YajurvedaThe Yajurveda (Sanskrit: , IAST: yajurveda, from , "worship", and , "knowledge") is the Veda primarily of prose mantras for worship rituals. An ancient Vedic Sanskrit text, it is a compilation of ritual-offering formulas that were said by a priest while an individual performed ritual actions such as those before the yajña fire. Yajurveda is one of the four Vedas, and one of the scriptures of Hinduism.
VedasOldest scriptures of HinduismThe Vedas are ancient Sanskrit texts of Hinduism. Above: A page from the Atharvaveda.The Vedas ( or ; Sanskrit: वेदः, romanised: Vēdaḥ, lit. 'knowledge'), sometimes collectively called the Veda, are a large body of religious texts originating in ancient India. Composed in Vedic Sanskrit, the texts constitute the oldest layer of Sanskrit literature and the oldest scriptures of Hinduism.
BrahmanaThe Brahmanas (; Sanskrit: ब्राह्मणम्, IAST: Brāhmaṇam) are Vedicśruti works attached to the Samhitas (hymns and mantras) of the Rig, Sama, Yajur, and Atharva Vedas. They are a secondary layer or classification of Sanskrit texts embedded within each Veda, which explain and instruct on the performance of Vedic rituals (in which the related Samhitas are recited).
RitualActivities performed according to a set sequenceA Javanese ritual dance dedicated to the goddess of rice and fertility, Dewi SriA ritual is a repeated, structured sequence of actions or behaviors that alters the internal or external state of an individual, group, or environment, regardless of conscious understanding, emotional context, or symbolic meaning.
MantraSacred utterance or sound used in meditation, often repeatedElder women performing spell (Mantra) to break the evil eyeClockwise from upper left: Om (an ancient Vedic mantra used in Hinduism and Buddhism); the Ṇamōkāra mantra (the most important mantra in Jainism); the Vajrayana Buddhist E-VAM mantra, known as the Kalachakra "Tenfold Powerful One"; the Hare Krishna mantra in a modern concert setting; Om mani padme hum (a popular Buddhist mantra) in Tianjin Temple (Ranjana script).A mantra ( ; Pali: mantra) or mantram (Devanagari: मन्त्रम्) is a sacred utterance, a numinous sound, syllable, word or phonemes, or group of words (most often in an Indo-Iranian language such as Sanskrit or Avestan) that practitioners believe to have religious, magical or spiritual powers.
OblationAn oblation is a solemn , sacrifice or presentation to God, to the Church for use in God's service, or to the faithful, such as giving alms to the poor. The word comes from the Late Latinoblatio (from offerre, oblatum 'to offer'), 'an instance of offering' and by extension 'the thing offered'. Bible useThe Latin Vulgate, and following this many English versions such as the KJV, 1611, uses the word to stand for the meal offering under the Law of Moses.
LibationA libation is a ritual pouring of a liquid as an offering to a deity or spirit, or in memory of the dead. It was common in many religions of antiquity and continues to be offered in cultures today. Various substances have been used for libations, most commonly wine or other alcoholic drinks, olive oil, honey, and in India, ghee. The vessels used in the ritual, including the patera, often had a significant form which differentiated them from secular vessels.
UpanishadsAncient Sanskrit religious and philosophical texts of HinduismThe Upanishads (; Sanskrit: उपनिषद्, IAST: Upaniṣad, pronounced) are Sanskrit texts of the late Vedic and post-Vedic periods that "document the transition from the archaic ritualism of the Veda into new religious ideas and institutions" and the emergence of the central religious concepts of Hinduism.
Karma KāṇḍaKarma Kāṇḍa (Sanskrit: कर्मकाण्ड) refers to the section of the Vedas that lists the performance of rituals and sacrificial rites for material benefits or to acquire values that will lead to liberation, which are performed by anyone without exchange for a Dakshina.
HinduismHinduism () is an umbrella term for a range of Indian religious and spiritual traditions (sampradayas) that are unified by adherence to Dharma, a cosmic order maintained by its followers through rituals and righteous living, as expounded in the Vedas. The word Hindu originated as an exonym, and while Hinduism has been called the oldest surviving religion in the world, it is also described since the 19th century by the term Sanātana Dharma (lit. 'eternal dharma').
JñānaIn Indian philosophy and religions, jñāna (Sanskrit: ज्ञानम्, ) is "knowledge, wisdom, comprehension". It gives irrefutable knowledge or understanding of an object, especially the supreme Being or reality. EtymologyIn Sanskrit, Jñāna, also transliterated into English as jnana, jnan, gyana, gyan, or gyaan, is "knowledge, wisdom, comprehension". The root ज्ञा- is cognate to Slavic , English , Greek (as in γνῶσις gnosis), and Lithuanian .
Literal translationLiteral translation, direct translation, word-for-word translation, word-by-word translation, or word-to-word translation is the translation of a text done by translating each word separately without analysing how the words are used together in a phrase or sentence. In translation theory, another term for literal translation is metaphrase (as opposed to paraphrase for an analogous translation).
SanskritAncient Indo-Aryan language of South AsiaSanskrit (; stem form संस्कृत; nominal singular संस्कृतम्, saṃskṛtam,) is a classical language belonging to the Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European languages. It arose in South Asia after its predecessor languages had diffused there from the northwest in the late Bronze Age.*As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.