HINDUISM o 1750 – 1200 BCE -- Aryans (“nobleman”)

migrated from Iran (“land of the Aryan”) to

 Dharma
India
o Found in the teachings of the ancient
o Large group of nomadic cattle herders
religions of India
 Invasion (?)
o The timeless order of all life
o Basic Classes:
 “the way things are”
 Brahmin (priests, scholars,
o The intrinsic nature of a thing
teachers)
o Covers cosmic, personal, and social orders
 Kshatriya (rulers, warriors,
administrators)
 What is Hinduism?
 Vaishya (farmers, merchants
o A religion of dharma
etc.)
o Sanatana Dharma
 Shudra (slaves doing manual
 “eternal dharma” or “eternal
labor)
order” (timeless of universal
o Aryans brought religion to the Indus
dharma)
civilization
o Vaidika Dharma
 Polytheistic and animist in
 “Religion of the Vedas”
nature
o Dharma
 Offered libation of milk (cattle)
 (acc to Hindu beliefs) holds the
 Made burnt offerings of animals
universe together / “duty”,
(horses)
“correct practice” and “truth”
o From these sacrifices would emerge the
o River Indus
initial oral tradition  Vedas (knowledge)
 Sindhu in ancient times
 “Hindu” (river); “Hindustan”
 Sacred Texts
(land); “Hindus” (inhabitants)
o Shruti Scriptures
----- Dravidians
 “heard”
 Pre-Islamic Persians  That which has been heard or
o Geographically concentrated religion
communicated
o Henotheism
 contains eternal truth “heard”
 Belief in one superior deity
from the gods (divine revelation)
accompanied by other lesser
as revealed to rishis (sages)
divine beings  primarily the Vedas
 One absolute being (Brahman) o Vedas
with multiple manifestations and  Oral traditions passed among
related deities generations
o Samsara  Oldest sacred books of Hindu
 Belief in reincarnation Dharma; basic source of
o Karma
worldview
 The law of cause and effect
 Contains description and
o Yogas
mythologies of pre-Aryan and
 A call to follow the path of
Aryan deities
righteousness by engaging in
 Four books or collections:
spiritual practices  Rig Veda
o Moksah o Mantras or hymns to gods
 Desire for liberation from the
accompanied by mythology
cycle of birth, death, and rebirth o Used by brahmin (priest)
officiating at sacrifices
 The Beginnings
 Yajur Veda
o Guide fir brahmin assisting at
ritual sacrifices who need to
 recite prayers to ensure a
successful offering
 Sama Veda
o Chants or holy songs used by
rituals singers assisting at
sacrifices
 Atharva Veda
o An important source of
information on practical
religion and magic
o Comprises rituals, popular
prayers, and magic spells to
ward of evil
 Each collection of the Vedas is
divided into four sections:
 Samhitas
o Collection of mantra (
 Brahmanas
o Ceremonial guidelines
ensuring proper executions
of rituals by priests
 Aranyakas
o Aranya = forest
o Developed by the hermits
living in the forests
 Upanishads
o Concluding portions
o Philosophical writings or
commentaries on Vedic
teachings usually about the
meaning of human existence
 Smriti Scriptures
o “remembered”
o “secondary scriptures”
o Stories and advice from sages
o Produced out of human intellect
o Mahabharata
o An epic poem
o Story of an ongoing war
among family members;
struggle for the throne of the
Kuru kingdom
o Highlights importance of
virtues and devotion to gods,
particularly to Krishna
o Ramayana
 Shorter epic poem
 Story of the battles of Rama
(seventh avatar or reincarnation
of Vishnu); save his wife Sita
(avatar of goddess Lakshmi) from
the evil Ravana
o Dharma Shastras
 Legal treatises that emphasize
importance of practicing virtue
o Laws of Manu
 Legendary first man and
lawgiver; Manu
 Considered the most accepted
code of ideal behavior
o Bhagawad-Gita
 “Song of the Lord”
 Part of Mahabharata
 Exalts the power and
benevolence of Krishna and his
instructions to Arjuna (Pandava
brother)
o Puranas
 Stories that depict sectarian
divisions
 Code and Basic Doctrines
o Samsara
 The doctrine of reincarnation or
transmigration of souls
 Course or succession of states of
existence because the
indestructible atman survives
the death of one physical body
and is later reborn in another
o Moksha
 Ultimate goal  spiritual
freedom or liberation
 Liberation from the endless cycle
of birth, death, rebirth
o Karma
 Most important doctrine
 Every though and deed has a
consequence
 Varna  social classification
based on the caste system
o Yogas
 Karma yoga
o The yoke of action or work
o Focusing on one’s duty and
detaching from the results of
one’s actions
 Gnana yoga
 o The yoke of knowledge or
wisdom
o Liberation from the
illusuionary world of maya
(thoughts and perceptions)
and to achieve union of the
inner self (atman) with the
oneness of all life (Brahman)
 Raja Yoga
o The royal yoke
o Detach the atman from the
world and unite it with
Brahman by training the
physical body
 Bhakti yoga
o The yoke of love and
devotion
o Focusing on loving devotion
towards a personal god
 Yoga Sutra of Patanjali
o Identifies ten virtues:
 5 negatives or yamas
 5 positives or niyamas
 Cult
o “purification” or “refinement”
o Extensive systems of more than forty
traditional life-cycle rituals
o Sacred rites of passage marking a key
milestone in the human pilgrimage from
conception to death