This will facilitate our young learners to know how. The main motive to make this page is that how much we know about the hinduism which is not only a religion but it is a way of life. Other holy scriptures in hinduism are called the upanisads, the smrutis, the puranas, the ramayana and the mahabharata. In hinduism, there is no particular holy book like christianity and islam. We do hope that all serious students of hindu religion and philosophy will find the book useful and. It is believed by followers of this religion that the universe goes through many phases of preservation, creation, and dissolution. Book of god eternal knowledge of god hinduism questions answered. Today, with about 900 million followers, hinduism is. Recently ive been interested in some ideas of the hindu religion and i wanted information about the main gods and fundamental concepts, so i can have a good and solid notion of the religion itself. Just wish the author had more specifically credited and acknowledged by name the indian people she met in india who she obviously got much of her information from.
There is no central ancient text that succinctly sums up. A comprehensive overview of the worlds oldest religion. Some of the other holy works and books of hinduism. Here were going to talk about some of the main hindu religious books. While it certainly has evolved over the years, the belief in gods and deities is an ancient tradition and dates back thousands of years.
The book, which was first published in 1947, has now been rearranged in a more convenient form, with useful additions here and there, and is now released in its fifth edition. The oldest religions that are still widely practiced are hinduism, judaism, buddhism, taoism, and jainism. The dharmashastras law books, derivatives of the dharma sutras. The vedas are a collection of hymns and other ancient religious texts written in india between about 1500 and bce. Hindu sacred literature is the most ancient of the living literatures of the world. Presented here is the worlds largest collection of hindu books, covering all the aspects of this profound religion. Of all the ancient writings, most scholars agree that the old testament of the bible is the oldest of religious books.
Composed in vedic sanskrit hymns, the texts constitute the oldest layer of sanskrit literature and the oldest scriptures of hinduism. The christian bible and jewish scriptures also reveal that not only did god create the world and everything within it, but god did so because he wanted to. The oldest evidence of religious practices in india date back approximately to 5500 bce. It is a book of sanskrit mantras that is considered one of the oldest books in the indoeuropean language. Swami bhaskarananda has written a compact, yet amazingly comprehensive treatment of the essentials of the hindu view of life, emphasizing the very things one wishes most to know about when first approaching this complicated, and manysided subject. The oldest sacred book of hinduism gomal university. Composed in vedic sanskrit, the texts constitute the oldest layer of sanskrit literature and the oldest scriptures of hinduism.
The rig veda was likely composed between roughly 17001100 bce, making it one of the oldest texts of any indoiranian language, one of the worlds oldest religious texts. Is the bible the oldest religious book in the world. I propose tholkaapiyam, the tamil grammer book which was written sometime in. Saivism is a panhindu religion that focuses on the traditions of hinduism that worships the deity shiva or sometimes his consort and power, sakti, practiced widely across india, nepal, and sri lanka. This is an attempt to capture in one place the names of books and other. Discover the 10 oldest religious texts in the world here. Hindu religion hinduism facts hinduism facts facts. There is no single hindu sacred text, not in a similar fashion to how the abrahamic religions islam, christianity, judaism have theirs. Although, this question is limited in context to finding out which hindu text is considered oldest in recorded history i. Hinduism has been explained with its origins, beliefs, way of life, sacred texts, gods and goddesses, holiest things, interesting facts and hinduism.
The bhagavad gita, or song of the lord is part of the sixth book of the. Writing and literature are thought to have been first developed between the 7th and 4th millenium bc. The textbook entitled, hindu religious studies has been prepared on the basis of attainable competencies for the students of class four. Now i am eager to think that the beautiful text the epic of gilgamesh 3rd. As a hinduamerican, i highly recommend this book and give copies to all my friends who are interested in learning about the worlds oldest religion. Most research points to hinduism as the oldest form of religion. Hinduism has been explained with its origins, beliefs, way of life, sacred texts, gods and goddesses, holiest things, interesting facts and. One of the oldest known religious texts is the kesh temple hymn of ancient sumer, a set of inscribed clay tablets which scholars typically date around 2600 bce. A collection of handselected books on hinduism, chosen on the basis of apparent usefulness and quality. Hindus believe that the vedas texts were received by scholars direct from. The shruti refers to the body of most authoritative, ancient religious texts, believed. One of the most important books out of this collection of texts is the book of. Along with the book of the dead, the enuma elish, the i ching, and the avesta, they are among the most ancient religious texts still.
Hinduism has been called the oldest religion in the world, and some practitioners and scholars refer to it as sanatana dharma, the eternal tradition, or. The vedas are a large body of hindu texts originating in ancient india, with its samhita and brahmanas complete before about 800 bce. The oldest religious book in the world hasnt yet been discovered by archaeologists. Book on hinduism, hindu religious beliefs and practices.
Today, with about 900 million followers, hinduism is the third. Hinduism is an ancient religion with diverse traditions such as vaishnavism, shaivism, shaktism and others. Hinduism has been called the oldest religion in the world, and some practitioners and scholars refer to it as sanatana dharma, the eternal tradition, or the eternal way, beyond human history. In other words, hinduism is a conglomeration of different doctrines and traditions mainly based on vedas and modified from. Hinduism has been called the oldest religion in the world. Religionfacts does not necessarily endorse the contents of these books.
