The Indo-Europeans Flashcards
Who were the Aryans
Light skinned, Indo-European warrior group who overthrew the Indus River valley civilization around 1500 B.C.
They were Nomadic herders
Made up of independent tribes
They overthrew their major enemy - people called the
Dasas (dark skin)
Tribes were ruled by a chief, called
“Rajah”. Constantly at war with each other!
Eventually settled down in the ________ _______ and became farmers
Ganges plain (Ganges river)
The name of their language was:
Sanskrit. This language formed the basis of many languages spoken by half of the current worlds population.
Preserved their history through “epics”
Long poems celebrating their heroes - past down through pral tradition (mouth)
Vedas -
4 books of knowledge - sacred literature of Hindi.
Oldest of the 4 Vedas is the
“Rig Veda” - considered to be the worlds oldest written religious text
What is the 2nd great book of Hindi religious writings?
Upanishads
4 main social classes, or ______ (based on occupation)
“Varnas”
- Brahmans = priests
- Kshatriyas = warriors
- Vaisays = merchants, artisans, and farmers
- Sudras = Unskilled laborers/peasants
All determined by job, occupation
Outside the system was a group called the Dalits or Pariahs, aka
“Untouchables.” Equivalent to slaves. Did jobs considered to be unclean
All of this was known as the _____ system
Caste. (Any social class based on such distinctions as hereditary, rank, wealth, profession, etc)
2 epic poems that dealt with the concepts of good and evil
- Mahabharata - a story of human heroes and gods, goddesses, and their interaction
- Ramayana - love story between husband and wife, and the struggle between good and evil
*Hindu religion came out of these poems
*No one author, collection of many writers
*Hinduism - has no founder, oldest of all major religions
Over 4000 years old, claim to worship one god, Brahman, with many faces
*Brahman has millions of faces/dieties (gods) with the powers of nature
*Aryans must appease their gods and win their favor
3 major faces of Brahman, “Universal Soul”
- Brahman, the creator
- Vishnu, the preserver
- Shiva/Siva, the destroyer
Important god in india today, god of intelligence:
Ganesha
*The purpose/goal of Hinduism is to unite our soul with the eternal universal soul of Brahman
*This cant be completed in one life!
Reincarnation:
Aka Samsara - cycle of rebirth of the soul - birth, death, rebirth, etc
Karma -
How a person lives their life, determines what form the person will take in the next life
Dharma -
A person’s duties/roles in life
The cycle of rebirth continues until you reach ______
Moksha (oneness with Brahman/enlightenment)
Liberation from the cycle of rebirth - Samsara
How do you reach moksha? (3)
- Meditation
- Good Karma
- Yoga
Where do Hindus worship?
At home and in Mandir (temples)
-with the guidance of a Guru = spiritual teacher
3rd largest religion in the world!
