to you. Welcome to my article on “Ancient Hindu Texts”. This is an attempt to encapsulate a large spectrum of topics into one single article. I have provided specific details as and when possible. Let’s get started!!
Preface
Of all the civilizations in the world, Indian civilization is the most ancient. Because it is so ancient, the knowledge gathered by this civilization is also very vast and diverse. You will be amazed at the extent of knowledge gathered in each topic. Be it Arts, science, biology, anatomy, weaponry or even sex for that matter. What I consider amazing about this gathered knowledge is that most of it is relevant even today. All the knowledge that has been gathered are documented in the form of ancient Sanskrit texts. If you search online for Religious texts of the world, all the Indian texts will be grouped under the heading Hinduism.
Hinduism
I disagree with coining the term "Hinduism" as a religious identity. It is more of a geographical identity. The people living between the Himalayas and the Indian ocean (also called Indu maha sagara) were termed as Hindus. The different religions like Islam, Christianity, Buddhism, Jainism, Judaism, Sikhism, Zoroastrianism etc., are relatively new in comparison to Hinduism. It is only because so many religions have come up in the last few thousand years that there is a necessity to call the religion of this land as Hinduism. If there were no religions in the world Hinduism would simply be called "The way of life", because that is what it is. This is the civilization which taught "ekam sat vipra bahudha vadanti". This is the Sanskrit verse which when literally translated means Truth is one; sages call it by various names. Truth is god. People of each civilization have named it differently and have tried to know it in their own unique ways.
Ancient Hindu Texts
Ancient Hindu Texts can be broadly classified into the below categories
Vedas
This is an extensive body of work which contains hymns, incantations and rituals of ancient India. They are abstract texts which explain the basis of everything that forms this universe. It has been classified into 4 parts by the great sage Vyasa. He is also called as Veda Vyasa for having bifurcated the Vedas into Rig, Yajur, Saama and Atharva Vedas. Rig veda, which is considered the oldest of the vedas explains in length the cosmology and praises deities. Yajur Veda exhorts the importance, methodology and implementation of rituals and homas by feeding the sacred fire in a sacrificial altar. Saama Veda is a musical form which sings the praise of gods and goddess. Atharva Veda contains texts which deal with energy and its transformation. Black magic or occult sciences takes its root from this branch of Veda.
Upanishads
Upanishads are a continuation to the Vedic philosophy. Men and women of the time wanted to have an experiential understanding of the abstract teachings of the Vedas. In doing so the experiences of the enlightened ones have been recorded in these texts. It consists of the following important ones. Each of it is a complete work by itself.
a. Khândogya Upanishad
b. Talavakâra or Kena-Upanishad
c. Aitareya-Âranyaka
d. Kaushîtaki-Upanishad
e. Vâgasaneyi-Samhitâ-Upanishad, sometimes called Îsâvâsya or Îsâ-Upanishad.
f. Katha-Upanishad
g. Mundaka Upanishad
h. Taittirîyaka-Upanishad
i. Brihadâranyaka Upanishad
j. Svetâsvatara Upanishad
k. Prasña Upanishad
l. Maitrâyana Brâhmana Upanishad
Puranas
The Puranas are ancient texts which are thought to be in the post-Vedic era. This is because there are several verses in them referring to the Vedas. They contain a complete narrative of the history of the Universe from creation to destruction, genealogies of kings, heroes and demigods, and descriptions of Hindu cosmology and geography. There are a total of 18 Puranas, divided into three categories, each named after one of the divine trinity: Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva. The following are the 18 Puranas.
a. Brahma Purana
b. Padma Purana
c. Vishnu Purana
d. Skanda Purana
e. Shiva Maha Purana
f. Vamana Purana
g. Markandeya Purana
h. Varaha Purana
i. Brahma Vaivarat Purana
j. Agni Purana
k. Bhavishya Purana
l. Matsya Purana
m. Garuda Purana
n. Brahmananda Purana
o. Shrimad Bhagavat Purana
p. Kurma Purana
q. Linga Purana
r. Narad Purana
Epics or Itihaasas
The 2 most important Epics are Ramayana and Mahabharatha. These are not just stories, but are real life events that happened at different eras, both several thousand years apart. There are depictions of planetary movements, positions of constellations and geographical descriptions in these texts which place Ramayana about 4 lakh years ago and Mahabharatha by about 5000 years ago. Ramayana happened at a time when the righteousness index of the society was 75% and Mahabharata happened when it was at 50%. According to me it is a must for each of us to study the characters "Rama" in Ramayana and "Yudhishtra" in Mahabharatha. Both these are exemplary examples of humans who lived righteous lives no matter what life situations they were subjected to. The epic Mahabharatha encapsulates many of the puranas and upa-puranas (smaller puranas) through the flow of its narration. People pursuing to learn the ancient scriptures are recommended to start with Mahabharatha for the very same reason.
Dharma Shastras
Dharma Shastras are texts which prescribe the laws to abide by each individual at various stages of one's life. It is a Law book on morality, ethics and religious duty. The ancient societies were broadly divided into 4 categories or varnas namely Brahmanas, Kshatriyas, Vaishyas and Sudras. Brahmins were the knowledge repositories of the society. They learned the Vedas, assimilated their meaning and helped Kshatriyas, the warriors and rulers in framing the laws and constitution for the best governance of their kingdom. They also officiated all the religious and spiritual activities for all the events in societal life. Vaishyas were the business men, the wealthy ones who took care of trade and commerce. They were also the ones who helped in the construction of schools, temples, hospitals and other institutions benefiting the society. Sudras formed the working class like farmers, helpers, spies, servants etc. They formed the social lubricant enabling the smooth functioning of a society. The whole societal construct was with the understanding that each category understood the importance of the other for the smooth functioning of a kingdom and for a flourishing civilization. They followed the dharma shastras diligently and performed their prescribed duties.
These above form the most prominent bodies of work in the ancient Hindu texts. There are multiple other texts (yes, that includes Kama Sutras) that I have omitted in this article as the list is exhaustive.
Conclusion
As you might have seen so far, the knowledge acquired by the Hindu civilization is very vast. It is practically not possible for an individual to completely study all these works in a single life time. I will try and take up topics that are relevant to our current day scenario in my forthcoming articles. Hope this article was informative… Please share your thoughts and comments...
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