The late sita ram goel, dharmic warrior, hindu activist and author of several books on islamic iconoclasm in india. It is a frequent component of major political or religious changes. By definition, since god is supposed to have spoken the words in their books, that is a final answer. Hindus show respect by reading it, or even having it in their homes next to the gods. Iconoclasm is the deliberate destruction of religious icons or monuments, usually for. The most holy of the hindu books is written in sanskrit and is referred to as the vedas. Eaton has failed to cite us any paper or book on indomuslim iconoclasm. Vedas and upanishadas are the most authoritative amongst all hindu scriptures and holy books. Hinduism consists of wide range of beliefs and it neither preaches nor prohibits idolatry. Hindu holy book that is called geeta was founded by vyas in the name of shree krishna. Jainism is an eastern religion with origins in the indus river valley dating back to 3000 b. Salmonds examination of dayananda after rammohun complicates the easy assumption that nineteenthcentury hindu iconoclasm is simply a case of borrowing an attitude from muslim or protestant.
A few texts are shared resources across these traditions and broadly considered as hindu scriptures. New book documents how hindus saved idols and rebuilt. It is here we find the core texts on vedanta and the ideas of dvaita dualism, advaita nondualism and maya. Even if youre not a hindu or thinking of becoming one this book is very interesting. Hinduism download books, sacred, spiritual texts and pdf. The bhagavad gita by krishnadwaipayana vyasa, walk like a buddha. The book is compiled mainly from articles of hinduism today magazine and is filled with wonderful illustrations. It is also the predominant religion in bali, indonesia. The isopanisad is one of the more mystical ones and one of the oldest and shortest. A comprehensive survey of the hindu tradition, the book deals with the history of hinduism, the sacred writings, the hindu worldview, and the specifics of the major branches of hinduism. These practices are based on the traditions present in their holy book, hadith and not quran.
Iconoclasm is generally motivated by an interpretation of the ten commandments that declares the making and worshipping of images, or icons, of holy figures such as jesus christ, the. India, one from hinduism and one from jainism, as a first step in a larger study of. The oldest and most sacred of the shruti scriptures. List of holy books in hinduism the galaxy of hindu literature is very vast and voluminous. The upanishads are also called as vedantas or the end of the vedas.
Buddhism 376 million followers tripitaka pali canon 5. Hindu sacred literature is the most ancient of the living literatures of the world. How do hindus show respect for their holy book answers. There are a number of scriptures and holy books in hinduism. W elcome to the largest freely available archive of online books about religion, mythology, folklore and the esoteric on the internet. The belief that there should be no human depiction of the sacred. She has quoted extensively from persian manuscripts by muslim invaders, who extolled their destruction of hindu temples and idols as a service to islam, with recorded justification for their actions.
Salmonds examination of dayananda after rammohun complicates the easy assumption that nineteenthcentury hindu iconoclasm is simply a case of borrowing an attitude from muslim or protestant traditions. Iconoclasm is the social belief in the importance of the destruction of icons and other images or monuments, most frequently for religious or political reasons. Hindu iconoclasts stretches further beyond the initial scope of its premise, contemplating a link between religious imagerejection and the unification and modernization of society in a process max weber has termed disenchantment of the world, in a seminal discourse highly recommended for religious history and studies shelves. Smriti literature is considered less authoritative than sruti. Sacred art involves the ritual and cultic practices and practical and operative aspects of the path of the spiritual realization within the artists religious tradition. We are trying to list out here as many hindu scriptures and books. The details about hindu iconoclasm a remarkable aspect of the ayodhya debate is the complete lack of active involvement by western scholars. I have read quite a few introductory books on hinduism and in my honest opinion this is the very best. Meenakshi jain is a wellknown historian, whose present tome is a fascinating account of the medieval destruction of temples across india. Qualifications were announced in conciliar decrees, patristic texts, and sermons.
