History- Indus Valley and civilization

Karma

(Hinduism and Buddhism) the effects of a person's actions that determine his destiny in his next incarnation

Neolithic Age

* New Stone Age * 6000 BCE. * Indus script- also known as the Harappan script. Indus script combined both signs and symbols * First agricultural settlement.

Upanishad

A set of commentaries on the Vedas complied in the 6th century B.C.E

What are the 4 yogas (names and relevance), and how do they function in Hinduism?

1. Bhakti yoga- Devotion. Bhakti Yoga is a process in which one releases their emotional energy through rituals and chants. 2. Jnana yoga- Knowledge. Jnana Yoga is the predominantly intellectual form of yoga. Through meditation and practical knowledge, one can learn about their true connection with god 3. Karma Yoga- Action. In Karma Yoga, one is instructed to engage in action and service without expecting anything in return. the practice of selflessness. 4. Kriya Yoga- Energy. Kriya Yoga is an ancient meditation technique of energy and breath control. The point of the yogas are to help someone reach moksha. You can't just focus on one; you have to use all of them. You can concentrate on one, but you still have to use all of them.

Caste System in Ancient India

4 Caste- 1. Brahmin- Top of the caste system 2. Kshatriya- The warrior class (fighting) 3. Vaishya- Commoner/merchant class 4. Shudra- bulk of Indian population, not considered fully Aryan. limited rights in society. Peasants or artisans or manual laborers. * Untouchables- not considered fully human, presence was considered polluting to others members of the caste. * Jati- people of ancient India not belonging to any class.

Yogas

4 types of Yoga Bhakti yoga- devotion Jnana Yoga- Knowledge. Karma Yoga- action. Kriya Yoga- energy

Caste system

A Hindu social class system that controlled every aspect of daily life

Brahmins

A member of the Hindu priestly caste/class The priests of Hindu temples. Priests were considered the top of the caste system which the Aryans made. One who has realized or attempts to realize Brahman. Traditionally duties of a Brahmin include studying Hindu religious scriptures and transmitting them to others orally.

Scholars have not been able to decipher what little of the Indus script archeologists have found. What are some other types of evidence we can use to learn about the Indus Valley civilizations? How can we use this evidence to draw conclusions?

Although there is a lack of decipherable written evidence, some other evidence that we can use to learn about the Indus Valley civilizations include paintings, bones, sculptures, pottery, artwork, as well as the lack of weapons. These factors can be described as archeological evidence and iconography. The lack of weapons and the bones can tell us the how there was little to no major violent conflicts in the Indus Valley. Analysis of the teeth and bones tells us about the diet that the Indus people had. Sculptures of priest-kings and ornaments can show a dominant religion and aspects of life like attire that the people had, pointing toward the existence of civilization. The artwork acts as a clue to show how the civilizations flourished.

Polytheism

Belief in many gods

Monotheism

Belief in one God

Henotheism

Belief in one primary God and many secondary ones

Hindu Triumvirate

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

We usually think of destruction as a bad thing, but Shiva, the Hindu god of destruction, is one of the religion's most beloved gods. How can we understand this?

Even though destruction is usually seen as a bad thing, Shiva is one of the most beloved Hindu gods. Shiva destroys and recreates through his dance. Destruction is usually a bad thing, but Shiva destroys evil and bad things. Hindus also believe that through Shiva, he can make a newer and better world by destroying old and inefficient things. Instead of looking at him as the god of chaos, it's more like transformation or renewal.

Ahimsa

Hindu belief in nonviolence and reverence for all life

Is Hinduism polytheistic, monotheistic, monolatrous/henotheistic, or a combination? Why?

Hinduism is monolatrous in theory, which means that there is one overarching god from whom all the other gods come. There are many forms of each god, and they all are a part of one god—Brahman. However, Hinduism is polytheistic in practice. Brahman is not worshipped because he's just the spirit of the universe. Instead, people worship other gods, though they might have a particular god or goddess they worship more.

Reincarnation

In Hinduism and Buddhism, the process by which a soul is reborn continuously until it achieves perfect understanding

Describe the relationship between reincarnation, karma, and moksha, include the technical term that encapsulates the whole system.

In Hinduism, there is a deep relationship between all things in the universe. Nothing dies, as their spirit dies and is reborn. This is the system of Samsara, which includes the concepts of karma, dharma, and moksha. Karma is the measure of how well you are following your dharma; it's the result of your actions. One's dharma is a guideline for how you should live your life based on your caste, relationship to others, and age. Moksha is the final stage that every Hindu wants to reach. It is the act of breaking out of the cycle of reincarnation and becoming one with Brahman.

Vedas

Language: Sanskrit. Means "knowledge" . 4 Vedas- Rig Veda, Sama Veda, Yajur Veda, Atharva Veda.

Mohenjo Daro

Largest city of the Indus Valley civilization. Mohenjo-Daro was an ancient city of the Indus Valley Civilization located along the Indus River in modern-day Pakistan. Founded in about 2500 B.C.E., Mohenjo-Daro was one of two major urban centers of the Indus Valley Civilization; the other was Harappa. Mohenjo-Daro had sophisticated urban planning, sanitation, and production methods.

Moksha

Moksha is liberation from the cycle of reincarnation by fulfilling your dharma and earning enough good karma.

