Hinduism

Question 1

What are the Vedas?

Answer 1

The most important Hindu text(s)

• Essentially complete by 1200 B.C.
• Four collections of verses:
  
  1. Rig Veda
  2. Sama Veda
  3. Yajur Veda
  4. Atharva Veda

Question 2

How many Hindus are there in the world today?

Answer 2

Around 1 billion

Question 3

According to Hinduism what are the four purposes or aims in life?

Answer 3

1. Dharma- duty (generally meaning one’s vocation)
2. Artha- wealth (the pursuit of worldly success)
3. Kama- physical pleasure
4. Moksha- the most important: enlightenment, liberation, union with God

Question 4

What is yoga?

Answer 4

Union of the self with the Hindu Supreme Being

Generally, refers to one of the many paths towards enlightenment

Question 5

Wha are Hinduism’s three most important texts?

Answer 5

1. The Vedas
2. The Mahabharata
3. The Ramayana

Question 6

What three aspects of the Supreme Being make up the Trimurti, the central trinity of Hinduism?

Answer 6

1. Brahma (the Creator)
2. Vishnu (the Preserver)
3. Shiva (the Destroyer)

Question 7

What are some important attributes of the Hindu god Brahma?

Answer 7

The Creator

• Has never been worshipped extensively, despite being one of the three main gods of Hinduism
• In depictions, wears red clothers and does not carry weapons

Question 8

What are some important attributes of the Hindu god Vishnu?

Answer 8

Protector and Preserver of Creation

• Embodiment of mercy, kindness, and peace
• Almost always has four arms and is often depicted lying on a serpent
• Consort is Lakshmi

Question 9

What are some important attributes of the Hindu god Shiva?

Answer 9

Transformer and Destroyer

• Destroys the world at the end of each cycle (before Brahma create it again)
• Assosiated with dance and meditation
• Consort is Parvati

Question 10

In Hinduism, what is Devi, or Shakti?

Answer 10

The Mother Goddess or female aspect of the divine

Her many forms include Lakshmi, Kali, Pavati, and Durga

Question 11

What are some important attributes of the Hindu goddess Kali?

Answer 11

• Ferocious and destructive form of the Mother Goddess
• Usually depicted with blue skin, wearing a necklace of skulls and a belt of severed limbs

Question 12

What are some important attributes of the Hindu goddess Lakshmi?

Answer 12

• Concort to Vishnu
• Assosiated with wealth, happiness, pleasure, and good fortune

Question 13

What are some important attributes of the central Hindu figure Krishna?

Answer 13

• Eighth incarnation of Vishnu
• Central character in much of Hindu mythology, including the Bhagavad Gita
• Embodiment of love and divine joy
• Often depicted as a young man playing the flute

Question 14

What are the four main levels of the Hindu caste system?

Answer 14

1. Brahmins
2. Kshatriyas
3. Vaishyas
4. Shudras

Note: There are many subcastes

Question 15

In the Hindu caste system, what is the role of brahmins?

Answer 15

• The highest caste
• Priests and preservers of knowledge and tradition

Question 16

Around when did Hinduism begin to exist?

Answer 16

It’s roots stretch back as far as 2000 B.C.E.

• It was codified in the Vedic texts beginning around 1500 B.C.E.
• Hinduism is unique among major world religions in that it has no single founder

Question 17

In the Hindu caste system, what is the role of kshatriyas?

Answer 17

• The second-highest caste after Brahmins
• Warrior class
• Responsible for protecting others, especially Brahmins, and dispensing justice
• Allowed to study the Vedas

Question 18

In the Hindu caste system, what is the role of vaishyas?

Answer 18

• The third-highest caste after brahmins and kshatriyas
• Peasants and merchants
• Have the right to lend money, own land, and study the Vedas

Question 19

In the Hindu caste system, what is the role of shudras?

Answer 19

• The labor caste
• Their role is to serve the higher castes, and they are not allowed to study sacred texts

Question 20

What is the Ramayana?

Answer 20

An epic Hindu poem written around the 2nd century B.C.E

Tells the story of Rama, the 7th incarnation of Vishnu

Question 21

What is the Bhagavad Gita?

Answer 21

The single most popular Hindu text

• A section from the Mahabharata
• A “manual for mankind,” outlining major philosophical concepts of Hinduism, as well as several types of yoga
• Central figure and teacher of the Bhagavad Gita is Krishna

Question 22

What is atman?

Answer 22

The “true self” within each person, which is identical to the Hindu Supreme Being, Brahman

Question 23

What is Diwali?

Answer 23

The Hindu “festival of lights,” a five-day festival celebrated between mid-October and mid-November

Question 24

What is Holi?

Answer 24

A Hindu holiday celebrating the arrival of spring in early to mid-March

Involves general merrymaking, most famously spraying people with multicolored paints

Question 25

Is Hinduism polytheistic?

Why or Why not?

Answer 25

No.

Hinduism asserts a single Supreme Being called Brahman, but incorporates the worship of several different gods that represent Brahman’s different aspects.

Question 26

Hinduism is indigenous to what part(s) of the world?

Answer 26

The Indian subcontinent