Understanding different Terms in Hinduism - Part 1

Vedas, Puranas, Shlokas, Mantras … You’ve heard so many terms in Hinduism but do you know what they mean & what are the differences? Here’s the tea.

First, we have the foundation of all Hindu texts, called the Vedas, which were written between 1500 - 500 BCE by rishis or sages who had higher intelligence & thus they could access the upper realms in our multiverse. These Vedas, namely the Atharvaveda, Rigveda, Yajurveda & Samveda - were written to guide us on the rituals, practices & knowledge to get spiritual growth & attain moksha.

Second, somewhere around 300 - 1500 CE came the 18 major Puranas. Puranas were written by Rishi Vyasa & other people with the intention to simplify & spread religious teachings through stories & legends of Gods. The Garuda Purana, for example, has some broad similarities to Egypt’s Book of the Dead as it talks about life after death, funeral rituals, etc.

Third, the Upanishads came in around 800-200 CE to help us dive deep into the spiritual aspects of things, such as the connection between our soul (atman) & the ultimate reality (Bhraman). There are 200+ Upanishads with 10-13 considered the main ones - they’re also called the end part of the Vedas, helping us go from rituals to philosophical discussions.

Finally, we have the Bhagavad Gita, which many scholars say, has the essence of all these texts, which is why it is such a sacred text for Hindus because if you read it, it is believed that you can get the most important highlights of all teachings in our dharma just by listening to a conversation on ethics & morals between Krishna & Arjuna.