Literature of Hinduism
FAMILY LIFE
Family life actually incorporates all facets of living. The householder couple is the center piece of the whole structure of the whole society. They are the breadwinners and parents who will bring up children, inculcate values and mold them so that they can become the future of society. It is the husband and wife in the prime of their life who are responsible for the care of dependents such as aging parents and other elders. Our sages have stressed the role and
DHARMA
Dharma is to follow the laws of nature, and religion is a manmade set of beliefs. Dharma binds people together, whereas religion may serve to divide people. The way religion is commonly practiced has been responsible for many wars. Hindu dharma was originally called dharma only. Then it started to be called sanaatan dharma, which means “a religion which has been present since the inception of humanity and follows the laws of nature”. ManuSmriti defines Dharma and also goes in to the
AASHARAM VYAVASTHA (STAGES OF LIFE)
Our sages have divided the life span of 100 yrs in to 4 stages. This division is called the “Aashrams of life”. The 4 stages are: Brahamacharya, or celibacy, Grihastha, or family life, Vaanpristha, or social life, and, sanyaasa, or the stage of total detachment. The word Aashram denotes “hard work for self-benevolence”. Swami Dayanand Saraswati defines Aashram as a system in which one works as hard as possible and acquires the highest level of qualities. (aaryodesh ratnamala). The sole aim of
VARNA VYAVASTHA (CASTE SYSTEM)
Vedas, the original scriptures of humanity, have spelled out clearly, that the society can be divided in 4 types of people. These are: those who educate and guide others(Brahmins), those who protect(Kshatriys), those who do business(Vaishyas) and finally those who cannot do any of the above trades(Shudras), provide service to the above 3 segments of society. This was called the Varna Vyavastha. Manu Smriti, written by Sage Manu, thousands of yrs. ago, which can be called the first book of Law on