Learn about and revise how hinduism fits with scientific theories and. A concise explanation of the main hindu holy books. The most holy of the hindu books is written in sanskrit and is referred to as the vedas. Throughout its extensive history, there have been many key figures teaching different philosophies and writing numerous holy books.
Most scholars believe hinduism started somewhere between 2300 b. First of all hinduism was not a religious practice nor hindu is a religion, it all comes from ancient vaidikarya society with a thought that there must be a creator as everything is so planned in terms of design of planet system, animals, environ. Its history overlaps or coincides with the development of religion in indian subcontinent since the iron age, with some of its traditions tracing back to prehistoric religions such as those of the bronze age indus valley civilization. Hinduism for ks1 and ks2 children hindu faith homework. Download the bible, the holy quran, the mahabharata, and thousands of free pdf ebooks on buddhism, meditation, etc. 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. You should read enough of the materials presented in this section concerning the tradition of hinduism in order to understand how this tradition displays the characteristics or elements that make a tradition one that would be termed a religion.
The bibles creation story teaches that there is one timeline of creation and that people should try to live good lives to. In hindu cosmology, the universe is cyclically created and destroyed. Origins of the universe religion and science gcse religious. In hinduism, when we speak of creation, we have to clarify, are we speaking of the birth of matter, or birth of consciousness, or. According to hinduism and vedas, maharishi dayanand saraswati, in the 8th chapter of his world famous book, satyarth prakash, describing the creation, sustenance and dissolution of the universe. The vedas and these other works are further divided into two sections. Hinduism is a religion with various gods and goddesses. She gave birth to all the gods who in turn shaped or carved the world. Hinduism simple english wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. It doesnt seem to be a problem that the stories of the world s creation are often at odds with one another. Om or aum is a symbol and a sound that is associated with hinduism. If the indus valley civilization 3rd2nd millennium bce was the earliest source of hindu traditions, then hinduism is. Beyond christianity, according to the oxford world encyclopedia, the term scripture has referred to a text accepted to contain the sacred writings of a religion, while the concise oxford dictionary of world religions states it refers to a text having religious authority and often collected into an accepted canon.
The aryan civilization honored how this world came into being and the veda offered several different explanations. Christians believe that jesus of nazareth was the jewish messiah, or the. Lord vishnu did his job of preserving the world by incarnating himself in different forms at times of crisis. Indian philosophical belief that god first created sound and the universe arose from it.
Around 1750 bc aryan invaders from central asia settled in north west india and introduced their own religious. The beginning of creation in scriptures of different. Islam, judaism, christianity, hinduism and buddhism. Day 7 god had finished his work of creation and so he rested on the seventh day, blessing it and making it holy. Hinduism is an indian religion and dharma, or way of life, widely practiced in the indian subcontinent and parts of southeast asia.
It has no founder, governing body or single holy book, although the vedas sanskrit. The holy books of world religions sacred texts in world. The development of early hindu theories of creation coincided more or less with the evolution of religious thought in vedic india. Read bhagavad gita here are some of famous people comments about the same albert einstein when i read the bhagavadgita and reflect about how god created this universe everything else seems so superfluous. For these reasons, writers often refer to hinduism as a way of. National geographic is the worlds premium destination for science. There have been and will be many more worlds and universes than there are drops of water in the holy river ganges. There is no single scripture as it is in other religions like christianity and islam.
The vedas a collection of hymns praising the vedic gods. If we saw it properly, we would see that it is god alone before us. Since 1979 the international magazine hinduism today has been producing a treasury of educational features on all aspects of sanatana dharma. 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.
A few texts are shared resources across these traditions and broadly considered as hindu scriptures. The religions main body of texts are referred to as the veda, the upanishads, and the bhagavad gita. The basic beliefs and history of a religion is often found in its sacred or revered texts. Five major world religions chart flashcards quizlet. The rig veda, the first scripture of hinduism, tells of how the universe was created from a single cosmic man, purusha, when he was sacrificed. Also, though the belief in one supreme god is common.
Hinduism the sacred sound aum is believed to be the first sound at the start of creation. Bhagavad gita the holy book of hindus 2059 words bartleby. Because of its cyclical notions of time, hinduism holds that the world is created many times, over and over again, and not just once and for all. Hinduism consists of many different beliefs and practices and is called sanatana dharma by its adherents.
