Puranas: Hindu mythological texts

(See also: Puranas, Hinduism, Hinduism Dictionary, Sanskrit Dictionary, Body Mind and Soul)

Kama Sutra

(Hindu) "Love Text", sex manual attributed to Vatsyayana 1st century

(See also: Kama Sutra, Body Mind and Soul)

The Iranian peoples called the drink Haoma. In Persia, the early Aryan rituals were reformed by Zoroaster. Our knowledge is sketchy, but evidence of the formerly great importance of the ritual may be glimpsed from the Avesta (particularly in the Hōm Yast, Yasna 9–11), and Old Iranian *hauma also survived as Middle Persian hōm. The plant Haoma yielded the essential ingredient f ...

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Soma, Soma - Etymology, Soma - Soma in Indian tradition, Soma - Vedas, Soma - Other Hindu texts, Soma - Hinduism, Soma - Persian Haoma, Soma - Candidates for the Soma plant, Soma - Hallucinogenic, Soma - Ephedra, Soma - Archaeological evidence

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Even in the Rigveda, Soma is described as growing far away, in the mountains, and has to be purchased from travelling traders. This is connected with the Indo-Aryan migration model, i.e. the plant supposedly grew in the homeland of the Indo-Iranians, probably the Hindukush, but the migration of the Aryans into the Punjab removed them from the area of its occurrence, and it had to be imported. Later, knowledge of the plant was lost altogether, and Indian ritual reflects this, in expiatory prayers apologizing to the gods for the use of a substitute pla ...

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Soma, Soma - Etymology, Soma - Soma in Indian tradition, Soma - Vedas, Soma - Other Hindu texts, Soma - Hinduism, Soma - Persian Haoma, Soma - Candidates for the Soma plant, Soma - Hallucinogenic, Soma - Ephedra, Soma - Archaeological evidence

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Vedas: Hindu sacred texts of the Aryan invaders written between 1500-800 BCE which includes the Rig-Veda, Sama-Veda, Yajur-Veda, and Arth-Veda.

 (See also: Vedas, Eastern Philosophy, Body Mind and Soul)

Bhagavad Gita:

Essential text of Hindu philosophy; contains essential yoga concepts.

(See also: Bhagavad Gita, Psychic, Psychic Dictionary, Parapsychology, Parapsychology Dictionary)

Vedas:

An ancient sanskrit text. The entire body of ancient, sacred revelations of truth. Chief amongst which are the Rigveda, Saamaveda, Yajurveda and the Athharvanaveda. The basis for the Hindu religion, as well as ayurvedic medicine, health etc...

(See also: Vedas, Body Mind and Soul)

List of Hinduism-related articles - Time. Hindu Calendar Vedic timekeeping ...

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Bhagavad Gita: "The Song of God." The sacred philosophical text often called "the Hindu Bible," part of the epic Mahabharata by Vyasa; the most popular sacred text in Hinduism.

(See also: Bhagavad Gita, Hinduism, Hinduism Dictionary, Sanskrit Dictionary, Body Mind and Soul)

Upanishads: The second great collection of ancient sacred Hindu texts, the Upanishads followed the Vedas and set forth doctrines such as Self-realization, Yoga, meditation, karma and reincarnation, which were kept veiled under the symbols of the older texts.

(See also: Upanishads, Yoga, Yoga Dictionary)

The word Arya is very frequently used in Buddhist texts. Buddhist texts refer to this term much more often than do Hindu or Jain texts. Buddha's Dharma and Vinaya is the ariyassa dhammavinayo. The four noble truths are called the Arya Satyani (catvAri-Arya-satyAni), the noble eightfold path is called the Aryamarga (Arya-ashtANgika-mArga, in Pali:Ariyamagga). Buddhists themselves are called ariyapuggalas (Arya persons). In Buddhist texts, the Aryas are those who have the Buddhist "sila" virtue and are following the Buddhist path. Those who despise Bud ...

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Arya, Arya - Religious and spiritual uses, Arya - Buddhism, Arya - Arya in the Epics, Arya - Ramayana, Arya - Mahabharata

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Hindus believe in Ahimsa (non-violence). Even the oldest of their religious texts speak about earth, fire, water and air but not about animal sacrifices. Some very small sects residing in the Indian region practise animal killings. In India, some semi-tribal Hindus, as well as some worshipper-communities of Shaktism (the Mother Goddess) offer sacrifice of goats and buffaloes to the deity, but this practise is by and large quickly vanishing, being condemned by other Hindus as superstitious and as inconsistent with Hindu concepts of compassion ...

