Oldest religion in the world jainism holy book

The texts containing the teachings of mahavira are called the agamas, and are the canonical literature the scriptures of. Hinduism is an indian religion and dharma, or way of life, widely practiced in the indian subcontinent and parts of southeast asia. As one of the oldest religion in the world, hinduism is the dominant and largest religion in india. List of world religions and founders, religious books. Choose from 500 different sets of jainism sikhism hinduism buddhism world religions flashcards on quizlet. Learn jainism sikhism hinduism buddhism world religions with free interactive flashcards. A lack of written records results in most of the knowledge of prehistoric religion being derived from. Sohan raj tater former vice chancellor, singhania university jhunjhunu raj.

An inspirational journey that makes one wish to know more about this peculiar religion of jainism, and makes one wish that more of the world would practice its precepts. Some of the other holy works and books of hinduism. This book was written with the sole purpose of explaining the most popular and important religions of the world. The proof of many of these religions are seen in religious texts discovered by experts and specialists. Around the world, there are thousands of gods and goddesses that are worshipped and rituals that are practiced. Religions in india buddhism, christianity, hinduism. A voyage of discovery, third edition, saint marys press. The oldest forms of worship in the world are ancestor worship, shamanism, and animism, which are thought to date back to at least around 300,000 bce. Religion has been around for as long as man has existed. Buddha born near kapilavastu nepal and died in kusinagar up. However, there is no one superior religion or belief system in this world. The scriptures of the vedas are meant to guide hindu believers in their daily lives.

Universal there are hundred of religions in the world. Historically hinduism has developed over about 4,000 years and has no single founder or creed. Written history the age of formal writing is only c. Religion or dharma has been a factor of the human experience throughout history, from prehistoric to modern times.

Jainism is another ancient religion from india that is believed to have emerged in the 6 th century bce, around the same time as buddhism, and shares similar beliefs to both hinduism and buddhism. Instead they have a collection of holy writings and scriptures. If you go through the different religious book and study this question deeply, you will find out that hinduism is the oldest religion of the world. The text books treat jainism as a north indian religion. The most holy of the hindu books is written in sanskrit and is referred to as the vedas. Hinduism is the world s oldest religion, according to many scholars, with roots and customs dating back more than 4,000 years. Followers of jainism are called jains, and there are about 4 million worldwide. Hinduism has been called the oldest religion in the world, and some practitioners and scholars refer to it as sanatana dharma, the eternal tradition, or the eternal way, beyond human history. The holy teachers are called the jina, and they are the epitome of.

Christians worship in churches and their spiritual leaders are called priests. Hinduism is believed to have the oldest roots among all religions. Religions are simply the identification element for humans to give more importance. Jainism emerged in 6thcentury bce india, the same time buddhism was developing. Similarly, many westerners view the multiple manifestations of hinduisms godhead as polytheistic, which is a. India is the birthplace of four of the worlds major religions. Jainism simple english wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Test your world religion iq with this howstuffworks quiz. Christianity is the world s biggest religion, with about 2. The hindu rig veda is the oldest surviving religious scripture of the world. The world of conquerors volume 1 natubhai shah, dr natubhai shah.

Hinduism has been explained with its origins, beliefs, way of life, sacred texts, gods and goddesses, holiest things, interesting facts and hinduism. Jainism is a religion originally from india that teaches that all the events in the universe are selfcaused, random, fixed and are independent of previous events or external causes or god. But the truth is that jainism was one of the most popular religions in karnataka and andhra for many centuries. This principle of order is also paramount in the worlds oldest religion still being practiced today. Many classical texts are in sanskrit tatvartha sutra, puranas. The holy book of jainism is a collection of texts known as agam literature or the agam sutras. Religions in india are characterized by a diversity of religious beliefs and practices. All of the religions that have been developed throughout the ages were based on the cultures and values of the people from those time periods. The foundation for all other abrahamic religions, and the oldest monotheism still around though by no means the first that is alleged to be a variation on ancient egyptian faith called atenism, which disappeared in the 14th century bce, judaism originated in the kingdoms of israel and judah, which first appeared in the levant around the 9th century bce. The oldest of the vedas, the rig veda dates back to around 1500 bce and is one of the oldest religious texts in use. The golden book of jainism humanitys oldest religion of. This sacred text is divided into two main sections, the old testament and the new testament which are then further divided into various books. Note that some religions may be practicedor understoodin various categories.

