The puranas are holy books of hinduism that date back to gupta empire in ancient india. Millions of people travel here every year to see the holy city. Summary of hinduism beliefs meaning of name hinduism, from the persian hindu sanskrit sindhu, literally river. The ancient scriptures of india claim the religion is originally established by god himself dharman tu sakshad bhagavat pranitam. Lord rama is known as the ideal man or king in the hinduism beliefs.
A founder implies that someone has brought into existence a new faith or formulated a set of religious beliefs, principles and practices which were not existing before. The veda is a rather unusual collection of literature. Questions concerning judaism, christianity, islam, hinduism. For hundreds of years, many people have searched for some evidence of the founder of hinduism. Jainism is an eastern religion with origins in the indus river valley dating back to 3000 b. Bhagavad gita the holy book of hindus 2059 words bartleby. The holy book of jainism is a collection of texts known as agam literature or the agam sutras. So, it has no founder no single book to be called equivalent to god. These texts are glorious tales of the hindu trinity brahma, vishnu and maheshwar shiva. Our page talks all about the history, facts, theories, concepts, myth and truths about the hindu. Vedas and upanishadas are the most authoritative amongst all hindu scriptures and holy books. 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. Hinduism is a religion which incorporates diverse views on the concept of god.
Today, with about 900 million followers, hinduism is the third. 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. List of world religions and founders, religious books, place. 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. The main book is the bhagavadgita, which is a part of the mahabharata. It was the way of life of the people living in the indian subcontinent, across the sindh river. Hinduism is an ancient religion with diverse traditions such as vaishnavism, shaivism, shaktism and others. The most holy of the hindu books is written in sanskrit and is referred to as the vedas. The answer to this question is that actually there is no single founder of hinduism as hinduism was not founded as a religion. Religious texts are texts related to a religious tradition.
List of founders of religious traditions wikipedia. The book contains 270 pages and is divided in 57 small easytoread chapters, containing authentic information about all the important aspects of hindu religion, culture, and philosophy. Nov 04, 2008 the aryans gave hinduism its priestly language, sanskrit. Hindu holy days and festivals follow a lunisolar calendar, thus dates vary from year to year. Roughly 95 percent of the worlds hindus live in india.
It was founded by prophet zoroaster in ancient iran approximately 3500 years ago. Rather, the tradition understands itself to be timeless, having always existed. The aryans gave hinduism its priestly language, sanskrit. With 400,000 followers, hinduism is the fourth largest religion in the uk. The vedas and these other works are further divided into two sections. Learn vocabulary, terms, and more with flashcards, games, and other study tools. The ayodhya is one the most holiest places in the hindu religion.
Hinduism is the thirdlargest religion behind christianity and islam. Hinduism is such an ancient religion that it had many types of beliefs and religious practices. What are the holy books of hinduism called answers. Hinduism doesnt have a single holy book which has to be followed, as hinduism is a way of life than a religion. Theres not a main holy book in hinduism like there is in christianity. Hinduism does not have any particular guiding structure or any specific belief system as it is considered more as a way of life. This book lord krishna and pranami faith while providing a brief but correct view of hinduism, explains the advent and activities of lord krishna, tradition of kri. The basic beliefs and history of a religion is often found in its sacred or revered texts. 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. Hinduism is an indian religion and dharma, or way of life, widely practiced in the indian subcontinent and parts of southeast asia. Religion is a way of life in india, where hinduism is practiced by over eighty percent of the population. Ahura mazda revealed the truth and teachings through zoroaster. There is no single scripture as it is in other religions like christianity and islam. The majority of the vedas are considered the shruti, which is translated to that which is hard.
Scholars regard hinduism as a combination of different indian cultures and traditions, with diverse roots. Hinduism itself is a dharma but not simply religion. The holy books in hinduism are there only for guidance. Unlike christianity or islam, it is a not a religion that is governed by the book. Buddhism 376 million followers tripitaka pali canon 5. It was a culture basically flourished in india, which later took the form of a great religion. Hinduism actually has no single founder as far as the modern history is concerned. What are the top ten religions and what is the holy book. That cannot happen with a faith such as hinduism, which is considered eternal. However, the puranas are supposed to be complied by muni vyasa. Hinduism holy book important books and writings of hinduism. The teachings of hinduism were passed down from generation to generation in the form of vedas. Download the bible, the holy quran, the mahabharata and thousands of free pdf ebooks on buddhism, meditation etc. This religious book defines the boundary of the religion and the followers would be expected to strictly abide by that holy book.
