Atheism and rationalism in hinduism oxford bibliographies. Since 1979 the international magazine hinduism today has been producing a treasury of educational features on all aspects of sanatana dharma. Theres no compulsion in many sects of hinduism to believe in gods, because the most common distinction was on whether or not one accepted the vedas as authoritative astika. All about hinduism is intended to meet the needs of those who want to be introduced to the various facets of the crystal that is hinduism.
What actually happened was, i wondered how we could take memories to an afterlife without a hippocampus. Since beliefs can no more be enforced among the people through coercive laws, capital punishment, or intimidating proclamations of religious institutions, in many. The majority of the vedas are considered the shruti, which is translated to that which is hard. Religious texts, also known as scripture, scriptures, holy writ, or holy books, are the texts which various religious traditions consider to be sacred, or central to their religious tradition. The vedas are scriptures that the hindu people use as a guide to daily and religious life. Hinduism is a religion, or a way of life, found most notably in india and nepal, mauritius and bali indonesia. This one is not mandatory, but if someone is a strict vegetarian, there is a very high chance he is hindu. And to claim that it is is simply and demonstrably false.
Here, i will give only a brief introduction to the holy books of hinduism. Hindus can choose to be polytheistic, pantheistic, panentheistic, pandeistic, henotheistic, monotheistic, monistic, agnostic, atheistic or. Atheism or disbelief in god or gods has been a historically propounded viewpoint in many of the orthodox and heterodox streams of indian philosophy. The book explains the important facts of hinduism and its cults, traditions etc. Hinduism is not confined in one book, one sacred place or one supreme religious authority. The vedas are the prime book of knowledge on which primary hindu beliefs stands. However, disbelief in a creator god does not necessarily mean that buddhism is atheistic. Hindus can choose to be polytheistic, monotheistic, pantheistic, monistic, agnostic, humanist or atheistic.
Savarkar himself was an atheist and his definition of hindu included anyone who was a patriotic inhabitant of bharat wikipedia and by extension was a firm believer in the goodness of the culture of this land. The holy book in the hindu religion is known as the vedas. Hinduism is a religion which has under gone many changes unlike other religions of the world. As per the vedantic embodiments hinduism is monotheistic. As an atheist, what about all religions and their holy books. Around 1750 bc aryan invaders from central asia settled in north west india and introduced their own religious.
The vedas scriptures guide hindus in their daily life. Hence, these belief systems are not atheist in the sense of this book. Apr 03, 20 the puranas are holy books of hinduism that date back to gupta empire in ancient india. Sep 11, 2014 hinduism has no traditional ecclesiastical order, no centralized religious authorities, no governing body, no prophets nor any binding holy book.
Hinduism includes a diversity of ideas on spirituality and traditions, but has no ecclesiastical order, no unquestionable religious authorities, no governing body, no prophets nor any. However it must be noted that hinduism does not have one main holy book and the vedas were not the only teachings to have influenced the religion. Hinduism has no traditional ecclesiastical order, no centralized religious authorities, no governing body, no prophets nor any binding holy book. There are many gods in hinduism, but there are also atheistic beliefs. It may be surprising for many to know that of the six schools of hinduism, namely nyaya, vaisheshika, samkhya, yoga and purva mimansa and uttara mimansa, the first five were originally atheistic or materialistic in their assertions about god or the cause of causes. Which hindu and other religious scriptures and texts have you read and. Hinduism includes a diversity of ideas on spirituality and traditions, but has no ecclesiastical order, no unquestionable religious authorities, no governing body, no prophets nor any binding holy book. In fact, according to some scholars, hinduism is not exactly a religion at all. The sanskrit term astika pious, orthodox is sometimes translated as theist and nastika as atheist.
Other holy scriptures in hinduism are called the upanisads, the smrutis, the puranas, the ramayana and the. The four most studied nastika schools, those rejecting the doctrine of vedas, are jainism, buddhism, carvaka, and ajivika. Buddhism vs hinduism difference and comparison diffen. This holy book is written in the sanskrit language. Scholars regard hinduism as a fusion or synthesis of various indian cultures and.
