World History Chapter 3

Chandra Gupta II

Ruler who reigned during the golden age of the Gupta empire

Bhagavad Gita

The most famous of the Hindu Scriptures.

Vedas

The Indo-Aryans’ great works of religious literature.

Brahmins

Priests who conducted Indo-Aryan religious rituals; the name given to priests and scholars in the Indian Caste system; they know the proper forms and rules.

Sanskrit

The language of the Indo-Aryans

Siddhartha Gautama

Founder of Buddhism who became known as the Buddha, or “the Enlightened One”

Asoka

Ruler who expanded the Mauryan Empire to include nearly all of India

Aryabhata

Mathematician who was one of the first people or use algebra; born in the late A.D. 400s

Upanishads

A collection of explanations and teachings that became the basis for the Hindu religion.

Nalanda

Famous Buddhist university that became center of Indian knowledge and learning

Monsoons

Winds that mark the seasons in India

Citadel

Strong central fortress

Harappa

Ancient City

Raja

Monarch, king, or tribal chief

Indo-Aryans

Nomadic people who came from NORTH of the black and Caspian seas

Vedic Age

Period of India’s history from 1500 B.C.E - 1000 B.C.

Epics

Long poems based on historical or religious themes.

Caste System

Complex form of social organization that began to take shape AFTER Indo-Aryan migration; birth based social stratification in HINDU society.

Varnas

Social Classes

Monism

Belief in the unity of God and Creation

Maya

The world we see is an “illusion”

Reincarnation

Belief in the rebirth of souls

Nirvana

A perfect peace

Polytheistic

Belief in many Gods

Dharma

Law and Order, the truth discovered by BUDDHA

Brahma

Hindu God of Creation

Four Nobel Truths

The core of BUDDHIST teachings that explain the nature of human suffering

Chandragupta Maurya

A powerful young adventurer; best known for founding the Maurya Empire and uniting most of Indian subcontinent under a single centralized government for the first time.

Polygyny

Practice where men are allowed to have more than 1 wife in ancient India

Suttee

Practice where widows commit suicide throwing themselves on top of their husbands flaming funeral pyres.

Inoculation

Practice of infecting a person with a mild form of a disease so that he/she will not become seriously ill.

Panchatantra

“Five books,” fables from the Gupta period