[PDF] Hindu Scriptures eBook

Author : William Q Judge
Publisher : Theophania Publishing
Page : 740 pages
File Size : 23,9 MB
Release : 2011-06-03
Category :
ISBN : 9781770831902

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The Bagavad Gita is a conversation between Lord Krishna and the Pandava prince Arjuna taking place on the battlefield before the start of the Kurukshetra War. Responding to Arjuna's confusion and moral dilemma about fighting his own cousins, Lord Krishna explains to Arjuna his duties as a warrior and prince, and elaborates on different Yogic and Vedantic philosophies, with examples and analogies. This has led to the Gita often being described as a concise guide to Hindu theology and also as a practical, self-contained guide to life. During the discourse, Lord Krishna reveals His identity as the Supreme Being Himself (Svayam Bhagavan), blessing Arjuna with an awe-inspiring vision of His divine universal form. Two words that are of paramount importance in grasping the Upanishads are Brahman and Atman. The Brahman is the universal spirit and the Atman is the individual Self. Differing opinions exist amongst scholars regarding the etymology of these words. Brahman comes from the root brh which means "The Biggest The Greatest The ALL." Brahman is "the infinite Spirit Source and fabric and core and destiny of all existence, both manifested and unmanifested and the formless infinite substratum and from whom the universe has grown." Brahman is the ultimate, both transcendent and immanent, the absolute infinite existence, the sum total of all that ever is, was, or shall be. The word Atman means the immortal perfect Spirit of any living creature, being, including trees etc. The idea put forth by the Upanishadic seers that Atman and Brahman are One and the same is one of the greatest contributions made to the thought of the world. The Rigveda is an ancient Indian sacred collection of Vedic Sanskrit hymns. It is counted among the four canonical sacred texts of Hinduism known as the Vedas. Some of its verses are still recited as Hindu prayers, at religious functions and other occasions, putting these among the world's oldest religious texts in continued use. The Rigveda contains several mythological and poetical accounts of the origin of the world, hymns praising the gods, and ancient prayers for life, prosperity, etc.

Author : Barbara Powell
Publisher : Jain Publishing Company
Page : 468 pages
File Size : 25,20 MB
Release : 1996
Category : Religion
ISBN : 0875730728

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A timely book to understand and put into perspective the vast corpus of the Hindu religious literature which a typical Western reader otherwise finds so daunting that he/she gets discouraged and simply gives up. Besides being of enormous value to spiritual seekers, the book is ideally suited for study in a classroom environment.

Author : Robert Charles Zaehner
Publisher : Everyman
Page : 0 pages
File Size : 21,25 MB
Release : 1992
Category : Religion
ISBN : 9781857150643

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Comprises such sacred books of India as the hymns of the Rig-Veda, the world's first recorded poems, the stirring pantheistic speculations of the Upanishads and the Bhagavad-Gita, a cosmic drama of God's self-revelation in human history, on the field of human battle.

Author : Prof.S.K.Prasoon
Publisher : Pustak Mahal
Page : 293 pages
File Size : 31,26 MB
Release : 2008-01-25
Category : Hinduism
ISBN : 8122310079

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The Vedas are the eternal source of knowledge from which all the other Hindu Scriptures originated. When we say eternal books of knowledge, it carries a sense of oneness with the Supreme Lord. Scriptures are the holy books of a religion that are pious and revered. All the religions in the world have one scripture eachwhereas Hinduism has many Scriptures. Hindu scriptures are divided into Shruti and Smriti. the Shruti is the primary authority and the Smriti is the secondary. the Shruti literally means what is heard. the great rishis of yore heard the eternal truth which was later compiled by the great rishi Veda Vyasa in the four Vedas - Rig Veda, Sama Veda, Yajur Veda and Atharva Veda. Smritis on the other hand include Itihasas or epics, Puranas or chronicles, Agamas or the manuals of worship and Darshanas or the schools of philosophy. All these are the supreme books of human knowledge and form the foundation of Hindu religion.

