Hinduism Vocabulary Practice Flashcards

Flashcards covering vocabulary terms, deities, sacred texts, and social structures of Hinduism based on lecture notes.

Agni

God of fire and the fire was used for sacrifice.

Atman

Soul which is an expression of Brahman.

Bhagavad Gita

A text about a great battle found in the longer story called the Mahabarata, covering chapters $25$ to $42$.

Bhakti

A yoga of worship or the devotion of loving.

Brahma

Creator God who created the universe and is one of the three supreme Gods in the Hindu Trimurti.

Brahmo Samaj

A movement emphasizing one God, no idol worship, social reform, and reason-based religion.

Caste

A system that ranked people based on how they did in their previous life.

Dharma

Our duty or job in life which determines where people are placed in the caste system in their next life.

Ganesha

Hindu God of Wisdom and New beginnings, revered as the patron of science, writing, and intellect, and known as the remover of obstacles.

Indra

The God of Thunderbolt and leader in Heaven; a warrior-god who personified rain and thunderstorms and rode a white elephant.

Kali

Goddess who destroys evil and protects her devotees who worship her.

Karma

From the root to do or act, it is the principle that every action has a consequence.

Lakshmi

Goddess of wealth, prosperity, good fortune, and spiritual abundance, often depicted with $4$ arms and Gold skin.

Lingam

A cylindrical pillar that serves as the symbol for Shiva.

Maya

False knowledge occurring when people think the everyday world is all there is and lack a connection with Brahman.

Mohandas K. Gandhi

Best known Indian reformer and leader of India's independence movement who promoted nonviolence, peace, and civil rights.

Moksha

The freedom from samsara or the liberation of suffering.

Murti

A statue of a God or Goddess that helps Hindus focus on their prayers and devotions.

Parvati

Goddess of love, marriage, fertility, devotion, and strength; wife of Shiva and mother of Ganesha.

Prasad

Blessed food or offering that has been offered to a God or Goddess and then distributed to worshippers.

Puja

The act of worshipping to Gods.

Puranas

Sacred texts from the early centuries of the common era that teach religious beliefs through narratives about divine manifestations.

Samsara

The repeating cycle of birth, death, and rebirth.

Shiva

The God of death, destruction, disease, and dance; the $3\text{rd}$ member of the Trimurti who breaks things down so new things can grow.

Trimurti

The $3$ main Gods: Brahma (The Creator), Vishnu (The Preserver and Protector), and Shiva (The Destroyer).

Upanishads

The final section of the Vedas ($8\text{th}$ to $6\text{th}$ centuries BCE) that introduced philosophical ideas central to Hinduism.

Varna

The division of society into $4$ groups in the caste system: Brahmins, Kshatriyas, Vaishyas, and Shudras.

Brahmins

The thinkers and priests who represent the highest rank in the caste system.

Kshatriyas

The warriors or ruling warrior group in the caste system.

Vaishyas

The merchants or workers group in the caste system.

Shudras

The workers and servants group in the caste system.

Vedanta

A teaching that everything is connected to Brahman.

Vedas

Ancient Hindu sacred texts composed in the $2\text{nd}$ millennium BCE containing hymns, prayers, and rituals.

Vishnu

The preserver and protector of the universe who controls human fate and comes to earth in forms like Rama and Krishna.

Viveksenanda

A Hindu Monk who introduced Hinduism to people in the West.

Yoni

A symbol representing the feminine principle, creation, fertility, and power of life; it represents the union of male and female with Shiva.

Rig-Veda

The first Vedic book containing $1,000$ hymns, knowledge, and Sacred Love.

Yafur - Veda

Vedic text focused on the knowledge of rites and materials for sacrifice to the Gods.

Sama - Veda

Vedic text focused on the knowledge of chants and a collection of hymns.

Atharva-Veda

Knowledge given by the sage consisting of popular prayers and rituals.

Mothacha

A term for the liberation of suffering.

Perusha

The being who was sacrificed to create order in the world and the universe.

Dharmashastras

Texts composed before the common era that explain laws and moral duties based on individual ranks in society.

Ramayana

An epic story that follows Rama as an ideal ruler and reflects the teachings of the Dharmashastras.

Mahabharata

A story of the struggle between two leading families in Indian history which contains the Bhagavad Gita.

Krishna

A deity some see as a supreme being or a trickster, often depicted with black or blue skin and a yellow loincloth.

Arjuna

A prince who must fight his own family in the battle described in the Bhagavad Gita because it is his dharma.

Jnana-marga

The yoga or way of knowledge.

Hatha

A physical type of yoga not mentioned in the Bhagavad Gita.

Raja

A type of yoga focused on meditation.

Badha

Goddess of beauty, kindness, and nature.

Bama

Revered as a paragon of virtue and morality and an incarnation of Vishnu.

Shakti

The personification of the Universe's feminine creative force.

Vasuna

The God of the sky, water, and ocean.

Brahman

The impersonal reality that is everything and is considered the only thing that is truly real in the Upanishads.