Hinduism is not a monolithic philosophy, but embraces a multitude of faiths. As an atheist, what about all religions and their holy. Hinduism is the most widely professed faith in india, nepal and mauritius. Hindus can choose to be polytheistic, pantheistic, monotheistic, monistic, agnostic, atheistic or humanist. What is the relationship between hinduism and atheism. We dont claim that christianity goes back to neolithic europe, even if parts of it such as worship of mary, such as black madonnas do. There are hindu schools of thought that are atheistic and agnostic nastika. Estimates of hinduism by country reflects this diversity of thought and way of life. It would require a whole book to present the numerous variations and differences among the various scholars of ancient india regarding this one particular topic. Hence, its difficult to say what hinduism says about atheism.
This hindu synthesis started to develop between 500 bce and 300 ce, after the vedic times. Generally, atheism is valid in hinduism, but some schools view the path of an. About that dot on the forehead, the ten questions people ask about hinduism says this. For me it wasnt the religions themselves that lead to atheism. The upanishads are also called as vedantas or the end of the vedas.
Does hinduism have a holy book, like the bible or quran. But you are attempting to argue that hinduism is atheistic. You can find references to skeptics in almost all of the holy books. To be precise, hinduism is a way of life, a dharma. Mimamsa philosophers believed that the revelation of the vedas was sacred, authorless. Hinduism is a very ancient religious tradition that has many different expressions, forms, and permutations. What are some good books on atheism for someone with a. It is one of the four sacred canonical texts sruti of hinduism known as the vedas.
Hinduism is a religion or a way of life and found most notably in india and nepal. I believe that hinduism could be regarded as both atheistic and animistic pantheistic, depending on how one defines the word god. This sacred text is divided into two main sections, the old testament and the new testament which are then further divided into various books. Hinduism is about understanding brahma, existence, from within the atman, which roughly means self or soul, whereas buddhism is about finding the anatman not soul or not self. The reason of origin mimansa philosophy is very interesting. Atheism or disbelief in god or gods has been a historically propounded viewpoint in many of.
The problem with your statement is that your holy book, like so many others, is a poorly written mishmash of myths, fables and song lyrics that can be interpreted in myriad different ways by any given reader. Hinduism holy book important books and writings of hinduism. Just joined the ar and already excited to meet many like minded people. Is hinduism monotheistic, polytheistic, pantheistic.
I would describe myself as about 70% atheist and 30% agnostic. Hinduism does not have a single holy book, but many ancient texts and scriptures. Jun 30, 2014 to close up this series of articles about hinduism, well turn our focus to the second most important component of religion for hinduism hindu practices and behaviors. There are a number of scriptures and holy books in hinduism. In my opinion as a follow atheist,the best books that you can read are the fundamental. We do not believe that this world is created and ruled by a god. Hinduism is annoying and wastes a lot of money self. Hinduism can best be defined as a way of life based on the teachings of ancient. Hinduism as an atheistic or animistic pantheistic religion. We all do this everyday when we discuss our differences in faith or beliefs in superstitious nonsense. There is no single scripture as it is in other religions like christianity and islam.
The most ancient sacred texts of the hindu religion are written in sanskrit and called the vedas. Samkhya, an atheistic and strongly dualist theoretical exposition of consciousness and matter. Main hinduism philosophy of religion hindu religion. First, lets distinguish between two types of hindu literature. With the modi government espousing the the cause of hinduism as the official philosophy of the country and the push to recognise the gita holy book, it is important that people take the message of this book.
Generally, atheism is valid in hinduism, but the path of the atheist is viewed as very difficult to follow in matters of spirituality. It remains ignorant as intended by the principles of rebirth. But i noticed many a religious staff member looking surprised. Five of the hindu holy books are the rig veda, bhagavad gita, sama veda, yajur veda, and athava veda.
Hinduism has been called the oldest religion in the world. The book contains 270 pages and is divided in 57 small easytoread chapters, containing authentic information about all the important aspects of hindu religion, culture, and philosophy. For example, walking around with a white cap on your head has no meaning on its. The vedas and these other works are further divided into two sections.
At the time of birth, the soul knows the truth, but the human mind does not. Vedas and upanishadas are the most authoritative amongst all hindu scriptures and holy books. Hinduism does not just have one sacred book but several scriptures. Buddhism shares some concepts with hinduism, but lacks divinities. The next two most populous religions in india muslims and christians eat meat. Many others including me will describe buddhism as a philosophy rather than a religion. The book, which was first published in 1947, has now been rearranged in a more convenient form, with useful additions here and there, and is now released in its fifth edition. The vedas a collection of hymns praising the vedic gods. Hinduism uses several sacred texts, the oldest of which. What actually happened was, i wondered how we could take memories to an afterlife without a. There are entire sects of hindus that are creationists. When compared and contrasted with other religious systems, it is clear that hinduism includes a system of traditions and beliefs on spirituality, but unlike most religions it has no clerical orders, no principle religious authorities or administrative group, nor even any central holy book.
