Hinduism is an indian religion and dharma, or way of life, widely practised in the indian subcontinent and parts of southeast asia. Composed in vedic sanskrit, the texts constitute the oldest layer of sanskrit literature and the oldest scriptures of hinduism. Difference between vedic civilisation and postvedic. See also whats at your library, or elsewhere broader terms. They are supposed to have been directly revealed, and thus are called sruti what is heard. Actually samhita is the core part of veda which is heard by rishis and. Whats the difference between hinduism and the vedic religion. Jan 11, 2017 first thing, theres no relation between harappamohenjodaro and dravidian religion. Are all the scriptures of vedas and upanishads available today or have we lost. Hinduism is the worlds third most popular religion, with around 750 million followers. Thus hinduism signifies the aryans culture and religious traditions as they. Is the dhyanalinga mentioned anywhere in vedas or any hindu or religious. The upanishads are also called as vedantas or the end of the vedas. Composed primarily in sanskrit, but also in tamil and other indian.
Whats the difference between hinduism and the vedic. There is, however, so great a difference in appearance and character between parvati and kali that it is not easy to regard them as the same being. Hinduismdictionary wikibooks, open books for an open world. Hinduism hindu holy books explanation sheet teacher made. It is known by the distinction between a yajurveda called the blackand another called the white yajurveda. Pataynajal yoga ashathanagayoga drig drishya vivek.
On the other hand, nigama dharma is associated with agama as well as vedic and puranic hindu practices. Composed in vedic sanskrit hymns, the texts constitute the oldest layer of sanskrit literature and the oldest scriptures of hinduism. Puranic religion is the religions which gives the science in the form of vedas to future generation in a safe manner and for a proper usage which improves human society. Hinduism what is the differences between vedic religion and. Hinduism does not possess a single holy book like bible in christianity and quran in islamic dharma. The two major deities of later hinduism, siva and visnu, are both of vedic origin, though in the vedic canon they are minor devas compared with indra, vayu or agni. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading hinduism made easy. How is hinduism in bali different from hinduism in india. Hinduism celebrates many birthdays of their gods whereas buddhism celebrates only the death of the buddha. Historical indoaryan language, one of the liturgical languages of hinduism and buddhism, and one of the 22 official languages of india. Although, we are repeatedly told that the vedas take a different form in the puranas, and that the link between the two is the upanishads, and there is no real difference between vedic and puranic.
What are the major differences between vedic religion and. As their cults developed, however, they overtook not only the vedic gods, already overshadowed by brahman, but brahman himself, if not in explicit theology, then certainly in terms. The four books of the vedasrig, yajur, sama and atharvainclude over 100,000 verses. A concise explanation of the main hindu holy books. The historical vedic religion has many differences from modern hinduism followed by the majority of the hindus today. The bhavisya purana is also mentioned in the ancient text of the apastambhadharmasutras, so it is to be taken as an original puranic literature dating from the time of vyasadeva. Nov 27, 2011 dear good, vedic religion is scientific religion made for humans to lead a safe development of human society in several ways. Vedas and puranas, which were revealed n th time 10,000 years ago, mentioned facts only recently rediscovered and somehow proven to an extent by scientists. Download the bible, the holy quran, the mahabharata, and thousands of free pdf ebooks on buddhism, meditation, etc. Each of these two religions has holy days that celebrated their gods and new year. In traditional hinduism, the vedas are considered divine in origin and are assumed to be revelations from god. The symbol of india in indian passports and indian currency notes has been a lion and a spokedwheel or chakra, both from the ashoka pillar. In spite of these differences, the vedas are considered the most authentic of the hindu scriptures and the real foundations of the hindu. Christianity vs hinduism difference and comparison diffen.
Its followers, called christians, often believe christ is the son of the holy trinity and walked the earth as the incarnate form of god the father. As the name suggests, it mainly deals with future events bhaviysati. Although its called the navagraha suktam and the mantras are accepted as mantras related to the navagrahas by authoritative hindu organizations but the explicit mention of navagraha is never to be found in that hymn. The vedas are the very first scriptures of hinduism.
Considered so holy that there are no cults devoted to it. The hindu puranas are anonymous texts and likely the work of many authors over the centuries. This clearly proves that smritis and puranas are different categories of hindu texts. The puranas are known for their intricate layers of symbolism depicted within the stories. Hindu scriptures, vedas, upanishads and gita talk by jay lakhani hindu. Though sanskrit originated from bharat india, it only has 15,000 sanskrit communicators today, while over 100,000 people from rest of the world speak and communicate in sanskrit to understand ancient hindu texts. There is a wonderful synergy between science and spirituality within the vedic tradition, and i dont believe there is a real border dividing them. Vedic stories are different from puranic stories devdutt.
