Hinduism part III (4 and 5)

Part IV: Doctrine and Scripture:
From the following link 3 of the important Doctrines to research and describe:

Hindu Doctrine is carried on by means of both Shruti and Smirti.
Shruti is aural documentation, passed down by priests and Smirti is written documentation

Vedas

The vedas are the oldest Hindu scriptures that tell the history of the Vedic people. These were the first religious writings and recorded origins of the Hindu religion. There are four vedas:
1. Rig Veda-contains ten books, hymns, Vedic deities, Gayatri mantra and Purusha Shukta prayer
2. Yajur Veda-priestly handbook dictating the performance of yajnas (sacrifices). It is divided into the old "black" and new "white" sections
3. Sama Veda-contains chants and melodies to be sung during worship and yajna
4. Atharva Veda-mantras, hymns, incantations to be sung outside of yajna

Each Veda is comprised of four sections, the first two are focussed on sacrificial rituals, and the last two are focussed on philosophy. The most famous of these are the:
Aryankas
Upanishads


Upanishads
The Upanishads are the last part of each of the four Vedas that are philosophically based. The 108 Upanishads are considered the religious origins of the Hindu religion where concepts such as the nature of the soul and liberation, karma and Brahman are introduced. Of the 108, 13 are the most well-known.

Mahabarata
The Mahabarata is a long story that tells the tale of a war between two families, the Pandavas and the Kauravas. It is the longest poem in the world with 110,000 verses. It teaches many Hindu concepts through its long story such as justice, when violence is ok, duty, qualities of a true leader, warrior ethic, abuse of women and dharma in the role of warrior and priestly castes. The heart of this story is the Bhagavad-Gita, the story of Arjuna, the warrior fighting Kali.

The Vedas, Upanishads and Mahabarata are all connected through their lineage and progression of the Hindu religion. The first Hindu texts were the Vedas, recounting the lives of the Vedic people and primary beliefs, within these, the Upanishads grew in popularity because of their philosophical content. From the Upanishads came the Mahabarata, a story to illustrate the Hindu beliefs in practice.


Part V: Denominations and Practice:

From the following page: Denominations and Practice: choose TWO of the Hindu denominations to describe and explain: (each has a specific link to descriptions):

Vaishnavism- the umbrella term for Hindu sects worshipping Vishnu, or avatars (forms) of Vishnu. Krishna and Rama are two main forms. Vaishnavas practice Bhakti traditions. From the 1100's onward, bhakti practice became popular because it transcended caste barriers. Two main bhakti women saints are Andal and Mirabai. Vaishnavism is the largest Hindu sect practiced around the world.

Shaktism- the general religion that worships Devi. More specifically, the religion that worships the Devi's forms of female deities such as Kali, Pavarti and Durga. Since Shiva represents the male principle and Shakti represents the female principle, these two concepts are complimentary, and therefore the two religions work together. The Shakti religion emphasizes the oneness of matter and spirit, and therefore worships for material benefit (emphasizing the benefits of the material world, rather than how it can entangle the believer) and liberation and connection with the Atman. Another known aspect of Shaktism is animal sacrifice, and sometimes human sacrifice.

Overtime, Devi has become a symbol for women's strength and women's liberation movements, often with pictures of Devi.