are the four holiest books of the hindu religion.
Religious texts are texts related to a religious tradition. The vedas were originally one large book but was split into fo. They are written in an old indian language called sanskrit. The vedas in their written form were compiled around 4,000 to 6,000 years ago. Judaism, christianity, and islam each cherish a holy book containing everything that pertains to life and godliness, but hindus have no analogous monolithic text. 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. The first and most important of the vedas is the rigveda, a set of ten books comprising hymns and mantras to and about various deities. The original purpose of these activities was to purify, avert malicious.
The rig veda consists of 1,028 mantras or hymns that are chanted to the gods and the pancha bhutani or the five natural forces, namely pruthvi earth, jalam water, vayu wind, agni fire and aakash sky. These vedas was not the name of book, they referred to gods knowledge. Although a significant text in the history of religious text because of its. The author has tried to retain the spirit of the original sanskrit mantras in english renderings and to impart some of the holy ambience of these sacred texts which are the fountainhead of hindu philosophy and culture. The brahmanas are rituals and prayers to guide the priests in their duties. Buddhism 376 million followers tripitaka pali canon 5. They are believed to be one of the oldest books ever made by mankind. Man must have been primitive several thousand years ago. However, the puranas are supposed to be complied by muni vyasa. Many vaisnavas have been enthused confused by these vedic findings, confirming jesus as a messenger of god krsna and a pure devotee. Many scholars liken hinduism to a family of religions, with all affiliated members bearing a family resemblance. The primary sacred texts, known as the vedas, were composed around 1500 b.
The vedas 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. The holy vedas hardcover by pandit satyakam vidyalankar. The most sacred scriptures of hinduism are the vedas books of knowledge, a collection of texts written in sanskrit from about 1200 bce to. Roughly 95 percent of the worlds hindus live in india. The hindu scriptures, the vedas, are a compendium of spiritual wisdom as it developed in. These are the most ancient religious texts which define truth for hindus. Sacred text of hinduism are 4 vedas, 18 puranas and ramayana, mahabharata. The most holy of the hindu books is written in sanskrit and is referred to as the vedas. While we have the main vedas, upanishads, the mahabharata in several translations we also present newer commentaries, anthologies. Holy books of world religion books are a very important part of the life for almost all the people. For hindus, the veda is a symbol of unchallenged authority and.
Vedas are written in vedic sanskrit not conventional sanskrit which is mother of all languages of the world. In india there are 6 widely known religions and many minor religions which are not even known to most people. Hinduism is the third largest religion in the world, as well as the worlds oldest religion. The religion is believed to have influenced many of other world religions, including christianity. Zoroastrianism is also responsible for the angels and demons hierarchy and notions of heaven and hell. There are a number of scriptures and holy books in hinduism. Electricity, radium, electronics, airship, all were known to the seers who founded the vedas. Religions in india buddhism, christianity, hinduism. There is no single scripture as it is in other religions like christianity and islam.
India the land of vedas, the remarkable works contain not only religious ideas for a perfect life, but also facts which science has proved true. When we consider the story of how baby jesus appeared in the heart of his mother mary by immaculate conception, as well as the bright star appearing in the night sky, we can discern a direct parallel to lord krishnas birth three thousand years earlier in vrindavana, india, as recorded in the vedic literature. The yajur veda wisdom of the sacrifical formulas is a liturgical work consisting primarily of selections from the rig veda. It is described in the ancient vedic texts how krishna appeared in the mind of vasudeva. Jesus in the vedas sri narasingha chaitanya ashram. Quizlet flashcards, activities and games help you improve your grades. Hindu festivals are combinations of religious ceremonies, semiritual spectacles, worship, prayer, lustrations, processions, music and dances, eating, drinking, lovemaking, licentiousness, feeding the poor, and other activities of a religious or traditional character. All scripture is given by inspiration of god 2 timothy 3.
Jesus said, of him and through him, and unto him, are all things. The samhitas are the most ancient part of the vedas, consisting of hymns of praise to god. Different religions have different definitions for god, have different concepts about the. The concept of hinduism being a single monolithic religion is recent, dating back only to the 19th century. Some of the other holy works and books of hinduism. The vedas are the primary literary works, containing sacred verses and hymns composed in sanskrit. If the sacred scriptures of hinduism state that christ is the only way to. Here at the hinduismsection of, we aim at presenting the original works that lay the foundations of hinduism. Hence vedas must be later than that the fact remains that despite so much of publicity everywhere, including text books of children and students, there is not one single credible, authoritative evidence be it in archaeology or otherwise that can establish the fancy earlyman theory and that of evolution of humans from apes.
Hindus value many sacred writings as opposed to one holy book. Apologetics press an investigation of hindu scripture. The aryans gave hinduism its priestly language, sanskrit. The name of this book should have been excerpts of the holy vedas, as that would have been much more accurate. The holy books of world religions sacred texts in world. Ancient india was called the land of sapta sindhu means land of 7 rivers. However, all of these texts can be broadly classified as vedas veydthus. Vedas and upanishadas are the most authoritative amongst all hindu scriptures and holy books. On 8th may 2016, the gospel truth newspaper flaunted the conversion. According to mahatma gandhi, hinduism does not rest on the authority of one book or one prophet, nor does it possess a common creed 1991, p.
The vedas are considered the earliest literary record of indoaryan civilization and the most sacred books of india. Smriti literature is considered less authoritative than sruti. The puranas are holy books of hinduism that date back to gupta empire in ancient india. The mantras in the rig veda are organized into ten books called mandalas or circles. The second veda is the samaveda, a collection of melodies meant to be sung during hindu sacrifices and offerings, called. The upanishads consist of the mystical and philosophical teachings of hinduism. Christianity and the vedic influence within it stephen knapp. Sruti consists of four vedas, upanishads, brahmanas, aranyakas, and bhagavadgita while smriti consists of manu smriti, 18 puranas, ramayana, and mahabharata and other hindu holy books. The most ancient sacred texts of the hindu religion are written in sanskrit and called the vedas. Students of hinduism and eastern religion should also avoid this book, as it has been whitewashed with too much western judeochristian terminology to be of much use for the study of hinduism and indian spirituality. What is called as hinduism or sanatana dharma, islam, christianity, sikhism, buddhism, jainism are the known.
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