Chapter 3 Hinduism Exam

Shri Ramakrishna

A holy man who became a Muslim and a Christian but remained a Hindu throughout his life

Brahman

The eternal essence and ultimate reality; source of the universe and not perceptible by humans

Atman

The true self or soul; identical with Brahman

Atman is Brahman

The belief that the individual soul and ultimate reality are the same

Samsara

The cycle of birth

Moksha

Liberation from the cycle of samsara

Karma

The law of cause and effect; actions produce consequences but do not reward or punish morally

Dharma

One’s duty or moral responsibility based on order of the universe and social role

Hindu deities

Hindus worship as many as 330 million gods and goddesses

Samadhi

A state of deep meditation where the knower becomes that which is known

Brahma

The creator god who is not widely worshiped

Vishnu

The preserver god in the Hindu trinity

Shiva

The destroyer god in the Hindu trinity

Hindu Trinity

Brahma (creator), Shiva (destroyer), Vishnu (preserver)

Avatar

A divine incarnation of a god on Earth

Krishna

An avatar of Vishnu featured in the Bhagavad Gita

Rama

An avatar of Vishnu and hero of the Ramayana

Bhagavad Gita

A sacred text and small section of the Mahabharata

Mahabharata

An epic Hindu poem containing the Bhagavad Gita

Ganges River

A sacred river believed to purify sins

Vivekananda

The first Hindu missionary to the West

Monism

The doctrine that all reality is one

“Tat Tvam Asi” (That art thou)

A famous Hindu phrase meaning all is one

Reincarnation metaphor

Krishna compares reincarnation to changing clothes

Dharma (religion)

The closest Hindu equivalent to the Western concept of religion

Varna system

A person’s dharma is determined by gender

Sannyasin

A wandering ascetic in the highest stage of life

Four goals of life

kama, artha, moksha, and dharma

Hindu worship

Includes household rituals

Gandhi

Assassinated in 1948; inspired Indian reforms

Untouchables law

Indian government outlawed discrimination against outcasts in 1948

Karma Marga

The path to moksha through action and duty

Jnana Marga

The path to moksha through knowledge and wisdom

Bhakti Marga

The path to moksha through devotion and love of God

Vedanta

School of philosophy teaching that Atman and Brahman are one

Yoga

School of philosophy emphasizing discipline and meditation

Sankhya

School of philosophy teaching dualism between spirit and matter

Maya

The illusion that the material world is separate from ultimate reality

Rig Veda

The oldest and most sacred collection of Hindu hymns

Upanishads

Philosophical texts exploring the nature of reality and the self

Brahmin

The priestly caste in Hindu society

Shudra

The laborer caste in Hindu society

Sati

A former practice where a widow burned herself on her husband’s funeral pyre

The Untouchables

The lowest social group outside the caste system