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Ancient Holy Texts Revealed by God and Man induism proudly embraces an incredibly
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The Word, verily, is greater than name. The Word, in fact, makes Than whom there is naught else higher, The stack of books at left holds one bound volume
The man who rejects the words of the scriptures
known the Rig Veda, the Yajur Veda, the Sama Veda, the Atharva than whom there is naught smaller, from each of the four Vedas in the Sanskrit language.
and follows the impulse of desire attains neither
Veda as the fourth, and the ancient lore as the fifth: the Veda naught greater, the One stands like For centuries they have been the basis of philosophi-
his perfection, nor joy, nor the Path Supreme. Let
of Vedas, the ritual for ancestors, calculus, the augural sciences, a tree established in heaven. By Him, cal discussion, study and commentary. The Vedas are
the scriptures be, therefore, thy authority as to
the knowledge of the signs of the times, ethics, political science, the Person, is this whole universe filled. also the subject of deep study and meditation, to
what is right and what is not right.
sacred knowledge, theology, knowledge of the spirits, military Krishna Yajur Veda, Shvetashvatara realize the wisdom of the ancients within oneself.
Bhagavad Gita .-, Mascaro, p.
science, astrology, the science of snakes and of celestial beings. Upanishad ., The Principal Their mantras are chanted and used in rites of wor-
Upanishads, Radhakrishnan, p. ship, prayer and japa.
Sama Veda, Chandogya Upanishad ...
The Vedic Experience, Panikkar, p.
b a c k g r o u n d p h o t o , t h o m a s k e l ly
b a c k g r o u n d p h o t o , h i n d u i s m t o d ay
Hindu Revealed Nature of the
Scriptures? Veda Texts?
The Vedas and Agamas, revealed The holy Vedas, mans oldest
by God, are Hinduisms sovereign scripture, dating back 6,000 to
scriptures, called shruti, that 8,000 years, are a collection of four
which is heard. Their timeless books: the Rig, Sama, Yajur and
truths are expressed in the most Atharva. Each has four sections:
extraordinarily profound mystical hymns, rites, interpretation and
poetry known to man. Aum. art by s. rajam
philosophical instruction. Aum.
art by s. rajam
Above, God holds the holiest of scriptures, the Vedas and Above, using the traditional elutani, stylus, a pandit
Agamas. Around these are an array of other scriptures, scribes memorized Vedic verses on dried palm leaves.
t h o m a s k e l ly
enscribed on stone, wood, pillars and scrolls. At left, we For centuries the Vedas were passed on orally, then
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see a copy of the Rig Veda Samhita. In the dimmed back- finally transcribed. Left, a devotee leafs through his
ground, lamps are offered, as prescribed in the Agamas, holy text as he performs his morning sadhana.
by priests at Nallur Kandaswamy Temple in Sri Lanka.
eda, from vid, to know, means supreme nally written down in Sanskrit in the last few millennia. he oldest and core portions of the vedas from the Rig, whereas most of the Atharva Samhitas
b a c k g r o u n d : a f p p h o t o / d e s h a k a lya n c h o w d h u r y
Vedas Significant Nature of the
Today? Holy Agamas?
b a c k g r o u n d , t h o m a s k e l ly
The Vedas, the ultimate scriptural The Agamas, Sanatana
authority, permeate Hinduisms Dharmas second authority,
thought, ritual and meditation. are revelations on sacred
They open a rare window living, worship, yoga and
into ancient Bharata society, philosophy. Saivism, Shaktism
Above, a young Smarta priest conducts a fire ceremony, Above, Dr. Ganesan, a scholar at the French Institute of Pondi-
havana, as decreed in the Vedas. At left, a Vaishnava cherry, India, shows the volumes of Saiva Agamas they have
priest blows a conch horn during prayers in Allahabad. printed to date. They are keepers of 8,000 ancient manu-
Background photo, at Manikarnika Ghat in Varanasi, a scripts, mostly palm-leaf books, such as those seen stored on
priest performs antyeshti, the cremation ritual, last in the shelves on the left, which one day will be published to the
series of rites of passage prescribed in the Vedas. world. In the background, a devotee offers flowers to the Lord.
ike the taoist tao te ching, the buddhist ritual. All Hindus wholeheartedly accept the Vedas, yet n the vast agamic literature, tradition nography, to rules for priests and the intricacies of dai-
b a c k g r o u n d p h o t o b y t h o m a s k e l ly
b a c k g r o u n d p h o t o , h i n d u i s m t o d ay
The Agamas And Sacred
Significant Today? Literature Differ?
