Religion Unit 1 - Hinduism

Who was the German philologist, Sanskritist, and Orientalist who was one of the founders of western academic field of Indian studies and comparative theology at Oxford University, England (Victorian period)?

Friedrich Max Muller

What is the name of this?

 Bronze Dancing Girl from Mohenjo-Dara circa 2500 B.C

does Hinduism have a single founder or founding dates?

no

Hinduism involves a _________ way of life

comprehensive (culture + religion)

What type of religion is Hinduism?

non-proselytizing

Hinduism is the ___ largest religion

3rd

approximately how many adherents does Hinduism have?

1 billion

what are the two root sources for “tree of Hinduism” and the Indian Religion?

Indus Valley Civilization and Aryan Culture

Where are the four ancient urban civilizations located within?

Egypt, Mesopotamia, South Asia, and China

what time period was the Indus Valley civilization and its peak?

c. 2500 - 1500 BCE, peak at 1900 BCE

where were the main centers of the Indus Valley Civilization?

Harappa and Mohenjo Daro fluorished along the Indus River

what type of economy was it during the Indus Valley Civilization?

agricultural based, complex city planning, written script

what wa the religion based on during the Indus Valley Civilization?

archeological remains

example of archaelogical remains during the Indus Valley Civilization:

• Goddess figurines

• Great bath

• Depictions animals/nature

• Yogic seal

• Burial items

Which script is shown?

Indus/Harappan

what does the indo-european family of languages include?

indo-iranian and indi-european groups

indo-european languages

Greek and Latin

into-iranian languages

Avestan (sacred language of the Zoroastrians), Sanskrit and north Indian vernaculars

Mohenjo Daro and Harappa

• Sophisticated water technologies

• Grid pattern thoroughfares

• Multi-roomed houses

• Bathing room connected to a street drain.

• An estimated 700 wells

• Mature Phase - Parts of city rebuilt several times

what type of well was there at the Mohenjo Daro site?

private

what type of well was there at the Harappa site?

public

what type of streets were in Mohenjo Daro?

narrow side

what was the public building at Mohenjo Daro called?

The Great Bath

what type of halls and buildings do Mohenjo Daro and Harappa have?

granaries, large buildings and halls (assembly halls and colleges)

do Mohenjo Daro and Harappa have palaces and funerary structures?

no

which artifact is this?

Unicorn Seal

which artifact is this?

Zebu Bull

which artifact is this?

burial pottery

which artifact is this?

ornament/jewelry

which artifact is this?

terracotta images

which artifact is this?

‘priest-king’

which artifact is this?

harappan burial site: male

which artifact is this?

topography: harappa

where and when did Aryans come from?

central Asia via Afghanistan around 1500 BCE

where did Aryans migrate to?

some groups to region thats now Iran, other groups also went west into Europe

who developed Vedic Sanskrit?

Aryans

What is Vedic Sanskrit primaril worshipped through?

yajna

Vedic pantheon of elemental deities

Indra and Agni ‘messenger of the gods’

Aryan Migration Thesis

reasons for linguistic/cultural change

Cultural Diffusion hypothesis

• Aryan Migration thesis re-examined

• Asko Parpola involved

• relations to Brahui language

what is the basis of Vedic religion?

Veda, meaining “knowledge”

classification of sruti

from Sanskrit root, sru - “to hear”

how as the vedic religion passed down?

orally by brahmins and vedic rituals

smrti

“smr” - to remember

smrti literature

regarded as a product of human composition

contrast between “revealed” and “traditional” religious literature

shruti is revealed/heard literature and smrti is remembered literature

what do Vedas contain?

a well developed set of rituals and myths

what are many deities called and related to?

called devas or ‘shining ones’ and related to natural forces

who is regarded as a creator deity in the Vedas?

