The Dharmashastra is a volume of Hindu legal texts, covering moral, ethical and social laws. The name derives from the Sanskrit words 'dharma' (that which is righteous/deserves to be remembered) and 'shastra' (knowledge, or writings); the term can be translated as 'righteousness science'.
Literature
Kane, Pandurang Vaman (1880 - 1972): History of Dharmasastra : (ancient and mediaeval, religious and civil law). -- Poona : Bhandarkar Oriental Research Institute. 1962 - 1975.
Topics in This article is about the Hindu religion; for other meanings of the word, see Hindu (disambiguation). Aum, the most sacred syllable and quintessential symbol of Hinduism, represents the first manifestation of the unmanifest Brahman. Hinduism (सनातन धर्म; commonly called Sanātana Dharma...
Hinduism
Shruti (what is heard) is a canon of Hindu scriptures, early forms of which may have existed as early as 1500 BC, with most scholarship favoring dates between 1200 and 800 BC. Shruti is said to have no author; rather, it is believed to be a divine recording of the...
Shruti (primary Scriptures):
The Vedas are part of the Hindu Shruti; these religious scriptures form part of the core of the Brahminical and Vedic traditions within Hinduism and are the inspirational, metaphysical and mythological foundation for later Vedanta, Yoga, Tantra and even Bhakti forms of Hinduism. In Sanskrit the word means Knowledge or...
Vedas | The Upanishads (उपनिषद्, Upanişad) are part of the Hindu Shruti scriptures which primarily discuss meditation and philosophy and are seen as religious instructions by most schools of Hinduism. The cedillas under some letters should be dots, but the Windows 98 HTML character...
Upanishads | Bhagavad Gīta भगवद्गीता, composed ca the fifth - second centuries BC, is part of the epic poem Mahabharata, located in the Bhisma-Parva chapters 23–40. A core sacred text of Hindu religion and philosophy, the Bhagavad Gita, often referred...
Bhagavad Gita | Itihasa (Sanskrit: thus verily happened) refers collectively to the epic Hindu scriptures, detailing the actions of divine incarnations on earth while interspersing them with often large sections of philosophical and ethical discourse. Though they are often classified as Hindu or Indian mythology, the label does not capture the centrality of...
Itihasa ( Lord Ram, Laxman, Sita and Hanuman(crouching) The Ramayana (Sanskrit: vehicle of Rama) is part of the Hindu smriti, written by Valmiki (c.250 BC). This epic of 24,000 verses tells of a Raghuvamsa prince, Rama of Ayodhya, whose wife Sita is abducted by the rakshasa, or demon, Ravana...
Ramayana & The Mahabharata (Devanagari: महाभारत, phonetically Mahābhārata - see note), sometimes just called Bharata, is the great religious, philosophical and mythological epic of India. It is a keystone text of Hinduism. It is the second longest literary work in the world (after...
Mahabharata) | The Agamas are sectarian and monotheistic texts dedicated to worship of Vishnu, Shiva or Devi. For example, the Shaivite Agamas are the primary religious text in Virasaivism. The Tantras are Agama texts devoted to worhip of Devi. External links http://www.dlshq.org/religions/agamas.htm Categories: Stub | Hinduism ...
Agamas
Smriti (what is fit/deserves to be remembered) refers to a canon of Hindu religious scripture. Smriti is the name for non-Shruti texts; Smriti is generally seen as secondary to Shruti. They are also known as Dharma Sastras. One grouping (they vary) of the Hindu Smriti includes: DharmaShastra (the...
Smriti (other texts):
The Tantras (Looms or Weavings), written between 500 and 1800, are part of Hindu Smriti; these religious scriptures discuss rituals and meditation. Categories: Substubs | Hindu texts ...
Tantras | Sutra (सूत्र) in Sanskrit is derived from the verb √siv, meaning to sew. It literally means a rope or thread, and more metaphorically refers to an aphorism (or line, rule, formula), or a collection of such aphorisms in the form of a manual. In Hinduism...
