How Thoreau's Walden Pond Mixed with the Ganges and Yoga Came to America with Swami Vivekananda

Vedic literature of India
The Vedic Literature of India is a vast amount of texts. The main texts referred
to were the Laws of Manu, The Upanishads and the Bhagavad-Gita. However below
is a more complete accounting:
“The wisdom and knowledge of the Aryans is contained in their sacred literature,
collectively known as the Vedic literature.
Early Vedic Literature:
1. The Vedas are the oldest and the most sacred books of the Aryans, and are
four in number: the Rigveda, the Samaveda, the Yajurveda and the Atharvaveda.
2. The Brahmanas are the prose texts containing observations on the various
sacrificial rites and ceremonies.
3. The wisdom and knowledge of the Aryans is contained in their sacred literature,
collectively known as the Vedic literature.
4. Early Vedic Literature:
5. 1. The Vedas are the oldest and the most sacred books of the Aryans, and
are four in number: the Rigveda, the Samaveda, the Yajurveda and the Atharvaveda.
6. 2. The Brahmanas are the prose texts containing observations on the various
sacrificial rites and ceremonies.
7. 3. The Aranyakas, also known as the 'Forest Books', are the concluding portion
of the Brahmanas and deal with mysticism and philosophy.
8. 4. The Upanishads are the main source of Indian philosophy and have
found an important place in the history of world literature, having been translated
into various foreign languages like English, French, German and Persian.
They are about 300 in number, the more prominent ones being Isa,
Kena, Katha, Mundaka and Brihadranyaka.
9. Later Vedic Literature
10.1. The Sutras: They are a collection of the various new customs developed
with the passage of time and are divided into three classes- Srauta-
Sutras, Griha-Sutras and Dharma-Sutras.
11.2. Vedangas and Upavedas : Vedangas are a part of Vedic texts and deal
with religious practices, pronunciation, grammar, etymology (science of
words), metro and astronomy. The Upavedas deal with subjects such as medicine,
music, art and architecture and war.
12.The important Upavedas are Ayurveda, Gandharvaveda, Dhanurveda
and Shilpaveda.
13.3. Six Shastras: These are the six well-known schools of Hindu philosophy,
known as Darshanas or Shastras. In these, the ancient sages have tried to
give answers to certain difficult philosophical questions concerning God, soul,
birth and death. These are Sankhya Shastra by Kapila, Yoga Shastra of Patanjali,
Nyaya Shastra of Gautama, Vaisheshik Shastra of Kanad, Puna Mimansa
of Jamini and Uttarra Mimansa of Vyasa.
14.4. The Puranas: They are the ancient texts of Hindus and are 18 in number.
15.5. The Epics: The Ramayana and the Mahabharata are the two great epics
of Hindus, which throw an important light on the social, religious, economic
and political life of the Vedic Age Aryans.
16.6. Dharma Shastras: These are a very important source of information
about the laws and judicial procedures of the Aryans. Manu Smriti is the
most important of the Dharma Shastras.”
–Brief Notes on the Vedic Literature of India, by Bharti Preeti
Related Glossary Terms
Advaita Vedanta, Bhagavad-Gita, Brahmin pundit, Indologist, Mahabharata, Max Muller, Ramayana,
Rig Veda, Sanatana Dharma, Upanishads, Vanaprastya, Vedas, Yoga
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Section 6 - Introduction
Chapter 1 - How Thoreau's Walden Pond Mixed with the Ganges and Yoga Came to America with Swami Vivekananda
Chapter 1 - How Thoreau's Walden Pond Mixed with the Ganges and Yoga Came to America with Swami Vivekananda