The dharmashastras law books, derivatives of the dharmasutras. Hindus believe that the vedas texts were received by scholars direct from god. Hinduism is one of the oldest known organized religionsits sacred writings date as far back as 1400 to 1500 b. The concept of salvation in the bible is that god reaches down. True to its nature, there is not just one scripture that is universally accepted. The bhagavad gita manuscript is found in the sixth book of the mahabharata manuscripts the bhismaparvan. The bhagavad gita, or song of the lord is part of the sixth book of the. Think twice, however, because this article will revolve around how similar they both are. The first veda, the rig veda, was written over 3500 years ago, and is possibly the oldest religious text in existence. Years ago hinduism had few adherents in western countries, but many would be surprised how much influence it has in western cultures today. The earliest hindu writings date from roughly 1500 b.
Jan 02, 2020 the main texts of hinduism are the vedas considered most important, upanishadas, the mahabharata, and the ramayana. The bible says believers names are written in the book of life. At best, these hindu books like the vedas are merely the suggested ideas of man about reality, being purely arbitrary compared to the word of god the bible. However, due to historical developments, the bhagavad gita is considered to be a critical text in hinduism, and one that is referenced as a way to get a beginners idea of hinduism. Scholars regard hinduism as a fusion or synthesis of various indian. If anyone is to be taken captive, to captivity he goes.
Hinduism has numerous sacred scriptures because unlike christianity, god is always with us and there is none of this one time in history he came down ins human form and gave us one authoritative book. Religious texts are texts related to a religious tradition. Hinduism has the vedas, which if it werent for them, you would never have your christian bible. Nearly all other bible writers made similar claims. For catholicism, this includes seven deuterocanonical books in the old. Here some powerful quotes from the gita that will give you a different perspective on life, and maybe even change the way you look at hinduism. Does hinduism have any official books like the bible. One day while i was returning home from school, i saw two white guys missionaries selling a fat book for ten rupees. So, i think i am qualified to answer this question. The ancient indians were not interested in history as such, which is simply the records of kings and merchants written by the victors. The holy books of the hebrews, which took about 1,000 years to write, were eventually incorporated. I am a hindu, why should i consider becoming a christian. Ayyavazhi and hinduism are two belief systems in india. May 15, 2008 hinduism has the vedas, which if it werent for them, you would never have your christian bible.
In traditional hinduism, the vedas are considered divine in origin and are assumed to be revelations from god. Hinduism, major world religion originating on the indian subcontinent and comprising several and varied systems of philosophy, belief, and ritual. This veda is divided into a series of ten smaller books, called mandalas, which contain odes dedicated to the various hindu deities. Hinduism does not just have one sacred book but several scriptures. The ten days between rosh hashanah and yom kippur are days of repentance, when jews express remorse for their sins through prayer and fasting. Today, with about 900 million followers, hinduism is. Christianity revolves heavily around the life of jesus christ as detailed in the bible, whereas hinduism is not based on any one personality or one book, but rather on the philosophy that there is a god, or no god and just self, etc. Because hinduism is an amalgam of popular religious traditions developed over thousands of years, the term official as opposed to unofficial can only be applied loosely. Hinduism holy book important books and writings of hinduism. The vedas are religious texts that are the oldest written works in hinduism, emerging approximately 2,500 years ago. About that dot on the forehead, the ten questions people ask about hinduism says this. Numerous and frequentlyupdated resource results are available from this search. Hinduism flows from the misty past some 6000 to 7000 years ago. The only book more historically verifiable than the old testament the hebrew bible is the new testament.
Hinduism is an indian religion and dharma, or way of life, widely practiced in the indian subcontinent and parts of southeast asia. The purpose of this study is to compare the main doctrines of hinduism to the teachings of the bible. However, formatting rules can vary widely between applications and fields of interest or study. Though ayyavazhi continues to officially exist within hinduism and is considered by some observers to be a hindu denomination, members of the religion claim that it is independent. A few texts are shared resources across these traditions and broadly considered as hindu scriptures. Compared to other religions, sikhism is a religion of recent origin, founded in the 15th century ad by its founder sri guru nanak. Like the taoist tao te ching, the buddhist dhammapada, the sikh adi granth, the jewish torah, the christian bible and the muslim koranthe veda is the hindu holy book. Parallel teachings in hinduism and christianity university libraries. Like the taoist tao te ching, the buddhist dhammapada, the sikh. The rig veda a scripture of hinduism is dated to between 1500 1200 bce. Jan 02, 2020 the only book more historically verifiable than the old testament the hebrew bible is the new testament. The rigveda is considered by many to be the most important of the vedas. The most notable distinction from hindu are the ayyavazhi religions concepts of good, evil and dharma hindus view vedas, gita, and other texts from the. There are a variety of sacred writingsthe vedas and upanishads.
There are a number of books and different groups of hindus place varying importance to different ones. Nov 04, 2008 the aryans gave hinduism its priestly language, sanskrit. Reliable information about the coronavirus covid19 is available from the world health organization current situation, international travel. Its followers, called christians, often believe christ is the son of the holy trinity and walked the earth as the incarnate form of god the father. Hinduism is often referred to as sanatana dharma, a sanskrit phrase meaning the. If the indus valley civilization 3rd2nd millennium bce was the earliest source of hindu traditions, then hinduism is the oldest living religion on earth. Hinduism does not possess a single holy book like bible in christianity and quran in islamic dharma. Learn vocabulary, terms, and more with flashcards, games, and other study tools. Both pantheists and atheists can be classified as monists, because they both believe in one foundational substance to reality. As your wise librarian told you, there is no one single book of. The vedas are a large body of hindu texts originating in ancient india, with its samhita and brahmanas complete before about 800 bce. Like the bible of christianity, the vedas of hinduism or the koran of islam, the guru granth sahib, also known as the adi granth, is the main scripture of sikhism.
