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Question 5. Are there other scriptures also, considered sacred and authoritative?
In Hinduism, the number of books, considered as sacred, is legion. However; only the more important ones, acceptable to the orthodox tradition and venerated by almost all sections, will be described here briefly: Ramayana, Mahabharata, Bhagavadgita, the Smritis of Manu and other sages, Agamas, Puranas and Darsanas.
The Ramayana, containing the life and deeds of Sri Rama, and the Mahabharata which deals with the story of the Pandava Kaurava princes as also of Sri Krishna have inspired the Hindus for millennia to face the problems of life.
The Bhagavadgita, more commonly known as the Gita, which is a part of the Mahabharata is an extremely popular scripture. If the Upanishads can be compared to the cow, the Gita is their milk. It is in the form of a dialogue between Lord Sri Krishna and the mighty Pandava warrior Arjuna. The battlefield of Kurukshetra is its place of origin. Its central message is that one should discharge one's duty however hard and unpleasant it be bravely and with selfless dedication.
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