Understanding Hinduism through Hindu Sacred Texts

Hinduism is unlike any religion practiced across the globe and is known for its vast oral traditions and visual imagery that have been an integral part of its origin and development. Another important defining factor of Hinduism is its collection of several sacred texts and scriptures. The sacred texts in Hinduism offer both spiritual guidance and practical advice. These sacred texts provide a wonderfully varied and constantly enriching path for followers of Hinduism to reach the truth. This has resulted in creating a great diversity of beliefs and practices that have played a vital role in ensuring that Hinduism continues to thrive as a religion even after a millennium. 

Formats of Hindu Sacred Texts

The sacred texts of Hindus are written in two main formats, namely Shruti, which means something that is heard, and Smriti, which mean memorizing. The Shruti texts are believed to have been divinely inspired as they were heard by the sages who spent long years in isolation. These sages developed a consciousness that enables them to hear the truths of the universe directly. Even though Shruti texts hold great significance for the followers of Hinduism, they are often extremely difficult to understand. Hinduism Decoded: Understanding the Religion through its Sacred Texts.

Smiriti texts are composed of great sages, mostly in poetic form, and often comprise tales and stories explaining the concepts of Shruti texts. Smriti texts are more popular as they explain universal truths through mythology and symbolism. Almost all sacred texts, irrespective of whether they are in the form of Shruti or Smriti, are written in the Sanskrit language, which according to Hindu religious philosophy is the language of Gods.

Five Primary Hindu Sacred Texts

While there are several different types of Hindu texts and scriptures, only five are considered to be the most important due to their association with a unique stage of the evolution of Hinduism. The brief details of these five primary Hindu sacred texts are as follows.

Vedas:  The Vedas are the oldest Hindu scriptures written in the Shruti format between 1500 and 300 BCE. There are four types of Vedas namely, the Rig Veda, the Yajur Veda, The Sama Veda, and the Atharva Veda that collectively describe the Hindu cosmology.

Upanishads: Upanishads are a subset of Vedas also written in Shruti format and 180-200 Upanishads and were composed between 800 and 600 BCE. They mostly discuss the concept of the Individual soul or atman and the universal soul or Brahman.

Manu Smriti: The Manu Smriti is a text written in Smriti format and details the laws of existence as provided by Manu. The text was believed to have been written in 250 BCE.

Ramayana: Composed by Rishi Valmiki, Ramayana is a mythological text Written in Smriti format and detailing the life of Lord Rama, the seventh avatar of Shri Vishnu, who is presented as an ideal man.

Mahabharata: This is yet another epic text written in Smriti form and comprises the poetic narration of how the greed for power and unchecked ambition resulted in a catastrophic war between two branches of a family.


Final Thoughts

The sacred texts of Hinduism are a big part of Hindu culture and are relevant even in modern times, which is what makes them so unique.

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