HINDU RELIGIOUS BOOKS

Hinduism, one of the oldest religions in the world offers a large number of scriptures and Hindu religious books. The following are the most important Hindu religious books-

The Vedas- The Vedas are the ancient religious books of Hinduism. Among the four Vedas- Rig Veda , Sama Veda , Yajur Veda and Atharva Veda , the Rig Veda is the oldest of all. All the Vedas have immense spiritual value and include incantations, hymns, metaphysical contents and the rituals that were practiced in ancient India.

The Vedic philosophy has been continued in the Upanishads and they explain how the atman (soul) can merge with Brahman (the ultimate truth) through spiritual ways like meditation and thoughtful observation. The Upanishads also elucidate the doctrine of Karma (the collective effects of one's actions).

The Puranas , another type of Hindu religious books narrate the entire history of the cosmos, from creation to devastation, the successive generations of the kings, demigods and valiant heroes and so on. There are about seventeen to eighteen canonic Puranas that are classified into three divisions- Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva( all named after Hindu deities).

The Bhagavad Gita or the Gita is considered the Holiest Book of the Hindus and consists of philosophical exchanges between the Lord Krishna and the warrior prince – Arjuna. In fact it an excerpt of the great Epic- Mahabharata and elaborates on devotion, duty, meditation, selflessness and other subjects of Hindu philosophy. Ramayana is another famous Epic in Hindu religion.

The 'Code of Manu' or the ‘Manusmriti' also forms a part of the Hindu religious books and typifies the social codes of the caste system pertaining to the Brahmins.