Hinduism

Veda

Religious-philosophical corpus whose oldest part dates back to ca. 1500 BCE

Highest religious authority

Oral transmission at the beginning → meant to be chanted

Vedic Sanskrit

language of the Vedas (earlier phase of Sanskrit)

Dharma

Universal law, basis of cosmic, natural, social and moral order

One’s own moral and religious duty → person from a different caste/gender/… has a different dharma

“That which holds together”

Brahmin (brāhmaṇa)

priest, 1st caste

Brahman

supreme entity in the universe from which everything emanates and to which everything will return

Ātman

innermost essence of a human, identical to the brahman (according to the Upaniṣads)

Upaniṣad

concluding part of the Veda where the notion of the identity of brahman and ātman is expressed

Mokṣa

liberation from the cycle of rebirths

Saṃsāra

bond to the cycle of re-birth and re-death determined by karma

Karma

Literally “action”

The causal law according to which the quality of one’s actions determines one’s next existence

Explains inequalities, injustices

Bhakti

devotion

Has its roots in the Bhagavad Gita

Pūjā

ritual consisting of offerings to and worship of a god

Mahābhārata

fundamental epic in the Hindu tradition (ca. 4th cent. BCE – 3rd cent. CE)

Rāmāyaṇa

fundamental epic in the Hindu tradition (ca. 5th cent. BCE – 3rd cent. CE)

Purāṇa

literally “ancient”; encyclopaedic collection of legends, genealogies and myths about the creation, destruction and re-creation of the world (from ca. 4th–5th cent. CE onwards)

Sanskrit

language evolved from Vedic and foundational in the Hindu tradition

Shaivism

devotion to Śiva

Vaishnavism

devotion to Viṣṇu

Shaktism

Devotion to the cosmic feminine principle Śakhti/Devī (the Goddess)1

Kala

Time

Dhamma

Pali for Dharma → Buddhist context

Nastika

Does not accept the Veda

E.g. Buddhism, Jainism, Carvakas

Guru - sisya

Teacher - student

→ Patriarchical interpretation: father - son

Rsis

People with special capacities who became aware of the knowledge of the Veda, they “heard” the Veda

Sruti

What was heard by the Rsis → knowledge of the Veda’s

Kshatriya

Warrior/political elite, 2nd caste

Vaishya

Merchants/traders, 3rd caste

Shudra

Laborers, 4th caste

Harijan

Outcasts

Asrama

→ Varnasrama-dharma

Division in stages of life

Do what you need to do according to caste and stage in life => working toward moksa from samsara

1. Brahmacarya = study, rituals, celibacy, upayana ritual

2. Grhastha = family life

3. Vanaprastha = retirement → hermit in the forest but not full ascetic

4. Sannyasin = ascetic

Moksa

Liberation

Brings ultimate res

Samsara

Cycle of births, deaths and rebirths

Moksa-marga

The path to liberation

Tri-marga

Three paths to liberation → you choose what is the most appropriate for yourself

• Karma-marga

• Jnana-marga

• Bhakti-marga

Karma-marga

Path to liberation through (ritual) action

Jnana-marga

The path to liberation through knowledge, not many Hindus choose this

Bhakti-marga

Path to liberation through some form of the devine, the most popular path

Deva & devi

Devine beings, gods and goddesses

istadeva

personal deity, ‘favorite god’

Maya

Delusion → 2 interpretations

• Deceptive but devine power

• Illusory manifestation of the universe

Darsana

Philosophical system/school

Saddarsana

6 philosophical schools (paired)

• Nyaya-vaisesika

• Samkhya-yoga

• Mimansa-vedanta

Rta

Order

Sadhana

Techniques to reach liberation in tantric traditions

• Mantra

• Yantra

• Mudra

Mantra

Sacred mystic sounds

Yantra

Sacred geometric diagrams

Mudra

Hand gestures

Nayanmars

63 traveling singing Shaiva saints (South-India)

• Popularized the path to devotion

Alvars

12 traveling singing Vaishnava saints

• 11 men + 1 woman (Antal)

• Popularized the path of devotion

Agni

Vedic deva of fire, also the general term for fire in Vedic Sanskrit

Indra

Vedic deva of the mid-region, he is cosmic power

Rides on an elephant, slays serpent Vrta with his tunderbolt

Varuna

Vedic deva: guardian of cosmic order (Rta), lord of consciousness

King and ruler of heaven and earth

Protector of the thruth that resides in the oceans

Soma

Vedic deva of the moon, night and vegetation

Vishnu

“All-prevading” hindu god

• Ruler → dressed as a prince!

