Hindu Holy Books
Hinduism has developed over______________. Many different books
have been written in that time, praising the gods, describing the correct ways
of _______ and __________ Hindu beliefs. Most of the holy _____ are written in
_________, which is a language that is used only for religious purposes. _____
texts have more authority than ______ texts, because of their believed divine
origin. Smriti means to ________, and deals with _________ and laws. Sruti
means to ______, and contains important beliefs.
The Vedas (Sruti)
The Vedas are the ______ of the Hindu holy books. Hindus believe that
the Vedas came from ___, and they contain the ____________ which never
change. This is called a sruti text because of its divine origin. They go back
to about 1200 BC, but were not collected for another _____ years. The
teachings were passed down by _________.
The most important ____ is the first, and it is called the ________ which
contains over 1000 hymns. They are made up of ______ called _______. The
hymns are really _____ praising the ______ that were believed to control the
forces of ______. The remaining Vedas contain ____________ to the _______
about how _______ should be carried out, and the descriptions of
____________________.
The Upanishads (Sruti)
The Upanishads are the last part of each ____. It’s literal translation
means _________, and this is how the teachings began. People who wanted to
learn from _______ would sit down around them, listening to what they were
saying and ultimately ______________. The Upanishads contain _________
about the most important things which Hindus believe; for example what
_________, and _________________________.
The Laws of Manu (Smriti)
The laws of Manu are some of the most important ________ for Hindus.
No one really knows when Manu lived, but he was a _______ whose words
were written down by ___ AD. There are ____ verses in the books of the Laws
of Manu. They contain ____________ about how Hindus should live their lives
and show how important it is to follow the teachings in ___________. They
include the ___________ for certain crimes, and rules which _______ should
follow. Many Hindus try to obey __________________.
The Puranas (Smriti)
The Puranas were written down over a period of about ____ years. The
word purana means olden times. They are part of the group of _________
which help to explain the _____. They contain many well known stories, and
deal mainly with the worship of ______, ______, _____, and ______. Altogether
there are over ___________ verses in the Puranas.
The Mahabharata (Smriti)
The Mahabharata is the ___________ in the world. It has over ______
verses. It was not written by one person, but was added to by many people
over several hundred years. The main story is about __________________.
They are _______, and quarrel over who should be the rightful ruler of the
country. One family ____________, and a war begins. Before the battle is
about to commence, one of the royal _______ by the name of ______, talks to
the person who is driving his _______. The person turns out to be the god
_______ in disguise. This is the most important part of the poem, and it
includes the ____________, which is probably the most loved part of all the
Hindu scriptures.
Bhagavad Gita means _____________. Arjuna tells Krishna that he does
not want to fight, because it is a ______ against his ________. Krishna teaches
the prince about _______ or _______, as well as the correct ways for _______.
The Ramayana (Smriti)
The Ramayana has _____ verses. It is thought to be the work of a man
called _______, and was probably written down in ___ AD. It tells the story of
_________ and his wife ____. Prince Rama was an appearance of the god
______. In the story, Rama’s ______ has promised his youngest wife two
wishes: _____________________ and ____________________. The King is broken
hearted, but has to keep his promise. Prince Rama obeys his father and goes
off to live far away with his ________ and his brother. While they are there,
____ is kidnapped by the wicked demon ______. In the ensuing battle, Rama
kills ______ with the help of _______, and he and Sita are able to return home.
Rama is __________, and everything ends happy as good wins over evil.
Questions – Please answer in complete sentences.
1) Explain the following: Vedas, mantras, Puranas, Mahabharata,
Ramayana, and Bhagavad Gita.
2) Explain how the Vedas were remembered before they were written
down. What are the advantages/disadvantages of this method of
remembering things.
3) What does Upanishads mean and how did they begin?
4) Explain why you think adults and children can enjoy stories like the
Mahabharata and the Ramayana?
5) Why do you think the Bhagavad Gita is so important for Hindus?