The collection of literary material that forms what the world has
come to refer to as Hindu Religion, is extremely vast and is not common
knowledge even amongst the practitioners of the religion. Here is a bird's eye
view of what the Hindu religious scriptures encompass.
1.
Pranava or Aum: Pronounced as 'Om' , the
pranava is a combination of sounds 'A' (pronounced as in 'Ahh'), 'U'
(pronounced as in 'Ooo') and 'Ma' (pronounced as 'Mah'). Usually all Sanskrit
words have an etymological reference to root words or sounds but in
the case of 'Aum' there is no associated etymology as it is the
foundation for all sounds. 'Aum' is the heart and soul of the entire
Veda literature. The Taithiriyopanishad expresses this primordial status of AUM
by poetically saying 'Aum which is all encompassing, is the bull of all veda
hymns'. Lord Krishna also says in Bhagawad Gita 'I am Pranava in all the
Vedas' reinforcing the importance. Metaphorically AUM stands for many
'trios' encountered by us including the three temporal states (past,
present and future), three states of being experienced by the individual soul
(wakeful, dream and sleep), the three worlds of experience (Bhur, Bhuva and
Suva), the three parts of Gayatri meter of hymns, the three aspects of
creation (Self, World and God), the three states of being for the universal
self (Iswara, Hiranyagarba and Virat) etc. However,
what is considered to be more important than the sound of AUM is the
quality of silence it produces at the end of the chant, representing the
fourth state of being called 'Tureeya avastha' which is pure
awareness that transcends subject-object-knowledge distinction and
space-Time limitations.
2.
Vedas: The Vedas form the
foundation of Hindu religion, acting as the source of authority on religious
matters. It can be said that what identifies a person as
belonging to Hindu religion is the acceptance of the authority of Vedas in good
faith. Developed and retained by an oral education tradition, Vedas are also
known as 'Sruthi' meaning 'what was heard'. The Vedas are organized into four
collections, namely Rik, Yajus, Saama and Atharva. Each Veda has four parts to
it. The first part Samhita contains hymns and statements, the second part
Brahmana contains rituals and injunctions generally targeted to the head of
household (Grihasta Asrami), the third part Aranyaka contains
rituals and instructions for those who have retired to the forest (Vanaprasta
Asrami) and the fourth part Upansishad contains the philosophical instructions
on enlightenment (jnana) and path of liberation for the soul (moksha). Being
located at the end of the collection, Upanishads are also called as Vedanta
(end of Veda) and has also been interpreted as end of conventional knowledge.
Upanishads are not strictly contained in one part of the Veda and sometimes
dispersed amongst Aranyakas, Brahmanas and Samhitas. The word Veda
literally means knowledge (comes from the root word 'vid' meaning 'to know')
and the Vedas are essentially a collection of various knowledge systems.
3.
Vedangas (Limbs of Veda): Based on the topics
addressed, the body of Veda literature is said to have six 'limbs'. Vendangas
are identified with limbs because they enable a student of Veda to acquire and
retain the Vedic knowledge. These are:
a.
Siksha - The art of
enunciation
b.
Vyakarana - Grammer
c.
Chandas - Meters for the
verses
d.
Nirukta - Etymology
e.
Jyothisha - Knowledge of
celestial bodies and luminaries
f.
Kalpa - Procedural
instructions for conducting rituals
4.
Veda Sakhas (Branches of Veda): The Veda literature
evolved under different schools, each of which was called a Veda Sakha. A
good part of these Veda Sakhas have been lost forever, and of the available the
most prominently known are the following:
a.
Rik Veda - Sakala,
Sankhyana sakhas; Aitareya and Kausitaki Brahmanas
b.
Yajur Veda - Sukla and
Krishna Yajurveda sakhas; Taithiriya and Satapada Brahmanas
c.
Sama Veda -Jaiminiya
and Gautama sakhas
d.
Atharva Veda - Saunaka,
Pippalada sakhas; Gopatha Brahmana
5.
Upa Vedas: A number of sciences dealing with worldly
knowledge are attached to Vedas. These include (not limited to):
a.
Ayur Veda - Medicinal
science on health
b.
Dhanur Veda - Art of
archery
c.
Gandharva Veda - Performing
arts
6.
Smritis (Recollections): Smritis are the
restatements of the Veda principles by many seers, providing clarifications and
elaborations. Smritis were created at different points of time and the authors
of the Smiritis interpreted the Veda intent in the context of social practices
existing at that time. The most famous of the Smiritis are Manu Smriti and
Bhagawad Gita. It is important to note that whenever
there is a conflict between the statements in the Smriti and Veda, the Veda is
considered to be the authority. And, Smritis are considered temporal unlike
Vedas that are considered to be eternal.
7.
Puranas: The etymology of the word
'purana' is 'pura eve nava' meaning 'what remains new in spite of being aged'.
Puranas are collections of mythical, fictional and historical fiction stories
that were told with the intent of conveying the philosophical ideas of the
Vedas through metaphors. There are 18 puranas, each of them focusing on one or
many Saguna Daiva (God or God incarnate with defined qualities). The most important
of the Puranas is the Bhagawata Purana that elaborates on the different
incarnations of Lord Vishnu. Most of the temple worship currently in practice
in Hindu religion are greatly influenced by the Puranas.
8.
Itihasas (Epics): The most popular of all
the Hindu religion literature are the two epics of Ramayana and Mahabharata.
Epics differ from Puranas on account of their subject matter being more focused
on human kind as opposed to celestial beings. There is hardly any competition
to the stature of the Itihasas as the primary set of literature that have
shaped the Indian societies and their culture.
9.
Darsanas (Schools of Thought): As opposed to the Itihasas,
the Darsanas are the least known component of Hindu religion. Darsanas are
various philosophical schools of thought that developed over a period of time
and provided the basis for rational analysis of the subject matter of religion,
viz., the Self, the Universe, God and relationship between them. The following
six Darsanas are formally recognized (the key texts and authors in
parenthesis):
a.
Sankhya - Definitive
knowledge (Text: Sankhya Karika of Iswarakrishna)
b.
Nyaya - Logical knowledge;
(Text: Nyaya sutra of Gautama with Vatsyayana Bashya)
c.
Vaiseshika -
Differentiation of qualifiers and characteristics (Text: Vaiseshika sutra of
Kanada with Prasastapada Bashya)
d.
Purva Mimasma - Treatise on
rituals and benefits (Text: Mimamsa sutra of Jaimini with Slokavartika of
Kumarilabhatta)
e.
Yoga - Self-realization
through yoga practice; (Text: Yoga Sutra of Patanjali)
f.
Uttara Mimamsa - Treatise
on Brahman (Text: Brahma Sutra of Krshnadvaipayana Vyasa)
10.
Other supporting texts: The largest collection of
material on Hindu religion will fall into this category that encompasses
original works by various saints (prakaranas, satakas, stotras), commentaries
(Bhashya) on original works, supplementary texts (Karikas, Vartikas, Tikas) as
well as the entire stotra sahitya (Hymns to deities). Works of Adi
Sankaracharya, Ramanuja and Madhwacharya are of special mention in this
category.
Sounds like too much to know? Shouldn't be a worry. As Lord Krishna
reassures in Bhagawad Gita "swalpam abhyasya dharmasys, thraayate mahato
bhayaad" meaning "one can expect to transcend the greatest of all
fears by practicing even a slight part of dharma",what is important is
not how comprehensive our spiritual knowledge is but how much we have assimilated and
integrated it into daily life. Same time, I hope this overview will help you to
get a picture of how exhaustive Hindu religion is and what great resources are
available within there.
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