Chpt. 3, Classical India Flashcards
monsoons
seasonal winds that sweep across the Indian subcontinent; they are important for agriculture because during the summer, when the wind is blowing in from the sea, they would bring lots of rain along with them
Aryans
during the Vedic and Epic Ages, these (Indo-European) migrants entered India from the north and made it their home, populating the Indus and Ganges river valley regions
castes
the Hindu social stratification system by which people are relegated to a specific class and status based on their birth
untouchables, aka pariahs
the very lowest caste; they lie below the sudras, who are menial laborers, perform tasks such as burying the dead, and are considered so low that to touch one would prevent a person from being successfully reborn into a higher caste
Vedas
are Aryan hymns originally transmitted orally but eventually written down in the 6th century B.C.E.; they constitute Hindu holy texts
Brahmin
the priest class in the Hindu caste system, and while originally lower than the warriors, they eventually were recognized as the highest caste, revealing the importance accorded to religion in India
dharma
under Hinduism, it is a person’s duty, based on his caste; if a person leads a good life and successfully fulfills his it, then he will be reincarnated into a higher caste; Hindus also refer to Hinduism as this, and it means “moral path”
karma
under Hinduism, it is worldly pleasures, the pursuit of which according to Hindu doctrines is compatible with fulfilling one’s dharma and reaching moksha
Four Noble Truths
Buddhism is defined by these. The first is that there is suffering in the world, and that to live is to suffer (Dukkha). The second is that the cause of suffering is self-centered desire and attachment (Tanha). The third is that to eliminate desire and attachment is the way to achieve nirvana, or spiritual enlightenment and fulfillment. The fourth is that to eliminate desire and attachments and achieve nirvana, one must follow the Eightfold Path (basically to live a virtuous life with right thoughts and actions).
Brahma
the basic essence that Hindus believe constitute all things in the world; every living creature participates in this principle
Upanishads
created during the Epic Age, the these are epic poems with a more mystical religious flavor
jati
the subgroups into which the basic castes of the Indian caste system were divided, and each had distinctive occupations, and were tied to social station by birth
Siddartha Gautama, aka the Buddha
creator of a major Indian and Asian religion; born in the 6th century BC as son of local ruler among Aryan tribes located near Himalayas; became an ascetic, found enlightenment under bo tree; taught that enlightenment could be achieved only by abandoning desires for all earthly things
Alexander the Great
successor of Philip 2; successfully conquered the Persian Empire prior to his death in 323 BC; attempted to combine Greek and Persian cultures
Himalayas
a mountain region marking the northern border of the Indian subcontinent; site of the Aryan settlements that formed small kingdoms or warrior republics
Sanskrit
the sacred and classical Indian language
Vedas
Aryan hymns originally transmitted orally but written down in sacred books from the 6th century BC
Mahabharata
an Indian epic of war, princely honor, love, and social duty; written down in the last centuries BC, it had been previously handed down in oral form
Ramayana
one of the great epic tales from classical India; traces adventures of King Rama and his wife, Sita; written in the 4th to 2nd centuries BC
Upanishads
later books of the Vedas; contained sophisticated and sublime philosophical ideas, used by Brahmans to restore religious authority
varnas
clusters of caste groups in Aryan society; four social castes- Brahman (priests), Kshatriya (warriors), Vaishya (merchants), and Sudra/Shudra (peasants); beneath the four Aryan caste was group of socially untouchable people
Indra
the chief deity of the Aryans, depicted as a colossal, hard-drinking warrior
Chandragupta Maurya (ruled 322-298)
founder of the Maurya dynasty, established the first empire in the Indian subcontinent, and the first centralized government since Harappan civilization; he fasted to death in sorrow for his famine stricken people
Ashoka
grandson of Chandragupta Maurya; completed conquests of the Indian subcontinent; converted to Buddhism and sponsored the spread of the new religion throughout his empire
Guptas
dynasty that succeeded the Kushans in the 3rd century CE; built an empire that extended to all but the southern regions of the Indian subcontinent; less centralized than the Mauryan Empire
Kautilya
political advisor to Chandragupta Maurya; one of the authors of Arthashastra; believed in applying science to warfare
gurus
Brahmans who served as teachers for the princes of the imperial court of the Guptas
Vishnu
the Brahman, later Hindu, god of sacrifice; widely worshipped
Shiva
Hindu god of destruction and reproduction; worshipped as the personification of cosmic forces of change
nirvana
a Buddhist concept that arises from the destruction of self, by which people can achieve an experience that transcends existence itself
Kamasutra
written by Vatsayana during the Gupta era, it offered instructions on all aspects of life for higher-caste males, including grooming, hygiene, etiquette, selection of wives, and lovemaking
stupas
stone shrines built to house pieces of bone or hair and personal possessions said to be relics of the Buddha; preserved Buddhist architectural forms
scholar-gentry
Chinese class created by the marital linkage of the local land-holding aristocracy with the office-holding shi; superseded shi as governors of China
Jainism
a new philosophy that was established in Indian in the 5th century; it was based on a belief in the sanctity of all life; it remains today a religion followed by a small minority of Indians; they killed nothing conscious, even things such as insects
eightfold path
the path that Buddhists believe they must follow to reach nirvana; it is as follows:
- right faith
- right intention
- right speech
- right action
- right living
- right effort
- right mindfulness
- right meditation
loess
yellow silt that was carried down the Huang He River by erosion and accumulated in riverbanks, providing fertile soil for planting
