organized government was needed to plan and lay out the cities. The government was probably headedby a tr
Most of what is known about the Aryans comes from the Vedas.The Vedasare a collection of books containing prayers, songs, and other writings of the Agrans. The Aryans brought with them their own language, religious beliefs, and social system. They spoke an Indo-European language known as Sanskrit. English, German, Persian, Spanish, and French are some of the languages that are based on the Indo- European language.
Like other ancient people, the Aryans were po\rtheistic. Their chief deigr was Indra, the god of war. Other deities represented the natural world such as the sky, air, and water. Priests called brahmans offered sacrifices to the deities. Over time, the people began to worship a single force <- 2000-1500B.c. or power in the world known as Brahman. I500-l000 e.c. + 1000-500B.c. The Aq,'ans developed a social system that has had a lasting impact on Indian culture.
-?41 crrapter+ They divided the population into four major categories, or castes. These four t% 8c.-a.o. casteswere further divided into soo thousands of subcastes.The castes determined a person's occupation and social class. Those not included in the caste system were called Untouchables.
Over time, A5ran culture and its caste system etpanded across much of the Indian subcontinent. Aryan kingdoms grew up in several areas, especially on the vast plain around the Ganges River. These became important centers of farming and trade.
. prrests oversaw religious ceremonies . highest caste and smallest in number
. commoners, or ordinary people . mostV farmers or merchants
earned a living by doing farm work and other manual labor
outside the caste system did jobs no one else *ould do, about 5 percent ofthe people such as garbage collecting lived separate from others
Putting It All Together Imagineyou are a memberof the Sudracaste or an Untouchable. The only reasonyou are not a memberof a higher casteis that you are not an Aryan.The Aryans conquered your people. How would you feel (a) aboutyour life and (b) aboutthe Aryans? Discussthe questionswith a partner.Write a bulletedlist of notes as you taik" Use your notes to write a paragraphthat answers the questions.
The Indian Subcontinent145 LF.SSON2 The B*ginning
IndianF of Hinduism
Thinking on Your Own captions'and skim the lesson by reading the subheadings, you have about this vocabulary words' Write five questionsthat partner' As you read' answer lesson.Share your questionswith a ali of the questions. H;lxi:;::':"u' religions that began on the { How did Hinduism develop? Indian subcontinent' The What are the basic beliefs other religion is Buddhism' of Hinduism? Hinduism develoPed from a blending of ASran religious beliefs with those of other Hinduism karma people who lived on the atman dharma subcontinent. Unlike reincarnation mobilitY Judaism or Buddhism, no one person founded Hinduism. The teachings, developed over hymns, t,td of Hinduism prayers, """*onies in four long Vedasand centuries. In time, they were collected' three other works.
The Ganges River ls sacred to people of the Hindu faith.
46| crrapter+ Basic Beliefs of Hinduism Hinduism is a very complex religion with many deities and different rituals and ,% &c-a.o. practices. However, Hindus share soo certain beliefs. 'l Brahmanis the supreme I and eternal spirit, or fbrce, of the universe.
Becausethis is a difficult idea to understand, Hinduism has a large number of lesserdeities. People find it easierto worship deities that are shown as humans or animals. Hindus believe that these deities are all forms of Brahman.
goal of every soul is to 2The become part of Brahman.
The Hindu word for soul is atman. The eoal of everv atman is to unite with Brahman after death. Before it can achieve this, the soul must free itself from earthly desire, such as wanting to be wealthy or popular. It may take many lives to complete this journey. This cycle of birth and death is called reincarnation.
? Karma determinesa soul's next'life.
Karma is the sum of a person's actions in life. These actions determine whether a soul is reborn into a higher or lower life or whether it has to be reborn at all. The answer depends on how close the soul comes to freeing itself from earthly desire. For example, a commoner who has worked hard at being good could be born into the warrior caste.
