Among the most influential preachers of Hinduism in late 19th century, Swami Vivekanand said that Vedas are the original texts of Hindus (Vivekananda, 2010). There are four Vedas: Rigveda, Samyaveda, Yajurveda and Atharvaveda. Vedas are divided into two parts: Karmakanda, which deals with mantras and rituals; and Gyanakanda, which deals with the spiritual issues. The texts containing the spiritual discourses are called Upanishads. It is claimed that there are 108 Upanishads. For Vivekananda, practically Vedanta only is the basic religious text of Hindus. Interpretations of Vedanta are further divided into three: Dwaita, Adwaita and Vishist Adwaita. In the post-Buddhist period they have been popularized by Madhvacharya, Shankaracharya and Ramanujacharya respectively. Among them Adwaita Vedanta became more popular as real Vedanta. It claims that the Truth is not different from the phenomenal world. The perceived difference between the two is due to illusion, like seeing a snake in a rope. In ignorance a man sees this world, not Brahman; but when he acquires knowledge he sees only Brahman, he does not see the world anymore.

To follow Gita, the ultimate purpose of life, whose achievement only can give everlasting happiness, is to attain liberation, and there are multiple ways for achieving liberation: Karma Yoga, Gyan Yoga, Dhyan Yoga, Sankhya Yoga and Bhakti Yoga. Like Buddhism Gita too develops a psychological system of consciousness and maintains that all embodied souls are under the control of three modes, or qualities, of material nature. They are goodness, passion and ignorance. Gita shows the various ways in which one can transcend them and become free from the control of the nature (Prabhupad, 1983). Among the three modes of nature – goodness, passion and ignorance – happiness is associated with goodness (Prabhupad, 1983, 608):

O sinless one, the mode of goodness, being purer than the others, is illuminating, and it frees one from all sinful reactions. Those situated in that mode become conditioned by a sense of happiness and knowledge.