Time spent laughing is time spent with the Gods. - Japanese Proverb

The Immensity of the Hindu Scriptures
Part 1

Gyan Rajhans P. Eng.

Unlike other religions, there is no such thing as one single book that can be called the Hindu scripture or for that matter the “Hindu Bible”. However, for centuries the Bhagavad Gita (simply referred as the Gita) has been considered the “holy scripture” of the Hindus. This is why in courts of law, the Bhagvad Gita is used in taking oaths by the Hindus (as the Koran is used by Muslims, and the Bible by the Christians). This is because it contains essence of all the Hindu scriptures as described below. However, honestly speaking a Hindu does not know which book he/she may term as his/her scripture. This dilemma is due to the immensity of the Hindu scriptures. In this article and its part 2, I will attempt to familiarize you with the main Hindu scriptures.

Shruti and Smriti

Two types of sacred writings constitute the Hindu scriptures. The first one is called “Shruti” – which means that which has been heard. The second one is called “Smriti” – meaning that which has been memorized.

Shruti literature refers to the habit of ancient Hindu saints who lead a solitary life in the woods where they developed a consciousness that enabled them to hear or cognize the truths of the universe. Shruti literature has two parts: the Vedas and the Upanishads.

Vedas

There are four Vedas – the Rigveda (which is really royal knowledge), the Samaveda (which is the knowledge of chants), the Yajurveda (knowledge of sacrificial rituals), and Atharvaveda (knowledge of incarnations). The four Vedas are the primary texts of the spiritual and religious records of the ancient culture and teaching of India. Their teachings are based upon recognition of the sacred nature of all life and self realization as the true goal of human life. Hindu’s call the Vedas by several names such as:

Apaurushey - meaning not authored by purusha (or human being), the Vedas are of the divine origin, i.e., spoken by God.

Anadi – without beginning (in terms of time)

Nishwasitam – meaning the breath of God. The Vedas, spoken by God, are called Nishwasitam.

As a cultural way of life, the Vedas represent a tradition that accepts all valid approaches to truth and embodies the principles of universality and diversity.

In Vedic culture, self realization is not limited to the teachings of any one savior or one holy book. There is no attempt to limit truth to one particular form, approach or belief. Every individual is encouraged to discover truth for him/herself and no attempt is made to dictate what truth is supposed to be. The Vedas prescribe rituals and meditations for attaining harmony in life. The rituals are intended to keep one’s daily actions in harmony with divine will and mediations are prescribed to realize our true identity. The ritualistic parts of the Vedas are called the karamkand and the meditation portion of the Vedas is called the gyankand. This is a very brief treatise on the Vedas.

 Upanishads

The cream of the Vedas is the Upanishads. The Upanishads are the divine revelations received by the ancient saints and seers. They represent the essence of the Vedas, the greatest truths ever known to mankind. The Upanishads are arguably humanity’s most profound philosophical enquiry. They are the first perceptions of the unity of all, the oneness of individual and reality.

The basic teaching of the Upanishads is that the essence of all things and beings, the perfect human being, who has reached the pinnacle of awareness though meditation is the divine spirit called the Brahman. The true nature of an individual is this divine spirit. There is only one being, one reality and in the words of the Upanishads – tat tvam asi – meaning that thou art.

The word Upanishad should be understood. It consists of three parts: Up – meaning near; Ni – down; and Shad meaning sit. Thus the word Upanishad means “sitting near a teacher and receiving the secret teachings”. Free from theology and dogma, the Upanishads remain the primary source for inspiration and guidance for millions of Hindus and non-Hindus alike. They have influenced many Western philosophers, including Johann Wolfgang, Von Goethe, Arthur Schopenhauer, Ralph Waldo and Emerson.

There are 108 Upanishads of which 11 are most important. Please note that many English books on Vedas and Upanishads don’t say how to pronounce the names of these Upanishads. The 11 most important Upanishads are:

1. Iso Upanishad

2. Kena Upanishad

3. Katha Upanishad

4. Prasna Upanishad

5. Mundaka Upanishad

6. Mandukya Upanishad

7. Aitareya Upanishad

8. Taittiriya Upanishad

9. Svetasvatara Upanishad

10. Chhandogya Upanishad

11. Brhadaranyaka Upanishad

The above Upanishads are also the concluding portions of the Vedas commonly known as Vedanta. They focus on philosophical questions, such as the purpose of life, origin of the universe, concepts of time, space and matter, as well as concepts of Aatman (soul), Brahman (God), Maya (illusion), immortality, rebirth, karma and the universe. According to Max Muller “…the conception of the world as deduced from the Vedas and chiefly from the Upanishads is indeed astounding.”

 
Bhagavad Gita

The Bhagavad Gita is derived from the Great Epic Mahabharata, which is considered by many scholars as the fifth Veda. The Bhagvad Gita is the essence of the Upanishads, not in the sense that it is all condensed into terse form, but in the sense that the Vedanta philosophy is made easy for understanding. When the Upanishads are compared to cows, the Bhagavad Gita takes the position of their milk. When one has plenty of milk at one’s disposal one need not undergo the laborious task of maintaining cows. One who has studied and understood the Bhagvad Gita may be said to have caught the cardinal teachings of the Upanishads.

In the Bhagvad Gita the Shruti and Smriti get themselves blended. Because of its being an exhaustive collection of spiritual laws, the Gita is called the Shruti. These spiritual laws when applied to life are called the Sanatan Dharma-eternal order and righteousness. The Bhagvad Gita is therefore referred to as “the Bible of Sanatan Dharma”. The space here does not permit me to elaborate the teachings of the Gita, which require several such articles to be written. My weekly broadcast “Bhajanawali” has a regular feature “Gyan-Gita” where each of the seven hundred verses of the Gita is explained in English and Hindi. Currently I am dealing with the eleventh chapter of the Gita, which can be heard by visiting www.bhajanawali.com .

Smriti scriptures

I will give you the details of these scriptures in Part 2 to be published in the November issue.

[Gyan Rajhans, an internationally recognized heath & safety professional has been broadcasting the only non-commercial Vedic religion radio program in North America since 1981 & worldwide web cast on www.bhajanawali.com since 1999. Mr. Rajhans has published extensively on religious and spiritual matters. Some articles are available on the Bhajanawali web site. He has translated Sri Mad Bhagvad Gita in English for the younger generation. Mr Rajhans has been conferred various titles, including that of Rishi by Hindu Prarthana Samaj of Toronto Hindu Ratna by Hindu Federation of Toronto. He received Canadian Journalists' and Writers' Club (CEJWC) award  for 2005 in the Internet category - Opinion - for his Spirituality columns in South Asian Outlook e-Monthly.]

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