hum - indian midterm

cuuuuuute ok

vedas

• sacred text of Vedic people

• hymns of praising deities used in ritual contexts

upanishads

• scriptures that interpret sacrifice

• rely on analogy and dialogue that shed light on true nature of realoty

• “homology”

buddhist canon

set of scriptures in form of dialogue that lay down the teachings of the buddha

mahabharata

• “The Great Tale About the Descendants of Bharata”

• longest poem in world literature

• war between two wings of a family for succession

• dharma and Bhagavad Gita

bhagavad gita

• a dialogue between Krishna and Arjuna in which Krishna reveals himself to be God incarnate

• teaches yoga

ramayana

• life story of Rama, the ideal man

• exiled but his brother saves his throne for him

• sita is abducted by ravana and they fight a war with monkey allies to win her back

jattakas

tales of buddha’s previous lives

theism

belief in a transcendent deity

karma

• “action”

• basis for samsara (cycle birth, death, and rebirth)

brahman

• sacrificial efficacy

• the reality behind the world

atman

“the self”

varna

• social order

• 4 varnas in ancient/classical india

  • brahmins (priests)

  • ksatriyas (warriors)

  • vaisyas (traders)

  • sudras (servant)

varnasramadharma

the dharma (duty) according to your social order (varna) and stage of life (asrama)

the four noble truths

1. suffering

2. desire

3. end to suffering - nirvana

4. the noble eightfold path

buddhism

founded by buddha to alleviate suffering through getting rid of its causes

purusa

• “person”

• primordial being who sacrificed himself

yajnavalkya

Upanishadic sage who sought imperishable truth behind everything - atman and brahman were one and the same