The vedas a collection of hymns praising the vedic gods. Mahalakshmi or varalakshmi vrata is a special vrata or fast dedicated to hindu goddess mahalakshmi, or as the name implies great lakshmi maha great. Vrata kathas and vrata vidhis in hinduism prayers for every day of the week in hinduism, every day of the week is sacred, as each one is dedicated to at least one god. It is here we find the core texts on vedanta and the ideas of dvaita dualism, advaita nondualism and maya. Books hindu gods krishna the holy dust of vraja discourses on the glories of kesava vrata and candanayatra pages from the book the holy dust of vraja discourses on the glories of kesava vrata and candanayatra. A few texts are shared resources across these traditions and broadly considered as hindu scriptures. It is considered of great merit to perform this vrata. Hindus perform special rituals and prayers and undertake vratas and fasts in order to appease these deities. About the book the hindus are a profoundly religious people. The isopanisad is one of the more mystical ones and one of the oldest and shortest.
There are a number of scriptures and holy books in hinduism. These are the most ancient religious texts which define truth for hindus. However, the puranas are supposed to be complied by muni vyasa. They are believed to be true history of ancient indian. Even today, millions of hindus abide by the rituals and implement all kinds of vratas. The chaadrayana vrata is one of the most difficult vratas to perform. Download the bible, the holy quran, the mahabharata and thousands of free pdf ebooks on buddhism, meditation etc. There is no single scripture as it is in other religions like christianity and islam. The institutes of vishnu sbe 7 julius jolly, translator 1880 sacred books of the east, vol.
While some are largely known while many still go unnoticed by our young generation now a days. The most holy of the hindu books is written in sanskrit and is referred to as the vedas. The oral transmission of sacred knowledge, from the teacher to the student, continues till today. The bhagavad gita is one of the holy books of sanatan dharma.
Thus any definition of hinduism is somewhat arbitrary and. Scholars hesitate in defining the term hindu scripture given the diverse nature of hinduism, many include bhagavad gita and agamas as hindu. In this article, we detail the two different categories these texts are organized into, shruti and smriti, and overview the most popular of the hindu texts. Lakshmi is the presiding deity of wealth, prosperity, light, wisdom, fortune, fertility, generosity, and courage. Significance of vrata according to hindu scriptures, a person can achieve his her desires and get divine blessings through vrata. It is performed either every month on the eighth day of the bright lunar half or in the month of bhadrapads on the eight lunar day of the dark half. Rather, there is a huge array of different sacred texts. Like the taoist tao te ching, the buddhist dhammapada, the sikh adi granth, the jewish torah, the christian bible and the muslim koranthe veda is the hindu holy book. Jainism is an eastern religion with origins in the indus river valley dating back to 3000 b. If there is a book describing the several ways by which one can converse with god, then theres another book relating science with religion holy science and explaining the secrets of living a healthy, happy and peaceful life. The holy book of jainism is a collection of texts known as agam literature or the agam sutras.
The punyaka vrata is a holy book, told in the less popular origin of the creation of ganesha hindu god. This is mainly because of socioeconomic conditions in india. If it is performed on a wednesday when it also happens to be the eighth lunar day, it is called budha ashtami vrata and considered very auspicious. Hinduism stack exchange is a question and answer site for followers of the hindu religion and those interested in learning more about hinduism.
Hinduism download books, sacred, spiritual texts and pdf. In hinduism, the term vrata has been widely known since the early vedic period. It has teachings said to be given by lord sri krishna who is the supreme god. Hinduism a brief overview of the development of hinduism. The holy dust of vraja discourses on the glories of. Hinduism does not have a single holy book, but many ancient texts and scriptures. A religion of some kind they must havea religion which will stir the depths of the heart and give room for the exercise of faith, devotion and love. The concept of hinduism being a single monolithic religion is recent, dating back only to the 19th century. The main book is the bhagavadgita, which is a part of the mahabharata. In the book, krishna is talking to arjuna, an archer, before the kurukshetra war begins. Their goal of life is selfrealisation or the attainment of godconsciousness. Vedas and upanishadas are the most authoritative amongst all hindu scriptures and holy books.