In the 1920s, veer savarkar, an indian nationalist, wrote a book called hindutva. From my article the atheistic approach to god or how to bridge the. The puranas are holy books of hinduism that date back to gupta empire in ancient india. Download the bible, the holy quran, the mahabharata, and thousands of free pdf ebooks on buddhism, meditation. From my article the atheistic approach to god or how to bridge the gap between atheists and theists. Is hinduism montheistic, monotheistic, polytheistic. Feller learn with flashcards, games, and more for free. Summary of hinduism beliefs meaning of name hinduism, from the persian hindu sanskrit sindhu, literally river.
Very early on in ancient india, there must have been people questioning the authority of ritual experts, beliefs, and practices concerning, among. The scriptures of the vedas are meant to guide hindu believers in their daily lives. There are six major orthodox schools of hindu philosophynyaya, vaisheshika, samkhya, yoga, mima. Sruti consists of four vedas, upanishads, brahmanas, aranyakas, and bhagavadgita while smriti consists of manu smriti, 18 puranas, ramayana, and mahabharata and other hindu holy books. The most holy of the hindu books is written in sanskrit and is referred to as the vedas. So i dug into neuroscience and tried to figure it out. Scholars regard hinduism as a fusion or synthesis of various indian cultures and traditions, with diverse roots and no founder. With the modi government espousing the the cause of hinduism as the official philosophy of the country and the push to recognise the gita holy book, it is important that people take the message of this book seriously, viz. Although technically it is not sruti, since it is part of an epic, most hindus treat it as though it is divinely inspired in practice. Apr 06, 2014 for me it wasnt the religions themselves that lead to atheism.
Download the bible, the holy quran, the mahabharata, and thousands of free pdf ebooks on buddhism, meditation, etc. Mimansa word meaning is serious thoughts in english language. The very fact that atheism, like you say, is being tolerated shows that it needs to be tolerated. The book, which was first published in 1947, has now been. The holy books of world religions sacred texts in world. The bhagavad gita is perhaps the single most important holy book of hinduism today. Generally, atheism is valid in hinduism, but some schools view the path of an atheist to be difficult to follow in matters of spirituality. Hinduism is the oldest religion merely smacks of uneducated hype. As a hindu, i find it very difficult to find any arguments or. But in hinduism atheist means a person who doesnt accept the authority of the vedas veda neendako nastika, that is, a person who doesnt accept words of the vedas as the infallible truth. They also help to preserve the religious dimensions of family and society.
Religious texts, also known as scripture, scriptures, holy writ, or holy books, are the texts which various religious traditions consider to be sacred, or central to their religious. These texts are glorious tales of the hindu trinity brahma, vishnu and maheshwar shiva. Hinduism by country lists of countries and territories. It is a religious symbol representing divine sight and shows that one is a hi foreward magazine.
Introduction hinduism stands for the faith and the way of life most of the people who live in india. Hinduism is a religion that orginated from the indian subcontinent. Hinduism simple english wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Yoga, a school emphasising meditation, contemplation and liberation.
Criticism of atheism of religion history of atheism. Nov 28, 2009 the presumed scientificity of hinduism is a source of much pride for modern hindus as it sets their faith apart from that of the religions of the book which appear more dogmatic. Religious behaviors are actions that have no intrinsic meaning, but rather ascribed meaning. Hinduism includes a diversity of ideas on spirituality and traditions, but has no ecclesiastical order, no unquestionable religious authorities, no governing body, no prophets nor any binding holy. The ancient connections between atheism, buddhism and hinduism. The belief system in the hindi religion is outlined from these scriptures. Learn vocabulary, terms, and more with flashcards, games, and other study tools. However, the puranas are supposed to be complied by muni vyasa. Of course, those who make such claims about the hindu texts have no clue as to what science actually is. Some of the other holy works and books of hinduism are stories and epic poems. Hinduism is diverse on ideas on spirituality and traditions, but has no ecclesiastical order, no unquestionable religious authorities, no governing body, no prophets nor any binding holy book.