The Sacred Harp was a popular name for 19th century hymn and tune books, with no fewer than four bearing the title. The first of these was compiled by John Hoyt Hickok and printed in Lewiston, Pennsylvania in 1832. The second was compiled by Lowell and Timothy Mason and printed in Cincinnati, Ohio in 1834, as part of the "better music" movement mentioned above. Amusingly, the Mason brothers' publisher brought this book out in a shape note edition, much against their wishes. The third Sacred Harp was the one by B. F. Whit ...

See also:

Sacred Harp, Sacred Harp - The music and its notation, Sacred Harp - Singing Sacred Harp music, Sacred Harp - Sacred Harp music as participatory music, Sacred Harp - History of Sacred Harp singing, Sacred Harp - Early history of The Sacred Harp, Sacred Harp - Origin of the modern editions, Sacred Harp - Other Sacred Harp books, Sacred Harp - The spread of Sacred Harp singing in modern times, Sacred Harp - Origins of the music, Sacred Harp - Other books with the title Sacred Harp, Sacred Harp - Books and scholarly articles, Sacred Harp - Footnotes

Read more here: » Sacred Harp: Encyclopedia II - Sacred Harp - Other books with the title Sacred Harp

See also:

Sacred Harp, Sacred Harp - The music and its notation, Sacred Harp - Singing Sacred Harp music, Sacred Harp - Sacred Harp music as participatory music, Sacred Harp - History of Sacred Harp singing, Sacred Harp - Early history of The Sacred Harp, Sacred Harp - Origin of the modern editions, Sacred Harp - Other Sacred Harp books, Sacred Harp - The spread of Sacred Harp singing in modern times, Sacred Harp - Origins of the music, Sacred Harp - Other books with the title Sacred Harp, Sacred Harp - Books and scholarly articles, Sacred Harp - Footnotes

Read more here: » Sacred Harp: Encyclopedia II - Sacred Harp - History of Sacred Harp singing

The name of the tradition comes from the title of the shape note book from which the music is sung, The Sacred Harp. This book exists today in various editions, discussed below. "Shape note" music means that the notes are printed in special shapes that help the reader fluently identify them on the musical scale. Each of the four shapes is connected to a particular syllable: fa, sol, la, and mi; and these syllables are employed in singing the notes, just as in the more familiar system that uses do< ...

See also:

Sacred Harp, Sacred Harp - The music and its notation, Sacred Harp - Singing Sacred Harp music, Sacred Harp - Sacred Harp music as participatory music, Sacred Harp - History of Sacred Harp singing, Sacred Harp - Early history of The Sacred Harp, Sacred Harp - Origin of the modern editions, Sacred Harp - Other Sacred Harp books, Sacred Harp - The spread of Sacred Harp singing in modern times, Sacred Harp - Origins of the music, Sacred Harp - Other books with the title Sacred Harp, Sacred Harp - Books and scholarly articles, Sacred Harp - Footnotes

Read more here: » Sacred Harp: Encyclopedia II - Sacred Harp - The music and its notation

The Smritis : Next in importance to the Sruti are the Smritis or secondary scriptures. These are the ancient sacred law-codes of the Hindus dealing with the Sanatana-Varnasrama-Dharma. They supplement and explain the ritualistic injunctions called Vidhis in the Vedas. The Smriti Sastra is founded on the Sruti. The Smritis are based on the teachings of the Vedas. The Smriti stands next in authority to the Sruti. It explains and develops Dharma. It lays down the laws which regulate Hindu national, social, family and individual obligations.

Excerpt from All About Hinduism by Sri Swami Sivananda

Read more here: » Smritis: The Smritis in the Hindu Scriptures

The Eighteen Puranas: There are eighteen main Puranas and an equal number of subsidiary Puranas or Upa-Puranas. The main Puranas are: Vishnu Purana, Naradiya Purana, Srimad Bhagavata Purana, Garuda (Suparna) Purana, Padma Purana, Varaha Purana, Brahma Purana, Brahmanda Purana, Brahma Vaivarta Purana, Markandeya Purana, Bhavishya Purana, Vamana Purana, Matsya Purana, Kurma Purana, Linga Purana, Siva Purana, Skanda Purana and Agni Purana.