With news this week of the discovery of what could be the earliest known siddur, a jewish prayer book dated at around 840 ad we have put together a list of 10 of the oldest known surviving books in the world today writing and literature are thought to have been first developed between the 7th and 4th millenium bc. Asked in christianity, hinduism, educators what are hindu churches called. It was first written at bc through 500 bc and the words were given by god to its writers. The oldest known religion in the whole world that is known to man is hinduism.
Hindu wedding rituals symbolism and significance shubha b. For example, the story of creating the world in seven days is told in avesta one of the texts that predate the bible. The scriptures of the vedas are meant to guide hindu believers in their daily lives. Hinduism is the worlds oldest religion, according to many scholars, with roots and customs dating back more than 4,000 years. I am talking like an academic book that explains with objectivity and focus the heart of the religion. Hindu scriptures can be broadly grouped under two principal.
Hindu texts are manuscripts and historical literature related to any of the diverse traditions. Judaism is the oldest of the three monotheistic abrahamic faiths, with the other two religions being christianity and islam. It is often described as a way of life and is widely practiced in india and other parts of the indian subcontinent as well as parts of southeast asia. The subject matter of the textbook is derived from the basic issues of the religion familiar to the children through their family practices. The dharmashastras law books, derivatives of the dharmasutras. Hinduism is believed to have the oldest roots among all religions. Apr 17, 2020 the oldest forms of worship in the world are ancestor worship, shamanism, and animism, which are thought to date back to at least around 300,000 bce. Egyptian religion is also considered to be one of the oldest religions. Animism is another religion that dates back for more than 50,000 years. I was inclined to believe that the rig veda was the oldest. The hindu religion follows the divinity of the four vedas which is considered the oldest scripture in the world. The most holy of the hindu books is written in sanskrit and is referred to as the vedas.
While judaism has many important and sacred texts, its most. They consider this the word of god and the basis of the eternal religion, sanatana dharma. Download the bible, the holy quran, the mahabharata, and thousands of free pdf ebooks on buddhism, meditation, etc. Hinduism, one of the worlds oldest religions, can be hard to understand or even define. A comprehensive overview of the worlds oldest religion swami bhaskarananda. The religion was officially founded by moses, although jewish history can be traced back to abraham, who is considered to be the ancestor of the jewish people.
Which is the oldest known hindu text in recorded history. A comprehensive guide to the hindu religion, hindu gods, hindu beliefs. The oldest forms of worship in the world are ancestor worship, shamanism, and animism, which are thought to date back to at least around 300,000 bce. These are the most ancient religious texts which define truth for hindus.
Now i am eager to think that the beautiful text the epic of gilgamesh 3rd millennium b. It includes elements such as liturgical material as well as mythological accounts, poems, prayers, and formulas considered to b. With news this week of the discovery of what could be the earliest known siddur, a jewish prayer book dated at around 840 ad we have put together a list of 10 of the oldest known surviving books in the world today. Everyone knows that the hindu religion is the worlds oldest religion and its books are also the oldest about 3000 bc. A comprehensive overview of the worlds oldest religion swami bhaskarananda on. Mar 18, 2009 hinduism isnt the worlds oldest living religion, because hinduism is defined not as one religion, but as any religion that originated in the hindu river valley. While the book dates back to the year 868 ad, it was found only in 1907. A study of hindu books indicates that hinduism is not merely a religion, but a way of life, where spiritual progress is made possible for everyone, whatever be his or her station in life.
Saivism is also the oldest form of hinduism worship. The complete idiots guide to hinduism, 2nd edition. All are available for purchase on click book images for details. In simple words, hinduism is a way of life, which helps you to liberate from the cycle of birth and rebirth. A hindu reading list 73 books goodreads share book. The epic of gilgamesh from sumer, although only considered by some scholars as a religious text, has origins as early as 2150 bce, and stands as one of the earliest literary works that includes various mythological figures and themes. No one knows what the first religion was in the world.
Hinduism isnt the worlds oldest living religion, because hinduism is defined not as one religion, but as any religion that originated in the hindu river valley. Jul 20, 2007 the oldest religious book in the world hasnt yet been discovered by archaeologists. The book contains 270 pages and is divided in 57 small easytoread chapters, containing authentic information about all the important aspects of hindu religion, culture, and philosophy. The rig veda is a collection of vedic sanskrit hymns counted among the four hindu religious texts known as the vedas.
Khan, kpk, pakistan abstract this article throws light on the fact that hinduism is one of the oldest religions of the world. Hinduism originated in india, jainism and buddhism in nepal, judaism in israel and taoism in china. That honour goes to the diamond sutra, a buddhist religious text. The oldest text of the religion today known as hinduism is unable to be verified by date, but was written somewhere between 1500500 bce. Shrimad bhagwat geeta teaches a very good lesson about life, how to overcome your weakness.
This sacred book of hindu is the worlds best selfimprovement book because it teaches you how to control your mind. Hindu religion is a dominant eastern religion ranking third in the world. Hinduism is an indian religion and dharma, or way of life, widely practised in the indian subcontinent and parts of southeast asia. In modern times, most ancient texts have been translated into other indian.
The proof of many of these religions are seen in religious texts discovered by experts and specialists. Religion has been around for as long as man has existed. In hindu religion the oldest and most sacred text is the. Zoroastrian texts depict one of the worlds oldest monotheistic religions practiced in iran around 600bc650ce. The essentials of hinduism and millions of other books are available for. The religion is believed to have influenced many of other world religions, including christianity. This book is quite famous all over the world and the most readable book of hindu religion.