• Lover

• Powerful

• Auspicious

• Caring

• Preserver

Iconography

• Blue skin, yellow clothing

• Vehicle: eagle Garuda

• 4 arms: club, conch, lotus, disc

Shiva

Complex deity → paradoxal figure!

• Cosmic destroyer

• Creative lord of the dance (nataraja)

• Lord of the ascetics

• Sex symbol

• Wrathful avanger

• Lord of compassion

Iconography

• Matted hair

• Naked

• 3 eyes

• 4 arms: trident, club, drum, deer skin

• Vehicle: white bull

Shakti/Devi

Female deities

Can be seen as consorts but also as a personification of ultimate devine power

Benevolent

• Laksmi

• Parvati

• Amba

• Sarasvati

Fierce, violent

• Kali

• Durga

Para

Supreme form of Vishnu

Vyuha

Cosmic form of Vishnu

Avatara/vihava

Divine incarnations of Vishnu

Ataryami

Vishnu as inter controler

Acra

Images of Vishnu

Dasavatara

10 avataras of Vishnu (enkel Rama en Krishna kennen)

Neerdaling van een god op aarde, meestal om de dharma te herstellen

Rama

Avatara of Vishnu: ideal king and embodyment of the dharma

Krishna

Avatara of Vishnu: godly strategist, teacher of the Bhagavad Gita

Ganesha

Elephant headed god

Son of Shiva and Parvati

Remover of obstacles → worshipped at the beginning of a new event

Kartikeya

Deva with 6 heads

Son of Shiva and Parvati

Nataraja

Shiva as cosmic lord of the dance

Linga

Shiva in the form of a fallus

Sarasvati

Vedic: devi of flowing inspiration

Hindu

• Consort of Brahma

• Devi of music, culture, art,…

• Holds a stringed instrument

• Vehicle: swan

Mahadevi

Great goddess

Laksmi

• Consort of Vishnu

• Devi of wealth

• Model Hindu wife

• Depicted with elephants

Parvati

• Consort of Shiva

• Incarnation of Sati (Shiva’s first wife)

Durga

Warrior goddess

• Calm and detached

• Slays buffalo deomon Mahisasura

Kali

Fierce, destructive devi

• Naked, black

• Red lips and tongue → blood

• 4 hands: sword + mudra: have no fear

• Often depicted on a cremation field or battle field

Aniconic

• Yoni

• Yantras

• Stones, weapons, trees, rivers

Hanuman

Servant of Rama, embodiment of strenght and a model for complete devotion

Mahayuga

Cosmical cyclus of time

• Time = endless but cyclical

• 4 ages (yuga)

  • Gold

  • Silver

  • Bronze

  • Black/kali → NOW

    • Started around time of the Mahabharata

• 1000 mahayugas = 1 day of brahma → night is equally long!

4 samhita’s

= sruti tekst (heard)

= synonym for the Veda

• Rg

• Yajur

• Sama

• Atharva

Hotr

Main priest of the Rgveda

Brahmanical order (also called this way)

Udgatr

Main priest from the Samaveda

Adhvaryu

Priest from the Yajurveda, later becomes the Brahmin

Atharvan

Priest from the Atharvaveda

Rgveda

• Sruti

• Oldest samhita

• Consisting of verses

• 10 books, 1028 hymns

• Oldest: hymn to Agni, hymn to Indra, book 9: Soma

• 21 sakhas, only one survived

Samaveda

• Sruti

• Songs (saman)