Major scriptures include the vedas and upanishads, the bhagavad gita, the ramayana, and the agamas. Sanatan dharma festivals are celebrated as per the dates in hindu lunar. Then there are books describing various facets of the two greatest tales of hindu religion. In ancient india, people offered prayers and performed other rites to expiate themselves from the crime of harming or uprooting a holy tree. The phrase holy book for hindus takes the stance that hinduism is a religion.
Other holy scriptures in hinduism are called the upanisads, the smrutis, the puranas, the ramayana and the mahabharata. There are many difficult rules to be followed during this vrata hence very few people are actually take up this vrata. There have been numerous instances of one or both the parents taking on the role of guru for continue reading hindu religious books for children. Hindu texts are manuscripts and historical literature related to any of the diverse traditions within hinduism. We do hope that all serious students of hindu religion and philosophy will find the book useful and. Many people blame this to hinduism, but the hindu religion is not responsible for this. In ancient times, hindu women enjoyed a very good status in society. The veda, which means wisdom, is comprised of four ancient and holy scriptures which all hindus revere as the revealed word of god.
To plant a pipal, banyan or some other sacred tree at a holy place or on the roadside continues to be regarded by the hindus as an act of virtue. They got their present form between 1200200 bce and were introduced to. We never had an authority popepontiff, one god, one book, that dictated what qualifies as hindu and not hindu. This sacred text is divided into two main sections, the old testament and the new testament which are then further divided into various books. Vrata is a sanskrit word that means vow, resolve, devotion, and refers to pious observances such as fasting and pilgrimage found in indian religions such as jainism and hinduism. Some of the other holy works and books of hinduism. In the rgveda, one of the oldest classical texts in hinduism, the word vrata occurs just over two hundred times alone or. These 9 vrats in hinduism hold the power to fulfil every wish a vow is believed to be the deepest form of reverence in every religion.
Compared to other religions, sikhism is a religion of recent origin, founded in the 15th century ad by its founder sri guru. All hindu festivals have a deep spiritual import or high religious significance. It was written about five thousand years ago as part of the mahabharata. Hindu religious books for children spiritual india trip. These texts are glorious tales of the hindu trinity brahma, vishnu and maheshwar shiva. A comprehensive survey of the hindu tradition, the book deals with the history of hinduism, the sacred writings, the hindu worldview, and the specifics of the major branches of hinduism. The upanishads are also called as vedantas or the end of the vedas.
The aryans gave hinduism its priestly language, sanskrit. Jains see these texts, which are the transcriptions of lord mahavirs sermons, as sacred documents. Online shopping from a great selection at books store. Sources of authority and eternal truths in its texts play an important role. Isopanisad or the isha upanishad is a part of the ancient upanishads, the cornerstones of the hindu religion. It is typically accompanied with prayers seeking health and happiness for their loved ones. Thus to hindus, the term vrata denotes a religious practice to carry out certain obligations to achieve divine blessing for fulfilment of one or more desires. Vrata kathas and vrata vidhis in hinduism prayers for. Usually, the doer gets rid of almost all the possible sins he has committed. The scriptures of the vedas are meant to guide hindu believers in their daily lives.
These 9 vrats in hinduism hold the power to fulfil every wish. Hindu holy book that is called geeta was founded by vyas in the name of shree krishna. The book our holy motherland bharatavarsha is a land of many festivals. Like the bible of christianity, the vedas of hinduism or the koran of islam, the guru granth sahib, also known as the adi granth, is the main scripture of sikhism. Many scholars liken hinduism to a family of religions, with all affiliated members bearing a family resemblance. The book, which was first published in 1947, has now been rearranged in a more convenient form, with useful additions here and there, and is now released in its fifth edition. The guru shishya tradition in hinduism for kids the guru shishya paramparatradition is a very important part of the hindu culture and religion. The puranas are holy books of hinduism that date back to gupta empire in ancient india. According to hindu scriptures, men and women are both equal but in practice, women are considered inferior to men. The holy books of world religions sacred texts in world. These texts discuss theology, philosophy, mythology, vedic yajna, yoga, agamic rituals, and temple building, among other topics.
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