The Indian Subcontinefi W- o to
I
z.fB .TA-Karmais determined by following dharma' Dharma refers both to divine law and to a person's and obedience toward d.ivine law. Dharma sets up certain m.rral on one's religious duties for every Person' These duties depend caste,job, gender, and age. A person is supposed to behave according to his or her dharma. How well a Person The Hindu TrinitY performs these duties helPs in his or her journey toward and Shiva make up the Hindu Brahma, \4shnu, union with Brahman. If a timurti. These are not separate gods' trinity, or person behaves according to of the same god' but three faces onet dharma, then he or she Brahma: the creatoc who breathes out the will move toward union with universe to make it come into existence' Brahman. Disobey one's dharma and move backward Vishnu: the preserver or caretaker of the on the cycle of reincarnation. universe, who must balance eveS"thing that exists, and whose constant action-karma- Hinduism has social as keeps ever;rthing running. well as religious importance. Hinduism links Shiva: the destroyer:god of opposites-light union with Brahman to and darkness, good and evil, creation and r .... 'lt behavior on Earth. For destruction, rest and achvrty' mlld a.nd centuries, this link terrible, male and female. encouraged peoPle to staY within their castes, behave better, and work hard. Social mobility is the ability to move from social classto social class and better one's life. Hinduism made this difficult, if not impossible' It supported keeping things the way they were. The ruling caste and the wealthy did not have to worry about being pushed out by people working their way up. The promise of reincarnation gave hope to the poor. Their lives could be better the next time'
Putting It All Together ThelastparagraphSaysthatHinduism..Supportedkeeping things the way they were."what two basic belieJsof Hinduism weremostimportantinsupportingtheCastesystem?Talkthis question over with a partner.Write your answerin a $entence in yaur notebook.
--T8l chapter 4 LESSON The B*Sinning of Buddhism
Thinking on Your Own Lookthrough the lessonfor vocabuiarywords in bold type.ln your notebook,write the words you do not know Readthe definitionsin the text and in the GlossaryWrite a sentencefor each word. Be sure you use the word in contextand spell it correctly.
nlike Hinduism, Buddhism was founded by a person. It began in the What was Siddhartha 500s B.c. by Siddhartha searching for? Gautama. Much of what we What are the four basic know about him comes from principles of Buddhism? tradition, or stories passed Why is Asoka one of India's greatest rulers? from one generation to the Why is the Gupta period in next. According to tradition, Indian history important? Siddhartha was born around 563 s.c. His father was the rajah, or ruler, of a small Buddhism nirvana kingdom in what is today tradition dynasty Nepal. rajah missionaries Siddhartha lived the life of meditation a prince until he was about twen{y-nine years old. One day while out riding, he came upon a sick person, then an old person, and finally a dead body. He wanted to know why people like this suffered and died. Siddharta gave up his life as a prince to search for the answer to his question.
The Indian Subcontinent F9- s
He sPent slx Years wandering India' At journey he took up meditation' some point in his thinking about spiritual Meditation is intense sitting under a tree and things. One day while to.his question' meditating, he was enlightened In time' his followers He learned the answer' the "Enlightened called him Buddha' meaning One."
Buddha takes many forms around the worid.
Tl3th: The Four Nobte having the suffering' A must know 1 Life is filled with (1) right belief: Person I Truths' pain, and sorrow' the Four Noble must (2) right intention: A Person ') is caused bY our Suffering to living bY the Four desrres' "o-^it Noble Truths' must waY to end suffering (3) right sPeech:A Person ?, The onlY ' ' e' the truth and must is to conquer desire' ttlt.Y. sPeak language' not gossiP or use bad desire is The waY to conquer A person must.not =4 (4) right behavior: the l\tddle Path' that is ,o follow t itt, steal, or do anY'thing not moral and right' not must quit a job that is occupation: A person (5) right the find one that will help good for him ot h"'^tttd according to Buddhism' !"..o.t live L1- + ;{ 50| ChaPter i1'-- (6) right effort: A person must develop good attitudes and behaviors and keep bad ones from developing' (Z) right mindfulness: A person must be constantly aware of the sensesin order to control the body. (B) right concentration: A person may receive enlightenment by meditating'
Buddha accepted the Hindu ideas of karma and dharma. However, he rejected the many deities of Hinduism. Like Hindus, Buddha believed in reincarnation. The goal of Buddhists is to reach union with the Use a Venn diagram universe. However, Buddha did not accept to compareand the caste system. He taught that a Person contrastHinduism could achieve nirvana without having to and Buddhism.Work move upward through the caste system in with a partner to each new life. Nirvana was Buddha's name makesure that You the cycle of reincarnation. includeall the for release from informationfrom Over time, Buddhism spread throughout Lessons2 and 5. Asia as far as Korea and Japan. Hinduism remained an Indian religion.
Buddhism and the MaurYa EmPire A maior reason that Buddhism spread so far was Asoka. He was the grandson of Chandragupta Maury a.In 324 u'c', Chandragupta founded the first d;,'nasty-or ruling family-to unite much of the Indian subcontinent' He began his conquest in the Ganges Valley.
