Test Flashcards
the Vedic god of fire; god of religious sacrifices and divine knowledge
agni
prosperity and wealth; one of the guiding ideals of hinduism
artha
indo-eurpoean steppe peoples who conquered india
aryans
a means of seeking divine truth via self-mutiliation or deprivation; yoga helps train the body to seek religious truce in this practice
ascetism
its final destination is to be absorbed into the “world soul”; the part of people that is eternal
atman
the creator manifestation; the “cosmic architect”
brahma
the highest cast; priests and teachers were in this caste
brahmins
they were once called the “untouchables”
dalit/pariahs
each caste had its certain job; their____ was to do this job well; sacred duty
dharma
Shiva’s son; had an elephant’s head on a human body; god of wealth
ganesh
monkey-hero in the ramayana
hanuman
the Vedic god of war; rides an elephant mount; god of thunder
indra
pleasure, emotional fulfillment, desire; one of the guiding ideals of hinduism
kama
my destiny; the result of my actions
karma
kings had to be in this caste; the warrior caste
kshatriya
epic poem about a war for the throne between cousins and their families; poem that discusses duty, religion, society, and politics
Mahabharata
great prince; Sanskrit word for kings
maharaja
release from the cycle of rebirth
moksha
the four guiding ideals of hinduism
purusartha
cosmic man who was sacrificed to create the world and caste system
purusha
Sanskrit word for prince
raja
the hero of the Ramayana; went off to capture the golden deer
rama
epic poem about a hero rescuing his wife; epic poem about adventure, religion, mythology and duty (dharma)
ramayana
the evil demon-king who kidnaps sita
ravana
the cycle of reincarnation
samsara
written language of ancient india
sanskrit
custom of a widow throwing herself into husband’s funeral pyre
sati
the destroyer manifestation
shiva
the wife of Rama in the ramayana
sita
most people in ancient india were this caste; caste that included peasants, farmers laborers
sudras
the three forms of reality personified by brahma, vishnu and shiva
trimurti
caste that included merchants and artisans; lowest caste occupied by aryans and their descendants
vaisya
literally means “color”; the word for the concept of castes
varna
the Vedic god of water; god of justice and law
varuna
religious instructions that included hymns and craters; men were expected to learn funeral rites from these texts
vedas
the preserver/protector manifestation
vishnu
ultimate reality; the macrocosmic force operating in the universe
brahman
pre-hinduism Vedic religion
brahmanism
indigenous peoples of india conquered by the aryans; became the. sutras and Dalit
dhravidians
divisions of labor within the caste system; guild-like organizations of workers and their families that offered social stability
jati
3102 BCE
civilization appears in india, china
1500 BCE
aryans became established in india