While the Vedas, with myriad Hindu sacred literature is a treasury
Deities, bind all Hindus together, of hymns, legend, mythology,
the Agamas, with a single philosophy, science and ethics.
supreme God, unify each sect in From among this vast body of
a oneness of thought, instilling in writings, each lineage recognizes
adherents the joyful arts of divine a select portion as its secondary
adoration. Aum Namah Sivaya. t h o m a s k e l ly
scripture, called smriti. Aum.
m a na s d a s
Like millions of Hindus before them, the youth in these Above, Masako Ono voyaged from Japan to India to learn
two photos are learning precise recitation of liturgy from the ancient Odissi dance style and remained there to
t h o m a s k e l ly
the Agamas and Vedas. They will spend years perfecting teach it. The many human arts are found in ancient scrip-
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this training, enabling them to perform ritual worship, ture. At left, a collection of Hindu holy texts stacked in a
puja, in temples around the world. In their priest school in Delhi store. In the background, two girls reverently touch
Tirupati, India, they will memorize hundreds of mantras. the holy feet of Lord Vishnu at a shrine in Tirupati.
od is love, and to love god is the pure and cosmology. So overwhelming is Agamic influence hile the vedas and agamas are shared as as the tradition, for it derives from human insight and
s e s h u b a d r i nat h / p i pa l p r o d u c t i o n s
Amplify Vedas Have Epics
And Agamas? And Myths?
Many texts support the Vedas The Mahabharata and Ramayana
and Agamas. Vedangas detail are Hinduisms most renowned
conduct, astrology, language epic histories, called Itihasa.
and etymology. Upavedas unfold The Puranas are popular folk
politics, health, warfare and music. narratives, teaching faith, belief
Upagamas and Paddhatis elaborate and ethics in mythology, allegory,
the Agamic wisdom. Aum. dinodia
legend and symbolism. Aum.
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Above, a bride and groom are in the midst of their wed- Above, a woman performs a dance depicting a scene from
ding; at left they hold an offering of sacred grasses. Wed- the Ramayana in Java, where the world-renowned epic is
ding chants derive from the Vedas, Agamas and ancillary widely celebrated in gala dance and theater. At left, San-
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texts; attitudes and guidelines for family life are found in skrit volumes of the famed poem are shown, along with
the Sutras and Shastras. In the background photo, a girl Hinduisms other epic, the Mahabharata.
receives sacraments after a puja.
uch of hinduisms practical knowl- Upavedas expound profound sciences: Arthaveda un- induisms poetic stories of rishis, gods, philosophy, dharma, ritual, language and the arts, ar-
b a c k g r o u n d p h o t o b y t h o m a s k e l ly
Other Types of
t h o m a s k e l ly
Sacred Texts?
Indias lofty philosophical texts How Did the
Sage of Kanchi
expound diverse views in exacting
dialectics. Yoga treatises unveil
the mysterious path to ultimate
samadhis. Intimate devotional Extol the Vedas?
hymns disclose the raptures of
consummate divine love. Aum.
Sri Chandrashekharendra Saraswati
wrote, The Vedas are eternal and
are the source of all creation. Their
art by s. rajam
greatness is to be known in many
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Sutras and Yoga Vashishtha. In the background, a as well as of all other creatures. is shown before an image of Siva as Dakshinamurti, the
young lady lights a ghee lamp to offer in personal silent guru seated beneath a banyan tree. Above left, an
worship, as her ancestors have done for centuries. earthen mandala on a wall of Muktinath Temple in Nepal.
