- The Upanishads are Hinduism's primary philosophical texts. the name means "sitting near" in sanksrit, alluding to the nature of the Upanishads being taught by a guru. The Upanishads are broken into 108 main verses concerning everything from atman, to reincarnation, all the way to moksha. They are considered to be the first formal spiritual direction in the Vedas. The sage Vyasa Badarayana attempted to systematize the teachings of the Upanishads by writing the Vedanta Sutras, a series of 550 aphorisms with different commentaries written on each. These texts, Upanishads and Vedanta Sutras, are considered the more difficult to understand, as people in Kali-Yuga are less philosophically inclined.
Bhagavad-gita:
- This is the most well known Hindu scripture in the world. It is the spiritual treatise spoken by Krishna to Arjuna in preparation for battle. It covers several Hindu concepts about the Supreme, the Gunas, and the Atman. There is discussion as to how the different types of Yoga can lead to liberation as well. Now it is usually printed with extensive commentary on all 700 verses.
Dharma Shastras:
- These are the guidelines pertaining to codes of conduct, civil and criminal law, and punishment and atonement. These laws are both religious and secular. The Manu Smriti is the most important of these law giving texts. It establishes the Hindu lifestyle and explicitly states the place of the four varnas and ashrams (as merit based positions, not birth influenced). The text also deals with laws of inheritance, adoption, and government.
No comments:
Post a Comment