Hinduism

What is the Hindu ritual for worshiping different gods that is considered the "heart of Hinduism"?

Bhakti

What term do Indians more commonly use to describe their own religious life, which is difficult to translate into a single English word?

Dharma

Who are the people everyone agrees initiated Hinduism?

Aryans

What is the term for the concept of class in Hindu society?

Varna

What is the term for the concept of castes in Hindu society?

Jati

What is the name of the giant cosmic man whose sacrifice, according to the Vedas, created the four classes (varna)?

Purusha

Which class is considered the most pure in the varna system?

Brahmins

Which class is considered the least pure in the varna system?

Shudras

What is the world's longest epic, which tells the story of the power struggle between the Pandavas and the Kauravas?

Mahabharata

What does the name Bhagavad Gita literally mean?

"The song of the Lord" (Bhagavad = Lord, Gita = Song)

What are murtis?

Images, statues, pictures, or symbols that are the focus of worship; they are not the actual deities but represent them and are infused with their power.

In addition to temples, where else is puja (worship) commonly done?

In the home and at shrines.

What is one reason outdoor shrines are important to Hindus?

They are open to everybody, even the outcasts.

In many Hindu homes, where is the shrine often located because it is considered the "cleanest room in the house"?

kitchen

Who most often leads the home worship rituals (puja)?

The mother, wife, or female head of the household.

Which Hindu text is considered the most important part of the Mahabharata, the best known, and was one of the first Hindu texts to be translated in the West?

Bhagavad Gita.

Who is the figure referred to as "the Lord" in the Bhagavad Gita?

Krishna, an avatar of Vishnu

Who is the leader of the Pandavas in the war of the Mahabharata who questions whether he should fight his cousins?

Arjuna

What are the scriptures that are sacred to most Hindus, but which most Hindus cannot read and do not know the contents of?

Vedas

What is the name of the esoteric aspect of Hinduism that focuses on the union of the male god Shiva and the female goddess Shakti?

Tantrism

In Tantrism, where is the energy of the goddess Shakti believed to reside in the human body?

At the base of the spine.

Which key figure brought pacifism into the modern period and influenced Martin Luther King, Jr., by adopting tactics like non-violent resistance?

Gandhi

Where did Gandhi's views on non-violence partly come from in Hinduism?

The practice of the renouncer (sannyasin), who must renounce violence

What is the name of the society in New York established by Vivekananda after he made a splash at the World Parliament of Religions?

The Vedanta Society

Name two of the American literary figures (Transcendentalists) from the mid-1800s who were drawn to Hindu spirituality, preceding the influence of Vivekananda and Gandhi.

Ralph Waldo Emerson, Henry David Thoreau, and/or Walt Whitman

What was the main goal of European countries during the colonial period in the Islamic world?

Economic exploitation.

What claim by Sufis threatened the authority of Muslim legal scholars?

Their claim to an unusual closeness to God (or being able to unite with God in the Abrahamic religions).

Which famous Sufi made the controversial statement, "an al Haq," meaning "I am the truth"?

Alhalaj.

Which distinguished Muslim thinker became a Sufi late in life and gave the movement a big boost?

Al Ghazali.

What was the belief of the Muslim Modernists (1880s-1930s)?

That Islam was originally a vibrant religion supporting science, democracy, and human rights.

Which two groups disliked Sufism in the 20th century, leading to its near-disappearance?

Traditionalists and liberal thinkers (who favored modernization and science)