Hindu sacred writings
Many of the teachings and ideas about BrahmanIn Hindu belief, the absolute reality that is the true essence of all existence, God., the gods and the goddesses come from Hindu scriptures. Some religions have one holy book but Hinduism has many different books. Different Hindu communities use different scriptures, as Hinduism is such a diverse religion. There are two main groups of texts – the Shruti (which means ‘heard’) and the Smriti (which means ‘remembered’):
- Shruti – the Shruti texts are the most ancient in Hindu scripture. They include the four VedasKnowledge. Specifically refers to the oldest and most sacred Hindu texts and scriptures, written in Sanskrit. Any teaching which is consistent with these scriptures is also accepted as Vedic (ie in the same group of scriptures as the Vedas). , which are collections of poems and hymns from over 3,000 years ago. The collection is often studied by scholars and priests.
- Smriti – the Smriti texts interpret the Vedas and provide ideas on how they can be applied to people’s lives. Examples of Smriti texts are the Puranas, the Ramayana and the Bhagavad Gita. Ordinary Hindus (people who are not scholars or priests) tend to read these scriptures more often than the Vedas.
The Ramayana
One key example of Hindu scripture is the Ramayana, which tells the story of Prince Rama and Princess Sita. This story is celebrated at the festival of Diwali (Divali)A Hindu festival of light, also recognised by Sikhs. It celebrates the return of Rama to his kingdom and his wife Sita, after defeating the demon Ravana.. The Ramayana is a huge epic poem full of stories.