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