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Aryans
An Indo-European people who are thought to have migrated from central Asia via Afghanistan around 1500 BCE.
Aryan language
Aryans developed Vedic Sanskrit.
What was the core ritual focus of the early Vedic religion?
Veda- "knowledge"
What was the oral/textual tradition of the early Vedic religion?
It was passed down in oral tradition
sruti and smrti texts
What are the Four main Vedic texts?
Vedas
Brahmanas
Aranyakas
Upanishads
What are the Four vedas?
Rig
Atharva
Yajur
Sama
Agni
God of fire. Believed to serve as a messenger, carrying to the deities the offerings that humans placed in the sacrificial fire.
Atman
the individual self, held by Upanishadic and Vedantic thought to be idenical with Brahman, the world-soul
Avatara
a "descent" of incarnation of a deity in earthly form
Bhagavad Gita
A section of the Mashabharata epic recounting a conversation between Krishna and the warrior Arjuna, in which Krishna explains the nature of God and the human soul.
bhakti
Loving devotion to a deity, who is seen as a gracious being who enters the world for the benefit of humans
Brahman
the world-soul, sometimes understood in impersonal terms
brahmin
a member of the priestly class
name the castes
Brahmin (priestly)
Kshatriya (governing)
Vaisya(mercantile)
Sudra(labors/servants)
Dalit/untouhables (had the "dirty" jobs)
darshan
seeing and being seen by the deity in the temple or by a holy teacher; the experience of beholding the faith
dharma
religious and social duty, including both religiousness and faith
scope of dharma
(1) laws governing the spiritual-physical universe
(2) laws and rules for society
(3) rules for the individual (according to caste, gender, age and stage of life)
guru
a spiritual leader
Indus Valley Civilization
Main centers (Harappa & Mohenjo Daro) flourished along the Indus River.
Agricultural based economy.
Complex city planning.
Stratified society with job specialization.
Archeological evidence (no significant weapons found; no signs of horses and chariots evident).
Written script (still undeciphered).
What was the peak and decline of the Indus Valley civilization?
peak: 1900 BCE
decline: 1500 BCE
What are some of the artifacts from the Indus Valley Civilization?
Bronze dancing girl; Mother Goddess;Great bath;
What is the theoretical debate concerning the Indus Valley Civilization? What is the evidence to back up these theories
Aryan Migration thesis - Relations to Indo-European Language family
Cultural Diffusion hypothesis - relations to Brahui language in the region
kama
sensual (not merely sexual) pleasure; one of the three classical aims of life
karma
action, good or bad, as it is believed to determine the quality of rebirth in future lives
Krishna
He is primarily a king, hero, friend and ally of the Pandavas, brother-in-law.
Appears in the Bhagavad Gita - convinces Arjuna to fight in a war; he tells him he is a god of gods and grants Arjuna the eye of a god to prove his story.
Also said to be the 8th son of King Kamsa, destined to overthrow him and save the world from Kamsa's demons.
moksha
Liberation from the cycle of birth and death; one of the three classical aims of life
puja
ritual household worship of the deity, commonly involving oil lamps, incense, prayers, and food offerings
Rig Veda
the word came into being through the sacrifice of a 'cosmic person'
shruti
"What is heard"; the sacred literature of the Vedic and Upanishadic periods, recited orally by the brahmin priests for many centuries before being written down
smirti
"What is remembered", a body of ancient Hindu literature, including the epics, Puranas, and law codes, formed after the shruti and passed down in written tradition
Upanishads
Philosophical texts in the form of reported conversations on the theory of the Vedic ritual and the nature of knowledge, composed around the 6th century BCE
Search for the one behind the many
samsara
the continuing cycle of rebirth
Shakti or Devi
She is responsible for creation and the agent of all change
Manifests herself as Parvati
sometimes called the Divine Mother Goddess
Shiva
a great god in the post-Upanishadic era
appears in paraoxical roles: destroyer and creator, dancer and yogi.
married to Parvati
tat tvam asi
"thou art that"
Found in the Upanishads
~How we fit into the universe
Veda[s]
The four collections of hymns and ritual texts that constitute the oldest and most highly respected Hindu sacred literature
Vishnu
male deity of Vainsnavism
preserver and protector of creation; the restorer of moral order (dharma)
Vrata
religious vow
yoga
A practice and discipline that may involve a philosophical system and mental concentration as well as physical postures and exercises
Developmental transition and time period for the Indus Valley Civilization
2500-1500 BCE
Elements of Hinduism can be traced to this period; peak c. 1900 BCE
Developmental transition and time period for the Vedic Period
1500-500 BCE
Veda was formulated and texts of Dharma and ritual composed.
Developmental transition and time period for the Epic and Purāõic Period
500 BCE - 500 CE
Composition of the Rāmāyaõa and the Mahābhārata & the bulk of the PurÀõas.
Developmental transition and time period for the Medieval Period
500 - 1500 CE
Development of the Bhakti movement and devotional/poetic literature
Composition of tantric literature.
Developmental transition and time period for the Modern Period
1500 CE - present
~ Rise/fall of the Mughal, British empires; The independence movement, Mohandas K. Gandhi, and the rise of the Indian nation state.
What occurred in the 19th century for Hinduism
~ Hindu Renaissance/religious reform movements
~ Indentured workers to British colonies
~ Hindu diaspora
What occurred in the 20th century for Hinduism
~ Development of Hinduism as a major world religion
~Hindu emigration from India to various parts of the globe increases.
What is the cycle of time in Hinduism?
Satya =Golden age; longest yuga
Treta
Dvapara
Kali = present yuga; shortest yuga
What are the major groups of texts? (5)
Vedas
Note 
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