Nov 07, 20 read cnn s hinduism fast facts and learn more about hinduism, the thirdlargest religion after christianity and islam. It is often referred to as not just a religion but a way of life. The majority of the vedas are considered the shruti, which is translated to that which is hard. 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. In hinduism, when we speak of creation, we have to clarify, are we speaking of the birth of. 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 vaisnavism, saivism, and saktism. This is morgan freemans journey to discover how our beliefs connect us all. According to hindu scriptures, the world would be destroyed at the end of the kali yuga. Because hinduism is plural, with a vast collection of customs and beliefs of numerous communities, over.
The beginning of creation in scriptures of different religions. Vedas and upanishadas are the most authoritative amongst all hindu scriptures and holy books. We have to look at the tradition of the aryans and specifically the veda, hinduism s holy book. This is one of the most popular and accessible of all hindu scriptures, required reading for anyone interested in hinduism. Hinduism is the third largest religion in the world, with about 1 billion followers world wide, most of whom live in india.
Hinduism is the world s oldest religion, according to many scholars, with roots and customs dating back more than 4,000 years. Scholars hesitate in defining the term hindu scriptures given the diverse nature of hinduism, but many list the bhagavad gita. Hinduism a brief overview of the development of hinduism. This text also claims that in the beginning, brahman, the supreme reality, created the entire universe through heaven, the earth, the atmosphere and the three seasons. Learn vocabulary, terms, and more with flashcards, games, and other study tools. The scriptures of the vedas are meant to guide hindu believers in their daily lives. Every great world religion has its own creation myth. Hinduism is the world s third largest religion behind christianity and islam. How did the world come into being according to hinduism.
Instead, we superimpose all this complex world on that divine reality. The hindu creation story are found in several holy texts, including the vedas, puranas and the epics. This is because for hindus there is no single creation, but periodic cycles of. The hindu creation story tells a continuous tale of creation, destruction and recreation. Trees never complain, but freely give fruit, shade from the sun, shelter from the storm and even their own bodies for fuel. Roughly 95 percent of the worlds hindus live in india. Hinduism is the worlds oldest religion, according to many scholars, with roots and customs dating back more than 4,000 years. Its origin can be traced back to the prehistoric era with its ancient scriptures dating back more than four thousand years, but no specific point of origin can be cited. How was the world created according to hinduism answers. So, what are the holy books of the five major world religions. Today, with about 900 million followers, hinduism is the third. The rigveda is a collection of hindu hymns that is considered to be one of the four vedas sacred canonical texts of hinduism. The universe is created, exists and then is destroyed, and the same cycle applies to all living things. These texts explain how there have been many worlds before this one, and that there will be many worlds after this one is destroyed.
The puranas are holy books of hinduism that date back to gupta empire in ancient india. Hindus believe that brahman the ultimate reality has three functions and these are shown by shiva, brahma, and vishnu. The creation hymn, book x, hymn 129, rigveda, the sacred books of the east volume ix. The illustration given is that of a rope, mistaken in semidarkness for a snake. If the indus valley civilization 3rd2nd millennium bce was the earliest source of hindu traditions, then hinduism is the oldest living religion on earth. Hindu texts are manuscripts and historical literature related to any of the diverse traditions within hinduism. The religion of hinduism originated in northern india, near the river indus, about 4000 years ago and is the world s oldest existing religion. These are the faith traditions that have shaped human history, societies, cultures, indeed.
According to the bbc, the chandogya upanishad, a sacred hindu text, describes creation as the breaking of an egg. Find out whats happening in the world as it unfolds. The bhagavad gita, usually considered part of the sixth book of the mahabharata dating from about 400 or 300 b. Just as judaism provided the structure for christianity and islam. Some poets who wrote poems regarding the culture and the traditions of hinduism. References to a first world, or universe, wont be found. One of a series of videos from the primary questions interactive resource created by ie for the wonder project. 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. May 11, 20 hinduism attaches a very special value to the the darsan a sanskrit word meaning sight, of gurus, leaders, saintly persons and even holy places and holy images. These texts are glorious tales of the hindu trinity brahma, vishnu and maheshwar shiva. Guided by the founder, satguru sivaya subramuniyaswami, the magazines editors, who are initiated monks of the kauais hindu monastery, collaborated with holy men and women and experts around the world in creating. The hindu sacred texts about human origins ancient origins.
Hinduism is a monotheistic religion 69 words 6 pages. The oldest are called the vedas and are written in sanskrit. One of the most recognizable items in hinduism is the bindi, a dot worn on womens foreheads. Brahmas job was creation of the world and all creatures. Hinduism download books, sacred, spiritual texts and pdf. If the indian gods created the whole universe according to.
