Vedas and upanishads are more central to hinduism than gospels are to christianity. It synthesizes the main teachings of the upanishads. Thus any definition of hinduism is somewhat arbitrary and. A few texts are shared resources across these traditions and broadly considered as hindu scriptures. Rather, there is a huge array of different sacred texts. Yoga and the psychology of india sonoma state university. They recommend that it be eaten in winter and late fall, not in spring or sumner where they suggest lighter meats like quail, patrige, rabbit and venison. An ancient indian book dense with wisdom, the bhagavad gita is the most important and beloved spiritual text to billions of hindus. The galaxy of hindu literature is very vast and voluminous. Holy book, has four parts, the oldest holy book of any organized religion. Arun gopinath hindus believe that the knowledge of medicinal plants is older than history itself, that it was gifted. The different gods and goddesses in the hindu mythology are derived from these books. Karma deeds, jnana knowledge, and bhakti devotional. Yoga has been a controversial practice among western christians for a while now.
The problem that is being swept aside is that exact dates cannot be assigned to any of these texts. While yoga predates hinduism, they hindus were the first to popularize the discipline of yoga by giving it written structure. Hindu religion, hinduism, sanatan dharma, hindu dharma. The puranas are a significant reference of prominent hinduism. Often many scholars consider that the jain religion is older than hinduism. Thus sanatana dharma means the eternal duty or the eter. How authentic yoga is different from popular christianity and. There are different forms of yoga, she says, some of which are more overtly religious than others. It emphasizes living teachers over teachers and prophets of old. Therefore my friend hinduism arose from yoga and not the other way around. Excerpt from the mahabharata that is incredibly important. Yoga is a group of physical, mental, and spiritual practices or disciplines which originated in. Mahabharata, and bhagavad geeta the holy book of the hindus written between. Jul 28, 2017 in this series we are today presenting the holy scriptures and books of hindu religion to free download hinduism vedas.
The idol found in staraya old maina village dates back to 710th century ad. Recently though, the physical side of my practice has given way to longer daily periods of meditation. The focus is on seeking answers through various forms of yoga. The term yoga, however, is found in ancient indias earliest known scripts the vedas. But in hinduism there is more to it than that, yoga also has a spiritual. The hindu american foundation wants yogas hindu origins. The vedic tradition or hinduism is more than a religion, but a way of life, a complete philosophy. Vedic religion diwali yoga shiva navratri dharmashastra bhakti purana. The first veda, the rig veda, is the oldest scripture written. Three reasons christians should think twice about yoga. Apr 30, 2012 holy yoga is the brainchild of brooke boon, one of several people who admit to being influenced by the theologically flawed work of nancy roth, author of an invitation to christian yoga seabury books, 1989, who started the christian yoga fad years ago. Hindu texts are manuscripts and voluminous historical literature related to any of the diverse traditions within hinduism. Hinduism as both a global religion and a form of nationalism are discussed. Just as we have bound ourselves to the wheel of birth and death through ignorance and the karmas created by and perpetuating that ignorance we must liberate ourselves by attaining true knowledge and wisdom jnana.
Texts and books of the smriti bhagavadgita bhagavadgita the most holy book oh hinduism is the bhagvadgita. Download the bible, the holy quran, the mahabharata, and thousands of free pdf ebooks on buddhism, meditation, etc. Gods, temples, rituals and various other components of hinduism are different from those of jainism. Important hindu texts establishing the basis for yoga include the yoga sutras of patanjali. Jan 04, 2021 hinduism and jainism are two ancient religions that originated in india. Hinduism is neither monotheistic nor restricted to one religious scripture. Today, with about 900 million followers, hinduism is the third. We understand yoga comes from india, which is an area steeped in hinduism. They date from the vedic period, which began in 1500 bce. Our itihasa history books, such as ramayana, mahabharata, and bhagavad geeta the holy book of the hindus were written between 800 400 bce. For starters, yoga is thousands of years older than hinduism.
There are five primary sacred texts of hinduism, each associated with a stage of hinduisms evolution. For hindus, the vedas are like the old testament, but the bhagavad gita is their new testament. Hinduism is practised by more than 80% of indias population. Information on hinduism for kids primary homework help. Its a little hilarious to see the answers here about this question almost every person is trying to prove their scriptures are the best just like any other religious question. Hinduism is the worlds oldest religion, according to many scholars, with roots and customs dating back more than 4,000 years. Does the hindu religion score over its abrahamic counterparts. Hinduism says that godrealization is the right of every human being. Staraya maina village in ulyanovsk region was a highly populated city about 1700 years ago much older than kiev and so fat it is believed to be the mother of all russian cities. Shruti is considered more authoritative than smriti. Composed in vedic sanskrit hymns, the texts constitute the oldest layer of sanskrit literature and the oldest scriptures of hinduism. Roughly 95 percent of the worlds hindus live in india. Karma a type of yoga that involves doing nice things, so you may get ahead in the samsara process or even achieve brahman. In the bhagavad gita, which is an important hindu holy book, lord krishna explains that selfless action is the best example of karma yoga.
