Aranyaka

(“Forest books”) General designation for
a type of literature contained in the
sacred texts known as the Vedas. The
Aranyakas are transitional in nature; in
their content they move away from the
focus on ritual and sacrifice found in
the Brahmana literature and foreshadow the later, more speculative texts
known as the Upanishads.
Because of their name, the
Aranyakas are widely believed to have
been composed in the forests, perhaps
by ascetics who had left formal society. The tone in these texts is questioning and speculative, and in stylistic
terms there is no clear break between
the Aranyakas and the Upanishads:
one of the earliest upanishads is
named Brhadaranyaka (“Great
Forest-Book”) Upanishad, which reinforces the connection.
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Aranyaka
An arati lamp is waved before an image of the god Ganesh before the statue is immersed in water.
The light from the flame is considered a religious offering.