world religions test one: chapter 4: hinduism

bhakti-marga

"the way of devotion"—hindus practice their religion through devotion to one or more of the indian gods through temple worship + sacrifice; the gods or goddesses may look with favor upon devotees, support the believes in life and held in the struggles of life • recall that Brahman is the ultimate reality: the core of Hindu thought

samsara

"to wander across"—the life force of an individual does not die with the death of the body but instead "wanders across"—the life force moves on to another time and body, where it continues to live

shudras

early society class in india: not considered full members of society and were usually slaves or servants

prasad

food offered to the murtis during puja—often distributed to devotees after it is considered to be blessed

agni

god of fire: channel through whom offerings were given to the gods

Bhagavad Gita

great epic poem of indian culture and religion: about a great battle—relates the stories of the struggles of notable heroes and gods and contains much basic philosophy of culture • Its most obvious teaching is that individuals should perform the duty of their caste and thus avoid karma • The last writing of the classical era in indian religion

sama-veda

knowing of chants: recited by preists at sacrifice

artharva-veda

knowledge given by the sage Atharva: rituals for AT home

yajur-veda

knowledge of rites: collection of materials to be recited to gods during sacrifices

dharma

specific duties and opportunities of each caste/ group

puja

the act of worship to the gods—in households and temples—done to gods who are represented as murtis (sacred statues or images)

ghandi

the best-known Indian reformer of the twentieth century: chiefly remembered for his work in bringing political and social benefits to the Indian people near the end of British rule, through a combination of religious idealism and civil disobedience

moksha

the breaking free from life -the goal of most Indian religions is to break the cycle of karma and samsara and be free of the burden of life

upanishads

the fourth sections of each vedic book: made up of philosophical materials that reflect on earlier vedic material • Contains the early philosophical statements that became the basis for later Hindu philosophy and worldview • Represent a systematization of the Vedas that reformed early sacrificial practices • About 200 of these but 14 are called the "principal" ___________

brahman

the fundamental assumption of the Upanishads is this: one true reality in the universe—eternal, infinite, unknowable, sexless, without a past, present or future, and totally impersonal • The living beings that inhabit our world are expressions of this: they are souls (atman) that are a part of the great ocean of souls that make up the Brahman • All phenomenal existence is illusion arising from ignorance of the true nature of reality • Individuality apart from the Brahman: the world in which one lives: is an illusion

caste

Varna system—apparently developed from the early Aryan divisions of society • Brahmins expected to lead a religious life and devote themselves to studying Vedas and practice of their teachings • Other varna members were expected to perform their duties faithfully and move gradually through the system, incarnation by incarnation • Even at this early time, indian society was stratified into fixed classes and mobility through the system was only available through reincarnation

law of Manu

clearly articulates this connection between karma, caste and rebirth—reveals a lot about indian life at this time 300 bc ish

karma

comes from a root that means "to do or act"—every action and thought has a consequence which will affect later life

puranas

comprised of devotional verses about the exploits and attributes of popular Hindu deities—the literature of the postclassical era like this tended to focus on the gods and goddesses

brahmins

one of the basic classes of the early indian society: highly regarded priests who served the cults of the various Indus valley cities

Kshatriyas

one of the basic classes of the early indian society: the chieftains and warriors who were the near apex of society

Vaishyas

one of the basic classes of the early indian society: the commoners and merchants, regarded as subservient to the two upper classes

vedas

the oldest sacred books of Hinduism: the best source of knowledge about the religion of these early Indians is this literature • The basic source of the Hindu understanding of the universe • All later texts are seen as mere commentary upon them • Four basic books: 1. Rig-Veda—Veda meaning knowledge or sacred lore: a collection of over 1,000 hymns to the Aryan gods, which contains the basic mythology of these gods 2. Yajur-Veda—knowledge of rites: a collection of materials to be recited during the sacrifice to the gods 3. Sama-Veda—knowledge of chants: a collection of verses from the basic hymns recited by priests at sacrifices 4. Atharva-Veda—knowledge given by the sage Atharva: contains rituals to be used in the home and popular prayers to the gods, along with spells and incantations to ward off evil • Indicate there may be roots in a more ancient nature based religion: the gods they worshipped were apparent personifications of various natural forces • Chief manner of worship: sacrifice • Include an extravagant formula for sacrificial offerings

varnas

three basic classes of the early Indian society

Brahma

trimurti view: the creator who receives the least attention

Shiva

trimurti view: the destroyer: death, destruction, disease and dance• —special gods of ascetics • Most common symbols of him: lingam—a cylindrical pillar found upon a yoni, a stylized dish or round receptacle that symbolizes the feminine Shakti—these pieces together represent energy and regeneration • The most popular because he is the god of vegetable, animal and human reproduction—death is but the prelude to rebirth so it makes sense that the god of death would also be the god of reproduction and sexuality • Kali: goddess relate to Shaivite worship—more terrible than Shiva: wears necklace of human skulls • Parvati: the opposite of Kali—often depicted as the perfect wife and mother—wants to marry him so she becomes an ascetic: fertility goddess • Ganesha: has an elephant head—remover of obstacles and called upon to assist in many endeavors

vishnu

trimurti view: • the preserver—god of love, benevolence and forgiveness—the love of play—appeared on earth in 9 forms: in one case, he appeared as Krishna • Lakshsmi: wife —goddess of fertility, wealth and victory—seen as mediator between humans and Vishnu who sometimes is too remote for humans to access directly

vedanta

usually translated "the end of the Vedas"—based on the Upanishadic writings • Monistic and assumed only one true essence in the universe • This essence is called God, or Brahman: nothing else exists but Brahman

rig-veda

veda meaning knowledge or sacred lore: a collection of hymns to the aryan gods = MYTHOLOGY

trimurti

view of postclassical Hinduism that see Brahman in three forms/ functions/ expressions: creation, destruction and preservation aka Brahma, Shiva, Vishnu