Section 1.1a: Religious Texts (2)

Question 1

What are the two main categories of Hindu texts?

Answer 1

Shruti and smriti texts are the two main categories.

Question 2

What are shruti texts?

Answer 2

Shruti texts are the oldest Hindu scriptures which are said to have been revealed by God. Literally ‘that which is heard’, these text focus on the spiritual experiences of the rishis (‘seers’ or ‘enlightened people’) during periods of deep meditation.

Question 3

What are two examples of shruti texts?

Answer 3

Examples of the shruti include the Vedas and the Upanishads.

Question 4

What date do shruti texts date back to?

Answer 4

The earliest shruti date back to between 2000-1000 BCE and, after initially being passed down through oral tradition, were eventually written down in Sanskrit.

Question 5

What is said about the truths of shruti texts?

Answer 5

Due to being revealed by God, the truths of the shruti texts are believed to be eternal and absolute and cannot be changed. As they are available for everyone to hear, they are considered to be an example of general revelation.

Question 6

What are smriti texts?

Answer 6

Smriti texts are the ‘remembered’ scriptures, written by man, that include commentaries on the shruti texts and collections of historical, mythological, social, ethical and philosophical Hindu texts. They contain codes and regulations, which govern the lives of people, societies and nations.

Question 7

What are two examples of smriti texts?

Answer 7

Examples of smriti include the Ramayana and the Bhagavad Gita.

Question 8

Can smriti texts be changed or altered?

Answer 8

Smriti texts can be changed as they are not considered to have been revealed by God. This means that additional texts can be added to the smriti canon.

Question 9

What date do smriti texts date back to?

Answer 9

Smriti texts date back to 500 BCE.

Question 10

What are smriti texts considered to be?

Answer 10

Smriti texts are considered to be a source of authority and have influenced how people worship, conduct their family life, conduct their everyday life and how they remember festivals. Smriti texts are only authoritative if they do not contradict the messages from shruti texts.

Question 11

What are the Vedas?

Answer 11

The Vedas are considered to be the oldest scriptures in the world and are still used today as a source of wisdom and authority and for rituals and ceremonies. Around 3,500 years ago, the rishis heard the words of Brahman; these words inspired the rishis to compose hymns which were then ‘heard; by followers.

Question 12

What does ‘Veda’ mean?

Answer 12

‘Veda’ means ‘wisdom’ or ‘to know’ and the Vedas are four collections of texts, written in a mixture of verse and prose.

Question 13

What is the Rig Veda?

Answer 13

This is seen as the most important scripture. It contains over a thousand hymns praising the gods for creation and for controlling and influencing the different forces of nature that shape the world. It is written in an early form of Sanskrit, arranged in ten separate books called mandals and it is used in religious rituals.

Question 14

What is the Sama Veda?

Answer 14

It deals with melodies and chants which are used for sacred hymns, sung at special sacrifices.

Question 15

What is the Yajur Veda?

Answer 15

This deals with the fire rituals. It acts as a handbook for the Brahmins to guide them in the performance of rituals and sacrifices.

Question 16

What is the Atharva Veda?

Answer 16

This scripture describes magical spells. In total, there are 5,977 verses of ‘magical’ formulae which represents early scientific knowledge.

Question 17

What four sections are in each of the Veda scriptures?

Answer 17

In each of the Veda scriptures, there are four sections; Samhita, Brahmana, Aranyaka and Upanishad. The first two detail how worship should be performed, while the latter two are philosophical and theological discussions on the importance of devotion to God.

Question 18

What do passages from the Vedas form?

Answer 18

Passages from the Vedas form the basis of religious rituals and rites of passage. The language of the Vedas is considered beautiful and poetic in the imagery it uses to describe the wonders of the natural world and transmigration of the soul.

Question 19

What are the Upanishads?

Answer 19

The Upanishads, which are over 3,000 years old, are another example of a shruti text.

Question 20

What is the difference between the Upanishads and the Vedas?

Answer 20

The Upanishads are explanations of the Vedas - they are philosophical portions of the Vedas which explore the connections between God, humanity and the universe.

Question 21

How many Upanishads are there?

Answer 21

In total, there are 108 Upanishads of which 13 are considered to be major texts. They deal with important themes within Hinduism, such as the atman, the nature of Brahman and moksha.

Question 22

How are the Upanishads expressed?

Answer 22

These truths are expressed through poetry and Hindus argue that you must use both your imagination and natural intuition to appreciate and understand the teachings of the Upanishads.

