HINDUISM Flashcards
What is the Trimurti?
Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva
Brahman is the ultimate being - the Trimurti are his 3 forms
What are the Vedas?
The Vedas are a collection of hymns and other ancient religious texts written in India between about 1500 and 1000 BCE. It includes elements such as liturgical material as well as mythological accounts, poems, prayers, and formulas considered to be sacred in Hinduism.
Vedas are filled with conversations and stories with moral and spiritual message. e.g. Conversation between father and son
What is the Rig Veda?
“Knowledge of the Hymns of Praise”, for recitation.
What is the Yajur Veda?
“Knowledge of the Sacrificial formulas”, for liturgy.
Contains explanatory prose commentaries on how to perform religious rituals and sacrifices
What is the Sama Veda?
“Knowledge of the Melodies”, for chanting.
Verses that are almost entirely from the Rig-Veda, but are arranged in a different way since they are meant to be chanted.
What is the Atharva Veda?
“Knowledge of the Magic formulas”, named after a kind of group of priests.
Contains charms and magical incantations and has a more folkloristic style.
Which Veda is the most important
The Rig Veda
How many hymns are in the Rig Veda? How is it divided? Is it easy to read?
1028 hymns
It is divided into ten books called mandalas.
It is a difficult text, written in a very obscure style and filled with metaphors and allusions that are hard to understand for modern reader
What is Ahimsa?
Ahimsa, which literally translates as “non-violence” or “non-injury”, refers to non-violence towards both human and non-human beings physically, mentally, and spiritually.
Ahimsa is found in many Hindu scriptures.
Its earliest known origin in texts can traced back to the Rig veda conception of natural order (Rta in Sanskrit)
Rta is closely affiliated with dharma (duty), demanding that every living and non-living being follow the cosmic order of their existence in such a way that it does not avert others from being able to follow their own laws of existence
What are the 5 primary sacred texts of Hinduism?
- Vedas
- Upanishads
- Laws of Manu
- Ramayana
- Mahabarata
What is the Shruti?
“what is heard’ - less authoritative,
Includes the Vedas and Upanishads — are considered to be divinely inspired
What is the Smriti?
“what is remembered” - more authoritative
Includes the Mahabharata (including the Bhagavad Gita) and Ramayana — are derived from great sages.
What are the Upanishads?
Upanishads (are commentaries on the Vedas)comprised of a series of discourses and dialogues. They provide a theoretical basis for Hindu cosmology and teach that liberation can be obtained by doing tasks that are “difficult and painful as walking the razor’s edge” Written when Hinduism was going through a period of deep introspection on “the infinite depth of the Soul” and “brooding on the meaning of existence.” The early Upanishads are concerned with understanding the sacrificial rites. Central to the Upanishads is the concept of brahman; the sacred power which informs reality.
What are the Laws of Manu?
The Laws of Manu were written around 250 B.C. These texts established Hindu law based on a large number of wise sayings a and prohibitions in everyday life. The principals of the caste system were outlines in the Laws of Manu.
Explain the Caste system.
Early descriptions of the caste system are found in the Vedas, which describe Aryan society (ancient Indian society) as being divided into the five major castes:
1. Brahmins: = mostly priests, teachers and scholars who supposedly came from Brahma’s heads, or mouths (he had four),and those who are well educated
2. Kshatriyas: =warriors and rulers, so it shouldn’t be surprising that they originated from Brahma’s arms. Nowadays, they tend to be bureaucrats working in public administration, maintenance of law and order, and defence.
3. Vaishyas: = merchants and traders (e.g., businessmen) as well as farmers, cattle herders and artisans. Hindu myth states that they were created from Brahma’s thighs.
4. Shudras: also called Sudras, this low caste is comprised of menial laborers and service providers. They derive from Brahma’s feet.
5. Dalits: The “untouchables” are forced to perform the worst jobs, including cleaning public toilets, raising so-called unclean animals like pigs, curing hides and sweeping streets. Dalit is the more modern term for this class and translates to “oppressed.” So low in status, they’re technically outside of the caste system, Dalits, or untouchables, are relegated to jobs deemed too unclean for the rest of society
