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World Religions Part II > Hinduism - Origin and History > Flashcards

Hinduism - Origin and History Flashcards

1
Q

Hinduism is the…

A

oldest verifiable religion, with origins back to 1500 BCE.

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2
Q

Hinduism has no…

A

founding figure or single event that marks its birth.

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3
Q

What kind of religion is Hinduism?

A

It is more of an oral tradition than a revealed (text-based) religion.

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4
Q

What did the word “Hindu” mean before the 19th century?

A

The word Hindu was initially a term used by the ancient Persians to describe people who lived beyond the Indus River.

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5
Q

Where do most Hindus live nowadays?

A

India and Nepal

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6
Q

When was the age of the Indus Valley civilization?

A

3300-1300 BCE

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7
Q

Where is the Indus River?

A

In modern Pakistan. Pakistan and Bangladesh were a part of India prior to WWII.

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8
Q

The Indus River civilization is also known as…

A

the Harappan Civilization, which is named after the ruins of the first major city discovered from the culture.

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9
Q

We know very little about the Indus River civilization. Why is that?

A

We know little about them because we cannot translate their simple pictographic writing system.

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10
Q

The Indus Valley civilization most likely spoke…

A

a Proto-Dravidian language. This language family still
exists in southern India.

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11
Q

The Indus Valley civilization most likely believed in…

A

multiple deities that were connected to key parts of their daily lives, like the God of harvest and God of weather.

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12
Q

Why did the Indus Valley civilization fall into decline?

A

They suffered a mega-drought that changed the course of the Indus River and forced them to slowly move to the East (Ganges River Plain).

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13
Q

Who were the Aryans?

A

They were an Indo-European speaking people that lived in Persia/Iran.

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14
Q

When did the Aryans migrate into the Indus Valley Civilization?

A

Around 1600 BCE

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15
Q

Did the Aryans invade the Indus Valley?

A

No, they were immigrants that slowly intermingled
their culture with that of the existing Indus River Valley culture.

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16
Q

What did the Aryans believe in?

A

The Aryans were also polytheistic and shared many of the same types of Gods that other ancient Indo-European speakers had.

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17
Q

What did the Aryans bring to the Indus River civilization?

A

Some gods, a unique fire ritual, and their language (Sanskrit).

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18
Q

The arrival of the Aryans in the Indus Valley led to…

A

the Vedic Period (1500-600 BCE).

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19
Q

When was the Vedic Period?

A

1500-600 BCE

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20
Q

What was significant about the Vedic Period?

A

The “Vedas” were created during this time.

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21
Q

What were the Vedas?

A

A main religious text that was written in Sanskrit. Hindus believe the Vedas are the spoken words of the Gods.

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22
Q

What does Veda mean in Sanskrit?

A

knowledge or wisdom

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23
Q

The Vedas are what type of literature?

A

Shruti literature, meaning what is heard.

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24
Q

What are the four major Vedas?

A

1) Rig-Veda,
2) Sama-Veda,
3) Yajur-Veda, and
4) Atharva-Veda

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25
Q

What is the most sacred syllable in Hinduism?

A

OM or AUM, and it may be traced back to the Vedas.

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26
Q

What is the Swastika in Hinduism?

A

It means fortunate, and it denotes harmony, balance, and good fortune.

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27
Q

What was Rig-Veda?

A

The oldest and most important Veda, which was fully complete by 1200 BCE.

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28
Q

The Vedas contain…

A

stories about the Gods and demonstrate ways to worship these Gods.

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29
Q

The deities within the Vedas are called…

A

Devas.

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30
Q

What is Brahmin?

A

Priests, the highest caste in Hinduism.

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31
Q

What is Brahman?

A

The concept of ultimate reality for Hinduism, from the Upanishads.

32
Q

What is Brahma?

A

The Hindu god of creation, aka the grandfather or creator of the universe.

33
Q

What is the difference between Brahmin, Brahman, and Brahma?

A

Brahmins were the priests or the highest caste in Hinduism. (think I = high)

Brahman is the concept of ultimate reality.

Brahma is the Hindu god of creation (think ma = God).

34
Q

What were the Upanishads?

A

philosophical texts that mainly comment upon and
attempt to explain the Vedas.

35
Q

When were the Upanishads written?

A

from 800-200 BCE.

36
Q

Buddhism and Jainism are…

A

responses to the Vedas, but they rejected them in many ways.

37
Q

Hindus believe that the Upanishads are…

A

the completion of the Vedas.

38
Q

What do Hindus call the Upanishads?

A

Vedanta texts (literally, the end of the Vedas).

39
Q

What did the Upanishads introduce?

A

Brand new concepts that are considered today the core of Hindu belief. Including Brahman (ultimate reality) and Atman (soul or true self). They also introduced brand-new Deities and moved some minor Deities into major roles.

40
Q

What is Classical Hinduism?

A

The new concepts and Gods from the Upanishads.

41
Q

What is Ancient Hinduism?

