Bharatham : Uthishtatha-Jagratha : (wef-05/11/2012. )

25/02/2019 III.2 - Continued .. Q: Give glimpses of the life-sketch of its founder. A: Hinduism has no founder, but it adores the great personalities mentioned in or associated with its fundamental scriptures mentioned earlier - for example, sages like Vasishtha, Vyasa, Suka, Valmiki, Yajnavalkya and Uddalaka, and all the propounders of the religion of knowledge, devotion and action. Q: How and in which countries did it spread? A: Hinduism has its stronghold in India, especially. But it spread outside India in the East and its impact in such countries and lands as Java, Sumatra, Cambodia and the like is well known to history. Today, a large population of Indians dwells outside India, in many different countries of the world. The way it spreads its message outside has been through its teachers, messengers, propounders and actual living participants, who accomplished this task either by travel or by written message, or through both. Q: Where are its monuments/places of pi...

12/02/2019 III.1 Q: Which are its Scriptures? A: The principal Scriptures of Hinduism are : • the Vedas, consisting of the Samhitas, Brahmanas, Aranyakas and Upanishads • the Smritis, of which the most important are of Manu, Yajnavalkya and Parasara • the Itihasas, viz., the Ramayana and the Mahabharata (which contains the Bhagavadgita) • the eighteen Puranas. Q: Which are the other important books written on it, and who are their authors? A: The other important texts associated with Hinduism, apart from the basic canons mentioned above, are : 4. • the Agamas and Tantras (mystical and esoteric texts) • the Purva-Mimamsa and the Uttara-Mimamsa schools of theology and philosophy • the writings of the great exponents and commentators in the field of philosophy and religion, such as the Acharyas, viz., Sankara, Ramanuja, Madhya, Vallabha, Nimbarka, Gauranga Mahaprabhu and Krishna Chaitanya, as well as the propounders of the religious schools of Vaishnavism, Saivism an...