Part 1 - Religion 1002 - Hinduism

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

1. Brahmin (priestly)

2. Kshatriya (governing)

3. Vaisya(mercantile)

4. Sudra(labors/servants)

5. 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?

1. Satya \=Golden age; longest yuga

2. Treta

3. Dvapara

4. Kali \= present yuga; shortest yuga

What are the major groups of texts? (5)

Vedas