Is zoroastrianism the oldest religion in the world. However, there is a lot of ambiguity, debate and obscurity over this one. The oldest jain literature is in shauraseni and ardhamagadhi prakrit agamas, agamatulya, siddhanta texts, etc. Sogani, it represents the continuation of indigenous. The holy books of world religions sacred texts in world.

With around 80% of the population having hinduism as their religion, india or bharat is also often called hindu rashtra or hindustan. Hinduism originated in india, jainism and buddhism in nepal, judaism in israel and taoism in china. Jain philosophy is the oldest philosophy of india that distinguishes body matter from the soul consciousness completely. Eventually the jains converted to hinduism but thousands of jain artifacts have been recovered by archeologists from digs in south india. Yes, jainism is a religion that has a prominent following in india.

Bible is the holy book which consists of old and new testaments. These texts are the holy scriptures of the jain religion. Other holy scriptures in hinduism are called the upanisads, the smrutis, the puranas, the ramayana and the mahabharata. It has no beginning as it predates recorded history. Theantiquity of jainism jaina religion is the oldest religion of india, it began as a spiritual discipline for samanas, arhatas, tirthankaras, nigganthas, and jainas.

Agams are the jain texts which are based on the discourse. It teaches that the universe is eternal and that every living being. We have certain scriptures which are considered as very sacred. While it certainly has evolved over the years, the belief in gods and deities is an ancient tradition and dates back thousands of years. Religions in india indian religions religion in india. Michael tobias is not just a scholar, he is a creative artist of the highest order. A lack of written records results in most of the knowledge of prehistoric religion being derived from archaeological records and other. The epic of gilgamesh from sumer, although only considered by some scholars as a religious text, has origins as early as 2150 bce, and stands as one of the earliest literary works that includes various mythological figures and themes. The faith is named for the jinas, spiritual conquerors who have achieved liberation and perfection. Jainism dont have any specific holy book like the bhagavad geeta,the quran or the bible.

Unlike most common monotheistic religions, jainism does not have one holy book that characterizes their faith. The existing agam sutras are accepted as the authentic preaching of lord mahavir by the swetambar sects, but the digambar sect does not accept. Again, considering the challenge of jainism, well some say the jain tirthankaars are the same as the vedic seers. The golden books series of indian religions is specially planned and designed for the general educated reader in india and abroad, who in the 21st century of the third millennium, wants to know about them to contribute his lot to the fast growing globalisation of world cultures. The agam sutras show great reverence for all forms of life and strict codes of vegetarianism, asceticism, nonviolence, and opposition to war. For instance, the christian notion of the holy trinity god, jesus, holy spirit defies the definition of monotheism, which is a religion based on belief in a single deity, to some scholars.

It is often described as a way of life and is widely practiced in india and other parts of the indian. It is based on the teachings of jesus christ who lived on the holy land 2000 years ago. The religion does not have a single religious text to draw from and its adherents believe instead that the truth has been revealed at different times by tirthankara prophets, who have achieved the. Jainism is an eastern religion with origins in the indus river valley dating back to 3000 b. Hinduism known to adherents as sanatan dharma, eternal order. This book is the first comprehensive study of jainism to be published in the west. One of the oldest known religious texts is the kesh temple hymn of ancient sumer, a set of inscribed clay tablets which scholars typically date around 2600 bce. The oldest religions that are still widely practiced are hinduism, judaism, buddhism, taoism, and jainism.