Author : Dominic Goodall
Publisher : Motilal Banarsidass Publ.
Page : 468 pages
File Size : 28,99 MB
Release : 2001
Category : Hinduism
ISBN : 9788120817708

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Hindu Scriptures is a unique collection of Hindu texts spanning more than twenty centuries. Two anthologies entitled Hindu Scriptures have previously appeared in the Everyman series alone, that of Nicol MacNicol in 1938 and that of Professor R.C. Zaehner in 1966. This present title is the enlarged edition of R.C. Zaehner`s anthology, with the addition of three fresh translations, its broad range includes arcane hymns of the ancient Aryans, a manual of prescriptions governing every aspect of the daily life of the orthodox, and rich poetry that describes with heady sensuality the dalliance of Krsna and the cowherd women of Vraja in the nights of the autumn moon. The texts are arranged in chronological order and the Introduction explains the reasons for their inclusion, sets them in context, and briefly characterizes their contents.

Author : Patrick Olivelle
Publisher : Oxford Paperbacks
Page : 482 pages
File Size : 38,87 MB
Release : 1999-09-02
Category : Law
ISBN : 0192838822

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"The law codes of ancient India"--Cover.

Author : Patrick Olivelle
Publisher : Oxford University Press, USA
Page : 337 pages
File Size : 47,14 MB
Release : 1992-02-13
Category : Body, Mind & Spirit
ISBN : 0195070453

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The first readable and accurate translation of twenty of the most authoritative Hindu documents pertaining to ascetic ideals and the ascetic way of life, this text opens to students a major source for the study of the Hindu ascetical institutions and of the historical changes they underwent during a period of a thousand years or more. Beginning with an analysis of the historical context that gave rise to Indian ascetical institutions and ideologies, Patrick Olivelle moves on to elucidate the meaning of renunciation—the central institution of holiness in most Hindu traditions—and the function and significance of the various elements that constitute the rite of renunciation. The Samnyasa Upanisads will be an unparalleled source of information and insight for students of Hinduism and Indian asceticism, mysticism, and holiness.

Author : Umesh Patri
Publisher : Notion Press
Page : 217 pages
File Size : 34,56 MB
Release : 2019-10-17
Category : Religion
ISBN : 1645878503

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In this extraordinarily candid book, Umesh Patri presents a fresh reappraisal of the impact of Indian scriptures on American transcendentalism which flourished in New England in the 19th century. The major premise of the study is that other influences on the transcendentalists, such as Chinese, Persian, Sufi, Arabic, Neo-Platonism and German transcendentalism, are of less significance than that of Indian scriptures comprising of Hindu and Buddhist texts. In the writings of Emerson, Thoreau and minor transcendentalists like Alcott, Fuller, Channing, Johnson, Brownson, etc., the influence of Indian scriptures is clearly discernable. An attempt has been made here to show that Indian scriptures have not only influenced the philosophical thinking of these writers but also their lifestyle and social conduct. It also attempts to show that transcendentalism was not an isolated movement but was a part of a cultural renaissance which swept the entire nation in the wake of avid interest and curiosity in the ancient lore of other countries. Transcendentalism, it is suggested here, continues to affect the thinking of Americans and can be viewed as a continuing movement of thought in American intellectual history. This book draws attention to many aspects of transcendentalism which have not been adequately discussed so far.

Author : Robert Charles Zaehner
Publisher : Dutton Adult
Page : 362 pages
File Size : 32,6 MB
Release : 1966
Category : Religion
ISBN :

