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Searching Roots

17 Oct, 9 tweets, 2 min read

Many people wonder why Hinduism has so many sacred books? And which really is the main book of Hinduism?

There seems to be a lot of confusion around Hindu scriptures and below is a humble attempt to throw some light on some of the primary Hindu scriptures.

1/n

Santan is a pluralistic religion & allows people to express fondness for God in their own way.

Thus, there is huge literature available on Hinduism, encompassing thousands of books.

However, the primary & authoritative text of Hinduism is only The Vedas, the ‘Shruti’.

2/n

All other literature is considered ‘Smriti’ and consists of commentary, explanation, deeper philosophy on the teachings of the Vedas.

Now the question is what is 'Shruti' and what is 'Smriti'?

3/n

Shruti literally means in Sanskrit “What Is Heard”. Shruti is the knowledge directly from God & was heard by the sages directly through divine universal vibrations

It is the revelation, unquestionable truth, eternal. It is the first level of knowledge transition from divine

4/n

Smriti ion the other hand is “that which has been remembered” supplementary and may change over time.

It is authoritative only to the extent that it conforms to the bedrock of Shruti.

5/n

Apart from The Vedas, the core of the Hindu religion is Vedic literature which primarily includes texts:

1. Samhitas – literally “collections,” in this case of hymns and mantras. They form the Veda.

2. Brahmanas – manuals of ritual & prayer for the guiding priests...

6/n

...They (Brahmanas) explain the Samhitas. They also contain early versions of some stories.

3. Aranyakas – literally “forest books” for hermits and saints. They are philosophical treatises.

4. Upanishads – books of philosophy, also called “Vedanta,” the end of Vedas..

7/n

.. Upnashidas are the Vedic teachings passed on by Gurus to their Shishyas

5. Vedangas, which expound the sciences required to understand and apply the Vedas.

6. Upavedas that deal with the four traditional arts and sciences.

8/n

There is often confusion between different books and scriptures but if we do a little research we get all the answers.

There are many sacred (authentic only) books but the core philosophy revolves around the divine Vedas 🙏

I offer a humble apology if I missed anything 🙏

n/n

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Searching Roots

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15 Oct

The Sacred Hawan Or Yagna..

What is Hawan or Yagna and why is it performed?

Yagna literally means "worship, sacrifice or offering”. It is a process of invoking a sacred fire with the intention of cleansing one’s material and spiritual body, and the environment.

The process of Yagna is described as the most important Karma in the Karmakand of Vēdas

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In Yajurveda, Hawan is said to be the Naabhi (nucleus) of the entire world. Nabhi has an important place in Human body, so is the role of Yagya in world.

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10 Oct

The Great Indian Sages..

Pippalada was an ancient Indian Vedic sage, philosopher, and a teacher of the Atharvaveda. He established his own school of Atharvaveda known as the "Pippalada-sakha".

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Upanishads are one of the primary Hindu texts.

The word ‘Upnishda’ has been derived from the root Sad (to sit), Upa (nearness) and Ni (totality). Thus, this word means ‘sitting near by devotedly’

Coming to Prashna Upanishad which contains six Prashna (questions), and discussion on their respective answers.

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8 Oct

The Great Indian Sages...

Maharshi Patanjali (??) - Known as the father of modern yoga, Patanjali did not really invent yoga. Yoga was already there in various forms.

Maharshi Patanjali assimilated all aspects of Yoga together and gave the world the very famous 'Yoga Sutras'

The history of Yoga can be traced from Vedic scripture to the modern period, throughout which it underwent successive refinements.

However, Yoga as a discipline was detailed first by Patanjali in his Yoga Sutras, the first systematized treatise on Yogic theory and practice.

Contrary to the modern understanding of Yoga as a form of physical exercise, the Vedic/Hindu concept of yoga is much deeper involving mind, body, and soul.

In a similar line, in the yoga sutra Patanjali talks about not just the practice of yoga but about life and beyond.

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24 Sep

The Great Indian Sages…

Sushruta (~1200-600 BCE ??)

Sushruta, an Indian physician, who wrote one of the world's earliest works on medicine and surgery is regarded as the 'Father of Indian Medicine' and 'Father of Plastic Surgery.'

Sushruta lived in the ancient city of Kashi.

Sushruta is known for his pioneering operations & techniques & for his influential treatise 'Sushruta Samhita', the main source of knowledge about surgery in ancient India.

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18 Sep

The Great Indian Sages..

Bhaskaracharya (1114–1185 CE) Bhaskaracharya was the leading mathematician and Astronomer of the 12th century.

His contribution to the subject of mathematics, astronomy, and astrology is exemplary.

He was born near Vijjadavida (Bijapur in modern Karnataka).

Bhaskaracharya’s name was actually ‘Bhaskara’ only but the title ‘Acharya’ was added and conferred to mean “Bhaskara the Teacher”.

He is also known as Bhaskaracharya II.

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8 Sep

The Great Indian Sages..

The exemplary contribution of ancient Indian sages to science never received its due credit and ironically still remains unsung.

Here is an attempt to throw some light on the accomplishments of one such great ancient Indian scientist, Aryabhata.

1/n

Aryabhata (476–550 CE):

Aryabhata was a fifth-century astronomer, mathematician, and the author of singularly famous astronomical treatise – Aryabhatiya.

Aryabhatiya contains 118 verses on mathematics, time and planetary models, and spheres and eclipses.

2/n

Aryabhata’s contribution to astronomy is phenomenal. He formulated the process of calculating motion of planets & time of eclipses.

He was the first to state that the earth is round, rotates on its axis, orbits the sun, & is suspended in space – 1,000 yrs bfore Copernicus.

3/n

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