Hinduism Notes

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Hinduism Notes: What was the religion of Hinduism and how did it affect ancient India? Hinduism Basics: -Major religion of India -Believe that many people live many lives until they reach spiritual purity -3rd most popular religion in the world -750 million followers -Practiced by more than 80% of India’s population Symbol: -“Aum” -Sound heard in the deepest state of meditation -Stated to be the most suitable name for God How is it different from other religions we have learned about? -No founder, No single teacher or prophets -It grew out of and evolved from Aryan tradition of the Vedas Vedas: -One of the world’s oldest religious writings -Explains in detail the foundations of the Aryan religion, Hinduism Brahmanism: -Vedas came to form the major beliefs of Brahmanism -Braham was the Supreme god -900 BC Brahmanism developed into an early form of Hinduism Hindu Beliefs: -Hinduism was believed to have formed out of early beliefs of Brahmanism -Karma: the result or consequence of a person’s actions -Dharma: one’s moral duty within the caste system -Reincarnation: a belief that after a person dies, he or she will be reborn into a new life -Atman: both animals and people have atmans, or souls, that are reborn into other beings -Samsara: going through the cycle of repeated deaths and births -Moksha: spiritual purity; only those who reach moksha can escape the cycle of birth and rebirth Caste System: (Social System) -Brahmans: were priests and scholars -Kshatryas: were soldiers and warriors -Vaisyas: skilled labor jobs….merchants and professionals -Sudras: unskilled labor jobs….laborers and servants -Untouchables: not considered part of the caste system: did the work that was unclean -One could not move up and down the social pyramid Vegetarians: -Widespread practice in Hinduism -Believe in nonviolence towards animals and people -To many Hindus, religion is a matter of practice rather than of beliefs!!! Hindu Place of Worship: -Shrine: can be a room, a small altar, a simple picture, or a statue -Murti: a sacred statue of a god or goddess -Hindus make offerings to the murti in the shrine -Mandir: a Hindu building for communal worship: a Hindu Temple Gods: -Polytheistic-believe in many gods -Most important Gods: Brama= the creator Shiva= the Destroyer; god of death and time; becomes the lord of dance Vishnu (Narayana) = the Preserver of the Universe Hindu Festival -“Divali” / “Diwali” -Hindu Festival of Lights -Symbolizes victory of good over evil -Mid-October to Mid- December 12/14 .

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A Study of the Early Vedic Age in Ancient India
Journal of Arts and Culture ISSN: 0976-9862 & E-ISSN: 0976-9870, Volume 3, Issue 3, 2012, pp.-129-132. Available online at http://www.bioinfo.in/contents.php?id=53. A STUDY OF THE EARLY VEDIC AGE IN ANCIENT INDIA FASALE M.K.* Department of Histroy, Abasaheb Kakade Arts College, Bodhegaon, Shevgaon- 414 502, MS, India *Corresponding Author: Email- [email protected] Received: December 04, 2012; Accepted: December 20, 2012 Abstract- The Vedic period (or Vedic age) was a period in history during which the Vedas, the oldest scriptures of Hinduism, were composed. The time span of the period is uncertain. Philological and linguistic evidence indicates that the Rigveda, the oldest of the Vedas, was com- posed roughly between 1700 and 1100 BCE, also referred to as the early Vedic period. The end of the period is commonly estimated to have occurred about 500 BCE, and 150 BCE has been suggested as a terminus ante quem for all Vedic Sanskrit literature. Transmission of texts in the Vedic period was by oral tradition alone, and a literary tradition set in only in post-Vedic times. Despite the difficulties in dating the period, the Vedas can safely be assumed to be several thousands of years old. The associated culture, sometimes referred to as Vedic civilization, was probably centred early on in the northern and northwestern parts of the Indian subcontinent, but has now spread and constitutes the basis of contemporary Indian culture. After the end of the Vedic period, the Mahajanapadas period in turn gave way to the Maurya Empire (from ca.
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