• Most from Rgveda

  • Hymns that are from the rgveda but put to songs

• 1000 sakhas, 3 survived

Yajurveda

• Sruti

• Sacrificial formulas

• Concerned with correct ritual performance

• 2 recensions: black and white (2 grote versies)

Atharvaveda

• Sruti

• Priest = atharvan

• Magical hymns

• Brahmaveda

• Excluded

• Is not always included in the tradition

Srauta rituals

• Concept from the Brahmanas

• Big public rituals that benefit the entire community

• Older rituals

• 3 fires + vedi in the middle

Itihasa

“History” → 2 epics: Ramayana + Mahabharata

Smrti

Ramayana

• Smrti

“Goings of Rama”/”Deeds of Rama”

• Rama = avatara of visnu → key scripture for Vaisnavas

  • Depicted with bow and arrow

  • The ideal man

  • Vrouw = Seetha

    • In some modern versions she becomes the heroine

    • Wordt ontvoerd

  • Ideal father son relationship

• Rama wordt geholpen door Hanuman

Mahabharata

• Smrti

• “Great war of the descendants of Bharata”

• Encyclopaedic

• Ca. 100 000 verses

• Author: Vyasa

• Ethically difficult: fratricidal war, dubious tactics

• War = beginning of Kaliyuga

  • Pandavas ←→ Kauravas

• Pandavas winnen maar voelen geen vreugde

  • Arjuna = grootste krijger

  • Bhima = enorm sterk

• Krsna as godly manifestation

  • Explains everyone has to follow their dharma

  • Handling without being attached to the result

Brahmanas

• Sruti

• Na bepaalde periode konden mensen niet meer relaten met de Vedische hymnen

• About Brahman

  • Development of this concept in the middle vedic period

• Mantras and brahmanas

  • “Brahmanas”

    • Refers to people who initiate these rituals → priest

• Prose

• Explain rituals

• Trace origin and importance of individual acts

• Srauta rituals

• Shift to internalization → meditating on the self

Aranyakas

• Sruti

• “Forest books”

  • The ritual needs to take place away from human settlement

• Focussed on the mystical, esoteric

Upanisads

• Sruti

• Knowledge of atman and brahman

• Focus on internal meditation

• Importance of the guru

• Riddles, debates, dialogues

• Vedantas → the end of the veda

• Not uniform

Vedangas

• Auxilliary sciences

• Importance of correct recitation

• Ca. 800-400 BCE

• 6 limbs of the veda

  • Śikṣā – uitspraak (phonetics/pronunciation)

  • Chandas – metrum (Vedic metres)

  • Vyākaraṇa – grammatica

  • Nirukta ****– etymologie

  • Kalpa – rituele praktijk

  • Jyotiṣa – astronomie/astrologie

Kalpasutras

• Ca. 600 BCE

• 4 types

  • Srautasutra

  • Grhyasutra

  • Sulbasutra

  • Dharmasutra

Dharmasutra

• Rules of conduct → Dharma

• Duties in āśramas + king

• Purification, funeral, hospitality, daily rites

• Juridical

Dharmasastra

Sastra = handboek

• Law books

• Manusmṛti / Mānava-Dharmaśāstra

  • Ca. 200 CE

  • Encyclopedic

  • Model for life

• Very debated book

• Written by and for Brahmin men, how they view the word

Srautasutra

grote openbare Vedische offers

Grhyasutra

huiselijke rituelen

Sulbasutra

constructie van offeraltaren

Bhagavad Gita

Belangrijkste deel van de Mahabharata = the battle between the 2 clans

• Pandavas ←→ Kauranavas

• Slagveld van Kurukshetra

• Arjuna (pandava) → decides not to fight, it has no use

  • Pacifist mindset

• Krsna → does not want to stop the fight, Arjuna should fight because he is a ksatriya

  • Following his own dharma

• Death = outer shell, inner shell = eternal

  • Atman is eternal anyway → death does not matter

• Being in the world but detached

• Many interpretations, commentaries → bv. Gandhi

• Krsna rejects Arjuna’s pure renunciation