Hindu
Holy Texts
THE
VEDAS (1500-900
B.C.)
Brahminism
(The Way of Action)
1. The Vedas (‘Veda’ is from the Sanskrit root
‘vid’ to
know, hence Vedas are the books of knowledge).
2. They are said to contain all possible knowledge
about man and the gods.
3. They were revealed to certain RSIS (Seers) who heard
these SRUTI:
¨ Collection of Hymns called the VEDAS
¨ THE BRAHMANAS – commentaries on the hymns
¨ THE ARANYAKAS – recitations to be chanted
by RSIS
or celibates who lived a solitary life
in the forest
¨ THE UPANISHADS – philosophical
speculations
on the
Vedic hymns.
4.
The VEDAS fall into 4 books
¨
The
RG Veda – Collection of the earliest
Aryan hymns.
¨
The
SAMA Veda – Collection of Rg veda
hymns arranged for liturgical (fixed form
of
public worship) purposes.
¨
The
YAJUR Veda – Collection of sacrificial
formulae.
¨
The
ATHARVA Veda – Most recent Veda
written between 800 – 500 B.C. – a
collection of spells and incantations, white
&
Black magical formula. Yet it
also contains
cosmological & metaphysical (theoretical
philosophy of existence & knowledge)
speculation on the nature of the self.
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