Each division has 4 minor divisions, namely the samhitas, brahmanas, aranyakas and upanisads. Breaking india amaryllis, 2011 and the audacity of difference harpercollins, forthcoming in 2011. How different is modern hinduism from vedic hinduism. Hinduismthe puranas wikibooks, open books for an open world. Some fine points of christ and krishna my dear christians and hindus, the spiritual message of jesus and krishna are always one and the same in every aspect. The vedas and these other works are further divided into two sections. Hindus can choose to be polytheistic, pantheistic, panentheistic, pandeistic, henotheistic, monotheistic, monistic, agnostic, atheistic or humanist. Hinduism holy book important books and writings of hinduism. Every hindus goal is to have their soul be united with brahma after several cycles of reincarnation. These are all truths that are meant to inform us of the world and universe we inhabit so that we can understand our place in it.
The word purana literally means ancient, old, and it is a vast genre of indian literature about a. Unlike hinduism where the celebrations are of significant people and events the buddhist have a celebration where the celebration is in honour of them, the. They are the original scriptures of hindu teachings, containing spiritual knowledge encompassing all aspects of life. The bhagavadgita, ramayana, mahabharata and puranas. The religion of hinduism originated in northern india, near the river indus, about 4000 years ago and is the worlds oldest existing religion. But i have met many educated hindus who believe in the absolute veracity of everything that is said in the vedas. Difference between vedic religion and hinduism difference. Their role and value as sectarian religious texts and historical texts has been. Hence the difference is simple, vedic religion is been practiced without knowledge, involuntarily by other nonhindu religions like jains, kabirpanthis, tibetian buddhists, zoroastrians and other micro sects like yazidis, ashirs, few chinese and japanese tribes who observe tibetan buddhism variants. The holy vedas is an exceptional anthology of verses taken from the revered four vedas of hindu mythology, translated into english for the benefit of the mass the four vedas of hindu culture, the rigveda, yajurveda, atharvaveda, and samaveda, are considered to be the scriptures that defined the lifestyle and beliefs of all hindus. The rigveda is a collection of hymns dedicated to 33 gods especially to indri and agni. 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. There is something called pramana, authority, which our acharyas have recognised, and as per the acharyas a set of books are considered primary texts, whereas, other books based on these primary books can also be referred to.
Some of the other holy works and books of hinduism are stories and epic poems. Brahma, in the earlier vedic books, is a neuter noun, meaning the spell or prayer of the priest and the magic power which it exerts over gods, men, and the universe. The vedic texts reflect a dynamic process of growth and innovation from the early. Worshiping planets a vedic tradition or puranic tradition. Scholars regard hinduism as a fusion or synthesis of various indian. The philosophical maxims of vedic literature have stood the test of time, and the vedas form the highest religious authority for all aspects of hinduism and are a. I even doubt i am not quite sure of it that we could hardly come across any reference of navagraha. The vedas sanskrit veda, knowledge are a large body of texts originating in ancient india. Holy spirit is not the same as shakti or kundalini beliefnet. Hinduism sacred books the bhagavad gita, translated from the sanskrit, with introduction and notes revised second edition.
Verses in guru granth sahib criticizing hindu scriptures vedas. Jun 07, 2008 all hindus know that some books are considered holy by everyone, and not every book written by every author becomes holy. Why is the vedic sanskrit and puranic sanskrit different. Dear good, vedic religion is scientific religion made for humans to lead a safe development of human society in several ways. The four denominations of hinduism himalayan academy. Vedic hinduism is a contradiction in terminis since vedic religion is very different from what we generally call hindu religion, at least as much old hebrew religion is from medieval and modern christian religion. It finds its causation in the yajnasamstha or sacrificial ritualistic traditions as celebrated in the epic and vedic periods by kings to gain prosperity and wealth. Vedas are religious texts of hinduism and are discerned as sruti meaning what is heard as opposed to smrti meaning what is remembered. Some people, particularly in the west, have claimed that yoga is not hindu or vedic but an independent or more universal tradition. Spot the difference between sign and symbol the hindu.