Sutras | The Puranas are part of Hindu Smriti; these religious scriptures discuss devotion and mythology. They were written c.400-1000; the eighteen Puranas with six each are rendered to members of the Hindu Trinity, Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva and Shakti, Gods Power personified. Perhaps, the best known Purana is...
Puranas | The Brahma sutra is the nyaya prasthana, the logical text that sets forth the philosophy systematically (nyaya - logic/order). No study of Vedanta is considered complete without a close examination of the Prasthana Traya. Brahma Sutras is also called Vednanta Sutras. Additionally, is also known by other names: it is...
Brahma Sutras | Hatha Yoga Pradipika is a classic Sanskrit manual on Hatha Yoga, written by Swami Svatmarama. It is said to be the oldest surviving text on the Hatha Yoga. The book was written in 15th century C.E. by Svatmarama. The work is derived from older Sanskrit texts and his own...
Hatha Yoga Pradipika | Smriti (what is fit/deserves to be remembered) refers to a canon of Hindu religious scripture. Smriti is the name for non-Shruti texts; Smriti is generally seen as secondary to Shruti. They are also known as Dharma Sastras. One grouping (they vary) of the Hindu Smriti includes: DharmaShastra (the...
Smritis | Tiruvalluvar statue at Kanyakumari Tirukkural (திருக்குறள் in Tamil) is an important work of Tamil literature by Tiruvalluvar written in the form of couplets expounding various aspects of life. It contains 1330 couplets divided into 133 chapters of 10 couplets each...
Tirukural | This article is in need of attention. Please improve it in any way you see fit. Patanjali has often been called the founder of Yoga because of his Yoga Sutras. While this is not fully correct -- his work is a treatise on Raja Yoga, built on the foundations of Samkhya...
Yoga Sutra
Concepts:
See Avatar (disambiguation) for other meanings. In Hinduism, an Avatar is defined as the incarnation (bodily manifestation) of an Immortal Being, or of the Ultimate Supreme Being. It derives from the Sanskrit word Avatara which means descent and usually implies a deliberate descent into mortal realms for special purposes. The...
Avatar | This article is about the concept of transcendent reality in Hinduism. See also Brahmin and Brahman (disambiguation). In the Vedantic (and subsequently Yogic) schools of Hinduism, Brahman is the signifying name given to the concept of the unchanging, infinite, immanent and transcendent reality that is the Divine Ground of all...
Brahman | The word dharma (Sanskrit; धर्म in the Devanagari script) or dhamma (Pali) is used in most or all philosophies and religions of Indian origin, Dharmic faiths, namely Hinduism (Sanatana Dharma), Buddhism, Jainism and Sikhism. It occurs first in the Vedas, in its oldest form as dharman. It...
Dharma | Karma first came into being as a concept in Hinduism, largely based on the Vedas and Upanishads. One of the first and most dramatic illustrations of Karma can be found in the great Hindu epic, the Mahabharata. The original Hindu concept of karma was later enhanced by several other movements...
Karma | This article is about a religious term. See Moksha (disambiguation) for other meanings. Moksha (Sanskrit: liberation) or Mukti (Sanskrit: release) refers, in general, to liberation from the cycle of death and rebirth. In higher Hindu philosophy, it is seen as a transcendence of phenomenal being, of any sense of consciousness...
Moksha | Maya, in Hinduism, is many things. It encompasses the ideas of a state of skewed perspective (not quite illusion), a creatrix energy (prakriti) and a personified goddess. Maya in Hindu philosophy In Advaita Vedanta philosophy, maya is the illusion of a limited, purely physical and mental reality in which our...
Maya | Ishta-Deva, or Ishta Devata is a term from Hinduism that means chosen Deity or revered aspect of God by a devotee and is a widely held concept in Smartism. In such a concept, different aspects of God are held equivalent and hence equal. Thus, the preferred form of God...
