Buddhism

Vocabulary flashcards based on lecture notes detailing political transformations, the development of Hinduism, variants of Buddhism, and the Sanskrit cosmopolis in South Asia.

Gupta Dynasty

The largest political entity in South Asia from the early fourth to the mid-sixth centuries CE, based in the Middle and Lower Ganges plains and known for promoting indigenous Indian culture.

Chandragupta I

Gupta ruler (r. c. 320–335 CE) who called himself 'King of Kings, Great King,' expanded territory across the northern Indian plain, and led an expedition to southern India.

Chandragupta II

Famous Gupta king (r. c. 380–415 CE) and patron of the arts, depicted riding a horse in the style of central Asian steppe invaders.

Hinduism

The dominant faith in Indian society that evolved out of the varna-bound Vedic Brahmanic religion by adapting to rural life, replacing animal sacrifice with vegetarianism and self-sacrifice, and introducing personal devotion.

Atma

The single soul or eternal self of the universe in Hindu theology.

Hindu Trinity

The triad of major deities representing the three phases of the universe: Brahma (birth/creator), Vishnu (existence/keeper), and Shiva (destruction/destroyer).

Vishnu

The most popular deity of the Hindu trinity, believed by followers to reveal himself through various avatars or incarnations.

Mahabharata

An early epic poem adapted during the Gupta period whose central plot revolves around a final battle between two warring confederations of Vedic tribes.

Bhagavad Gita

A text within the Mahabharata preserving the tale of Krishna commanding Arjuna to fulfill his warrior duties, establishing authoritative teachings on dharma.

Dharma

Prescribed religious and ethical teachings and behaviors in Hinduism tailored for people at every level of society.

Bhakti

The Hindu practice of active personal devotion to a specific god, allowing believers of all social strata to connect with deities without relying solely on Brahman-led rituals.

Mahayana Buddhism

The 'Greater Vehicle' school of Buddhism that recognized the Buddha as a god and extended worship to bodhisattvas, forming a universalizing religion.

Bodhisattvas

Demigod-like beings in Mahayana Buddhism who bridged the gulf between the Buddha's perfection and imperfect human beings.

Hinayana Buddhism

The 'Lesser Vehicle' monkish school of Buddhism (later called Theraveda) that recognized the Buddha as a god but rejected the divinity of bodhisattvas and their supernatural scriptures.

Nirvana

The state entered by the historical Buddha that ends the pain of consciousness.

Sanskrit Cosmopolis

A distinctive cultural synthesis (300 to 1300 CE) based on Hindu spiritual beliefs articulated in the public Sanskrit language, culturally unifying South Asia without a centralized empire.

Code of Manu

An influential Sanskrit text recording a discourse by the sage Manu that provided laws for organizing communities and absorbing new groups into the varna and jati systems.

Nalanda

A large Buddhist monastery in northeast India housing 10,000 residential faculty and students who debated theology, cosmology, mathematics, logic, and botany.