History of hinduism denotes a wide variety of related religious traditions native to the indian subcontinent. But there are some people who are the cause for the spread of hinduism. Hinduism holy book important books and writings of hinduism. People should try to live good lives as part of the reincarnation process. Some of the other holy works and books of hinduism are stories and epic poems. The way out of this, according to hinduism or vedanta, is that we are not really seeing the world properly.
In the beginning god created the heavens and the earth. Guided by the founder, satguru sivaya subramuniyaswami, the magazines editors, who are initiated monks of the kauais hindu monastery, collaborated with holy men and women and experts around the world in creating graphically rich guides to virtually. Dispelling many of the myths and mysteries surrounding this ancient world religion, hinduism, fourth edition provides readers with an uptodate understanding of the interconnection of religion and politics in india, problems facing hindu communities in the diaspora, and american movements in hinduism. According to the hindus, darsan is a twoway flow of vision. Hinduism does not have a single holy book, but many ancient texts and scriptures. Introduction hinduism stands for the faith and the way of life most of the people who live in india. We are trying to list out here as many hindu scriptures and books as possible. Hindu beliefs about the creation of the world synonym. The quran was first revealed to prophet mohammad, being a messenger of god he started telling those teachings to the people of mecca and madinah.
In india, morgan freeman learns about the hindus story of creation at a. He blessed them and gave them every creature and the whole earth to rule over, care for, and cultivate. In the early vedic hymns we see descriptions of aditi as the universal mother or mother goddess. Hinduism a brief overview of the development of hinduism there are several important historical facts about hinduism that are relevant to the humanist context. The universes are made by lord brahma the creator, maintained by lord vishnu the preserver and destroyed by lord shiva. We turn our attention first to hindu scriptures, wherein the vedas constitute the. The rigveda is believed to have been created between 1500 and 1200 bc, although allegedly it was recorded in oral form only back then. The ideal primer on world religions, exploring the major faiths is an introduction to the five most significant religious movements hinduism, judaism, buddhism, christianity, and islam. Hindus value many sacred writings as opposed to one holy book.
Hinduism provided the belief structure for all other south asian religions that followed such as buddhism, sikhism, and jainism. Apr 03, 20 the puranas are holy books of hinduism that date back to gupta empire in ancient india. The distinguishing feature of the vedas from other religious texts of the hindu faith. Jun 09, 2011 one of a series of videos from the primary questions interactive resource created by ie for the wonder project. Hinduism is practised by more than 80% of indias population. The sacred sound aum is believed to be the first sound at the start of creation.
Hinduism is such an ancient religion that it had many types of beliefs and religious practices. Also, though the belief in one supreme god is common, hindu texts consider all deities to be extensions of this god. There are a number of scriptures and holy books in hinduism. In the vedas, saints and holy people are compared to trees, which give charity to everyone. Indepth articles about the world s oldest religion, with particular focus on hinduism s history, culture, beliefs, practices, festivals, holidays, and more. Hinduism hindu holy books explanation sheet teacher made.
Hinduism is a conglomeration of distinct intellectual or philosophical points of view, rather than a rigid common set of beliefs. Hinduism is the world s third most popular religion, with around 750 million followers. Today, for better or worse, the power of religion touches all of our lives, no matter what our faith. There are several hindu creation stories found in the hindu scriptures. Hinduism is widely practiced in south asia mainly in india and nepal. However, the puranas are supposed to be complied by muni vyasa. The hindu interpretation of creation the story of god.
Why doesnt hinduism have a holy book about creation. As the most sacred sound, om is the root of the universe and everything that exists and it continues to hold everything together. On day six, god also created man and woman adam and eve in his own image to commune with him. As the earth gradually cooled, creating conditions in which life was possible, living. Smriti literature is considered less authoritative than sruti. Hinduism is an extremely diverse religious and spiritual tradition. The founding of hinduism cannot be tied to a specific person or event. The story of creation is an endless cycle of birth, death and rebirth. 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. Other holy scriptures in hinduism are called the upanisads, the smrutis, the puranas, the ramayana and the mahabharata. Islam is revealed through mohammad as a prophet of god. This is not the first world, nor is it the first universe. The hindu interpretation of creation the story of god youtube. They are great saints, sadhus and the lord itself who created hinduism.