Excerpt from All About Hinduism by Sri Swami Sivananda

Read more here: » Eighteen Puranas: The Eighteen Puranas: in the Hindu Scriptures

Sanskrit literature can be classified under six orthodox heads and four secular heads. The six orthodox sections form the authoritative scriptures of the Hindus. The four secular sections embody the later developments in classical Sanskrit literature.

The six scriptures are: Srutis, Smritis, Itihasas, Puranas, Agamas and Darsanas.

The four secular writings are: Subhashitas, Kavyas, Natakas and Alankaras.

Excerpt from All About Hinduism by Sri Swami Sivananda

Read more here: » Hindu Scriptures: A full overview of the Hindu and Vedic Scriptures

What makes the Good Book so good?

Article explores how the Bible has impacted the authorÕs life, including how what it taught her about God's goodness helped her when she faced financial struggles.

What makes the Good Book so good? Elements of adventure, history, biography, and poetry fill its pages. But that's true of countless books whose impact has faded over time. To me, the Bible isn't just a good book - it's a book about goodness. A record and celebration of how God makes His good nature known and felt in ordinary and extraordinary situations.

Read more here: » Christian Science: What makes the Good Book so good?

The word Yoga comes from the root Yuj which means to join. Yoga is restraint of the activities of the mind, and is the union of the individual soul with the Supreme Soul.

Hiranyagarbha is the founder of the Yoga system. The Yoga founded by Patanjali Maharshi is a branch or supplement of the Sankhya. It has its own charm for students of a mystic temperament and of a contemplative type. It claims greater orthodoxy than the Sankhya proper by directly acknowledging the existence of a Supreme Being (Isvara).

Excerpt from All About Hinduism by Sri Swami Sivananda

Read more here: » Yoga: Hindu Philosophy - The Yoga

Ramakrishna Paramahamsa was one of the most remarkable Indian saints of recent history (1836 -1886). He is chiefly known for his high attainments in approaching God along many different paths. Most saints have one path, one line of attainment in reaching the goal. Ramakrishna, however, explored each in its turn. He was a lively and likeable human, and made a deep impression on all that came into his sphere. He left behind innumerable devotees and helped many to follow the ultimate goal in his footsteps.

Read more here: » Ramakrishna Paramahamsa: An introduction to Ramakrishna Paramahamsa

"Who do you say I am?" (Luke 9:20, NIV) The question was first asked of Peter by Christ nineteen centuries ago, and has continued since then to the present day to be the litmus test of spiritual authenticity. Perhaps never in the history of the Christian church has this question been more relevant than it is today. One reason for this is that New Agers have taken the New Testament sculpture (if you will) of Christ, crafted an esoteric/mystical chisel, and hammered away at this sculpture until a completely new image has been formed.

Read more here: » New Age Movement: The Christ of the New Age Movement Ð Part II

Friedrich Max Müller (December 6, 1823 – October 28, 1900), more commonly known as Max Müller, was a German-born British Philologist and Orientalist, one of the founders of Indian studies, who virtually created the discipline of comparative religion. Müller wrote both scholarly and a popular works on this subject, a discipline he introduced to the British reading public, and the Sacred Books of the East, a massive, 50-volume set of English translations prepared under his direction, stands as an enduring monument to ...

Including:

• Max Müller - Life and work
• Max Müller - Quotations

Read more here: » Max Müller: Encyclopedia - Max Müller

The Vedas 

The Vedas are the Divine scriptures of ancient India and in modern times can be traced as least as far back as 12,OOO B.C. a lthough it is generally accepted tat the Vedas appear at different times of the cosmic creation forte benefit of human society. They are considered to be the revelations of the Divine nature, and its relationship within and without us. "Mantra" is the term used to mean Divine sound vibration or the word of God. There are teachings of mantras (hymns), teachings of ritual, theology, and philosophy at the root of all the vedic sciences. The point of all is the knowledge of the soul called "atma vidya", being our real "self" and separate and distinct from the material body , and the material world which surrounds us.