Ishta-Deva | Murti Worship Different sects of Hinduism, especially devotional/bhakti and tantric ones, have their own particular monotheistic conception of supreme Godhead from whom all other deities and principles emanate (such as Vishnu or Shiva, Krishna or Devi). Most Hindus, based on belief of many as one, will often worship many...
Murti | Reincarnation, also called metempsychosis or transmigration of souls, is the rebirth in another body (after physical death), of some critical part of a persons personality or spirit. Its occurrence is a central tenet of Hinduism, Jainism, some African religions, as well as various other religions and philosophies. Most modern...
Reincarnation | For the movie by this title, see Samsara (2001). In Hinduism, Buddhism and Jainism Saṃsāra refers to the concept of reincarnation or rebirth in Indian philosophical traditions. Etymology Saṃsāra is derived from saṃ√sṛ, to flow together, to go...
Samsara | In Hinduism, the Trimurti (also called the Hindu trinity) are three aspects of God in His forms as Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva. This Trimurti concept is a tenet strongly held in Smartism. Brahma - the Creator Vishnu - the Maintainer Shiva - the Destroyer The trimurti itself is conceived of as a deity...
Trimurti | In early Hindu philosophy, turiya (also called caturtha) is a state of Pure Consciousness, or the experience of ultimate reality and truth. It is a fourth state of consciousness that underlies and at the same time transcends three common states of consciousness: (i) the state of waking consciousness, (ii) the...
Turiya
Hindu philosophy (one of the main divisions of Indian philosophy) is traditionally seen through the prism of six different systems that are listed here and makes up the main belief systems of Hinduism. The characteristic of this philosophy is to consider being (consciousness) together with the other issues and is...
Schools & Systems:
There exist many schools and diverse movements of Hinduism. They trace their origins from as far back as three thousand to only a few dozen years. Many are extensions of varying schools of Vedanta and Yoga. Two major denominations are those of Vaishnavism and Shaivism, which differentiate groups based on...
Schools of Hinduism | Early Hinduism is a term used to designate the religious development of India before the historical period. Two kinds of evidence are available: literary and archeological. Literary Evidence The earliest literature of Hinduism is made up of the Vedas. Many Hindus believe that the Vedas were transmitted, via an oral...
Early Hinduism | Samkhya, also Sankhya, (Sanskrit: सांख्य) is a school of Indian philosophy, and is one of the six astika or Hindu philosophical schools of India. It is regarded as the oldest of the orthodox philosophical systems in Hinduism. Its philosophy regards the universe as consisting of...
Samkhya | Nyaya is the name given to one of the six orthodox or astika Hindu schools of Philosophy - specifically the history of logic. The Nyaya school of philosophical speculation is based on a text called the Nyaya Sutra. It was written by Gautama (not to be confused with the founder of...
Nyaya | Vaisheshika, also Vaisesika, (Sanskrit: वैशॆषिक)is one of the six Hindu schools of philosophy (orthodox Vedic systems) of India. Historically, it has been closely associated with the Hindu school of logic, Nyaya. Vaisesika espouses a form of atomism and postulates that all objects in...
Vaisheshika | Hatha Yoga posture Yôga, meaning union or yoking in Sanskrit, is the primary focus of Hinduisms diverse darshans or points of view. Yôga is a science of the body, the mind, the consciousness and the soul. Yôga is a teaching of wisdom and knowledge which has...
Yoga | The main objective of the Purva (earlier) Mimamsa school was to establish the authority of the Vedas. Consequently this schools most valuable contribution to Hinduism was its formulation of the rules of Vedic interpretation. Its adherents believed that revelation must be proved by reasoning, that it should not be...
Mimamsa | Vedanta , meaning literally the end section of the Vedas, is a branch of Hindu philosophy. It is a system of Jnana Yoga that attempts to guide the individual to enlightenment. It is drawn from the Upanishads, considered the fundamental essence of all the Vedas, and some of the earlier Aranyakas...