The puranas are holy books of hinduism that date back to gupta empire in ancient india. Their role has been limited to that of loudspeakers for the secularistcumislamist partyline denying that any temple demolition had preceded the construction of the babri masjid. Act of parliament for the abolition and putting away of divers books and images. On further probing, it will turn out that they think so simply because their holy books say so. Jains see these texts, which are the transcriptions of lord mahavirs sermons, as sacred documents. Isopanisad or the isha upanishad is a part of the ancient upanishads, the cornerstones of the hindu religion. These texts are glorious tales of the hindu trinity brahma, vishnu and maheshwar shiva. He admits that during the hindu reconquest of muslimoccupied territories. But this book goes continue reading in the name of gods. The site is dedicated to religious tolerance and scholarship, and has the largest readership of any similar site on the web. Certain forms of religious iconoclasm are intellectual denials of the. Lutheran sacred space, especially worship space, is more similar to the worship space of roman catholicism than the worship space of other protestant denominations. Iconoclasm, greek for imagebreaking, is the deliberate destruction within a culture of the cultures own religious icons and other symbols or monuments. Sikhism is a unique faith which has aspects of islam.
The granth is the central text of sikhism, a religion that emerged in the punjab region of india in the 15th century. The rigveda is a collection of hindu hymns that is considered to be one of the four vedas sacred canonical texts of hinduism. Read the fulltext online edition of hindu iconoclasts. The term encompasses the more specific destruction of images of a ruler after his death or overthrow damnatio memoriae, for example, following akhenatens death in ancient egypt. This is in radical contrast with islamic iconoclasm, which was meant to disrupt hindu worship and symbolize or announce its definite and complete annihilation. They are believed to be true history of ancient indian. This sacred text is divided into two main sections, the old testament and the new testament which are then further divided into various books. People who engage in or support iconoclasm are called iconoclasts, a term that has come to be figuratively applied to any individual who challenges cherished beliefs or venerated institutions on the grounds that they are erroneous or.
There is no case of an islamic conqueror seizing a hindu idol and taking it to his capital for purposes of continuing its worship there. The vedas a collection of hymns praising the vedic gods. However, the puranas are supposed to be complied by muni vyasa. Unpanishads the upanishads are also called as vedantas or the end of the vedas. Rammohun roy, dayananda sarasvati and nineteenthcentury polemics against idolatry 2004. Hinduism a brief overview of the development of hinduism. Other holy scriptures in hinduism are called the upanisads, the smrutis, the puranas, the ramayana and the mahabharata. The concept of hinduism being a single monolithic religion is recent, dating back only to the 19th century. If there is a book describing the several ways by which one can converse with god, then theres another book relating science with religion holy science and explaining the secrets of living a healthy, happy and peaceful life. The scriptures of the vedas are meant to guide hindu believers in their daily lives. Hindu texts are manuscripts and historical literature related to any of the diverse traditions within hinduism. What are the top ten religions and what is the holy book. Supported by the holy scriptures and the fathers, we declare unanimously. Five of the hindu holy books are the rig veda, bhagavad gita, sama veda, yajur veda, and athava veda.
Many scholars liken hinduism to a family of religions, with all affiliated members bearing a family resemblance. Iconoclasm 1 is the deliberate destruction of religious icons and other symbols or monuments, usually with religious or political motives. Hindu denominations are traditions within hinduism centered on one or more gods or goddesses, such as shiva, vishnu and brahma. Dayananda was an itinerant gujarati ascetic who did not speak english and was not integrated into the culture of the colonizers. Some of the holy books are the ramayan and the bhagvad gita.
Hinduism and argues that aniconism is a religious universal. Thus any definition of hinduism is somewhat arbitrary and. Responses to muslim iconoclasm in medieval india jstor. Download the bible, the holy quran, the mahabharata and thousands of free pdf ebooks on buddhism, meditation etc. Good for beginners to understand the basic of religion and its development through iconography. However sikhism is distinct from hinduism and islam. The holy books of world religions sacred texts in world.
The holy book of jainism is a collection of texts known as agam literature or the agam sutras. Sruti consists of four vedas, upanishads, brahmanas, aranyakas, and bhagavadgita while smriti consists of manu smriti, 18 puranas, ramayana, and mahabharata and other hindu holy books. Episodes from indian history book online at best prices in india on. The late sita ram goel, dharmic warrior, hindu activist and author of several books on islamic iconoclasm in india, was the first writer to rout left historians with evidence. Hinduism does not have a single holy book, but many ancient texts and scriptures. Religious art or sacred art is artistic imagery using religious inspiration and motifs and is often intended to uplift the mind to the spiritual. The book interrogates two orientalist and now commonsensical premises. There is no single scripture as it is in other religions like christianity and islam. Iconoclasm academic dictionaries and encyclopedias. Learn vocabulary, terms, and more with flashcards, games, and other study tools.