Read more here: » The Vedas: Divine scriptures of ancient India - The Vedas

The Sakta Agamas: There is another group of scriptures known as the Tantras. They belong to the Sakta cult. They glorify Sakti as the World-Mother. They dwell on the Sakti (energy) aspect of God and prescribe numerous courses of ritualistic worship of the Divine Mother in various forms

Excerpt from All About Hinduism by Sri Swami Sivananda

Read more here: » Sakta Agamas : The Sakta Agamas in the Hindu Scriptures

The Friendly Treatises and the Commanding Treatises : There are four books under this heading: The Valmiki-Ramayana, the Yogavasishtha, The Mahabharata and the Harivamsa. These embody all that is in the Vedas, but only in a simpler manner. These are called the Suhrit-Samhitas or the Friendly Treatises, while the Vedas are called the Prabhu-Samhitas or the Commanding Treatises with great authority. These works explain the great universal truths in the form of historical narratives, stories and dialogues

Excerpt from All About Hinduism by Sri Swami Sivananda

Read more here: » Itihasas: The Itihasas in the Hindu Scriptures

The Ramayana, the Adi-Kavya or the first epic poem, relates the story of Sri Rama, the ideal man. It is the history of the family of the solar race descended from Ikshvaku, in which was born Sri Ramachandra, the Avatara of Lord Vishnu, and his three brothers. The ideal characters like Rama, Sita, Lakshmana, Bharata and Sri Hanuman that we find in Ramayana firmly establish Hindu Dharma in our minds.

Excerpt from All About Hinduism by Sri Swami Sivananda

Read more here: » Ramayana: The Ramayana in the Hindu Scriptures

The Mahabharata is the history of the Pandavas and the Pandavas. It gives a description of the great war, the Battle of Kurukshetra, which broke out between the Kauravas and the Pandavas who were cousins and descendants of the lunar race. The Mahabharata is an encyclopaedia of Hindu Dharma. It is rightly called the fifth Veda. There is really no theme in religion, philosophy, mysticism and polity which this great epic does not touch and expound.

Excerpt from All About Hinduism by Sri Swami Sivananda

Read more here: » Mahabharata: The Mahabharata in the Hindu Scriptures

The Bhagavad-Gita: The most important part of the Mahabharata is the Bhagavad-Gita. It is a marvellous dialogue between Lord Krishna and Arjuna on the battle-field, before the commencement of the great war. Bhagavan Sri Krishna became the charioteer of Arjuna. Sri Krishna explained the essentials of Hindu religion to Arjuna. Just as the Upanishads contain the cream of the Vedas, so does the Gita contain the cream of the Upanishads.

Excerpt from All About Hinduism by Sri Swami Sivananda

Read more here: » Bhagavad-Gita: The Bhagavad-Gita in the Hindu Scriptures

The Puranas are of the same class as the Itihasas. They have five characteristics (Pancha-Lakshana) viz., history, cosmology (with various symbolical illustrations of philosophical principles), secondary creation, genealogy of kings and of Manvantaras. All the Puranas belong to the class of Suhrit-Samhitas.

Excerpt from All About Hinduism by Sri Swami Sivananda

Read more here: » Puranas: The Puranas in the Hindu Scriptures

The Srimad Bhagavata Purana and the Ten Avataras

The Srimad Bhagavata Purana is a chronicle of the various Avataras of Lord Vishnu. There are ten Avataras of Vishnu. The aim of every Avatara is to save the world from some great danger, to destroy the wicked and protect the virtuous.

Excerpt from All About Hinduism by Sri Swami Sivananda

Read more here: » Srimad Bhagavata Purana: The Srimad Bhagavata Purana and the Ten Avataras in the Hindu Scriptures

The Tamil Puranas: Lord Siva incarnated himself in the form of Dakshinamurti to impart knowledge to the four Kumaras. He took human form to initiate Sambandhar, Manikkavasagar, Pattinathar. He appeared in flesh and blood to help his devotees and relieve their sufferings. The divine Lilas of Lord Siva are recorded in the Tamil Puranas like Siva Purana, Periya Purana, Siva Parakramam and Tiruvilayadal Purana.

Excerpt from All About Hinduism by Sri Swami Sivananda

Read more here: » Tamil Puranas: The Tamil Puranas in the Hindu Scriptures