There are two kinds of sacred writings in Hinduism Sruti and Smrti.
Sruti means that which has been heard perceived understood or revealed.
It is the oldest and the most sacred of the Hindu’s scriptures. The
Sruti is divided into two main parts. The Vedas and the Upanishads and
are considered to be of divine origin.
Smrti is not as sacred as the Sruti, but it is yet considered to be important and is popular with the Hindus today. Smrti means memory or remembered. This Hindu literature is easier to understand because it speaks about the truths of the uniVerse through symbolism and mythology. The Smrti are not considered to be of divine origin but are human composition which regulate and guide individuals in their daily conduct and lists rules governing the actions of the individual, the community and the society. They are also known as Dharma Shastra Smrtis consists of many writings including the Puranas and Itihas.
There are several Holy Scriptures of the Hindus among them are the Vedas, Upanishads & the Puranas.
a) (i)Vedas: It is derived from ‘Vid’, to know, means knowledge par excellence, sacred wisdom. There are 4 principal divisions of the Vedas (Although according to their number, they amount to 1131 out of which about a dozen are available. According to Maha Bhashya of Patanjali there are 21 branches of Rigveda, 9 types of Atharvaveda, 101 branches of Yajurveda and 1000 of Samveda)
(ii) The Rigveda, the Yajurveda and Samveda are considered to be more ancient books and are known as ‘Trai Viddya’ or the ‘Tripple Sciences’. The Rigveda is the oldest and has been compiled in 3 long and different periods of time. The 4th Veda is the Atharvaveda which is of a later date.
(iii) There is no unanimous opinion regarding the date of compilation or revelation of the 4 Vedas. According to Swami Dayanand, who is the founder of the Arya Samaj, the Vedas were revealed 1310 millions of years ago and according to other scholars they are not more than 4000 years old.
(iv) Similarly there is a difference of opinion regarding the places where these books were revealed and the Rishis to whom these Scriptures were given. Inspite of these differences the Vedas are the most authentic of the Hindu Scriptures and the real foundations of the Hindu Dharma.
b) Upanishads:
(i) The word Upanishads is derived from ‘Upa’ meaning near, ‘ni’ which means down and ‘shad’ means to sit, therefore Upanishads means sitting down near groups of pupils sit near the teacher to learn from him the secret doctrines.
According to Samkara Upanishad is derived from the root word ‘Sad’ which means ‘to loosen’, ‘to reach’ or ‘to destroy’, with ‘Upa’ and ‘ni’ as prefix, therefore Upanishad means Brahma-knowledge by which ignorance is loosened or destroyed.
(ii) The number of Upanishads exceeds 200 though the Indian tradition puts it at 108. There are 10 principal Upanishads however some consider them to be more than 10, while other 18.
(iii) The Vedanta meant originally the Upanishads, though the word is now used for the system of philosophy based on the Upanishad. Literally, Vedanta means the end of the Veda, Vedasya-antah, the conclusion as well as the goal of Vedas. The Upanishads are the concluding portion of the Vedas and chronologically they come at the end of the Vedic period.
(iv) Some Pandits consider the Upanishad to be more superior to the Vedas.
c) Puranas
Next in order of authenticity are the Puranas which are the most widely read scriptures. The Purana contains the history of the creation of the uniVerse, history of the early Aryan tribes and life stones of the devines and deities of the Hindus. The Puranas are revealed books like the Vedas which were revealed simultaneously with the Vedas or somewhere close to it.
Maharishi Vyasa has divided the Puranas into 18 voluminous parts. He also arranged the Vedas under various heads. The Gita and Mahabharata were productions of his masterly pen.
Chief among the Puranas is a book known as Bhavishya Purana. It is called so because it gives an account of future event. The Hindus consider it to be the word of God. Maharishi Vyasa was just the compiler of the book. The real author being God himself.
Smrti is not as sacred as the Sruti, but it is yet considered to be important and is popular with the Hindus today. Smrti means memory or remembered. This Hindu literature is easier to understand because it speaks about the truths of the uniVerse through symbolism and mythology. The Smrti are not considered to be of divine origin but are human composition which regulate and guide individuals in their daily conduct and lists rules governing the actions of the individual, the community and the society. They are also known as Dharma Shastra Smrtis consists of many writings including the Puranas and Itihas.
There are several Holy Scriptures of the Hindus among them are the Vedas, Upanishads & the Puranas.
a) (i)Vedas: It is derived from ‘Vid’, to know, means knowledge par excellence, sacred wisdom. There are 4 principal divisions of the Vedas (Although according to their number, they amount to 1131 out of which about a dozen are available. According to Maha Bhashya of Patanjali there are 21 branches of Rigveda, 9 types of Atharvaveda, 101 branches of Yajurveda and 1000 of Samveda)
(ii) The Rigveda, the Yajurveda and Samveda are considered to be more ancient books and are known as ‘Trai Viddya’ or the ‘Tripple Sciences’. The Rigveda is the oldest and has been compiled in 3 long and different periods of time. The 4th Veda is the Atharvaveda which is of a later date.
(iii) There is no unanimous opinion regarding the date of compilation or revelation of the 4 Vedas. According to Swami Dayanand, who is the founder of the Arya Samaj, the Vedas were revealed 1310 millions of years ago and according to other scholars they are not more than 4000 years old.
(iv) Similarly there is a difference of opinion regarding the places where these books were revealed and the Rishis to whom these Scriptures were given. Inspite of these differences the Vedas are the most authentic of the Hindu Scriptures and the real foundations of the Hindu Dharma.
b) Upanishads:
(i) The word Upanishads is derived from ‘Upa’ meaning near, ‘ni’ which means down and ‘shad’ means to sit, therefore Upanishads means sitting down near groups of pupils sit near the teacher to learn from him the secret doctrines.
According to Samkara Upanishad is derived from the root word ‘Sad’ which means ‘to loosen’, ‘to reach’ or ‘to destroy’, with ‘Upa’ and ‘ni’ as prefix, therefore Upanishad means Brahma-knowledge by which ignorance is loosened or destroyed.
(ii) The number of Upanishads exceeds 200 though the Indian tradition puts it at 108. There are 10 principal Upanishads however some consider them to be more than 10, while other 18.
(iii) The Vedanta meant originally the Upanishads, though the word is now used for the system of philosophy based on the Upanishad. Literally, Vedanta means the end of the Veda, Vedasya-antah, the conclusion as well as the goal of Vedas. The Upanishads are the concluding portion of the Vedas and chronologically they come at the end of the Vedic period.
(iv) Some Pandits consider the Upanishad to be more superior to the Vedas.
c) Puranas
Next in order of authenticity are the Puranas which are the most widely read scriptures. The Purana contains the history of the creation of the uniVerse, history of the early Aryan tribes and life stones of the devines and deities of the Hindus. The Puranas are revealed books like the Vedas which were revealed simultaneously with the Vedas or somewhere close to it.
Maharishi Vyasa has divided the Puranas into 18 voluminous parts. He also arranged the Vedas under various heads. The Gita and Mahabharata were productions of his masterly pen.
Chief among the Puranas is a book known as Bhavishya Purana. It is called so because it gives an account of future event. The Hindus consider it to be the word of God. Maharishi Vyasa was just the compiler of the book. The real author being God himself.
