Defining A Nation; Helpful terms.
Quran
the sacred writings of Islam revealed by God to the prophet Muhammad during his life at Mecca and Medina
Harijan
"child of god" Gandhi's term for an untouchable in the caste system
Vinayak Savarkar
"...[N]o people in the world can more justly claim to get recognized as a racial unit than the Hindus and perhaps the Jews. A Hindu marrying a Hindu may lose his caste but not his Hindutva [Hindu culture]. A Hindu believing in any theoretical or philosophical or social system, orthodox or heterodox, provided it is unquestionably indigenous and founded by a Hindu may lose his sect but not his Hindutva - his Hindu-ness - because the most important essential which determines it is the inheritance of the Hindu blood...", Hindus bound not only by love but also common culture, all different gods=Glory and greatness
Dalit
"Down-trodden" a modern term used by untouchables to describe their community
Quaid
"Great leader" title for Mohammad Ali Jinnah
Mahatma
"Great soul" applied to Gandhi
Swadeshi
"Of our own country" a phrase often applied to a preference for buying India-made goods
"Bande Mataram"
"Salutation to the mother" a song, originally about Bengal for Hindu India
Krishna quote
"The unreal never is; the real never is not" the world of senses is actually an illusion , persons spirit exists forever, death cant touch spirit realm, reincarnation
Satyagraha
"Way of truth" or "truth force" Gandhis strategy of nonvintage confrontation
Sikh
A "disciple" specifically referring to followers of Guru Nanak
pandit
A Hindu religious scholar; the title given to Jawaharial Nehru of Congress
Jagidar
A Mughal retainer who had been given the right to assess and collect tax on a particular parcel of land
Mahabharata
A classic Hindu text of ancient India
Hartal
A general strike, including the closing of shops, usually called to initiate a political protest
Krishna
A god associated with divine playfulness; a form of Vishnu
Khadi
A handwoven cotton cloth, often associated with Gandhi
Jihad
A holy war; an effort to attain perfection, in Islam
Raj
A kingdom
Anandamath
A novel ban Kim Chandra Chatterji
Jat
A peasant or farming community in northern India
Dharma
A set of specific moral and religious obligations in Hinduism
Karma - in class definition
Action - everything we do will lead to experiences that come back to us
Dharma of farmers
Alleviate hunger
Opening of Bhagavad Gita
Armies preparing for war
Dhrita rasthra
Blind king
Sanjaya
Chief minister to dhrita-rasthra, magical powers that allow him to see/hear what's going on pandava, storyteller
Jawaharlal Nehru
Follower of Gandhi but embraced European socialism and communist doctrines, president of INC
Arjuna
Foremost pandava general, (Hindu mythology) the warrior prince in the Bhagavad-Gita to whom Krishna explains the nature of being and of God and how humans can come to know God
Harijans
Gandhi's term for the "children of God" who were formerly known as "untouchables"
Maharaja
Great ruler or king (Hindu)
Hindutva
Hindu essence or equivalency
Sati
Indian funeral practice in which a woman commits suicide, often by immolation on the funeral; pyre of her husband
Muhammad Ali Jinnah
Joined Muslim league, tried to unify ML and INC, "difference between Hindu and Muslim is not religion, superstitions - India will become a single nation" "one nation=growing discontent and final destruction" can't accept constitution that results in Hindu majority govt, Muslims are not minority, make sacrifices
Dharma possible meanings
Law, reality, religion
Varna
Literally "color" in Hindu, but usually implying "caste" or the hierarchical arrangement of social groups
Shivaji
Maratha warrior, slaughtered Muslims, anti Muslim Hindu warrior
Nizam
Prince or ruler (Muslim)
Lala Lajpat Rai
Promoted Hindu culture, unified political existence, "one common blood running through their veins with common..." "branches of common tree" - members of same family
Swaraj
self-rule
Islam
Religion of peace "surrender to god" - submission and peace, salaam
Adi Granth
Scripture of Sikhs, based on teachings of Guru Nanak, compiled in the early 1600's
All Muslim agree on...
Shah dad-faith, salat-prayer, zakah-almsgiving, sawm-fasting, hajj-pilgrimage
Rabindranath Tagore
Showed power of Indian writing, opposed British educational patterns, "teaching process learning English" "spiritual unity of all races" - we are all equal but some of us know better so follow us, progress=indefinite extension of limbs that we owe advantages to, the reward of truth is peace, the reward of truth is happiness
Bal Gangadhar Tilak
Son of Brahmans, ardent proponent of Indian independence, went to jail for inciting violence, "it is the spirit which actuated Shivaji in his doing that is held forth as the proper ideal to kept constantly in view by rising generations" - look up to Shivaji
Brahman
Status category of highest priestly caste in classic Sanskrit literature
Swami Vivekananda
Suggests that all religions are "true" but like Hinduism, Hinduism=major world religion, whosever comes to me, through whatsoever form, I reach him; all men are struggling through paths which lead to me. "Believe not only in universal toleration, but we accept all religions as true
Indian civil service (ICS)
The bureaucracy of colonial India, largely staffed by Indians under direction of British
Karma
The concept of reincarnation, where future births are based on one's actins in his or her current life
Samsara
The cycle of existence
Rupee
The main unit of Indian currency
Khilafat
The office of the caliph, the spiritual leader of all Muslims within the Ottoman Empire
Charkha
The spinning wheel, a symbol of the artisanal cotton-based economy of Gandhi
Moksa
There is a way out from samsara
Muhammad Iqbal
poet, he is considered one of the most important figures in Urdu literature, with literary work in both the Urdu and Persian languages, "what really matters is a mans faith, culture, tradition- these are worth living and dying for" - tradition is what matters, believe in harmonious whole, east vs west man, literature is significant for capitalistic world
Arjuna's dharma
Warrior - Kshatriya - if doesn't fight=coward, going against castes
Mullah
an Islamic religious leader
Sabha
an association
B.R. Ambedkar
born to untouchable, but because father was indian soldier, went to british school. wanted to industrialize, he wrote indian constitution asking for untouchable parliament. gandhi went on hunger strike to prevent it, untouchables are part of community even if rejected, our wrongs have remained as open sores, need political power in own hands
Duryodhana
eldest son of Dhritarashtra, seized panda a throne
Gandhi
fought for Indian independence with non-violence, disapproves of mistreatment of untouchables, three-fold program: no testing Hindu Muslim unity, untouchability is doomed, spinning is spreading, education imparted through handcraft and industry, kids should feel confident by paying for own education with labor
Untouchables
lowest class of people in the caste system of Hinduism, do all the dirty work of society - ex butchers, fisherman, sweepers, leatherworking
Ahimsa
nonviolence
Soteriology
study of salvation
R.I.N.
the Royal Indian Navy