A textbook of kayachikitsa 3 volumes encyclopedia of world architecture 3 vols. The four denominations of hinduism a splendrous lotus with four superb petals for over 200 years, western scholars have struggled to understand hinduism, a faith whose followers seemed to outsiders to arbitrarily worship any one of a dozen gods as the supreme, a religion vastly diverse in its beliefs, practices and ways of worship. Can someone explain the fundamental philosophy and difference in ideology of both these belief systems. To be a hindu is to be born a hindu, and then to follow a certain way of life. Its all just wisdom and knowledge, which is what the term veda means. Sruti pronounced shroothee are the holy books within hinduism that are considered to be divinely inspired, and thus infallible and authoritative. In present scenario followers of vedic faith are also classified as a hindu and it is an irony of ironies because hinduism itself has its roots in vedic faith. The vedas are considered the earliest literary record of indoaryan civilization and the most sacred books of india. It refers collectively to the three hindu religious texts the atharva veda. Hinduism includes a diversity of ideas on spirituality and traditions, but has no ecclesiastical order, no unquestionable religious authorities, no governing body, no prophets nor any binding holy book. Hinduismwhat is the philosophical difference between. The former probably knew of iron and defensive armour, which are totally absent in the latter.
Explain the practices and beliefs of hinduism, include historical context. The history of the yajurveda differs in so far from that of the other vedas, as it is marked by a dissension between its own schools far more important than the differences which separated the school of each of the other vedas. Jesus always preached for the detachment from the blind worldly bonds like bonds with fam. Among hindu deities, lord shiva who is the first and greatest of the yogis or adi yogi. Ancient in the sacred literature of hinduism, any of a number of popular encyclopaedic collections of myth, legend, and genealogy, varying greatly as to date and origin. For instance, it is difficult to understand shakespeares plays today without a good commentary because shakespeare wrote in the 16th century a.
The word veda came from the root word vid meaning to know. The rig veda is the most sacred of hindu literature, and it consists of 1028 hymns richas to various nature gods e. Difference between vedas and upanishads difference between. Is sikhism derived from vedic hinduism or puranic hinduism. Differences and similarities between religious forms in the vedic. It can also be said that the vedas are a poetic and symbolic expression of hindu spiritual truths, while upanishads are the expression of the philosophical truths of the vedas. The native people were nomads and they were very scattered about through the land. Here, i will give only a brief introduction to the holy books of hinduism. In the vedas, indra is the royal god of war and varuna is the royal god.
Hindu religion, philosophy and concepts kindle edition by sharma, shalu. So that quite in contrast to brahmanism, puranic hinduism through its. These texts are glorious tales of the hindu trinity brahma, vishnu and maheshwar shiva. The word hindu comes from hind, the old persian word for india, and hinduism simply means the religion of the people of india. Download it once and read it on your kindle device, pc, phones or tablets.
Top american libraries canadian libraries universal library community texts project gutenberg biodiversity heritage library childrens library. Sikhism prohibits vedic scriptures, hindu dieties, idol worship etc. The vedic period is held to have ended around 500 bc, vedic religion gradually metamorphosizing into the various schools of hinduism, which further evolved into puranic hinduism. 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. Difference between vedic civilisation and post vedic civilisation. The epic, puranic and classic periods took place between 500 b. In detailing the differences between vedic and later hindu religion, one inevitably. The concept of divine avatars, important to modern hinduism, is not to be found in the vedas. Since 1979 the international magazine hinduism today has been producing a treasury of educational features on all aspects of sanatana dharma. Holy spirit is not the same as shakti or kundalini. Neither from vedic puranic hinduism nor from islam. Latest posts by gabriel davids see all difference between caste and religion may 4, 2018. The vedic scriptures contain descriptions of people both. I am of the view that navagraha worship is mainly associated with later vedic period.
The bhavisya purana is considered to be one of the major 18 puranas of the vedic canon. Members of these communities have adhered to their religion faithfully for several generations. Yajur veda mantras and benedictions to be used during ceremonies. People from indus valley were not much religious and they were not dravidians. Hinduism is the religion of choice in some parts of the middle east primarily india. My understanding is that vaishnavism believes that mahavishnu is the paramapurusha and krishna is a poornavataram of mahavishnu. However, the puranas are supposed to be complied by muni vyasa. Since the latter part of the 19th century, large hindu communities have been established in eastern and southern africa particularly in south africa, malaysia, the islands of the pacific ocean and the indian ocean, and some islands of the west indies.
