The Fundamentals of the Hindu Dharma | 1 min.

Questions:

1. Do Hindus have a religion?
A. Yes, the eternal, immortal and universal Sanatana Dharma (same as Hindu Dharma).

2. Who established Hinduism?
A. God, the Almighty – “Sat-chit-ananda-swarupa”.

3. Is there a single holy book for Hindus?
A. Yes, the Vedas – the source of all worldly knowledge.

No religion on earth preaches the dignity of humanity in such a lofty strain as Hinduism, and no religion on earth treads upon the necks of the poor and the low in such a fashion as Hinduism. 

                                          - Swami Vivekananda ( on 20 August 1893 in a letter to Alasinga Perumal).

Now, let’s see a few important Hindu scriptures:

• Vedas (4) - The first and the foremost. There are 4 Vedas: 

1. Rigveda
2. Yajurveda
3. Samaveda
4. Atharvaveda

Each Veda is divided on two bases: 

First division:

1. Karma-kanda
2. Upasana-kanda
3. Jnana-kanda

Second division:

1. Samhita
2. Brahmana
3. Aranyaka
4. Upanishad

• Vedangas (6) – They exist to ease the study of Vedas. There are 6 Vedangas:

1. Shiksha
2. Chandas
3. Vyakarana
4. Nirukta
5. Kalpa
6. Jyotisha

• Upavedas (5) – Each Veda has an Upa-veda (‘upa’ means ‘sub’). It is indeed a subtext, to each Veda. There are 5 (not 4) Upavedas in total.

1. Ayurveda (upaveda to Rigveda)
2. Dhanurveda (upaveda to Yajurveda)
3. Gandharvaveda (upaveda to Samaveda)
4. Shilpaveda (upaveda to Atharvaveda)
5. Arthopaveda (upaveda to Atharvaveda)

Note: 4 and 5 Upavedas belong to the same Veda – Atharvaveda.

• Upanishads (>2000): They are parts of the Vedas, but are often learnt and quoted independently, as they are more explicit. As per the Vedic history, more than 2,000 (two thousand) Upanishads exists, but as of now, only 108 of them are available. Out of these 108, ten Upanishads have been interpreted by scholar and sage Shri Shankaracharya and hence are considered the most important by Hindu scholars. These 10 are together called ‘Dashopanishads’ (Dasha-upanishads; Dasha meaning ten). They are:

1. Aitareya (belongs to Rigveda)
2. Brihadaranyaka (belongs to Yajurveda)
3. Ishavasya (belongs to Yajurveda)
4. Thaitthiriya (belongs to Yajurveda)
5. Katha (belongs to Yajurveda)
6. Chandogya (belongs to Samaveda)
7. Kena (belongs to Samaveda)
8. Mundaka (belongs to Atharvaveda)
9. Mandukya (belongs to Atharvaveda)
10. Prasna (belongs to Atharvaveda)

• Darshanas (6): The six-Darshanas are known in Sanskrit as Shad-darshanas (‘shad’ meaning ‘six’). They are 6 texts written about scientific, philosophical and spiritual sciences:

1. Sankhyadarshana by Kapilamuni (about rationalism)
2. Yogadarshana by Patanjali Maharshi (about physical, mental and spiritual health)
3. Nyayadarshana by Goutamamuni (about theory of logic, methodology and judgement)
4. Vaisheshikadarshana by Kanadamuni (about naturalism)
5. Vedantadarshana (also known as Utthara-meemamsa-darshana) by Badarayana Maharshi (about philosophy and spirituality)
6. Meemamsadarshana (aka Poorva-meemamsa-darshana) by Jaimini Maharshi (about dharma)

What we have seen so far is just the tip of a mountain. The post is incomplete, even the list of Hindu scriptures given here is incomplete, but I hope this post serves you as a motivation to know the Sanatana Dharma deeper and to realize the purpose of your life.

Be a proud Hindu! Long live Hindu Dharma!