RELI (Hinduism) (add to first slides)

Parentheism

• refers to the notion that God is identical with creation, found in all things, and everything taken together is God

• the belief that God permeates the universe, encompasses it and yet is greater than it

• Being both within creation and transcending creation (immanent and transcendent)

in what era did Hinduism flourish?

The Gupta Empire (…)

The Puranas

• Genre of religious literature - regarding stories and mythologies of deities

• Time period: From c. 300 - 1000 CE

• numerous narratives first circulated orally

when did the Epic, Puranic, and Classical periods take place?

between 500 B.C. and 500 C.E.

what did Hindus begin to do by the Classical period

…

What are centrally expositions on Bhakti

The Puranas

what is the foremost concern of the Puranas text?

to align the world-view of Vedic Hinduism with the rapidly expanding bhakti theism

bhakti theism

• incorporates the bhakti path into orthodoxy

• grants it legitimacy

• guides appropriate methods of warship (through puja)

• distinguished these practices from Vedic yajna (fire rites)

• while locating bhakti pujas within the broader orthodox whole

what happened to the elemental deities of the Vedic pantheon?

begin to fade into the past

Major Deity of Saivism

Siva (male deity)

Major Deity of Vaisnavism

Vishnu (male deity)

Major Deity of _____

…

do the major deities have only one form?

no, they each have different forms

.

what do multiple arms represent?

it represents power and power being multiplied

where is Vishnu praised?

in five Rg Veda hymns, and mentioned in a few others

where is Vishnu’s mythology primarily developed?

…

10 divine avatars or incarnations of Vishnu

• boar

• fish

• tortoise

• dwarf

• ax-weilding sage

• man-lion form

• Rama

• Krishna

• The (Buddha)

• Kalki (incarnation of the future)

Sri Krishna

flute that depicts sweetness, appeals to animals and nature

where do Saivism origins trace back to?

Indus civilization ‘stone seals’

…

…

how does Siva express his power?

through paradoxical roles: creator/destroyer, ecstatic dancer/austere yogi

how is Siva sometimes depicted?

with his divine consort Parvati, manifestation of feminine power or Sakti

how is Siva known at a famous Madurai temple in South India?

by their local names as “Minakshi (Sakti) and Sundaresvara (Siva)”

Ganesha (Ganesh) or Ganapati Epithet

“remover of obstacles” / “Lord of new beginnings”

Shakti

feminine principle of the divine

Mahadevi

“Great Goddess”

how does Mahadevi devleop?

as an Independent goddess…

where does Goddess worship have a long-standing history?

in South India

how are the deities from the three major sects celebrated?

• ritual

  • temple and at home

• religious festivals

• pilgrimage…

where did Hindu traditions extend through…

…

British Colonial Empire

• 1807 King George enacts law

• abolishes slavery within the empire

• led to colonial indentured labor (bonded labor)

  • workers contract for fixed amount of time

  • worked for sugar cane, cocoa, and rubber plantations

• Indian Hindus, Muslims, and Sikhs migrated

• many stayed on post-contract

Post 1947 migration from India

• many emigrate to the UK

• Post WWII labor force