Mar 17, 2015 these three functions are given in the dharma shastras, books that are not considered to be religiously binding within hinduism. The 4 vedas in hindi, english, telugu pdf download. The shastras originated with an oral tradition passed down verbally over countless millennial. Thus the indigenous vedic culture of the sacred land of dharata vas protectej an may, 2019 the basic scriptures of hinduism, which are collectively referred to as shastras, are essentially a collection of spiritual laws discovered by different saints and sages at different points in its long history. Toward the end of the vedic period, and more or less simultaneously with the production of the principal upanishads, concise, technical, and usually aphoristic texts were composed about various subjects relating to the proper and timely performance of the vedic sacrificial rituals. An example of a sutra is patanjalis yogasutras considered a classic hindu treatise, while an example of shastra is hemachandras yogasastra considered a classic svetambara jain treatise, both on yoga. Dharmashastras article about dharmashastras by the free.
Shastra definition, any of the sacred books of hinduism. The bhagavad gita, usually considered part of the sixth book of the mahabharata dating from about 400 or 300 b. Jun 07, 2015 niti shastra is a great work of chanakya. A total of more than 20 dharmashastras are known, either in fragments or in their entirety. It is an ancient umbrella term for numerous hindu texts that describe arts, crafts, and their design rules, principles and standards.
Shastras and sutras are among the numerous other genres of literature that has survived from ancient and medieval india. As well as forming the roots of many modern hindu practices, these texts are enlightening historical documents which give considerable information about ancient indian society. Swami satyananda saraswati lecture given at the international yoga assembly, bihar school of yoga, october 1967, originally printed in yoga, vol. Until the eighteenth century or so, hindus never used it.
Dec 22, 2010 sastra is a sanskrit term used to denote rules in a general sense. The word is generally used as a suffix in the context of technical or specialized knowledge in a defined area of practice. Shastra is a sanskrit word that means precept, rules, manual, compendium, book or treatise in a general sense. Consisting of about 50 chapters, the book also deals with geography, air, electricity, mineralogy, etc. A concise encyclopedia of authentic hinduism, 2001, page 555, there are six darshan shastras called the six schools of philosophy. The individual verses contained in these compilations are known as mantras. Hindu scriptures on asceticism and renunciation oxford, 1992, the a. Well also learn about hindu gods and goddesses, ancient. Tantra shastra is a secret and most powerful science in the indian occult tradition. In hindu dharma the vedas,upanishads,6 vedangas,smritisor the dharma shastras,puranas and the itihasasramayana and mahabhartha are usually together called the shastras or scriptures.
A body of teaching composed in sanskrit and addressing a particular aspect of religious or cultural practice. Many scholars liken hinduism to a family of religions, with all affiliated members bearing a family resemblance. Hindu dharma shastras social laws in hinduism hindu blog. Thus any definition of hinduism is somewhat arbitrary and requires qualification. Dharmashastras, the sacred law books of hindus the dharmashastras or dharmasastras are the ancient law books of hindus, which prescribe moral laws and principles for religious duty and righteous conduct for the followers of the faith. Shastra definition is the sacred scriptures of hinduism consisting of four categories of text, the sruti, smriti, purana, and tantra. In vedic hindu mythology, business is seen as a legitimate, integral part of society. Historically, it has been closely associated with the hindu school of logic, nyaya. History and hermeneutics of a religious institution oxford, 1993, rules and regulations of brahmanical asceticism state university of new york press, 1994, and the early upanis. In hinduism many of the divinities are androgynous and some change gender to participate in homoerotic behavior. The dharmashastras contain valuable information about the life of ancient indian society. These are texts found on the indian subcontinent that describe principles of design, layout, measurements, ground preparation, space arrangement, and spatial geometry. Shastra plural shastras a treatise for authoritative instruction in hinduism, especially one explaining the vedas.
In this lesson, well explore the definition of hinduism and its history and beliefs. In the popular hindu epic mahabharata, a transgender character named sikhandin plays a pivotal role 5. Newest dharmashastras questions hinduism stack exchange. Aug 16, 2015 in hindu religion, dharma shastras are social laws that include the codes of conduct to be observed by individuals living in a society. All the books are available for downloads as pdfs, and are free. What does shastra mean definition of shastra word finder. The bestknown dharmashastras are the manava dharmashastra code of manu, the yajnavalkya smriti, and the narada smriti.
What is the difference between the shastras, scriptures. According to him, lofty ideals could become a certain reality if one intelligently works towards achieving hisher goals in a determined, progressive and practical manner. This is one of the most popular and accessible of all hindu scriptures, required reading for anyone interested in hinduism. The word hindu is a foreign word, which was derived from the name of the river sindhu indus. Sruti believed to be the result of divine revelation transmitted to the sages, this category of shastra is considered the most sacred of hindu literature. Dharma shastras are works by various sages of ancient india. Tantra these shastras deal with the esoteric aspects of hinduism, including mysticism and yogic practices and philosophy. This deals with the branches of mathematics namely arithmetic, algebra, geometry, trigonometry, and also physics and applied mathematics. Chanakya was a man of letters and man of principles. The word is generally used as a suffix in the indian literature context, for technical or specialized knowledge in a defined area of practice. The term samhita literally means composition, compilation.
Among them, the vedassrutis,of course,are considered as having the supreme authority. Social security administration public data, the first name shastra was not present. The concept of hinduism being a single monolithic religion is recent, dating back only to the 19th century. They used many names and identities, but not hindu.
Righteousness science ancient indian body of jurisprudence that is the basis, subject to legislative modification, of the family law of hindus living in territories both within and outside india e. A hindu is one who regards india as his motherland and the most sacred spot. Shastra means that which commands shaasti iti shastraha. Chanakya niti shastra the encyclopedia for political ethics. There are six darshan shastras called the six schools of philosophy.
Two types of sacred writings comprise the hindu scriptures. A hindu is a person who believes in hinduism and follows its teachings. It is possible the name you are searching has less than five occurrences per year. The most famous and the most controversial dharma shastra is the manu smriti. The british colonial administration in india affected the system of hindu law by applying the traditional rules in a hardandfast way and by introducing the concept of precedent. Their principal contents address the duties of people at different stages of life, or ashramas. Debate on the abolition of reet in colonial himachal pradesh. Which shastras are more authoritative,the smritisdharma. Shastras synonyms, shastras pronunciation, shastras translation, english dictionary definition of shastras. Hinduism, major world religion originating on the indian subcontinent and. For example, the japanese were cited for high quality cars in the 1970s based only on the.
Vastu shastra vastu sastra is a traditional indian system of architecture originating in india which literally translates to science of architecture. His life revolved around following ideals to lead an ideal life. Pandit translated by aiiles davispatitaavana dasa the beginr iing of kaliyuga. For example, astra sastra means, knowledge about handling of weapons, astra means weapons, and sastra is their knowledge. A read is counted each time someone views a publication summary such as the title, abstract, and list of authors, clicks on a figure, or views or downloads the fulltext. Shastras definition of shastras by the free dictionary.
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