HINDUISM

The world’s third largest religion

with around 15% of the entire
population practicing the Hindu faith.
It is considered the oldest and
complex of all world religions.
The term HINDU originated from the
Persian word hindu which means
river.
 The name Hinduism was given in
the nineteenth century to describe
the wide array of belief systems in
India. Hinduism was originally
known as “ Aryan Dharma” or “
Aryan Way”
 SACRED SCRIPTURES
SHRUTI literally means “that
which is heard”. They are regarded
as eternal truths that were passed
orally until the beginning of the
present age wherein there came
the need to write them down.
VEDAS – the word VEDA means
knowledge or sacred lore. The
Vedas are the earliest known
Sanskrit literature from the
Brahmanic period and oldest
scriptures of Hinduism.
 The four basic VEDIC BOOKS;
1.Rig-Veda-it is a collection of over a
thousands hymn and verses
dedicated to the Aryan Gods.
2.Yajur-Veda or knowledge of rites-
it is a collection of rites recited
during rituals and sacrifices to Gods.
3.Sama-Veda or the knowledge of
chants-it is a collection of verses
from the four basic hymns recited
by priests during sacrifices.
4. Athara-Veda or knowledge given
by the sage Atharva-it contains
rituals used in homes and popular
prayers to Gods.
SHMRITI- means “ that which has
been remembered”. Stories and
legends, codes of conduct for the
society and guidebooks for
worship.

The great Epics “Ramayana” and “

Mahabharata”
The poem “ Bhagavad Gita”
a. Ramayana-translated as “ The
story of Rama” or “Rama’s
Journey” ,consisting of 24,000
verses in 7 books and 500 cantos.
 The central of the story is Rama, a
prince and later portrayed as avatar
or incarnation of the Hindu god
Vishnu, who was born Ayodhya.
Rama was exiled by his father on the
eve of his coronation . Meanwhile, in
forest, Rama’s consort, Sita,was
abducted by Ravana,
the demon-king of Lanka.
Rama struggles mightily to win Sita
back. After the battle, Rama kills
Ravan and reunites with Sita.
Returning to Ayodhya, they are
crowned with Rama portrayed as
the ideal king. Rama and Sita are
the epitome of perfect man and
woman. Meanwhile, Ravana
symbolizes ambition and greed.
B. Mahabharata-composed of 100
verses making it the world’s largest
poem. It is an epic vision of the
human condition, such as intrigue,
romance, duplicity, moral collapse,
dishonour and lamentations.
C. Bhagavad Gita-translated as “The
Lord’s Song” ,considered as the
holiest books of Hindus, the GITA is
a 700-verse narrative of a dialogue
between the Pandava prince Arjuna
and his guide cousin Krishna.