Hinduism and the Vedas
This page delivers no verdict; it presents claims and evidence with their sources. No theory in science is absolute. Method
For everyone
Hinduism is a very diverse body of beliefs and practices that developed in India, with no single founder. Its oldest scriptures are the Vedas. Key concepts include dharma (order, duty), karma (the consequences of actions), saṃsāra (the cycle of rebirth) and mokṣa (liberation). Time is conceived cyclically. There are about 1.2 billion Hindus in the world.
For specialists
Linguistic and historical analyses place the composition of the Ṛgveda at roughly 1500–1200 BCE; the traditional view regards the Vedas as eternal and not of human authorship (apauruṣeya). The Nāsadīya hymn of the Ṛgveda (10.129) is known for its sceptical tone questioning the beginning of creation, ending "perhaps He does not know". The Upaniṣads, the Bhagavad Gītā and the Purāṇas are important later texts.
Claims
- Living beings circulate in the cycle of rebirth (saṃsāra) according to the consequences of their actions (karma); liberation (mokṣa) is release from this cycle.[1]
Positions
- The Nāsadīya hymn of the Ṛgveda
- Who knows whence creation came? He who oversees it in the highest heaven perhaps knows, or perhaps he does not.[2]
Connections
Sources
- Book (1996). An Introduction to Hinduism. Cambridge University Press
- ScriptureṚgveda 10.129 (Nāsadīya Sūkta), trans. R. T. H. Griffithen.wikisource.orgarchive⚠ link not responding; see the archived copy
Search the literature
Look for scholarly work on this topic in other indexes:
Cite this page
Athena contributors. (2026). Hinduism and the Vedas. Athena: The tree of human knowledge. Retrieved November 1, 2026, from https://latifkedi.github.io/athena/en/d/hinduizm/
@misc{athena_hinduizm,
title = {Hinduism and the Vedas},
author = {{Athena contributors}},
year = {2026},
howpublished = {\url{https://latifkedi.github.io/athena/en/d/hinduizm/}},
note = {Athena: The tree of human knowledge. Accessed: 2026-11-01}
}Added: September 27, 2026 · Last changed: September 27, 2026 · Page history