The sacred texts of the Hindus

According to Swami Vivekananda, "the accumulated treasure of spiritual laws discovered by different people in different eras" constitutes the sacred Hindu text. Collectively called Shastra, there are two types of sacred writings in Hindu scriptures: Shruti (listened) and Smriti (memorized).

The Sruti literature refers to the habit of the ancient Hindu saints who led a solitary life in the woods, where they developed a consciousness that allowed them to "listen" or know the truths of the universe. The Sruti literature is divided into two parts: the Vedas and the Upanishads.

There are four Vedas:

The Rig Veda - "Real knowledge"
The Sama Veda - "Knowledge of the songs"
The Yajur Veda - "Knowledge of sacrificial rituals"
Atharva Veda - "Knowledge of incarnations"
There are 108 existing Upanishads, of which 10 are most important: Isa, Kena, Katha, Prashna, Mundaka, Mandukya, Taitiriya, Aitareya, Chandogya, Brihadaranyaka.

The Smriti literature refers to "memorized" or "remembered" poems and epics. They are more popular among Hindus because they are easy to understand, explain universal truths through symbolism and mythology and contain some of the most beautiful and exciting stories in the history of world literature on religion. The three most important of the Smriti literature are:

The Bhagavad Gita - The most famous of the Hindu scriptures, called "Song of the adorable", written around the second century BC and constitutes the sixth part of Mahabharata. It contains some of the most brilliant theological lessons on the nature of God and life ever written.
The Mahabharata - The longest epic in the world written around the ninth century BC, and deals with the power struggle between the Pandava and Kaurava families, with a mix of numerous episodes that make up life.
Ramayana - The most popular of the Hindu epics, composed of Valmiki around the 300th or XNUMXnd century BC with subsequent additions up to around XNUMX AD. It describes the story of the royal couple of Ayodhya - Ram and Sita and a host of other characters and their exploits.