REL Quiz Sept 22

Samskaras

refinement; no Hindu goes through all of them; has to do with the householder style; rite of passage; the subtle impressions of our past actions

Auspicious

That which is good

Inauspicious

That of which is not good

Death rites

Cremation, pinda-Dana, shraddha

Procession

Used for both weddings and funerals, means to move:

• Funeral: to move to a river bank where the cremation grounds usually are

• Wedding: Groom tells neighbors about his wedding so that he can be fortified; begins in the evening and continues until 6am

Cremation

Puncture soul ties so that their atma will be free; the freed self must safely be relocated to the realm of the ancestors or it will be stuck as a ghost

Pinda-Dana

The giving of the bodies through rice ball (offering) are made to the soul of the deceased

Shraddha

Lunar monthly offering of food to one’s ancestors, which will occur during a lunar month of the same name

Marriage

For Hindus it is usually an arranged ___ or a love _____

Components of a Hindu marriage

Arrangement, caste, and joining families

Arrangement

Can be arranged from when they are children or even if they are in their 20s; if not completed by 22, society assumes something is wrong with that person; but, this hangers depending on which deity they worship

Caste

Parents try to marry their children into a simular socioeconomic class/status

Locality marriage

Desirable, as the bride stays close to where her bio family lives

Dowry

Money or gift given to the bride of the family; given to insure that the groom’s family would be able to afford the marriage

Ritual

Reading horoscopes, procession, ornamentation

Horoscopes

An astrologist would draw the bride and groom’s birth charts to determine compatibility; can be used as a reason to call off the wedding

ornamentation

…constitutes transformation/becoming

Wifehood is

auspicious

Rights of passage

phera

What is phera?

the revolution where bride and groom are joined by a bracelet and they walk around a ritual fire

Celebration

Lasts several days; they have to stay control of their emotions during this period of time until the farewells

Farewells

the wife cries hysterically as she is taken away to live with the groom and his family; it is apart of the performance

Saguna

means with features

Nirguna

means without features

-guna

Means attributions

Saguna & Nirguna

Pertaining to worshipping a deity with or without human features

Flute

Krishna is known by his…

How do features help with connecting with deities?

The features allow us to relate to deities

Bhavas

Moods/ruberics:

• Servant-master (subservient but respectful)

• Friend-friend

• Spouse-spouse

• Lover-beloved

• Mother-child

Samsura

the realm of the ancestors re still within this, and eventually reincarnation will take place

Which does not describe caste?

caste has been historically changed throughout history