Vedanta | Tantra (Sanskrit: loom), tantric yoga or tantrism is any of several esoteric traditions rooted in Hindu and Buddhist philosophy. Tantra can be concisely described as the black sheep of Hindu yoga. Extolled as a short-cut to self-realization and spiritual enlightenment by some, left-hand tantric rites are often...
Tantra | Bhakti yoga is the Hindu term for the spiritual practice of fostering of loving devotion to God, called bhakti Traditionally there are 9 forms of bhakti yoga. Hindu movements in which bhakti yoga is the main practice are called bhakti movements The Philosophy and Development of Bhakti Bhakti is the...
Bhakti
Traditional Practices:
This article needs cleanup. Please edit this article to conform to a higher standard of article quality. Jyotish, referring to jyot, or light and isha, or lord, is the contemplation of the divinity expressing as time and space. Also known as Vedic astrology, it is the extant form of ancient...
Jyotish | Ayurveda (आयुर्वेद Sanskrit: ayu—life; veda—knowledge of) or ayurvedic medicine is a more than 2,000 year old comprehensive system of medicine based on a holistic approach rooted in Vedic culture. Its conspicuous use of the word veda, or knowledge...
Ayurveda
A ritual is a formalised, predetermined set of symbolic actions generally performed in a particular environment at a regular, recurring interval. The set of actions that comprise a ritual often include, but are not limited to, such things as recitation, singing, group processions, repetitive dance, manipulation of sacred objects, etc...
Rituals:
Aarti, ãrti, arathi, or ãrati is a Hindu ritual in which light from wicks soaked in ghee (purified butter) or camphor is offered to one or more deities. It may be said to have descended from the Vedic concept of fire rituals, or homa. The word may also refer to...
Aarti | A Bhajan is a Hindu devotional song, often but not necessarily of ancient origin. Bhajans are associated with the Bhakti movement. Bhajans are deeply rooted in the Indian tradition. Bhajans are simple songs in soulful language expressing the many-splendored emotions of love for God, a complete submission or self...
Bhajans | Darshan is a Sanskrit Hindu term meaning sight or a glimpse of the divine. We could have a darshan of the deity in the temple (at the gross level) or have a darshan in that inward eye of a light or awareness (at a subtle plane). Sudarshan means a glimpse...
Darshan | In Tibet, many Buddhists carve mantras into rocks as a form of devotion. A mantra is a religious syllable or poem, typically from the Sanskrit language. Their use varies according to the school and philosophy associated with the mantra. They are primarily used as spiritual conduits, words and vibrations that...
Mantras | Puja (alternative transliteration pooja, Sanskrit: reverence or worship, loosely) is a religious ritual which most Hindus perform every morning after bathing and dressing but prior to taking any food or drink. Puja rituals vary between Hindu sects, but generally involve the chanting of a particular mantra on a mala (rosary...
Puja | The company of the highest knowledge and Truth; the company of a Guru; contact with a person or an assembly of persons who listen to, talk about, and assimilate the Truth. This highest company also takes the form of hearing or reading the words of highest awareness, reflecting on, discussing...
Satsang | Stotras are Hindu prayers that praise aspects of God, such as Devi, Siva, or Vishnu. Stotras, according to Swami Tapasyananda, are invariably uttered aloud and consist of chanting verses conveying the glory and attributes of God. The three most famous and sacred stotras in Hinduism are Lalitha Sahasranama, Shri Rudram...
Stotras | This article needs cleanup. Please edit this article to conform to a higher standard of article quality. In Hinduism, Yajna (Sanskrit yajñá worship, prayer, praise; offering, oblation, sacrifice) is a ritual of sacrifice performed to please the Devas. It involves pouring oblations into the divine Agni (the sacrificial fire). Everything...