One hindu group has even launched a take back yoga campaign. Roth, an episcopal priest with an ecumenical ministry in spirituality believed there. Anatomy, kinesiology, and asana by judith hanson lasater. In comparison, similar textual analysis of the torah first five books of the old testament, the oldest part of the bible indicates that it was composed between 600950 bce. The book, five years in the making and launched last week by abhyas trust in delhi. There is no historical evidence of moses that i am aware of. Hinduism to a unique place in the world, something that religious. Karma means action and yoga means loving unity of our mind with god. Hindu mythology is fascinating and exciting, and its link to yoga may provide a pose with emotional purpose to pair with the physical asana and mental relaxation.
Yoga is a deep spiritual system, a journey into ancient india. We certainly can connect yoga to 5000 years old indus valley civilizational evidence. Known as royal yoga and classical yoga, it is the cultivation of the mind via meditation. Hindu quotes 147 quotes meet your next favorite book. Unlike christianity or islam, it is a not a religion that is governed by the book.
The agamas, sanatana dharmas second authority, are revelations on sacred living, worship, yoga and philosophy. Hinduism is the oldest known religion on the earth. There are a few differences and similarities between the two religions. No one denies that hinduisms most sacred and ancient texts, including the.
Flood traces the development of hindu traditions from ancient origins and the major deities to the modern world. Yoga is one of the six orthodox philosophical schools of hinduism. Yoga a spiritual system, a journey into ancient india. The indian supreme court is mulling whether yoga is a religious activity. It is said that lord shiva, the destroyer of worlds, is the supreme first yogic guru, known as the adiyogi, the source of yoga.
Sanatana means eternal and dharma means duty, activity or nature. Hinduism contains its own customs, festivals and holy books as well as a number of deities that intertwine its history, culture and indian society, past and present. That said the sister practise of yoga is ayurveda, not hinduism. Yeah, taking a leather mat to a yoga class sounds exactly like something i would do. Some, including the hindu american foundation haf, have criticized what. Bhakti yoga this type of yoga is about worship and. It is widely held that the great vedic rishi agastya brought sacred. This book provides a muchneeded thematic and historical introduction to hinduism, the religion of the majority of people in india. The term first appeared during a time muslims invaded india about ce and called the people living on the other side of the sindhu river hindhus. The initiate guided by a guru may practice yoga a methodic exertion of body and mind in order to attain, through mortification, concentration, and meditation, a higher state of consciousness and thereby find supreme knowledge, achieve spiritual autonomy, and realize oneness with the highest or however the ultimate goal is conceived. There are also other holy books like puranas, ramayana, mahabharta etc. Then, by the end of the book, i come back to discussing yogic. The concept of hinduism being a single monolithic religion is recent, dating back only to the 19th century. Hindu practitioners of yoga are proud of their religious traditions, while.
Authentic yoga postulates that the aspirant must liberate himself by realizing his own true nature as the everfree atmanself. The vedas are a large body of hindu texts originating in vedic period in northern india, the rig veda being composed ca. Hinduism has a greater variety of religious and spiritual teachings than any other religion in the world. A type of yoga that involves devotion to hinduism through worship etc. Download books, sacred, spiritual texts and pdf ebooks. Saivism, shaktism and vaishnavism each exalts its own array of agamas, many more than 2,000 years old.
Most hindu texts discuss yoga as a practice to control the senses and. Feb 10, 2011 they want americans to think of yoga, the yoga sutras of patanjali and the great vedas when they think of hinduism, instead of the old stereotypes of caste, cows and curry. Hyms, mantras, prayers, and psalms dealing with relig. The song of god, often referred to as the gita, is a 701verse hindu scripture that is part of the epic mahabharata chapters 2340 of bhishma parva, dated to the second century bce. The word yoga was first mentioned in the oldest sacred texts, the rig veda. Whereas protestant christianity focuses on words and beliefs. It gave form to abstract principals offered up in the earlier texts. The language originally given to yoga postures was in sanskrit. Ganesan, a scholar at the french institute of pondi.
Yoga has no place in christians lives, greek orthodox church. This question about christians engaging in yoga is a complex one because people practice yoga in different ways and. Yoga and christianity is it ok for christians to practice yoga. The concluding portions of the vedas are called upanisads. According to the commonly used meaning in the west, yoga is a whole body of physical, mental, and psychological exercises for either physical purposes or to reach maximum mental maturity as well as physical. Hindu discipline that promotes the unity of the individual with a supreme being through a system of postures and rituals.
Later hindu teachings arose as reforms and became more psychological in character. Yoga is indias gift to the world, and it would be a shame to bring. Because the religion has no specific founder, its difficult to trace its origins and history. Hinduism is one of a few ancient religions to survive into. Jean varenne, the distinguished french orientalist, presents the theory of classical yoga, in all its richness, as a methoda concrete way to reach the absolute through spiritual exerciseswhich makes possible the transition. Rigved good quality yugrved good quality rigved english. Yoga is the act of yoking the practitioner to a hindu god, brahman who is said to enlighten the human soul by uniting with the human body. In this article, we detail the two different categories these texts are organized into, shruti and smriti, and overview the most popular of the hindu texts. Oct 28, 2014 all lessons are based on the sue penny textbooks.
