The main sacred book of Hinduism that you should know
Each religion follows a holy book that contains the philosophies and ideologies of its respective founder. For example, the holy book for Christianity is the Bible, for Islam it is the Koran and more. But if you want to know about the holy books of Hinduism, you would be surprised to learn that there is no specific holy book for this religion. Even though it is the third largest followed religion in the world, there is no founder, no date of origin and thus no single holy book for Hinduism.
But there is a common scripture, which every Hindu considers sacred: the Vedas. Apart from the Vedas, there are other writings of Hinduism which are mentioned below.
The Vedas
These are the first words spoken by the almighty God and are divided into four types. There is the Rig Veda, Yajur Veda, Sama Veda and Atharva Veda. These are primary writings of Hinduism and have a great impact on Buddhism, Sikhism and Jainism. The Rig Veda is the oldest of the four Vedas and was created around 1500 BC. The date of composition of the Vedas is still unknown, but it is expected to be approximately around 300 BC. C. The Vedas are also the holy bible of Hinduism and contain incantations, rituals and hymns from ancient India. These are one of the oldest religious texts in existence anywhere in the world.
Upanishads
Since there is no specific holy book for Hinduism, followers read and adopt ideologies established in books belonging to the Hindu culture. The Upanishads are one of the scriptures belonging to the Hindu religion. These are a continuation of Vedic philosophy and were created between 800 and 400 BC. C. They mainly elaborate how the Atma or the human soul can connect with the ultimate spiritual truth, Brahman, through meditation and contemplation. The Upanishads also speak of the doctrine of Karma, which is the cumulative effect of a person’s actions.
the epics
The Ramayana and the Mahabharata are the national epics of the Indian country. They are the longest poems in all languages. The Mahabharata was written by the sage Vyasa and was written between 540 and 300 BC It talks about the legends of the Aryan Vedic group. The Ramayana is attributed to the poet Valmiki and was written in the 1st century AD. It is a long love story with spiritual and moral themes that influence the culture of Hindus to this day.
Puranas
The Puranas are the stories of ancient times that describe the glorious deeds of God, elaborate the geography of the world, and describe the creation of God and the lineages of kings. There are a total of 18 Puranas which are divided into three subcategories, each named after a god. They are Vishnu, Shiva and Brahma.
Bhagavad Gita
For most Hindus, the Bhagwad Gita is an eternal truth comprising the teachings and advice of Krishna, which he gave to Arjun during the Kurukshetra in Mahabharata. The Gita contains shlokas that illustrate ways to live life in peace. Therefore, it is considered as a holy book of Hinduism.
Yogasutras and Thirumurai are some of the other scriptures of Hinduism that are based on philosophical paths unique to Hinduism.