Even with a dissection of the differences, the major aspect to remember is that vedas are religious or spiritual texts in hinduism, while upanishads are only a section within a veda. Hinduism is hardly a dogma but a working hypothesis. In fact, it cannot be defined precisely as any other religion can be. Vedas, as described by the scriptures, were given by god. The term hinduism is coined in western ethnography in the 18th century, and refers to the fusion or synthesis of various indian cultures and traditions. Two central dates are the mahabharata war, which according to this chronology happened at 38 bce, and the start of the kali yuga, which according to this chronology started at 3102 bce. Translated by various sanskrit scholars set in 30 volumes in 38 parts sanskrit is fun part ii. Hinduism what is the differences between vedic religion. One of the reasons for the this assumption is that none of the hindu temples that had an existence of a few centuries couldnt find navagraha idols or for that matter any sort of navagraha worship over there. Hinduism download books, sacred, spiritual texts and pdf e. Apr 03, 20 the puranas are holy books of hinduism that date back to gupta empire in ancient india. The vedas are a large body of hindu texts originating in ancient india, with its samhita and brahmanas complete before about 800 bce. Hinduism is practised by more than 80% of indias population.
Sanatana dharma comprises of spiritual laws which govern the human existence. Hinduism is believed to have started with the migratory waves of aryan people into india during the second millennium bce. The vayu purana states that in ancient times the suta sanskrit. The majority of the vedas are considered the shruti, which is translated to that which is hard. The vedic aryans were largely rural, while the characteristic features of the indus valley civilisation are the amenities of a developed city life.
Gaudiya vaishnavism believes that sri krishna is supreme and mahavishnu is an aspect of the supreme krishna. First, lets distinguish between two types of hindu literature. What are some similarities between hinduism and christianity. Many believe that it was in vedic and puranic literature that modern ivf techniques of assisted reproduction were first mentioned. Differences and similarities between religious forms in the. Although there is an emphasis on personal spirituality, hinduism s history is closely linked with social and political developments, such as the rise and fall of different kingdoms and empires. A comparison of classical yoga and buddhism brings in the larger issue of a comparison between buddhist and hindu teachings. The puranic chronology is referred to by proponents of indigenous aryans to propose an earlier dating of the vedic. There are a bunch of vedic mantras together called as the navagraha suktam which is considered to be a hymn dedicated to the navagrahas. However, the following description thereof by a foreign thinker is nearer the mark than any other. In this book the authors probe into vedic mathematics and explore if it is really vedic in origin or mathematics in content. Over half the vedic hymns are dedicated to indra, agni, varuna and soma, none of whom play important roles in the puranas. Stop looking for scientific discoveries in holy books, be. Hinduism was born with tolerance, because hinduism as we know today is very different from original hinduism.
The scriptures of the vedas are meant to guide hindu believers in their daily lives. Where the vedas gave a foundation for the direction of hinduism, the upanishads filled in the gaps. However, vedic religion is treatable as a predecessor of hinduism. The knowledge imparted by the vedas ranges from earthy devotion to high philosophy. The very first of the sacred books of vedic culture, in fact the oldest books on earth, are called the vedas. So, in contrast to shruti which is authorless divine origin, smriti is derivative. Although, we are repeatedly told that the vedas take a different form in the puranas, and that the link between the two is the upanishads, and there is no real difference between vedic and puranic hinduism, it is clear that there is a rupture between the storytelling traditions of the vedas and the storytelling traditions of the puranas. Is there really a prophecy about jesus in the vedas. The puranic chronology gives a timeline of hindu history according to the hindu scriptures.
What is the difference between vedas, upanishads, and puranas. Very little is known about all of it, but vedic literature talks about the people that inhabited the indian subcontinent. Astronomy, cosmology science is based on vedas, vedic. Before speaking of the vedic deities, it is necessary that something be said concerning the vedas themselves, the source of our information concerning them. The encyclopedia of hinduism contains over 900 entries reflecting recent advances in scholarship which have raised new theoretical and methodological issues as well as identifying new areas of study which have not been addressed previously. Vedic is derived from the samskrit root word ved meaning knowledge. According to pargiter 1922, the original purana may date to the time of the final redaction of the vedas. Hinduism is hard to define, for we cannot think in terms of a. Jun 11, 2010 it isnt really possible to differentiate between the two because of the vagueness of term hinduism. Puranas were written almost entirely in narrative couplets, in much the same easy flowing style as the two. Christianity broadly consists of individuals who believe in the deity jesus christ.
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