Introduction Hinduism texts are very complex and are grouped into categories. This is due to the large amount of texts which in turn causes frequent misinterpretation of information making it even harder to understand. Some people group them differently than others so it is very difficult to learn. The organization of Hindu texts is as difficult to comprehend as what is contained within the text. The term that includes all Hindu sacred works is Bhartiya Scriptures. The largest classification of the works are grouped into two categories, the Sruti and the Smruti. The Sruti contain the Vedas, the most sacred scripture of Hinduism. The Sruti are the texts that are the most sacred while the Smruti are more for the people. The Smruti are the secondary texts but also very important. All Smruti texts are thought of as branches originating from the Vedas. These are all organized very thoroughly. One category of the Smruti are the Itihas. The Itihas includes the Puranas and the Epics. The Epics include the Mahabharat and the Ramayan. Inside the Mahabharat is the Bhagavad Gita, which is the sixth book. There are also many sets of texts just explaining the Vedas! As you can see the immense number of texts appear like a large branched tree. http://topyaps.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/hindu-scriptures.jpg
Sruti The most important text in the Hindu religion are the Vedas. There are four total and they were written as long ago as 1000 B.C. The Vedas were believed to be documented by the highest of religious esteem and contain the information from gods themselves and what sages learned in deep meditation. This information was passed down orally prior to it being written for an even longer time. These four documents contain the core focuses of Hinduism. First is the Rig Veda and contains over 1000 hymns praising the ancient gods, it is the oldest of the four. Next is the Yajur Veda which is the handbook of priests for performing vedic sacrifices. Also there is the Sama Veda which contains the chants and tunes for singing at sacrifices. Lastly the Atharva Veda holds many traditions which consist of spells charms and magic. Every Veda has four parts in itself. First are the Samhitas which consist of hymns and praise to god. Next are the Brahmanas which are rituals and prayers to guide priests in their duties. There are Aranyakas which contain worship and meditation too. Last there are the Upanishads that have the mystical and philosophical learnings. Smruti The itihas are some of the most important Smruti texts. They include the Puranas, the Mahabharat, and the Ramayan. They include the Epics and the Bhagavad Gita. There are the well known interesting stories of Hinduism. The Puranas are not one of the Epics like the others but are stories for the average Hindu. They are stories that have to due with the gods and their activities. There are 18 major Puranas and they tend to stress, bhakti (devotion to a god) and dharma (doing one's personal and social duty). The Ramayan is a long story of dharma and bhakti. It is a long story about a man and his wife who are really reincarnations of gods while the other main character is supposed to be a representation of the ideal follower. It is an amazing story and well known throughout India. The Mahabharat is the longest poem in the world about five brothers that gamble away their kingdom and have to struggle to get it back. It is an amazing story that is hugely known and emphasizes bhakti and dharma. The Bhagavad Gita is the sixth book of this poem and the most famous. It is called “The Song of the Lord” and is one of the most popular Hindu texts being an important part of the religion. This also concerns bhakti and the importance of devotion. There
are also many other secondary texts that are not as important or well
known. They cover things such as other parts of history, medicine, or
astrology. Hinduism is more than just dharma and bhakti and it is
covered more in many of the subtexts that are not as famous.  http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-bVPrJIs4P0w/Tg1v_n8ZVAI/AAAAAAAABdw/f3Fn99lZ3Mg/s1600/vedas2.jpg Conclusion Hinduism is a huge religion and is ever growing. The texts are very complex but resemble the religion itself. The Hindu scriptures are the biggest group of scriptures in one religion. They are also very ancient dating back far before Hebrew scriptures and most others. Hinduism is a fascinating religion and a joy to learn about. |
