Our Hindu ancient books are generally not taught in any schools, perhaps for fear of being bandied anti-secular. And they are not formally read at home either - they are too tough or too long or ... And yet, almost all Hindus know of the Ramayan and the Mahabharat and have read tales of it. The stories are so interesting and enticing and there are so very many of them. So they are widely covered in the comic books - Amar Chitra Katha to name one series. And then we have the huge coverage on television. And some extracts of these in various other forms.
But come to the mantras chanted in our prayers, and the source changes - these are from various parts of the Veds (Vedas). Thus the Gayatri mantra and the Mahamritunjay mantra are both from the Sanhita of the Rig Ved. Prayers like "Asto Maa Sadagamaya", "Om Purnamidah" etc. are from the Upanishads. Our National motto "Satyamev Jayate" is from the Upanishads. And of course the huge importance that we give to "OM" is from the Upanishads. The first I have read about reincarnation, departure after life either to heaven or the attaining of moksh are also in the Upanishads.
But come to rituals - they are followed so very differently in various parts of the country, in various sects or even in families. How come? Where do rituals come from? My research when writing my book did not go in this direction except to indicate that rituals are elaborated in the Brahman portions of the Veds. And yet the little I have read of the Brahmans does not elaborate on rituals. But they did lead to one very interesting piece of knowledge that I did not have earlier - that of the Agams (agamas).
But come to rituals - they are followed so very differently in various parts of the country, in various sects or even in families. How come? Where do rituals come from? My research when writing my book did not go in this direction except to indicate that rituals are elaborated in the Brahman portions of the Veds. And yet the little I have read of the Brahmans does not elaborate on rituals. But they did lead to one very interesting piece of knowledge that I did not have earlier - that of the Agams (agamas).
My daughter read the draft on the Shruti texts and asked a basic question - the mantra portion of the Veds have the various gods of Nature but not the Trinity. The Upanishads all talk of one Supreme God - Brahm. And then suddenly the Purans have Brahma, Vishnu Mahesh. How come?
All my efforts have not come up with an answer which is satisfactory to me. The Agams, which are also considered Shruti texts, are ancient and closest to our present rituals. But they are in Granthi - an old form of Tamil. So how do we account for the rituals practiced in the North. Also the concepts of Yantra have not really percolated to us.
Even today, Agamic literature is not really available in English or Hindi. Efforts are on in Pondicherry and France to collect the old texts and to translate the Agams into Sanskrit and French.
Does anyone have more ideas on this matter?
But if you want a quick and simple read of which are the classes of our Hindu texts and what is the difference between them, read my book "Our Heritage Revisited : A glimpse into ancient Indian texts". If your knowledge of these is rather basic, I promise you will be astounded at the variety and depth we have in our literature. Reviews and comments on it can be seen here https://www.facebook.com/ourheritagerevisited.
But if you want a quick and simple read of which are the classes of our Hindu texts and what is the difference between them, read my book "Our Heritage Revisited : A glimpse into ancient Indian texts". If your knowledge of these is rather basic, I promise you will be astounded at the variety and depth we have in our literature. Reviews and comments on it can be seen here https://www.facebook.com/ourheritagerevisited.
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