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THE VEDAS
Baltazar, Shane Marie M.
Basa, Kirsty
VEDA
Wisdom
Knowledge
Vision
hinduisim.about.com
The Vedas are a collection of hymns and
other religious texts composed in India
between about 1500 and 1000 BCE. It
includes elements such as liturgical
material as well as mythological accounts,
poems, prayers, and formulas considered
to be sacred by the Vedic religion.
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VEDIC RELIGION?
Vedism is the oldest stratum of religious
activity in India for which there exist written
materials. It was one of the major traditions
that shaped Hinduism
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The basic Vedic texts are the Samhita “Collections” of
the four Vedas:
1. Rig-Veda “Knowledge of the Hymns of Praise”
2. Sama-Veda “Knowledge of the Melodies”
3. Yajur-Veda “Knowledge of the Sacrificial formulas”
4. Atharva-Veda “Knowledge of the Magic formulas”
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The RIG-VEDA
“Wisdom of the Verses”
Rig Veda consists of 10,552 verses (collected into 10 books)
of hymns and mantras used by the hotri priests.
The hymns of the Rig Veda focus on pleasing the principal
gods Indra (war, wind and rain), Agni (the sacrificial fire),
Surga (the sun) and Varuna (the cosmic order) through ritual
sacrifices. the Vedic gods also forgive wrongdoing and
mete out justice in the afterlife.
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The SAMA-VEDA
"Wisdom of the Chants”
liturgical works consisting primarily of selections from
the Rig Veda. Sama Veda was chanted in fixed
melodies by the adhvaryu priests. Each contain
about 2,000 verses.
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The YAJUR-VEDA
“Wisdom of the Sacrifical Formulas"
liturgical works consisting primarily of selections from
the Rig Veda. The Yajur Veda was used by udgatri
priests and contains brief prose to accompany
ritual acts, many of which are addressed to the
ritual instruments and offerings.
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The ATHARVA-VEDA
“Wisdom of the Sacrifical Formulas"
Was added significantly later than the first three
Samhitas, perhaps as late as 500 BC. It consists of 20
books of hymns and prose, many of which reflect the
religious concerns of everyday life. This sets the Arharva
Veda apart from the other Vedas, which focus on
adoring the gods and performing the liturgy of sacrifice,
and makes it an important source of information on the
practical religion and magic of the time.
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UPANISHADS
The term Upanishad means
literally "those who sit near".
Upa- near, ni- down, sad- to sit:
Sitting near the teacher
• Collected by several seers and
elders between 800-500 BCE, the
Upanishads are a conclusion and
accomplishment of an previous
form of Hindu sacred texts called
the Vedas.
• Upanishads are Vedanta: End of
the Vedas
Most Important Upanishads
• Isa
• Kena
• Katha
• Prasna
• Mundaka
• Mandukya
• Taittiriya
• Aitareya
• Chandogya
• Brhadaranyaka
• Svetasvatara
• Kausitaki
• Mahanarayana
• Maitri
• Human intellect is not an adequate tool to
understand the immense complexity of
reality.
• The Upanishads do not claim that our brain
is entirely useless; it certainly has its use.
• The highest understanding, according to
this view, comes from direct perception and
intuition.
SAMSARA
The concept of Samsara is
reincarnation, the idea that after we
die our soul will be reborn again in
another body.
Karma
• Karma, which literally means “action”, the idea that all
actions have consequences, good or bad.
• Karma determines the conditions of the next life, just like
our life is conditioned by our previous karma.
• There is no judgment or forgiveness, simply an impersonal,
natural and eternal law operating in the universe.
Dharma
• Dharma means “right behavior” or “duty”, the
idea that we all have a social obligation.
• Each member of a specific caste has a
particular set of responsibilities, a dharma.
• For example, among the Kshatriyas (the warrior
caste), it was considered a sin to die in bed;
dying in the battlefield was the highest honor
they could aim for.
Moksha
• Moksha means “liberation” or release.
• The eternal cycle of deaths and resurrection
can be seen as a pointless repetition with no
ultimate goal attached to it.
• Seeking permanent peace or freedom from
suffering seems impossible, for sooner or later
we will be reborn in worse circumstances.
The Upanishads tell us that
the core of our own self is
not the body, or the mind,
but atman or “Self”.
Brahman is the one underlying substance
of the universe, the unchanging “Absolute
Being”, the intangible essence of the entire
existence.
References
Beck, S. (1998-2004). India and Southeast Asia to 1800. Vedas and Upanishads.
Retrieved from http://www.san.beck.org/EC7-Vedas.html
Das, S. and Sadasivan, M. (2014). The Vedas: An Introduction. What are Vedas?
Retrieved from http://hinduism.about.com/cs/vedasvedanta/a/aa120103a.htm
El Despertar Sai (2010, March 8). Vedas, Sastras, Poojas and Homas. Retrieved from
http://www.slideshare.net/ELDESPERTARSAI/vedas-3365354
Violatti, C. (2014, May 4). Ancient History Encyclopedia. Upanishads. Retrieved from
http://www.ancient.eu.com/Upanishads/
Violatti, C. (2014, May 4). Ancient History Encyclopedia. The Vedas. Retrieved from
http://www.ancient.eu.com/The_Vedas/