Hindu texts

Shruti Hindu scripture is overwhelmingly written in Sanskrit. ... Image File history File links Aum. ... Shruti (Sanskrit श्रुति, what is heard) is a canon of Hindu scriptures. ... Vedas Rig Veda Sama Veda Yajur Veda Atharva Veda Brahmanas Aranyakas Upanishads Smriti The Vedas (Sanskrit:- वेद), collectively refers to a corpus of ancient Indo Aryan religious literature that are considered by adherents of Hinduism to be revealed knowledge. ... The Rig Veda ऋग्वेद (Sanskrit ṛc praise + veda knowledge) is the earliest of the four Hindu religious scriptures known as the Vedas. ... The Sama Veda (सामवेद), or Veda of Holy Songs, is third in the usual order of enumeration of the four Vedas, the ancient core Hindu scriptures. ... The Yajur Veda यजुर्वेद is one of the four Hindu Vedas; it contains religious texts focussing on liturgy and ritual. ... The Atharva Veda is a sacred text of Hinduism, part of the four books of the Vedas. ... The Brahmanas (Brahmin Books) are part of the Hindu Shruti; these religious scriptures focus on sacrifice -- particularly that of horses and soma. ... The Aranyakas (Forest Books, Forest Treatises) are part of the Hindu Shruti; these religious scriptures are sometimes argued to be part of either the Brahmanas or Upanishads. ... The Upanishad (उपनिषद्, Upaniá¹£ad) are part of the Hindu Shruti scriptures which primarily discuss meditation and philosophy and are seen as religious instructions by most schools of Hinduism. ... Itihāsas Mahābhārata Bhagavad Gītā Ramayana Puranas (List) Tantras Sutras (List) Stotras Ashtavakra Gita Gita Govinda Hatha Yoga Pradipika

Smriti (Sanskrit स्मॄति, "that which is remembered") refers to a specific canon of Hindu religious scripture. Smriti also denotes non-Shruti texts generally, seen as secondary in authority to Shruti. The great Hindu Epics are also occasionally termed Mahakavya (Great Compositions); the terms refer to a canon of Hindu religious scripture. ... The Mahabharata (Devanagari: महाभारत, phonetically Mahābhārata - see note), sometimes just called Bharata, is one of the two major ancient Sanskrit epics of India, the other being the Ramayana. ... 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. ... The Ramayana (Sanskrit: march or journey (ayana) of Ram) is part of the Hindu smriti, written by Valmiki. ... The Puranas (Sanskrit पुराण, purāṇá ancient, since they focus on ancient history of the universe) are part of Hindu Smriti; these religious scriptures discuss varied topics like devotion to God in his various aspects, traditional sciences like Ayurveda, Jyotish, cosmology, concepts like dharma, karma, reincarnation and many others. ... The Puranas (Sanskrit पुराण, purāṇá ancient, since they focus on ancient history of the universe) are part of Hindu Smriti; these religious scriptures discuss varied topics like devotion to God in his various aspects, traditional sciences like Ayurveda, Jyotish, cosmology, concepts like dharma, karma, reincarnation and many others. ... The Tantra (Looms or Weavings), refer to numerous and varied scriptures pertaining to any of several esoteric traditions rooted in Hindu and Buddhist philosophy. ... Sutra (सूत्र) in Sanskrit is derived from the verb siv-, meaning to sew (these words, including English to sew and Latinate suture, all derive from PIE *syÅ«-). It literally means a rope or thread, and more metaphorically refers to an aphorism (or line, rule, formula), or a collection of such aphorisms... Below is a list of sutras organized alphabetically under the broad categories of Hinduism and Buddhism. ... Stotras are Hindu prayers that praise aspects of God, such as Devi, Siva, or Vishnu. ... The Ashtavakra Gita (Song of Ashtavakra) is an influential nondualist Hindu text traditionally said to have been written by the Sage Ashtavakra, though its authorship is not known with certainty. ... The Gita Govinda or the Song of the Shri Krishna is a work composed in the 12th century by Jayadeva Goswami. ... The most fundamental text of Hatha Yoga is the Hatha Yoga Pradipika, a Sanskrit classic written by Swami Swatamarama, a disciple of Swami Goraknath. ... Look up canon in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Basic beliefs What can be said to be common to all Hindus is the belief in Dharma (duties and obligations), Samsara (Reincarnation/rebirth), Karma (actions, leading to a cause and effect relationship), and Moksha (salvation) of every soul through a variety of paths, such as Bhakti (devotion), Karma (action) and... The origins of the word religion have been debated for centuries. ... Many religions and spiritual movements hold certain written texts (or series of spoken legends not traditionally written down) to be sacred. ... Shruti (Sanskrit श्रुति, what is heard) is a canon of Hindu scriptures. ...

Categorizing the Smriti has been a contentious issue, even the names of proposed categories are debated. Such categorization is arguably unnecessary. Nevertheless, one such taxonomy follows:

• Dharma Shastra (the laws)
• Mahakavya (the Epics; they include Mahabharata and the Ramayana)
• Purana (the fables or writings)
• Sutra (proverbs or aphorisms)
• Agama (the philosophies; including Mantra, Tantra, and Yantra)
• Dyasana (the philosophies; including the Vedanta)

The great Hindu Epics are also occasionally termed Mahakavya (Great Compositions); the terms refer to a canon of Hindu religious scripture. ... The Mahabharata (Devanagari: महाभारत, phonetically Mahābhārata - see note), sometimes just called Bharata, is one of the two major ancient Sanskrit epics of India, the other being the Ramayana. ... The Ramayana (Sanskrit: march or journey (ayana) of Ram) is part of the Hindu smriti, written by Valmiki. ... The Puranas are part of Hindu Smriti; these religious scriptures discuss devotion and mythology. ...

Main Smritis

There are eighteen main Smritis, being:

• Manu Smriti
• Yajnavalkya Smriti
• Parasara Smriti
• Vishnu Smriti
• Daksha Smriti
• Samvarta Smriti
• Vyasa Smriti
• Harita Smriti
• Satatapa Smriti
• Vasishtha Smriti
• Yama Smriti
• Apastamba Smriti
• Gautama Smriti
• Devala Smriti
• Sankha-Likhita Smriti
• Usana Smriti
• Atri Smriti
• Saunaka Smriti

The Manu Smriti (Sanskrit मनुस्मृति), translated Laws of Manu or Institutions of Manu, is a foundational work of Hindu law and ancient Indian society, written c. ... The Yajnavalkya Smriti is one of the three main Smritis. ...

See also

• Yuga Dharma
• Shruti

... Shruti (Sanskrit श्रुति, what is heard) is a canon of Hindu scriptures. ...

External links

• Arsha Vidya Gurukulam
• Sanskrit site with comprehensive library of texts