HINDUISM

HISTURICAL BACKGROUND
💠 300 B.C.E. There were already thriving
civilizations in India such as those discovered
in the ancient Punjab City of Harappa and
Mohenjo-Daro along the Indus.
💠2500 B.C.E. The founder of Hinduism
originated from the customs of early people of
the Indus-Valley.
💠 1750 B.C.E and 1200 B.C.E Aryan
conquerors moved to the Indus Valley and
brought with them their own sects of beliefs.

💠 1500 B.C.E Culture of Dravinian from

Aryans who envaded northwest India.
 Sacred Scripture
👉 Hinduism have been principally passed down throughout by
way of music, recitation, dance, and drama

👉 Sanskrit is the earliest language in their writings (Coogan

2005).

🔷The sacred writings of the Hindus are categorized into two

classes:
🔸Shruti
🔸Smriti
SHRUTi
SMRITI
👉 Shruti had two parts " Vedas, Upanishads."

👉Smriti had five parts" Mahabharata, Ramayana,

Sharma Shastras, Bhagarad Gita, Puranas."

👉Shruti is literally means " that which is heard ."The

are regarded as enternal truths there were passed
ovally until the beginning of the present age wherein
there came the need to write them down(Bowker
1997).

👉The four collections Samhitas, Brahmanas,

Upanishads, and a few Sutras.
 Two parts of Shruti
👉 Vedas reffered to as Vaidika Dharma or a "
Religion of the Vedas." The term " Veda" in Sanskrit
means " Knowledge," are already committed to
memory by sages and passed on to disciples before it
was recorded in writing.

👉 The four Vedas considered as divene origin as

revealed to sages ( called rishi's) who received truths
through deep meditation.
▶️Rig Veda - is the most important and oldest book
that dates back to around 1500 B.C.E to 1000 B.C.E.
▶️Yajur Veda - or the " knowledge of rites" is the
second book composed between 1200 B.C.E to 1000
B.C.E.
▶️Sama Veda - is the third book or (" knowledge of
chants").
▶️Atharra Veda - is the fourth book or (" knowledge
given by the sage atharra") that dates back around
1500 B.C.E to 1000 B.C.E.
👉Four vedas are further subdivided into four types
of religions literature.

a. Samhitas, hymns dedicated to gods and

goddesses;
b. Brahmanas, explications of the Samhitas and
other ritual act performed by priest;
c. Aranyakas, philosophical interpretations of ritual
acts; and
d. Upanishads, explanations of general
philosophical knowledge.
👉 Upanishadas is the fourth part of Vedas literally
translates as " sitting down rear" or " sitting close to" it
implies to the mystic teachings of a spiritual. It also could
mean " brahma- knowledge " where by ignorance is totally
eliminated.
👉The great Indian nationalist and philosopher Sri
Aurobindo described the Upanishads as the " supreme
work of the Indian mind."
👉Fundamental teachings about Hinduism are
karma(action), samsara(reincarnation), moksha(nirvana),
atman(soul), and Brahman (Absolute Almighty).
👉The earliest Upanishads originated in the ninth century
B.C.E while the recent is sixth century B.C.E.(Hoppe 1983).
👉Smriti ( meaning "that which is
remembered") are considered " secondary
scriptures" and mostly contain stories and
advice from sages.

The Smriti Scriptures

a. Mahabharata - an epic poem that is 15

times longer than the Bible, narrates the story
of an ongoing war among family members. It
highlights the importance of virtues and
devotion to the gods, particularly to Krishna.
b. Ramayana - a shorter epic poem about kingship
and royal virtues, tells the story of the battles that
Rama had to fight in order to save his wife Sita from
the demon Rama.It is one of the epics that depict
the battle between good and evil.
c. Dharma Shastras - legal treatises that emphasize
the importance of practicing virtue.
d. Bhagarad Gita - meaning " song of the Lord," is
actually one of the books in Mahabharata. It is
considered by many Hindus as an important religious
text that extols the power and benerolence of
krishra and his instructions to Arjura.
e. Puranas - these are stories that depict the sectarian
divisions within Hinduism. There are multiple creation
stories, legends, and war stories by the different Hindu Sects.
Table 1. Major Scriptural Texts in Hinduism

The Sruti Scriptures The Smriti Scriptures

("That which is head") ("That which is remembered")

Vedas Mahabharata
1.Rig Veda Ramayana
2. Sama Veda Sharma Shastras
3.Yajur Veda Bhagarad Gita
a. Sukla Yajur- Veda Puranas
b. Krashna Yajur - Veda
4. Atharva Veda
Upanishads