The Sacred Hindu Books – The Prasthana Trayi

Hinduism differs from other religions in several ways. The most striking difference is that there are dozens of sacred Hindu books with profound concepts and philosophies, while most other religions have only one or a few holy books. The framework of Hinduism is unlike Abrahamic religions, they being philosophical traditions to discover the supreme – we will cover this aspect in another article.

While Hinduism is the name given by outsiders, the people who follow this religion call it, the Sanathana Dharma. But for simplicity’s sake, we will refer to Sanathana Dharma as Hinduism in this article, as it is meant for those who seek information on Hinduism.

Some minor religious sects partially agree with Vedas and for this reason, those schools of thought who follow the Vedas completely are considered Vedic or astika.

What are the most sacred Hindu books?
When a non-Hindu tries to find the most supreme sacred books of the Hindus, it is quite confusing. At first glance, it would appear that the four Vedas – Rig Veda, Yajur Veda, Sama Veda, and Atharva Veda are the most important sacred books for Hindus. The Vedas are very important but they are too intricate and archaic. Many books together referred by a single name Veda. The Upanishads which are found towards the end of 4 Vedas themselves are 108 books.

It is commonly said that in one entire life spend in the study of the Hindu sacred books it is not possible to study all the sacred Hindu books. However, the essence of all the knowledge of the Supreme in Hinduism is said to be found in the Prasthana Trayi. This particular article would focus on the three most sacred books of Hinduism.

The ten principal or main Upanishads, the Bhagavad Gita, and the Brahma Sutras. These three texts together are called the Prasthana Trayi texts. One can consider themselves knowledgeable of Hinduism if they have studied the sacred books that constitute the Prasthana Trayi.

Let us now briefly elaborate on each of the three parts that make the sacred books for Hindus. These 3 types of books represent the ways to discover the supreme and connect with the Supreme, Bhagavan, or Brahman – the God of Hindus. There are different names again. It is said it is difficult for a human to fully comprehend the Supreme in its entirety.

The Upanishads –
In the foremost religious Hindu books of Prasthana Trayi, there are the ten principal or main Upanishads. The Upanishads is not a single book but made of many books created by different saints:

• The entire texts in the Upanishads class number 108, with around ten of those considered the major ones.
• The 10 most important Upanishads are collectively called ‘Dasha Upanishads’ and they include the Isa, Kena, Katha, Prasna, Mundaka, Mandukya, Taittiriya, Aitareya, Chandogya, and Brhadaranyaka Upanishads.
• Most of the Upanishads have been written in the form of prose and the remaining ones are seen as verses.
• The Upanishads are found towards the end of the Vedas and hence called vedantic texts.
• The fundamental message of Upanishads is that God (Brahman) resides in every human being as their aatma.

The Bhagavad Gita –
When the term “Bhagavad Gita” is translated into English, we get to read it as “The Song of God.” The Bhagavad Gita can be rated as being the most popular of all the books, for it is respected with devotion by all sects of Hinduism.

• This text, which is written in Sanskrit, includes more than 700 verses spanning across 18 chapters.
• The Bhagavad Gita is a part of the Mahabharata itihasa or ancient Indian history.
• The backdrop of this book is the battlefield of Kurukshetra near modern-day Delhi – just before the start of the war involving the cousins, Kauravas and the Pandavas. While the other texts are set in the context of the deep meditation in the forests by saints. This book captures the discourse of the essence of Hindu religion by an Avataar of God Sri Krishna to his friend and follower – Arjuna the commander of the Pandava Army before a rightful war to protect dharma.When mighty warrior and supreme military commander Arjuna is upset and reluctant to fight against his kith and kin in the war for material possessions. Lord Krishna counsels and motivates him to do his duty and not run away from duties just because they are unpleasant. Lord Krishna provides clarity about philosophy of existence to Arjuna and dispels the mental confusion of the legendary warrior.

The Brahma Sutras –
The Brahma Sutra is a different kind of document and is not meant for the ordinary Hindu but for those with a renunciate orientation. This sacred text summarizes the concepts about the ultimate truth in Hindu philosophy in a systematic manner. It also resolves some confusion that can come from knowing the Hindu philosophy superficially or partly. A few of the significant aspects of the Brahma Sutras are:

• The Brahma Sutras contain the summary of the spiritual and philosophical concepts that the Upanishads discuss.
• The book lists Sutras, which are profound short, statements with deep meaning. There are 555 sutras in Brahmasutras which are considered the essence of the 108 Upanishads.
• The Brahma Sutras are known by three other names, as well. They are Shariraka Sutra (the thing that lives within the human body), Vedanta Sutra (the ultimate objective of Vedas), and Bhikshu Sutra (instructions for the monks).
• The nature of God, the essential nature of man, creation, and life are some of the things that are elaborated by the Brahma Sutras.
• For a layman, the concepts in the 108 Upanishads may appear confusing at first glance. The Brahmasutras were first written by the foremost Hindu Saint Krishna Dvaipayana vyasa five thousand plus years ago. Krishna Dvaipayana was an extraordinary bright scholar, extremely devout, and one who did many rigorous penances. For organizing the entire Vedas written by the many saints both men and women into 4 Vedas, he is honoured by the name – ‘Veda Vyasa’ – the one who organized the Vedas.

Importance of the Prasthana Trayi –
If you have read the entire article, considered yourself lucky, that you now know the three most sacred texts of Hindus. Many times Hindus who are self-guided or do self-learning, read the other sacred texts being unaware of the importance or the components of the Prasthana Trayi.

Numerous eminent Hindu saints and holy men have studied, understood, and realized the truths of the Prasthana Trayi before writing commentaries on these sacred Hindu texts – to make their meaning accessible.

A saint who has written a commentary on the Prasthani Trayi that is accepted as masterly by the other leading Hindu holy men and religious scholars of that time and is considered a great authority of Hinduism. Three such people are deeply respected Adi Shankaracharya, Ramanujacharya, and Madhvacharya. These three saints are the most recent great saints being about 800 years to 1500 years ago.

The “Prasthana Trayi” is a vast subject and it’s impossible to cover all its aspects in a brief write-up like this. Yet, a sincere attempt has been made to provide the basic outline of the three sacred texts for an ordinary reader. The key takeaway from the Prasthana Trayi is that the knowledge and concepts provided in these sacred Hindu texts are of utmost authenticity.

Note: Published with the permission of hindueshop.com.