Hinduism is one of the world’s most complex religions. It has a whole library of sacred texts that discuss diverse ideas from atoms as the fundamental building blocks of the physical world, to the liberation of the soul and its merger with the infinite universe, and everything else in between. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
In this series “Hinduism at a Glance,” I want to help my readers understand the different aspects of Hinduism, and my first post (this one) is about Hindu sacred texts. Reading about the different categories of Hindu sacred texts is like reading the contents section of a book. It gives one a reasonable overview of what the book is going to be about, so I think this is a good place to start. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Also, I intend to refer to these texts in my writings about Hinduism going forward, so I want to have a handy reference guide ready for my readers. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
In this post, I will explain the different categories and subcategories of Hindu sacred literature, with a brief explanation of the contents of each as well as a list of some representative texts in each category. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Since there is an overwhelming amount of literature to go through, I have put the subcategories and representative works in drop-down lists at the bottom of each category. Readers can get an overview by just reading through the categories or click on the links under each category for details of subcategories and representative works. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
I have also given estimated dates for categories and individual texts where applicable. Please make sure to read my brief note about the dating of texts from ancient India at the end of this post. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Shruti means \u201cthat which is heard.\u201d Shruti is said to be knowledge obtained by the great sages through divine revelation. These texts have been passed down through the oral tradition, with absolutely no alterations for the past 3500 years or more.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
There were times when writing Shruti works down was forbidden, but they have<\/em> been written down for reference and preservation purposes during many periods through history.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Historically, manuscripts were written on cured palm leaves, birch-bark paper, and other semi-permanent materials that lasted a few hundred years. Every few hundred years, fresh manuscripts would be made for preservation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n However, Shruti was never transmitted<\/em> through written materials, only orally from teacher to student. There are several reasons for this, but one obvious reason is that intonations, melodies, and meters form an important aspect of the Vedas, and these have to be learned and passed down orally for accurate transmission.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The main Shruti works are the Vedas, especially the oldest portion of Vedic literature called Sa\u1e43hit\u0101, which are collections of hymns. There are four collections. These are called the \u1e5agveda, Yajurveda, S\u0101maveda, and Atharvaveda.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Each Sa\u1e43hit\u0101 additionally has supplementary materials attached to it, which include commentaries, instructions for rituals, philosophical\/metaphysical interpretations of hymns, and so on.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The supplementary layers are thought to have been composed in the centuries following the compilation of the hymns. Since they are an integral part of the Vedas, some categorize them as Shruti along with the Sa\u1e43hit\u0101, but others categorize them under Sm\u1e5bti (i.e., texts of human origin).<\/p>\n\n\n\n The supplementary layers are Br\u0101hma\u1e47a, \u0100ra\u1e47yaka, and Upanishad. There were numerous Vedic schools across the length and breadth of India, and each school had its own supplementary materials. It is thought that, at one time, there must have been thousands of Br\u0101hma\u1e47a, \u0100ra\u1e47yaka, and Upanishad. Many of these have been lost in the mists of time, but a surprising number still survive.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Recent evidence from multiple disciplines suggests that the oldest portions of the Vedas go back to 5000-3000 BCE. <\/p>\n\n\n\nVeda (\u0935\u0947\u0926; The Vedas)<\/h4>\n\n\n\n