Indian and hindu yoga tradition, launching accusations of cultural and religious. Meaning the entire religion sprung up from the knowledge gained through the practice of yoga, and by yoga i mean internal yoga, and by internal yoga i specifically mean altered states of consciousness and deep meditation and single pointed concentration. But the traditional view of judaism is that the torah was written by moses himself. May 01, 2012 while yoga predates hinduism, they hindus were the first to popularize the discipline of yoga by giving it written structure. Yoga a spiritual system, a journey into ancient india india. Apr 12, 2020 take back yoga, a campaign set up by the hindu american foundation haf, was developed to bring attention to america that yoga has roots in hinduism, and is not just about the physical poses called asanas. Marpa then milarepa, gampopa, authentic old buddhist yogic prac. A popular and critical success when it first appeared in france, yoga and the hindu tradition has freed yoga from the common misconceptions of the recent yoga vogue. The meaning iran as is very old or historical and the books themselves allege tremendous ancientness than that of the vedas. It is difficult to say whether ascetic traditions of hinduism were older than the vedic ritual religion.
Illustration of this principle is found in hindu texts such as the bhagavad gita and yogasutras, in a number of buddhist. A type of yoga that involves devotion to hinduism through. Download the bible, the holy quran, the mahabharata and thousands of free pdf ebooks on buddhism, meditation etc. The chronology of earliest texts describing yogapractic. Holy yoga teaches their instructors to teach in their native tongue. Its many sacred texts in sanskrit and vernacular languages served as a vehicle for. Yoga began within a subset of larger religious and spiritual traditions. Three types of yoga are mentioned in bha gavat geeta. It is the biggest misconception about hinduism that hindus worship 330 million gods making hinduism a polytheistic religion, but in fact, hinduism believes in only one god but allows its followers to worship the god in many forms such as nature including trees, sun, idols, animals, etc. Thus any definition of hinduism is somewhat arbitrary and requires qualification. Many old souls have been trying to climb this mountain in. The first, is that yoga is a 5,000 year old, timeless, monolithic tradition. May 25, 2011 a hindu view of christian yoga 11082010 09. List of holy bookstexts and scriptures in hinduism.
May 24, 2018 yoga itself is not at all new, however, and is actually so old that many of the poses are named after stories in hindu mythology. Hinduism is different than other major religions around the world, including islam, judaism or christianity in that it does not claim one idea, person or entity as its founder. Atharvaved download part i download part ii rigved samved download yajurved download more variants. The moment you start doing yoga, you become a hindu. Let these ancient myths infuse your yoga practice with. Dec 08, 2010 for starters, yoga is thousands of years older than hinduism. You may like to purchase a yoga video for learners as students particularly enjoy doing that lesson. Downloads of 10 most popular holy books of this globe. Only then would you be able to start learning these secret teachings. Yoga is a group of physical, mental, and spiritual practices or disciplines which originated in ancient india. They would rather, to paraphrase shukla, that hinduism is linked less with holy cows than gomukh asana a particularly arduous asana. Vamadeva shastri, excerpted from the book, hinduism and the clash of.
There are some worksheets missing for puja and shrine worship but information can be found on the internet or from your own resources. Beyond hinduism, yoga also has roots in buddhist, jain, and sufi. Well, well, then let me address that yoga has no religion claim. Feb 01, 2015 the focus of the spiritual seeker is not on receiving instructions on a creator via any religious or holy book. To most indians, such questions are nothing less than sacrilegious. Hinduism is the worlds third most popular religion, with around 750 million followers. Many scholars liken hinduism to a family of religions, with all affiliated members bearing a family resemblance.
Yoga, which means discipline, is used in two different meanings. The churchs declaration is based on the experience of those who practiced yoga, father michael konstantinidis told greek media. According to some it took centuries to write this book from 1500 b. However, philosophers suppose them to be new scriptures, sharing with the later deities that are vishnu, shiva and brahma. The religion of hinduism originated in northern india, near the river indus, about 4000 years ago and is the worlds oldest existing religion. January 29, 2017 this article is more than 2 years old. Apr 11, 2012 millions of americans practice some form of yoga. Yoga and the kundalini spirit the lioness in the wilderness. Hinduism as a term is not very old, not more than about years old. It is found inside the epic we noted earlier, the mahabharata. Mar 09, 2021 hinduism has the largest number of teachers, gurus and holy men and women of any religion. The development of yoga and yoga practices was a direct result of the emergence of asceticism in hinduism. The puranas are postvedic texts which typically contain a complete narrative of the.
They are rig veda, sama veda, yajur veda and atharva veda. Which holy book is the oldest, the bible, the gita, or the. The very first veda, rig veda very clearly shows that it was written, when nomad man first settled down on the banks of rivers like ganges, brahmaputra, indus etc. Ayurveda, especially the charak samhita talks extensively about eating meat, including the meat of cows.
1588 1187 1019 197 1307 1397 1606 1633 887 1548 1639 405 1200 1524 458 3 1130 1428 1046 863 1392 1724 2 317 1608 1706 518 1078 842 26 874 1203 334 688 1346