T
n addition to the epics, legends and supple- bhakti literature are the Bhagavad Gita, Narada Sutras, he concern for all creation that finds have aroused the wonder of people of other lands, of
The soul is born and unfolds in If daily to his home the friends
a body, with dreams and desires who love him come, and coming,
and the food of life. And then it is bring delight to eyes that kindle
reborn in new bodies in accordance bright, a man has found the
with its former works. The quality whole of life within his soul.
of the soul determines its future Panchatantra, Ryder, p.
bodyearthly or airy, heavy or light.
a g e n c e f r a n c e p r e s s e , m a h a d e vo s e n
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Shvetashvatara Upanishad, ..
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mantric power to do immense good to each one of us answer to thesestated in the form of lawsis to be blessings
and to the world, they also contain teachings embody- found in these scriptures.
ing great metaphysical truths. My duty is to impress upon you that it is your respon-
It must here be emphasized that on the doctrinal sibility to keep the Vedic tradition alive. If in India the
level the Vedas deal both with worldly life and the in- Vedas retain their original vitality even today, it is be-
pa n d i t h i n d r a j d i v e k a r
ner life of the Self. They teach how to conduct our- cause they are being continuously repeated by students
selves in such a manner as to create atmic well-being. and teachers of the Vedas, and the purity of the sounds
And their concern is not with the liberation of the in- and accents of the words are retained in that process.
dividual alone; they speak about the ideals of social But it is only by practicing the Vedic injunctions that
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life and about the duties of the public. How the brah- we can obtain the grace of God, both for our indi-
min ought to lead his life and how the king must rule vidual welfare and for the welfare of the whole world. diet, ayurveda festivals music
e d w i n b e r n b au m
h i n d u i s m t o d ay
h i n d u i s m t o d ay
prayer, intense and unflagging. Hold
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The Self resides within the lotus of yourself high to bring us prosperity.
the heart. Knowing this, consecrated Drive far away dearth of inspiration.
venerating gurus home blessings love of nature to the Self, the sage enters daily Lord of the wood, take now your
that holy sanctuary. Absorbed in stance on this, the loftiest spot of all meditation
the Self, the sage is freed from Earth. Well-fixed and measured one,
Mantra yields early success due to practice up his personal discipline by receiving lessons in the identity with the body and lives give to the worshiper, who brings a
done in previous life. Self-fulfilling, too, is the sciences; and endear himself to the people by bringing in blissful consciousness. sacrifice, honor and glory.
mantra which is received according to the line of them in contact with wealth and doing good to them. Sama Veda, Chandogya Rig Veda 3.8.1-3, The Vedic
tradition, with due diksha, obtained in the right Book I, Chapter 7, The Life of a Holy King, Kautilyas Upanishad ..-, The Upanishads, Experience, Pannikar, p. 373-374
way. Innumerable are the mantras; they but distract
pau l e s t c o u r t / h e r a l d p i c t u r e
Atharva Veda Samhita, .. broad-rayed sun. Himself the highest the eight-formed God, as cosmic good
By overthrowing the aggregate of the six enemies mystery, He is in all hidden thoughts. and evil, woman and man, all other
[lust, anger, greed, vanity, haughtiness and overjoy], In him who is pure of mind, intellect and ego, He is thought and meaning, and forms and His own form, and all these
he shall restrain the organs of sense; acquire wisdom the senses and their perceptions are pure, in embraces all who embrace Him. as Himself, as yesterday and today
by keeping company with the aged; see through his fact, and he finds everything pure as well. Tirumurai ... Poems to Siva, The Hymns and tomorrow, the God of the long,
spies; establish safety and security by being ever Sarvajnanottara Agama, Atma Sakshatkara 62, of the Tamil Saints, Peterson, p. red hair stands, O Wonder!
active; maintain his subjects in the observance of Collected Works of Ramana Maharshi, p.110
Tirumurai ... Poems to Siva, The Hymns
their respective duties by exercising authority; keep of the Tamil Saints, Peterson, p.
dance
u p i p h o t o s e r v i c e , a m i n wa r
r e u t e r s , d i pa k k u m a r
index stock imagery
h i n d u i s m t o d ay
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pilgrimage devotional art nurturing children in the military guiding children monastic life