Prajapati (Lord of Creatures)

is there a single “high god” in vedas?

no

vedic texts

vedas/veda samhita (collection)

four vedas

Rg, Sama, Yajir, Atharva

Brahmanas

vedic texts of ritual exegesis

Aranyakas

vedic text that bridge the concerns of the Brahmanas with the Upanishads

Upanishads

vedic text whose primary concern is with the nature of Absolute Reality (Brahman) and the true nature of the individual self (atman)

Rta

often translated as ‘right way’ and rendered as ‘cosmic order’

what does Rta show?

the Aryan civilization was aware of an overarching order in the cosmos (movement of planets, seasonal cycles)

vedic fire sacrifice

• increase power of devas

• humans and devas work together to maintain rta in the world

• granted benefits for the sponsor are worldly concerns

what are vedic rituals called?

yajna

what does vedic literature begin to emphasize?

yajna even more than gods to show that yajna is a source of power even for the gods

what was necessary for anyone desiring to enter the heavenly realms?

performance of yajnas

what were most yajnas performed for?

the cosmic good or for the social well-being of society

srauta rites

• use of three rites

• maintain alignment with cosmos natural order

• sponsor obtained beneficial fruits-prosperity, fertility, power

according to Hindu cosmology, what does the universe undergo?

vasty cycles of creation, dissolution, and recreation

according to Hindu cosmology, what is the devine intelligence behind all the cycles the universe goes through?

Brahman (the impersonal Absolute) or Ishvara/Bhagvan (personal God or “Lord”)

according to Hindu cosmology, what is the purpose of creation?

the manifestation of order in the universe

what are the four main Yugas (ages) that are each progressively shorter in duration?

• Satya or Kata yuga

• Treta yuga

• Dvapara yuga

• Kali yuga

what happens to yugas through time?

degeneration, life-spans diminish by ¼ and dharma decays

Upanishads

referred to as Vedanta the last or culmination of the vedas, consists of jnana that is salvific and leads to liberation

when were the Upanishads composed?

c. 800 to 400 BCE

what the Upanishads introduce?

several central concepts and practices

• search for the one behind the many

  • ‘the one in the many, the many in one’

• Atman

• Brahman

Atman

self (soul; inner spiritual reality)

what was Brahman later characterized by?

3 attributes: sat-cit-ananda [being, consciousness, bliss]

what are the four main caste groups (varna)

• Brahmin

• Kshatriya

• Vaishya

• Shudra

Avarna

without caste, outside the varna system, outcaste

terms from avarna groups:

Dalits, Harijan, scheduled castes, scheduled tribes

Dalits

oppressed ones

Harijan

children of god

who termed “Harijan” and what was it named before"?

Ghandhi, named “untouchables” before

who uses the terms “scheduled castes” and “scheduled castes” to describe avarna groups?

the government

caste system ranking from top of pyramid to bottom

• Brahmin

• Kshatriya

• Vaishya

• Sudra

• Untouchable

which are the twice born groups in the caste system?

Brahmin, Kshatriya, and Vaishya

which part of the body do Brahmins represent?

mouth

which part of the body do Kshatriya represent?

arms

which part of the body do Vaishyas represent?

thighs

which part of the body do feet represent?

shudras

can one’s caste change within the current lifetime?

no, its hereditary

what are the dviisons within caste groups called?

Jatis

what is a complexity of the caste system?

caste does not correspond to wealth

Dharma Shastras

texts that provide a detailed description for the appropriate behavior of each varna; social codes of conduct

why are texts important to Brahmins?

they hold Brahmins to a very high standard of ethical and moral behavior, they are the caste associated with religious/spiritual status, knowledgem ritual skill, preservation of traditions

what are ritual purity and pollution?

religious categories that are not necessarily related to secular or scientific conceptions of clean/unclean or hygienic/unhygienic

what does Hinduism regard as worthy goals?

dharma and moksha

what does Hindu orthodoxy prescribe?

• living life in an orderly manner, passing through sequential rites in accordance with one’s varna and gender

• life transitions are marked by rites of passage: life-cycle rituals or samskaras

four major rites

• upanayana

• marriage (vivaha)

• householder’s rites (also childrens rites)

• final sacrifice (antyesti) funerary rites

four stages of life - Ashrama

• student or brahmacarya (to about age 22)

• householder or ghrhasta (married, with children)

• retiree or vanaprasta (when ones child has a child, one can begin to withdraw from work and family responsibilities, to focus more on spiritual goals)

• renouncer or samnyasa (ascetic), if one chooses

what are the four discrete stages that most people will pass through in life called?

Ashrama

what are the 4 aims or goals that are recognized as attractive to human life and deemed worthy of pursuit within the sphere of dharma?

Purushartha

4 aims or goals of life - Purushartha

• Dharma istelf

• Artha - material wealth and well-being

• Kama - aesthetic/physical enjoyment or pleasure

• Moksha - liberation; awakening; freedom from the cycle of rebirth

what is the initiation ceremony into the study of the Vedas (for the upper 3 caste males) or “twice born” or dvija called?

upanayana