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"Hindu scriptures" presents a collection of traditional Hindu texts in English translation. The ancient scriptures of Hinduism are in Sanskrit. These texts are classified into two: Shruti and Smriti. Shruti is apauruey, "not made of a man" but revealed to the rishis (seers), and regarded as having the highest authority, while the smriti are manmade and have secondary authority. They are the two highest sources of dharma, the other two being ia chra/Sadchara (conduct of noble people) and finally tma tui ("what is pleasing to oneself"). Hindu scriptures were composed, memorized and transmitted verbally, across generations, for many centuries before they were written down. Over many centuries, sages refined the teachings and expanded the Shruti and Smriti, as well as developed Shastras with epistemological and metaphysical theories of six classical schools of Hinduism. Shruti (lit. that which is heard) primarily refers to the Vedas, which form the earliest record of the Hindu scriptures, and are regarded as eternal truths revealed to the ancient sages (rishis).There are four Vedas Rigveda, Samaveda, Yajurveda and Atharvaveda. Each Veda has been subclassified into four major text types the Samhitas (mantras and benedictions), the Aranyakas (text on rituals, ceremonies, sacrifices and symbolic-sacrifices), the Brahmanas (commentaries on rituals, ceremonies and sacrifices), and the Upanishads (text discussing meditation, philosophy and spiritual knowledge). The first two parts of the Vedas were subsequently called the Karmaka (ritualistic portion), while the last two form the Jnaka (knowledge portion, discussing spiritual insight and philosophical teachings). The Upanishads are the foundation of Hindu philosophical thought, and have profoundly influenced diverse traditions. Of the Shrutis (Vedic corpus), they alone are widely influential among Hindus, considered scriptures par excellence of Hinduism, and their central ideas have continued to influence its thoughts and traditions. The Upanishads have played a major role ever since their appearance There are 108 Muktik Upanishads in Hinduism, of which between 10 and 13 are variously counted by scholars as Principal Upanishads. The most notable of the Smritis ("remembered") are the Hindu epics and the Puranas. The epics consist of the Mahabharata and the Ramayana. The Bhagavad Gita is an integral part of the Mahabharata and one of the most popular sacred texts of Hinduism. It is sometimes called Gitopanishad, then placed in the Shruti ("heard") category, being Upanishadic in content. The Puranas, which started to be composed from c. 300 CE onward, contain extensive mythologies, and are central in the distribution of common themes of Hinduism through vivid narratives. The Yoga Sutras is a classical text for the Hindu Yoga tradition, which gained a renewed popularity in the 20th century. Since the 19th-century Indian modernists have re-asserted the 'Aryan origins' of Hinduism, "purifying" Hinduism from its Tantric elements and elevating the Vedic elements. Hindu modernists like Vivekananda see the Vedas as the laws of the spiritual world, which would still exist even if they were not revealed to the sages. In Tantric tradition, the Agamas refer to authoritative scriptures or the teachings of Shiva to Shakti, while Nigamas refers to the Vedas and the teachings of Shakti to Shiva. In Agamic schools of Hinduism, the Vedic literature and the Agamas are equally authoritative.

Author : Jessica Frazier
Publisher : Bloomsbury Publishing
Page : 239 pages
File Size : 12,65 MB
Release : 2017-02-09
Category : Religion
ISBN : 1474251587

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Designed to help readers deepen their understanding of Hinduism, and reflecting themes central to the study of religion and culture, Jessica Frazier explores classical Hindu theories of self, the body, the cosmos, and human action. Case studies from Hindu texts provide readers with direct access to primary sources in translation, ranging from ancient cosmology to philosophical teachings and modern ritual practices. Hinduism is often depicted as being so diverse that it is the most difficult of all of the world religions to understand or explain. Hindu Worldviews explains core ideas about the human mind and body, showing how they fit into concepts of the Self, and practices of embodiment in Hinduism. It draws on western theoretical concepts as a point of entry, connecting contemporary Hindu culture directly with both western and classical Hindu theories. Through the theme of the Self in classical Hindu sources, the chapters provide an interpretative framework for understanding classical approaches to ethics, liberation, and views of the body and the mind. These provide a key to the rationale behind many forms of modern practice such as divinisation rituals, worship of deities, and theological reflection. Reflecting central themes in courses on Hinduism and Indian Philosophy, Hindu Worldviews provides an accessible new perspective on both Hinduism and modern theory in the study of religion.