Ancient India Test - 3

The Manu Smriti was one of the first Sanskrit texts. It was a hybrid moral-religious-law code and one of the first written law codes of Asia. In spite of its age, it has sustained paramountcy in the Hindu culture. It was also the code of conduct for inter-caste relationships in India.

Sutras contain rules of conduct and rites as they were practiced in various Vedic schools. The oldest sutras of Hinduism are found in the Brahmana and Aranyaka layers of the Vedas. Every school of Hindu philosophy, Vedic guides for rites of passage, various fields of arts, law, and social ethics developed respective sutras, which helped teach and transmit ideas from one generation to the next.

Upveda means applied knowledge and are traditional literatures which contain the subjects of certain technical works. The Upveda of Rig Veda, Yajur Veda, Sama Veda and Atharv Veda are Economics, Military Science, Music and Dance and Medical Sciences, respectively.

The Brahmanas are a collection of ancient Indian texts with commentaries on the hymns of the four Vedas. They are a layer or category of Vedic Sanskrit texts embedded within each Veda, and form a part of the Hindu śruti literature.

They are primarily a digest incorporating myths, legends, the explanation of Vedic rituals and in some cases speculations about natural phenomenon or philosophy.

A sermon is an oration, lecture, or talk by a preacher.

Sarnath is a place located 10 kilometres north-east of Varanasi near the confluence of the Ganges and the Varuna rivers in Uttar Pradesh, India.

The deer park in Sarnath is where Gautama Buddha delivered his first sermon at the deer park in Sarnath and taught the Dharma. It is the place where the Buddhist Sangha came into existence. In his first sermon, he taught the Four Noble Truths by addressing the existence of suffering, its cause, and its end.

Buddhism, while technically a non-theist religion, certainly seems to offer a plethora of potential idols. While a teacher will tell you that these images and icons are not idols, most Buddhists will fall into the trap, if not at least for a portion of their practice.

Some will never break the spell. Buddhism, unlike other religions, does not believe in a creator God or an eternal or everlasting soul. Buddhists believe that there is no permanent self or soul. Because there is no unchanging permanent essence or soul, Buddhists sometimes talk about energy being reborn, rather than souls.

Lord Buddha was born in Lumbini and is believed to have lived between 6^th and 4^th century BC. He is the central figure of Buddhism and was a monk and teacher, on whose teachings the Buddhism was founded. He belonged to Shakya Clan. The collection of his teachings were passed on oral tradition.