A

The Vedic view of Hinduism, before the Upanishads.

42
Q

The Hinduism we recognize today really did not come into full existence until about…

A

200 BCE

43
Q

How many Upanishads are there?

A

There are more than 200 Upanishads but only about 10 core ones from the ancient period.

44
Q

The Hindu caste system was put into practice…

A

during the period of the Upanishads (800 to 200 BCE).

45
Q

When was the Mauryan Period?

A

300 BCE to 300 CE

46
Q

What was significant about the Mauryan Period?

A

Major deities of Classical Hinduism were accepted and key epic poems were written. Yogi was also developed during this time.

47
Q

What are the major deities of Classical Hinduism?

A

Brahma, Vishnu, Shiva, and the Goddess

48
Q

Do modern Hindus read the Vedas or the Upanishads?

A

Very few do, and that is left for the Brahmins (priests). Regular followers use the epic poems for inspiration and guidance.

49
Q

The two major epics of Classical Hinduism are…

A

▪ The Mahabharata
▪ The Ramayana

50
Q

What is the Mahabharata?

A

One of the major epic poems of Classical Hinduism. It is very long (200k verses) and narrates the struggle between two groups of cousins during a major war.

The key part of this is Bhagavad Gita.

51
Q

What is the Bhagavad Gita?

A

One key part of the Mahabharata. Most Hindus own the Bhagavad Gita. It is a dialogue between a prince and Krishna (an incarnation of Vishnu). It offers metaphorical advice about how to achieve the ultimate goal of Hinduism (Moksha).

52
Q

What is Moksha?

A

The ultimate goal of Hinduism.

53
Q

What is the Ramayana?

A

One of the major epic poems of Classical Hinduism, about the prince Rama. The Ramayana is about 24,000 verses long. Once each year nearly 1 billion people watch a re-enactment of key scenes from the Ramayana on TV in India.

54
Q

When was the Yogi practice formed?

A

During the Mauryan Period (300 BCE to 300 CE).

55
Q

Who were Yogis?

A

Wandering teachers who practiced a form of intense meditation. Modern yoga has its roots in the practice of these ancient yogis.

Started in Mauryan Period.

56
Q

At the beginning of the Mauryan Period, Hindu culture was fully located in…

A

the Ganges River plain.

57
Q

Where did Hinduism expand to during the Mauryan Period?

A

out of India and into South East Asia (like
modern Myanmar and Indonesia).

58
Q

During the Mauryan Period, was Hinduism the majority religion in India?

A

No, Buddhism was.

59
Q

When was the Gupta Period?

A

300 - 700 CE, after the Mauryan Period.

60
Q

What was significant about the Gupta Period?

A

It saw a flowering of Hindu scholarship.

▪ The emergence of the classical schools of Hindu philosophy.
▪ The emergence of classical Sanskrit literature in general on different topics.

Most importantly, this was when the Advaita Vedanta and Bhakti were created.

61
Q

When was the Advaita Vedanta created?

A

During the Gupta Period (300 - 700 CE).

62
Q

What was Advaita Vedanta?

A

the most influential and dominant school of philosophy, which was created during the Gupta Period. It was a non-dualistic or monistic approach (focus on one deity).

63
Q

Advaita Vedanta led to…

A

a new kind of theological view of Hinduism, called Bhakti.

64
Q

What was Bhakti?

A

A theological view of Hinduism that came from Advaita Vedanta. It was a loving devotion to one deity (so a move toward henotheism).

65
Q

Bhakti led to…

A

Buddhism declining in India, but a boost for Hinduism. It also led to the practice of dedicating temples to different deities coming into vogue.

66
Q

When did the Mughals invade India?

A

around 1325 and conquered most of its northern half, though they left the south alone.

67
Q

Were the Mughals tolerant of Hindus?

A

No, and that harsh rule led to many wars and riots.

68
Q

Who was Akbar?

A

a tolerant Muslim ruler with eclectic philosophy

69
Q

Who replaced the Mughals?

A

The British East Company

70
Q

When did the British East Company take over India?

A

Starting in the 1700s. By 1800, the British East Company controlled most of India.

71
Q

What happened to the British East Company after they took over most of India?

A

Britain abolished the company and took direct of India in the early 1800’s.

72
Q

What impact did Britain have on India?

A

They built up infrastructure and created a local government system, with towns having mayors
and sheriffs. Many small towns still have local officials in charge who speak English. India has the second most English speakers behind the USA.

73
Q

When did British rule of India end?

A

After WWII ended (1945), which ended colonialism all over the world.

74
Q

Why did British colonialism end in India?

A

the beginning of end for British Colonialism came with the non-violent protest movement led by Mahatma Gandhi (1869-1948).

75
Q

When did India gain independence again?

A

After several hunger strikes and mass non-violent protest movements, India gained its independence in 1947.

76
Q

In recent years, India’s democracy has been…

A

under threat, as it is under a very conservative political party. This political party promotes strong Hindu Nationalism.

World Religions Part II (7 decks)

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