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Sacrifice, Sacrifice - Theologies of sacrifice, Sacrifice - Sacrifice in Judaism, Sacrifice - Sacrifice in Islam, Sacrifice - Sacrifice in Hinduism, Sacrifice - Animal sacrifice, Sacrifice - Human sacrifice, Sacrifice - Sacrifice in Christianity, Sacrifice - Sacrifice in games

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Prayer - Hindu Prayer. Hinduism has incorporated many kinds of prayer, from fire-based rituals to philosophical musings. Prayer was part and parcel of the Vedic lifestyle, and as such permeated their books. Indeed, the highest sacred texts of the Hindus, the Vedas, are a large collection of mantras (sacred hymns of Hindus, later adopted by Buddhists) and prayer rituals extolling a single supreme force, Brahman, that is made manifest in several lower forms as the familiar gods of the Hindu pantheon. Hindus in Indi ...

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Kaliyuga

(Sanskrit) In Hindu cosmology, the current, pleasure-loving age - the last of four repeating ages (yugas): that of iron in which the law (dharma) is like an animal on one leg. In bhakti (devotional) texts salvation is only possible in the Kali Yuga.

(See also: Kaliyuga, New Age Spirituality, Body Mind and Soul)

Kaliyuga

(Sanskrit) In Hindu cosmology, the current, pleasure-loving age - the last of four repeating ages (yugas): that of iron in which the law (dharma) is like an animal on one leg. In bhakti (devotional) texts salvation is only possible in the Kali Yuga.

(See also: Kaliyuga, New Age Spirituality, Body Mind and Soul)

The caste system was first exposed to the modern Western world during the Portuguese occupation and rule of India. Later other European nations including the British occupied parts of the subcontinent and were interested in this phenomenon. Herbert Risley's The Tribes and Castes of Bengal, published in 1892, was one of the first works on caste in India by a Western scholar. Some scholars suggest that the resulting depiction of the caste system was as much a product of European racist theories, and the interests of colonial rule ...

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Indian caste system, Indian caste system - Varna system, Indian caste system - Four Varnas, Indian caste system - Division of labor, Indian caste system - Untouchables Dalit, Indian caste system - Jati, Indian caste system - Caste in Hindu texts, Indian caste system - Rig Veda - Purusha Sukta hymn, Indian caste system - Origins of the system, Indian caste system - Aryan invasion, Indian caste system - Transition in Caste, Indian caste system - Modern perceptions of caste, Indian caste system - Quotes about Caste, Indian caste system - Notable people, Indian caste system - Literature

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The late Swami Krishnananda, the successor to Swami Sivananda and former head of Divine Life Society, noted the following about caste in his autobiography: "While the caste system was originally evolved for the necessary classification of human duty in order to preserve the organic stability of society, its original meaning and its philosophical foundation was forgotten through the passage of time, and bigotry and fanaticism took its place through the preponderance of egoism, greed and hatred, contrary to the practice of true ...

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Indian caste system, Indian caste system - Varna system, Indian caste system - Four Varnas, Indian caste system - Division of labor, Indian caste system - Untouchables Dalit, Indian caste system - Jati, Indian caste system - Caste in Hindu texts, Indian caste system - Rig Veda - Purusha Sukta hymn, Indian caste system - Origins of the system, Indian caste system - Aryan invasion, Indian caste system - Transition in Caste, Indian caste system - Modern perceptions of caste, Indian caste system - Quotes about Caste, Indian caste system - Notable people, Indian caste system - Literature

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List of Hinduism-related articles - Places. Alakapuri Ganges River List of Hinduism-related articles - Animals. Vahana List of Hinduism-related articles - Items. Soma Brahmastra Pushpaka Vajra List of Hinduism-related articles - People. ...

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Brahman (Brahamana): the highest of the four Hindu castes. The priestly caste consists of many sub-castes depending on the area the priest comes from and the duties he performs, such as temple priest, family priest, astrologer, teacher, cook, etc. [Brahman is written in italicized letters in the text.]

(See also: Brahman, Hinduism, Yoga, Body Mind and Soul)

Vedas: the most ancient sacred literature of the Hindus. Most ancient texts revealed to the sages and saints of India which explain and regulate every aspect of life from supreme reality to worldly affairs. Four in number: Rig, Yajur, Sama, Atharava which are further divided into Samhita, Brahmana, Aranyaka and Upanishads.

(See also: Vedas, Hinduism, Yoga, Sanskrit Dictionary, Body Mind and Soul)

Manu Dharma Shastra: (Sanskrit) "Sage Manu's law book."

An encyclopedic treatise of 2,685 verses on Hindu law assembled as early as 600 bce. Among its major features are the support of varna dharma, ashrama dharma, stri dharma and seeing the Self in all beings. Despite its caste-based restrictions, which determine one's life unrelentlingly from birth to death, it remains the source of much of modern Hindu culture and law.

These "Laws of Manu" are the oldest and considered the most authoritative of the greater body of Dharma Shastras. Even during the time of the British Raj in India, law was largely based on these texts. The text is widely available today in several languages. (Buhler's English translation is over 500 pages.)

See: caste, dharma, Dharma Shastras, Kalpa Vedanga.

(See also: Manu Dharma Shastra, Hinduism, Body Mind and Soul)