Yajna
A guru (गुरू Sanskrit) is a Hindu religious teacher. It is based on a long line of Hindu philosophical understandings of the importance of knowledge and that the teacher, guru, is the sacred conduit to self-realization. Till today in India and among people of Hindu or...
Gurus and General definition of saint In general, the term Saint refers to someone who is exceptionally virtuous and holy. It can be applied to both the living and the dead and is an acceptable term in most of the worlds popular religions. The Saint is held up by the community...
Saints:
Sri Adi Sankara Adi Shankaracharya or Adi Shankara (the first Shankara in his lineage), reverentially called Bhagavatpada Acharya (the teacher at the feet of Lord), Shankara (approximately 509- 477 BC (though some claim 788-820 CE)) was the most famous Advaita philosopher who had a profound influence on the growth...
Shankara | Sri Ramanuja Acharya (1017 - 1137 AD) was an Indian philosopher and is recognized as the most important saint of Sri Vaishnavism. He held the Vishishtadvaita or Nondualist belief that the world and Brahman were united, like a soul and a body are. His version of Indian Nondualism differed from Shankara...
Ramanuja | Shri Madhvacharya,(1238-1317), was the chief propounder of the Dvaita or dualistic school of Hindu philosophy, one of the three influential Vedanta philosophies. He was one of the influential philosophers during the Bhakti movement. Madhvacharya is believed to be the third incarnation of Vayu, after Hanuman and Bhima. Formative...
Madhvacharya | Sri Ramakrishna Paramhansa (February 18, 1836 - August 16, 1886) was a Bengali religious leader. A worshipper of Kali, he was a teacher of Advaita Vedanta Hinduism and preached that all religions lead to the same goal, placing spiritual religion above blind ritualism. The Hindu renaissance that India experienced in the...
Ramakrishna | Introduction Swami Vivekananda (Narendranath Dutta) (January 12, 1863 - July 4, 1902) is considered one of the most famous and influential spiritual leaders of the Hindu religion. He is considered by many as an icon for his fearless courage, his positive exhortations to the youth, and his broad outlook to social...
Vivekananda | Narayana Guru Narayana Guru (नारायण गुरु) (1856 - 1928) was a great sage and social reformer of India. Born in Ezhava/Thiyya caste (a Sudra or Other Backword Community in todays parlance), he revolted against the brhaminical order and thereby transformed the...
Sree Narayana Guru | Śrī Aurobindo Śrī Aurobindo (August 15, 1872–December 5, 1950) was an Indian nationalist, scholar, poet, Hindu mystic, Evolutionary philosopher, yogi and guru. His followers further believe that he was an avatar, an incarnation of the supreme being. Sri Aurobindo spent his life—through...
Aurobindo | Ramana Maharshi (1879-1950) was a great Hindu mystic of the Advaita Vedanta stream. Born in a village called Tirucculi near Madurai in southern India, he was given the name Venkataraman. His father died when he was twelve, and he went to live with his uncle in Madurai, where he...
Ramana Maharshi | This is an article on Swami Sivananda of Rishikesh. For Swami Sivananda, the disciple of Sri Deep Narayan Mahaprabhuji, see Swami Sivananda (Rajasthan). Swami Sivananda Saraswati ( 1887- 1963), as he is known under his monastic name, was born Kuppuswamy in Pattamadai, Tamil Nadu, India. A Hindu by birth, he is...
Sivananda | Swami Chinmayananda (स्वामी चिन्मयानन्द) (1916-1993) was born Balakrishna Menon (Balan) in Ernakulam, Kerala in a very devout Hindu family. Graduating from Lucknow University, he entered the field of journalism where he...
Chinmayananda | Sivaya Subramuniyaswami (1927 - 2001), affectionately known as Gurudeva, was born in Oakland, California on January 5th, 1927. He established a Hindu monastery in Kauai, Hawaii and founded the magazine Hinduism Today. He also authored many books and was one of the most prominent faces of Hinduism during the last two...