Christianity vs hinduism difference and comparison diffen. Within that body of literature, the last parts, the upani. Jun 16, 2018 just like god is eternal his knowledge is also eternal. Yajurveda samhita is used as a handbook by priests performing the. It is also one of the most diverse and complex, having millions of gods. Is there a holy book, like the bible, in the hindu religion. Our various scriptures have given us various rules and beliefs that all hindus follow, but there is no single scripture that hindus regard. It is a religious symbol representing divine sight and shows that one is a hi foreward magazine. Therein, in the third section, the gita forms chapters 2340, that is 6. Scholars hesitate in defining the term hindu scriptures given the diverse nature of hinduism, but many list the bhagavad gita and the. Do hindus have a holy book like the bible or koran answers. The concept of suffering in the bible and in hinduism book. The book of the dead is believed to have influenced the ten commandments given to moses it reads exactly like them, except in the negative registry. Composed in vedic sanskrit hymns, the texts constitute the oldest layer of sanskrit literature and the oldest scriptures of hinduism.
The hindu bible is called shruti, and contains four subchapters called vedas. In judaism today, it plays a role in the feast known as yom kippur, or day of atonement. The aryans gave hinduism its priestly language, sanskrit. I understand hinduism does not have a founder of the religion, and it does not have a socalled formal religious text like bible or alquran. In hindu scripture, brahman is described as he who dwells in the sky and. Hindu texts are manuscripts and historical literature related to any of the diverse traditions within hinduism. Hindus are taught daily worship in the family shrine room from childhoodrituals, disciplines, chants, yogas, and religious study. I dont call myself a hindu but i was born into a hindu family. So hindu writings generally make no claim to be the very words of a god, but bible writings claim that the whole bible speaks the very word of god. At first glance, people easily conclude that hinduism and christian are two different religions that do not really have something in common. Like the taoist tao te ching, the buddhist dhammapada, the sikh adi granth, the jewish torah, the. Hinduism is the worlds oldest religion, according to many scholars, with roots and customs dating back more than 4,000 years. Cains mark is the hindu tilakabindi his background as the crop worker and murderer of his brother leads him to develop awakening and the teachings of karma. Introduction hinduism stands for the faith and the way of life most of the people who live in india.
Hinduism is the third largest religion in the world. The teachings of the bible and the teachings of the holy scriptures of the hindu religion are poles apart. Why is the bible written in such a way as to be interpreted differently by everyone. May 12, 2011 because hinduism is an amalgam of popular religious traditions developed over thousands of years, the term official as opposed to unofficial can only be applied loosely. We are not cult members who follow a single doctrine to the core, word for word. While pantheists believe that everything is divine, and therefore, nonphysical, atheists believe that everything is. Currently, hinduism is the thirdlargest religion in the world. Hinduism is such an ancient religion that it had many types of beliefs and religious practices. 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. The flow of hinduism can be divided roughly into major periods of change and development. Comparing hinduism with christianity evidence unseen.
Smriti is a literature which includes various shastras and itihasas epics like. Just like god is eternal his knowledge is also eternal. Information on hinduism for kids primary homework help. This book also contains a gayatri mantra and the hindu story of primal man, which is similar to the story of adam and eve. The texts that began what eventually became the hebrew bible date back to the 10th or 11 century b.
The concept of salvation in the bible is that god reaches down to level of humanity to save them from eternal destruction. Among the vast body of indian sacred texts there are stories, prayers and teachings analogous to parts of the bible. An ancient indian book dense with wisdom, the bhagavad gita is the most important and beloved spiritual text to billions of hindus. With nearly a billion adherents worldwide, hinduism is the worlds third largest religion after christianity and islam. The concept of suffering in the bible and in hinduism. Unlike other religions, hinduism is not based on one book. Some religious texts are accepted or categorized as canonical, some. She whispers, in the religion section, under holy bible and holy quran. Hinduism can be traced back to ancient indian seers who transmitted to their followers their ideas about ultimate truth. Dec 21, 2017 similarities between hinduism and christianity. In the most general terms, the book of the dead was a book of spells both religious and magical. The four books of the vedasrig, yajur, sama and atharvainclude over. Ever since god has existed his knowledge has existed. Monism is part and parcel with pantheism, literally meaning one substance.
Other texts used in hinduism include the brahmanas, the sutras, and the aranyakas. Around 1750 bc aryan invaders from central asia settled in north west india and introduced their own religious. The best of those works are assembled in what is hinduism. Oclcs webjunction has pulled together information and resources to assist library staff as they consider how to handle coronavirus. Hindus have a wide variety of core beliefs and exist in many different sects. It is called the quran not the koran and the quran is not a destination it is the islamic holy book, just the like the bible is to christians. These writings contain hymns, incantations, philosophies, rituals, poems, and stories from which hindus base their beliefs. Hinduism doesnt have one key holy book, like the bible or quran. Our scriptures say that eternal knowledge of god is the vedas. The veda is a rather unusual collection of literature. The bible is the holy scripture of the christian religion. Hindu texts are manuscripts and historical literature related to any of the diverse traditions. Christianity broadly consists of individuals who believe in the deity jesus christ. November 2018 11 october 2018 1 november 2017 1 may 2016 4 april 2016 12 march 2014 1 february 2014 8 january 2014 2 july 20 1 february 2012 1 june 2011 3 may 2011 26 february 2011 2 january 2011 9 june.