Aryans

The Aryans were a group of people who spread into northern India, where they established the language of Vedic Sanskrit, founded the Vedic religion( modern Hinduism.) and established a caste system of hierarchical classes. The arrival of Aryans in India is thought to have resulted in or followed the collapse of the Indus Valley civilization, one of the earliest human civilizations. The Vedic religion was based on the Vedas, a series of hymns that laid out the laws, customs, religious practices, and morality that governed life

Bhagavad Gita

The Bhagavad Gita explains the path to salvation through a conversation between the divine and man. God is represented by Krishna, an incarnation of the god Vishnu, and man is represented through Arjuna. Krisha and Arjuna are cousins tasked to fight in a contentious battle called the Mahabharata. Arjuna does not want to fight his family and friends. Krishna tells him he must follow his dharma (duty) anyway. Even if Arjuna kills his friends and family, he is just killing their bodies, and their souls will be reincarnated anyway Krishna informs Arjuna of the way to salvation through the three paths of yoga. The first path is Karma Yoga, also known as the 'path of action,' which instructs followers to engage in service without expecting a return. The next path is Bhakti Yoga where the practitioner, seeking sincere and loving connection to the divine, engages in chants/rituals to honor the divine and release emotions. The last path is Jnana Yoga which is the knowledge and understanding of reality. When practiced, these paths of yoga lead to salvation or union with the cosmic consciousness.

What is the plot of the Bhagavad Gita, and what are some of the overarching themes?

The Gita is a part of the Mahabharata, a longer Hindu epic. Arjuna who is a warrior, and Krishna is a charioteer/friend/avatar of Vishnu. Arjuna does not want to fight his family and friends. Krishna tells him he must follow his dharma anyway. Even if Arjuna kills his friends and family, he is just killing their bodies, and their souls will be reincarnated anyway. The overarching theme of this story is to follow your dharma even if you hate it.

Describe the 4 stages in the Hindu life cycle (ashrama).

The Hindu life cycle begins with student life (7-25), which includes chastity, devotion to studies, and obedience to teachers. The next stage is household life, the longest stage (25-50). This stage includes marriage, kids, supporting family, and fulfilling household and religious duties. The next stage is the forest dweller stage where you retire, have grandchildren, retreat to the forest for solitude, and pass on the family business/wealth to your children. The final stage is renouncing life. Most people don't do or get to this step in the life cycle. You get rid of all of your possessions, wander around homeless in search of moksha (becoming one with Brahman).

Paleolithic Age

The Paleolithic Age (literally "Old Stone Age"), spanning from 2.6 million years ago to 10,000 years ago, was the time in which humans first began to use stone tools.

Ramayana

The Ramayana is an epic story about the life of Rama the Crown Prince of Kosala who is exiled by his father.

Why was civilization in the Indus Valley (Harappa and Mohenjo Daro) able to flourish?

The civilization in the Indus Valley was able to flourish for many reasons. One reason is the river which this civilization was built around, the Indus River, helped provide a consistent food source for the civilization. Also, consistent monsoons (summer and winter) would flood the river and bring silt, which would make the soil nutrient rich for crops. Technology also helped them flourish. The Indus Valley had plumbing that got waste out of the city and helped to prevent disease.

Define dharma and discuss its place in the 4 ends of humanity—include the names of all the other ends of humanity and their meaning and significance in your response.

The four main ends of humanity include dharma, moksha, artha, and kama. Dharma is the duty in life that you have to fulfill. Moksha is liberation from the cycle of reincarnation by fulfilling your dharma and earning enough good karma. Artha is wealth, and kama is pleasure. Dharma governs artha and kama so that your pursuit of wealth and pleasure does not lead you astray and so you don't exploit others.

Describe the two main theories—the outdated and updated—on how the Aryans arrived in ancient India. Explain why the first theory is outdated and incorrect.

There are two theories about how the Aryans arrived in Indus Valley: invasion and migration. The invasion theory states that the Aryans invaded the Indus Valley. Scholars believed this theory in the early 20th century because of racism: the lighter skinned people invaded and shared culture with the darker skinned Dravidians. This wasn't true because this is based in White Supremacy. It is also untrue because the Harappan civilization had already collapsed several hundred years prior to the arrival of the Aryans. There is also no evidence of war. Instead, the migration theory is correct. The Aryans migrated in from central Asia and merged cultures with the Dravidian people, which created the beginnings of Hinduism.

Brahman

is the supreme God force present within all things

Harappa

large ancient city of the Indus civilization, located in present-day Pakistan ´2600-1900 BCE ´70 sites: largest were Harappa and Mohenjo-daro ´600,000 square miles ´Agriculture ´Writing system ´Collapse

Vaishya

member of the third-highest Indian caste grouping, made up of landowners, bankers, and merchants

Pooja

the act of worship

Atman

the individual soul

Mahabharata

the longest single poem in the world, about a war (Kurukshetra war) fought between two branches of the same family, the pandavas and the kauravas. Within the Mahabharata is the Bagavad Gita, which takes place on the eve of the battle and deals with dharma.

Shudra

the lowest of the four classes of the caste system, traditionally made up of servants and laborers

Dharma

the religious and moral duties of an individual