RELS 1103 midterm 1

south asia

'Hindu' became a religious designation because it was used by the Persian Muslims and British to refer to religions native to ___________ ___________.

Trimurti

A "holy trinity" of sorts, involving Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva.

married; evil

A bindi is symbolic of a woman's status as __________; it can also be a beauty mark or ward off ____________.

widow

A black bindi denotes a __________.

(hymns of) purusha

A creation story which lends itself to the creation of the caste system.

tilak

A general term for all types of forehead markings.

destruction

A god of ____________ is needed because it is part of the natural cycle of life.

sramana movement

A group who practice ascetism (a form of sacrifice).

homa/havan

A ritual of fire offering is called a ________________ or ______________.

soma

A sacred juice mentioned in the Vedas which contained marijuana and hallucinogenics

bindi

A tilak specific to women, often in traditional red color.

moksha

At death, when the atman joins the brahman in yoga, ___________ is achieved.

sacrifices

Brahman is the power contained in ____________; unseen and hidden to the senses. You can't see it with your eyes but it's an underlying force.

mouth of Purusha

Brahmins

Rishis

Brahmins have the last name of this group. They were a group of the Vedas who were saint poets with the ability to connect with the divine.

Harijan

Children of God, as referred to by Ghandi

Ghee

Clarified butter, seen as sacred in that it comes from a cow. Included in fire offerings.

3 lines

Devotees of Shiva show their devotion with a forehead marking of ____________________.

v-shape

Devotees of Vishnu show their devotion with a forehead marking of a _____________.

Brahma

God of Creation.

Indra

God of Thunder, warrior deity.

shiva

God of destruction.

Varuna

God of water.

Vishnu

God that sustains creation.

Brahmin

Hold the role of priests, and are called Pandits today.

atman; brahman

If one can recognize his ___________ at death, and see through their ego, they will return to ___________, in which there is no longer birth, death, and rebirth.

Brahmin; priest

In a homa or havan, the fire offering duties are carried out by _____________, as they have the role of a ____________.

arms of Purusha

Kshatriyas

Dravidian

Language spoken by indigenous people of the Indus River Valley.

upanishads

Literally translates to "sitting near devotedly". They are scriptures which are concerned with philosophy.

destroyed, memory, social

Mantras are important in that they a) can't be ____________ like bibles or books, b) they aid in ___________ in that there is a ______________ aspect, and c) it preserves a level of respect in that it passes teachings from teacher to student.

children of god

Mohandas Ghandi called Untouchables Harijan, meaning _____________ ___________ ______________.

5 senses; personal, informal

Puja appeals to the 5 senses, can be ___________/___________ OR elaborate, and all food is blessed.

saint poets; divine

Rishis were a group of the Vedas who were ___________ ___________ with the ability to connect with the ___________.

reincarnation

When one returns to Brahman, they escape the cycle of ___________ and return to the universal consciousness.

krishna

Supreme divinity in human form; kind of equivalent to Jesus.

jiva

The "illusory" self; one's false self which undergoes reincarnation.

atman

The "true" self; one's undying soul.

Brahma

The God of creation.

Sanskrit

The Mother of Indian Languages, spoken by the Aryans.

Yagna (sacrifice)

The Sanskrit word for ascetism, a form of sacrifice.

creation, maintenance, destruction

The Trimūrti is the trinity of supreme divinity in Hinduism in which the cosmic functions of ______________, ______________, and __________ are personified as a triad of deities.

Dalits

The Varna (caste) system divides society into four varnas (Brahmins, Kshatriyas, Vaishya and Shudras). Those who fall out of this system because of their grievous sins are ostracised as ______________ (untouchables).

vaishyas

The ___________ are the thighs of Purusha, and are the merchant class.

arms

The ___________ of Purusha are the Kshatriyas, the ruler/warrior class, involving protecting of the city and king.

feet

The ____________ of Purusha are the shudras, and their role is to serve the upper classes.

puja

The act of making offerings to the gods.

Hymns of Purusha

The cosmos were a giant man, sacrificed by the gods; his mind became the moon, his head the sky, Indra and Agni from his mouth, the wind from his breath...

Mohenjodaro (and) Harappa

The largest two cities in the Indus River Valley are ________________ and ______________.

gayatri mantra

The most famous passage from the Vedas is the __________ ___________.

samsara

The natural cycle of life is referred to as ____________, and refers to reincarnation.

Brahman

The nature of ultimate reality involves ___________, the underlying principle and essence of creation.

Rg Veda

The oldest section of the Vedas, including the creation story of the Golden Egg.

bhakti yoga

The path of devotion, in which an individual treats God as their lover, as a living person and house guest.

kshatriyas

The role of the ____________ is that of the ruler/warrior, involving protecting of the city and king. You are born into this class.

dirtier

The role of the shudras is to serve the upper classes; the ___________ their job, the lower they are in the caste system.

Rg Veda

The section of the Vedas containing the story of the Golden Egg.

thighs

The vaishyas are the ____________ of Purusha, and are responsible for the buying and selling of goods, commercial transactions, and maintaining the economy.

reality, self, relationship

Themes of the Upanishads include the nature of ultimate ___________, nature of the ___________, and the ___________ between the two.

Hindu

This word has a geographical designation, and no true relationship to religion.

dead cow

Those who work with leather are Dalits because they work with the fiber of a ___________ ____________.

bindi

Translates to "drop"

sadhus

Translates to "holy men", those who perform ascetism called sramana.

Vedas

Translates to "knowledge"; a set of religious readings (praise to the gods in a poetic form) divided into 4 sections.

Sindh

Translates to "ocean"

om

Truth in the form of sound; the vibrations activating sacred energy (prana) in one's body.

yoga

When you know your Atman, you know Brahman. When they unite, it is called ___________.

atman, brahman

Yoga is a method in which you achieve enlightenment. It is the union of the ___________ and the ___________.

indus valley civilization

doo

feet of Purusha

shudras

samsara

the cycle of reincarnation.

auspiciousness

the quality of being encouraging or promising of a successful outcome.

thighs of Purusha

vaishyas