Asoka continued his grandfather's struggle against the other rulers of India. However, after one very bloody battle, Asoka gave up fighting. He converted to Buddhism and committed himself to living by the to rule Bay of Four Noble Tiuths. He used these principles Bengal ; his empire. Among other actions, he improved .% medical care by setting up hospitals. To aid travelers, he built roads and rest housesalong the roads' "\f"A. s 0 500 miles He had his laws carved on stone pillars so everyone followed Buddhist could seethem. His laws Maurya Empire, about 250 e.c
teachings. Asoka also sent missionaries throughout Gupta Empire, about A.D.400
The Indian Subcontinent151 o to s and to other to e India Places /..o ,9 preach Buddhist teachings' Missionaries go out to preach to and convert PeoPIe to their religion.
Missionaries often went along on trading exPeditions. The Maurya EmPire was part of a large trade network that reached from the Pacific Ocean to Southwest Asia and the Mediterranean. The Asoka is Empire grew wealthy under Asoka and later rulers' considered one of India's greatest rulers'
The Golden Age of the Gupta The Maurya Empire lasted only 50 years 324e.c. MauryaEmPire founded after Asoka died. The period between 186 e.c. and R.o. 520 was marked bY n.o..320 DYnastYfounded invasions and warfare' Nomads from Gupta Central Asia overran Parts of the subcontinent. Rival Indian kingdoms the fought for power. In the year 320, a new Indian dynasry end Gupta, rose to power in northern India' It lasteduntil the of the 400s.
unlike the Maurya, the Gupta were Hindus, not Buddhists' trade Like Asoka, the Gupta rulers encouraged trade' Their well as network spread to include china and Southeast Asia as "Golden Age of the Mediterranean. Their rule is known as the the Gupta.,,The name honors the important contributions made during this time. The Arabic number system was
5A chapter4 developed.'When Arab scholars adopted the system in the A.D. 800s, its use spread to Europe. Discoveries in one world region often spread to other places.
. smallpo* vaccination . idea of zero (0) . medical advances such as surgery . decimal system and setting ofbroken bones . mapped the stars and planets . Stupa, a large dome-shaped shrine . discovered that Earth was a sphere, . Arabic number system rotated on its axis, revolved around Ine sun
Putting It All Together To revievrthis lesson,write flve qirestionsaird dn$wersusing important infarmation from ihis i*sson. fiead an answer to your partner.FIe or she iras to give yc-ruthe question.l'arke tur'ns giving answersand cuestions.
.-:l /E !u iE From the Arthashastra ffi it TheArthashastrawas written during the rule of Chandraguptawho founded ffi theMaurya dynasty around 300 e.c.The Arthashastrais considered a major d.j :iE workof political policy.The following explainsthe duties of a ruler. A g H 66[Themler] should facilitate mining opemtions.He ghould encotuage ma,nrfacturers.He should help eqiloitation of forest wealth. . . . IIe Which of the duties listed relate constmct highways both on land to businesses? ,andon water. IIe should plan rnarkets. Which of the duties listed relate F-r.i if should build dikes for water to makingpeople's lives better? nrler should maintain adolescents, Are any of the duties similarto aged, the digeased,and the o4rhans. things that governmentdoes in ghouldalso provide livelihood to the United States?If ves.Iist them. womell . . . and protection for llom to them should protect cultivation from heavy taxes, slave labor and penalties, herds of cattle from cattle lifters, wild animals, . . diseases.. . . should not only conserve existing forests, lruildings, ard mines, algodevelop new olles.tt ChapterSunrmary
. The Indian subcontinent is part of the continent of Asia. Its northern plains are home to the Indus and Ganges River Valleys. The Deccan Plateau is in the south'
O Monsoons greatly affect the climate of the subcontinent' o The earliest civilization was in the Indus River Valley' Two important sites were Harappa and Mohenjo-Daro' Ar;rans from Central Asia invaded the subcontinent around 1500 e.c. They brought with them the Sanskrit language, their belief in Brahma, and the caste system' Their priests were called Brahmans. Hinduism and Buddhism are two world religions that began on the Indian subcontinent. Hindus believe that the goal for the atman, or soul, is union with Brahman. Karma and dharma guide Hindus on this journey toward reincarnation' Hinduism reinforced the caste system and limited social mobiliqz. Much of what we know about Siddhartha Gautama, the Buddha, comes from tradition. He was the son of a rajah and gave up his life as a prince to find the answer for human suffering. He found his answer through rneditation. The basic principles of Buddhism are found in the Four Noble Truths and the Eightfold Path. Buddhists believe in reincarnation and union with the universe in nirvana. o Asoka of the Maurya dJ,'nastJrconverted to Buddhism' He sent missionaries to preach and convert people'
Chapter Review L Choosefive people,ideas, or eventsfrom this chapter'Write a two-lineheadline for eachone. 2 Add the geographicfeatures of the Indian subcontinentto the world map that you began at the beginning of the chapter.Be sure to add to the map'skey.
',3 chapter 4