Sivaya Subramuniyaswami | Swaminarayan (April 2, 1781) was born Ghanshyam Maharaj to a brahmin family in the village of Chhapaiya, Uttar Pradesh. His fathers name was Hariprasad Pande (dharmadev) and His mothers name was Premvati (Bhaktimata). He also had two brothers, Rampratapji Pande was his older brother and Icharamji Pande His younger brother...
Swaminarayan
Hinduism like any other major religion has many sects or denominations. Vaishnavism Vaishnava worship Vishnu and his avatars (especially Rama and Krishna) as the supreme deity. This is the largest Hindu denomination. Vaishnava Sects Madhwas - followers of Madhwacharya Shree Vaishnavas - followers of Ramanujacharya Rudra Vaishnavas - followers of Vallabhacharya Nimbarka Vaishnavas...
Denominations:
Hinduism like any other major religion has many sects or denominations. Vaishnavism Vaishnava worship Vishnu and his avatars (especially Rama and Krishna) as the supreme deity. This is the largest Hindu denomination. Vaishnava Sects Madhwas - followers of Madhwacharya Shree Vaishnavas - followers of Ramanujacharya Rudra Vaishnavas - followers of Vallabhacharya Nimbarka Vaishnavas...
List of Hindu Sects Vaishnavism is the branch of Hinduism in which Vishnu or one of his avatars (i.e., incarnations) is worshipped as the supreme God and is a monotheistic faith. Branches Major Vaishnava schools of thought: Vishishtadvaita, espoused by Ramanuja Dvaita espoused by Shri Madhvacharya Achintya Bheda-Bheda, espoused by Shri Caitanya...
Vaishnavism | Shaivism, also Saivism, is a branch of Hinduism that worships Siva as the Supreme God. Followers of Saivism are called Saivites. Saivism is a monotheistic faith. Saivites believe that there is only one God, who simultaneously permeates all creation and exists beyond it, being both immanent and transcendent. The concept...
Saivism | Shaktism is a denomination of Hinduism that worships Shakti, the Divine Mother, in all of her forms whilst not rejecting the importance of masculine and neuter divinity. In Shaktism, as Satguru Sivaya Subramuniyaswami noted, emphasis is given to the feminine manifest by which the masculine Un-manifest Parasiva is ultimately...
Shaktism | Smartism is a denomination of the religion of Hinduism and is closely affiliated with the Advaita tradition. Smartism is monist in theological belief. Smartas (followers of Smartism) accept and worship all major forms of God, (Ganesha, Siva, Sakti, Vishnu, Surya and Skanda). Following a meditative, philosophical path, the denomination is...
Smartism | Agama Hindu Dharma is the formal name of Hinduism in Indonesia. It is practised by 93% of the population of Bali, but also in Sumatra, Java (especially by the Tenggerese people on the east), and Kalimantan. Although, officially, only about 3% of Indonesian population is Hindu, those following Hindu traditional...
Agama Hindu Dharma | Hinduism is going through a phase or regeneration and reform through the vehicle of several contemporary movements. These movements stress the spiritual science aspects of the Hindu traditions, creating a form that is egalitarian that does not discriminate based on jati(ethnic group), gender, or race. Active Hindu communities are...
Contemporary Hindu movements | A Survey of Hindu Organisations Scope The article presents a comparitive overview of the leading Hindu organisations of India. For details on the institutions themselves, or for about the founders - go to the relavent article on them in wikipedia. Since it is intended to present here the overall view of...
Survey of Hindu organisations
Even before the Sukhothai kingdom in the north around Chiang Mai the Lannathai kingdom flourished, which after a long history of indepence or changing alliances with Burma or Ayutthaya became part of the Ayutthaya kingdom finally.
The Dharmashastra remained a tool of Thai law until late in the 19th century.
Beginning with the Portuguese in the 16th century, Ayutthaya had some contact with the West, but until the 1800s, its relations with neighboring nations, as well as with India and China, were of primary importance.
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