The religion, which is open to interpretation, is a collection of paths to wisdom that is based on human reasoning rather than a divine authority and a finger cannot be pointed at a specific founder. There are two historic classifications of hindu texts. Zoroastrians believe that there is only one god called ahura mazda wise lord and he created the world. Hindu scriptures and holy books hinduism facts hinduism facts. The most ancient sacred texts of the hindu religion are written in sanskrit and called the vedas. Hinduism is the worlds oldest religion, according to many scholars, with roots and customs dating back more than 4,000 years. Some of the other holy works and books of hinduism are stories and epic poems. 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 scriptures of the vedas are meant to guide hindu believers in their daily lives.
More than a billion people are followers of indias eternal faith. Different traditions of hinduism have different theistic views, and these views have been described by scholars as polytheism, monotheism, henotheism, panentheism, pantheism, monism, agnostic, humanism, atheism or. Today, with about 900 million followers, hinduism is the thirdlargest religion behind christianity and islam. Why hindus worship so many gods and goddesses is a real mystery for most people. The holy books of world religions sacred texts in world. Today, with about 900 million followers, hinduism is. At that time it was known as sanatan dharma or eternal religion.
Jains see these texts, which are the transcriptions of lord mahavirs sermons, as sacred documents. Hinduism simple english wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. In some ways hinduism is the oldest living religion since some elements of it date back thousands of years. List of world religions and founders, religious books. Hindus call their religion sanatama dharma, eternal religion or eternal truth. There is no one book like holy bible or holy quran, no commandments, no prophets or messengers of god, no prophecy nor any framework. Hinduism was not a religion founded by any one person. Who started this religious tradition that today has around one billion followers. For these reasons hinduism is referred as way of life or a family of religions. Although in other major world religions like buddhism, christianity and islam we can trace the origin of the tradition to a single man, hinduism is so ancient and complex that it is impossible to find that historical person. Feller learn with flashcards, games, and more for free. A year of hindu festivals festival time rita storey.
Hinduism has no founder and origins of hinduism is unknown. The religions founded by individuals have one book that summarizes the philosophies of the founder or the same from the disciples perspective and so on. While hinduism may be a collection of faiths, one basic tenet of hinduism is a belief in the difference between spirit eternal and matter temporary. What is the holy book of hinduism and buddhism answers. Hinduisms holy book the aryans gave hinduism its priestly language, sanskrit. Hinduism is the largest and oldest religion on earth almost 5,000 years old. Hinduism does not just have one sacred book but several scriptures. According to the scriptures, hinduism is the religion of not just humans. So as hinduism is a religion, there must be some founder. So, what are the holy books of the five major world religions. Zoroastrianism is one of the worlds oldest monotheistic religions. Other holy scriptures in hinduism are called the upanisads, the smrutis, the puranas, the ramayana and the mahabharata. There are a number of scriptures and holy books in hinduism. 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.
Nov 08, 2019 the religions founder, buddha, is considered an extraordinary man, but not a god. 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. But why is it that people dont really have a good answer when asked, what is hinduism. Hinduism is neither monotheistic nor restricted to one religious scripture. Throughout its extensive history, there have been many key figures teaching different philosophies and writing innumerable holy books. Hinduism has no single founder, no single scripture, and no commonly agreed set of teachings despite many key figures and numerous holy books that might indicate otherwise. Shruti that which is heard, and smriti that which is remembered. The vedas scriptures guide hindus in their daily life. They also help to preserve the religious dimensions of family and society. It also lists those who have founded a specific major denomination within a larger religion. Unlike most other religions hinduism has no single founder, no single scripture and no commonly agreed set of teachings.
Hinduism definition hindu religion, gods, beliefs, history. The shruti refers to the body of most authoritative, ancient religious texts, believed to be eternal knowledge authored neither by human nor divine agent but transmitted by sages rishis. The religions founder, buddha, is considered an extraordinary man, but not a god. In hinduism, there are many sacred books including the vedas. Introduction hinduism stands for the faith and the way of life most of the people who live in india. Hinduism holy book important books and writings of hinduism sacred text of hinduism some important books and writings on hinduism hinduism does not possess a single holy book like bible in christianity and quran in islamic dharma.
1133 597 1353 534 387 1543 906 1253 685 188 856 57 1549 1169 1591 829 478 253 1441 1304 550 562 112 1013 916 317 855 1335 436 203 9 83 1456 1163 258 14 231 1216