Glimpses Of World Religions

Author(s): Gunvant Barvalia
Publisher: Navbharat Sahitya Mandir

Page 14

Hinduism (The religion of the Hindus)
or Incarnations and the rites of Propitiation of the Pitrus. We come across such diverse beliefs regarding Hinduism. It is not easy to label down any characteristic or a definition of Hindu religion. The Definition of Hinduism
Taking into consideration the fact and the outlook that all those can be included in Hindu Religion such as the religion which was observed and honoured by the ancient Aryans inhabited in Hindustan the three main definitions of Hindu religion are specially known :-(1) the Vedas (Brahman) religion, (2) Jainism, (3) Bauddha Dharma. All these three are as if three branches of one large tree. Let us look at these three in order. (1) Hindu Dharma - Vedic Dharma
The Vedas mean knowledge = to know that. The four Vedas viz Rigveda, Yajurveda, Samveda, Atharvaveda. The Brahmaq books, the Aranyakas and the Upanishadas are included in this 'Veda'. The Vedas are the exclamations of God; the other name of the Vedas is Shruti. The Shruti means listening. The ancient sages and the ascetics had got this knowledge through listening. They were the seers, and not the authors.
Then, listening stopped and afterwards on the basis of memory, something was preserved. The many books compiled by the sages are called the ‘Smruti'. The books composed, depending on this, are called the Smruti Granthas. The Dharma Sutras, The Gruhya Sutras, Vedang, the Scriptures, the History - the Puranas and the philosophical treatises are included in these Smruti-granthas. The four Samhitas of Vedas were written. The great sage Krishna Dwaipayana has arranged these Samhitas. He is more known as Vyāsa. There are two sections of the scriptures – the Shruti and the Smruti. The Shruti means the books like Samhitas, the Brahmanas and the Aranyakas as well