Question 23

What is ‘jnana’?

Answer 23

One of the most important concepts that the Upanishads introduce is that of ‘jnana’ (or ‘knowledge’). This does not refer to intellectual knowledge but, instead, knowledge that arises from wisdom, insight and skill.

Question 24

What do the Upanishads debate?

Answer 24

The Upanishads debate whether the atman and Brahman are of the same spiritual substance. The texts assert that our essential human nature is the atman and that Brahman is the essential nature of the universe. Everything is spiritual, but when we address the Ultimate Reality through personal prayer, we call it God.

Question 25

What form is most of the Upanishads in?

Answer 25

Most of the Upanishadic material is in the form of scholarly debates and teacher-student dialogue.

Question 26

What do the Upanishads teach about Brahman?

Answer 26

The Upanishads begin to replace the old Vedic definition of Brahman as the power of the sacred speech and the sacrifice with the understanding that Brahman is the ultimate underlying essence of the universe. Brahman supersedes all the Vedic deities, whom were now seen as lesser powers of Brahman.

Question 27

What do the Upanishads teach about the atman?

Answer 27

As seen in the conversation between Shvetaketu and his father, in the Chandogya Upanishad, the Brahman within the individual is called the atman; Brahman is present within everybody and, most importantly, everything, without having to be seen.

Question 28

What do the Upanishads teach about samsara and moksha?

Answer 28

Hindus learn that the only way to stop the cycle of birth, death and rebirth is to achieve moksha, which can be attained through knowledge. Only once one has understood the nature of Brahman will he not be reborn again. First appearing in the Katha Upanishad, yoga is required to gain the higher knowledge that brings moksha.

Question 29

What do the Upanishads teach about varnashrama-dharma?

Answer 29

The system of varnashrama-dharma consists of the duties a Hindu ought to follow based upon their stage in life (ashrama) - whether a student, householder, forest-dweller or sannyasin - and their social caste (varna) - whether a priest, ruler, merchant or manual worker.

Question 30

What is major difference between shruti and smriti texts?

Answer 30

On the one hand, the shruti texts are of an elite class and do not speak of the religious lives of the people, whilst the great epics, in the smriti texts, have more relation to popular traditions and show ow the Brahmanical system was expanded to incorporate the beliefs and the practices of Hindus.

Question 31

What is the Mahabharata?

Answer 31

Containing 2,000 verses, the Mahabharata is one of the world's longest poems. It chronicles a power struggle between two royal families: the Pandavas, who symbolise the forces of good, and the Kauravas, who symbolise the forces of evil.

Question 32

What is the Ramayana?

Answer 32

The Ramayana is another Hindu epic that deals with the theme of good conquering evil and is seen as a Hindu moral guide to life. It deals with the characters of Rama and Sita and is recited every year during the festival of Diwali.

Question 33

What are the Puranas?

Answer 33

The Puranas are a form of popular religious literature containing stories about the Hindu deities that help ordinary people relate to the main Hindu gods, Vishnu, Shiva and Brahma.

Question 34

What is the Bhagavad Gita?

Answer 34

The Bhagavad Gita, one of the most famous Hindu scriptures, dates back to c. 250 CE and contains 700 verses, which are arranged into 18 chapters. It is a section of the Mahabharata.

Question 35

Why is the Bhagavad Gita so popular?

Answer 35

Its popularity can be attributed to its accessibility due to it being written in simple Sanskrit and being widely available in print.

Question 36

When and where is the Bhagavad Gita recited?

Answer 36

In some Krishna temples, the text is recited continuously in the week preceding the celebration of Krishna's birth. Other Hindus may read verses of the text daily.

Question 37

What is discussed in the Bhagavad Gita?

Answer 37

The text itself is a spiritual discourse provided by Krishna during the battle in the Mahabharata. He talks to Arjuna, the archer on the battlefield, and teaches him the essence of the Upanishads so that the soldier is able to put them into practice. Arjuna followed the words of Krishna, upheld his varna and won the battle.

Question 38

What are the key teachings of the Bhagavad Gita?

Answer 38

The Bhagavad Gita teaches renunciation, the concept of surrendering to God and also the fact that God's love is open to all.

Question 39

How are texts used in Hinduism?

Answer 39

Texts are used in teachings (whether that be on a religious, social or moral level), as a source of ethical knowledge (since they teach values of fidelity etc.), as a guide to worship and also as inspiration (for they provide a meaning to life).