Everlasting Religion Textbook pg 68 Historical Background 4500 BCE Introduction of irrigation techniques in Indus Valley region 2500 BCE Earliest known woven cotton cloth used 1500 BCE IndoAryan nomadic invaders arrive and settle northwestern India ID: 815930
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Slide1
Hinduism or Santana Dharma(Everlasting Religion)
Textbook pg. 68
Slide2Historical Background4500 BCE – Introduction of irrigation techniques in Indus Valley region2500 BCE – Earliest known woven cotton cloth used1500 BCE – Indo-Aryan nomadic invaders arrive and settle northwestern India.
1400 BCE – Composition of the Sanskrit hymns of the Rig-Veda begins
1030 BCE – Aryans in India expand down the Ganges Valley, and establish small regional states throughout India
Slide3Historical cont.600 BCE – Emergence of what we know as Hinduism500 BCE – Religions law codes are composed 326 BCE – Alexander the Great crosses the Indus River into India; farthest advance of his empire.262 BCE –
Ashoka
converts to Buddhism; renounces violence; Buddhism becomes state religion.
Slide4How do we know what we know?Religious class of India very literateAs a result they documented their beliefs in rituals in great detail.The oldest sacred Sanskrit (no longer a spoken language) writings are the
Vedas
.
The Vedas are considered to be the oldest sacred writing of any major existing religion being composed as early as 1400 BCE.
There are four Vedas (Rig-Veda,
Sama-Vada
,
Yajur
-Veda, and
Atharva
-Veda) with the Rig-Veda being the most famous.
The word
Veda
literally means “knowledge
.”
Oddly though there is no equivalent word for “myth” in Sanskrit.
Slide5Rig-VedaThe Rig-Veda contains more than 1,000 hymns totaling more than 10,000 verses (there are only 150 Psalms)Within the hymns the Rig-Veda dictate the caste system, social life, proper worship, and righteous living.Priesthood class (Brahmins) were a hereditary class that occupied the highest place in society.
At the core of the Rig-Veda is the notion that
Brahman
, the divine universal power that lives in all creation, including the human soul, is eternal.
Slide6Polytheistic or Monotheistic?There is a common misconception that Hinduism is a polytheistic religion.However, they actually believe in only one god, Brahma
.
Brahma
has infinite manifestations around within the world and within the soul and as such it is impossible to visualize his infiniteness.
To help comprehend this, Hinduism presents use with
Brahma’s
many forms which are often confused as other gods themselves.
However, primate
Veidic
(regional religions) did have a more polytheistic view which accounts for the creation story not mentioning
Brahma
by name.
Slide7Creation StoryBefore there was anything there were the primeval waters.These
seas were vast and deep and dark; all that
existed was
Non Being
.
Over time, these waters produced a single golden egg, which floated over the waters for nine months
.
After nine months, the egg burst open, and there was
Prajapati
standing in its shell
.
Prajapati
was neither male
nor female, but an all-powerful combination of both. He rested there on the golden shell for almost a year without speaking or moving.
Slide8Creation Cont.The first word he spoke - the Word - became the earth.The next Word he uttered became the sky, which he divided into seasons
.
Prajapati
could see forever; from the beginning of all life and even to his own death, which would be 1,000
years later.
Prajapati
was lonely and he desired a mate in this vast emptiness
.
He divided himself into two beings, a husband and a wife, and together they created the first gods, the elements
and mankind.
By these acts of creation, time was created;
Prajapati
became the embodiment of time itself.
Slide9Creation Cont.The first to be born was Agni, the God of Fire.Once there was fire, there was also light, which Prajapati
separated into
day and night
.
Other gods were born, including the evil
creatures called the
Ashuras
and
beautiful
Dawn.
Prajapati
was sure to separate good from evil, and hid his evil offspring deep into the earth.Prajapati desired his lovely daughter
Dawn
, and as she was on earth in the form of a doe, he came to
her disguised
as a stag.
Slide10Another case of IncestDawn tried to flee but Prajapati was too fast and powerful.
Prajapati
spills his seed upon the earth as well as impregnating
Dawn
, this spilt seed resulted in the creation of mankind.
Dawn
later gave birth to all the cattle of the world
.
In anger
the other gods
created the monstrous
Rudra, who hunted Prajapati down all over the earth.
When
he found him,
he shot
him with an arrow and flung him into the dark sky
.
Thus
Prajapati
became the ‘Deer’s Head’ (Capricorn) constellation in the night sky
.
Dawn
returned to the sky
but never
got too close to the night.
Slide11KarmaHinduism believes in the transmigration of the soul, this results in reincarnation.All life is part of a cycle of births and rebirths.The cycle has no beginning and no end.Good actions cause good effects, bad actions cause negative effects (moving forward or backwards in the cycle).
Once achieving the highest level a soul enters
Nirvana
becoming one with
Brahma
and the universe.
Slide12Trimurti
Slide13BrahmanAbsolute and abstract form of god.The Soul of the Universe.The essence of life.The Divine force that sustains the cosmos.Manifested in a trinity of gods,
Trimurti
:
Bramha
, Vishnu,
and
Shiva.
Slide14Brahma; the Creator
One of the three manifestations of
Brahman
Regarded as the first god.
Born with five faces but one is destroyed, so he may gaze upon the beauty of the earth.
Brahma
supposedly creates the world through mediation and creates all life upon the earth.
Slide15Vishnu; the PreserverCreates, preserves and destroys the world over and over in a pattern of yugas, which are ages of time.Believed to have avatars, or physical incarnations, although only ten are considered of principal importance.
Slide16Avatars of Vishnu1.) Matsya
– Fish avatar warns the people of the flooding of the world.
2.)
Kurma
– Tortoise avatar who supports a sacred mountain on his back during a battle with demons.
3.)
Varaha
– Boar avatar who uses his tusks to lift the earth.
4.)
Narasimha
– Half-man-half-lion avatar; kills the invulnerable demon who brings terror to the world.
5.)
Vamana
– Dwarf-priest avatar; wins earth back from a demon in a game of chance.
6.)
Parashurama
– Brave human of the priest class who carried a great battle-axe to punish all those in the warrior caste that have become arrogant.
7.)
Rama
– A king usually depicted carrying a bow and arrow.
8.)
Krishna
– Central character in
Mahabharata
, an epic poem of India
9.)
Buddha
– Only avatar connected to an actual historical person. Thought this was added to bring worshipers back to Hinduism from Buddhism.
10.)
Kalki
–
Avatar who will end the current age of evil.
Slide17Slide18Shiva; the DestroyerAll-knowing punisher of the wicked.Four-armed god of great power.Periodically destroys the world so it can be recreated.Posses a “third eye” from which comes the fire that will destroy creation.
Haunts graveyards and lives with demons.
Associated with
the cobra.
Slide19Other Gods and Goddesses
Slide20DeviGreat Mother goddessCreative force, but also demands sacrificeThought to be representation of the Earth.
Slide21GaneshGod of wisdom, literature, and good fortune.Invoked at the beginning of every Hindu ritual.Lord of all existing beings.
Slide22GangaRepresentation of the Ganges river.Goddess of purification
Slide23KaliKnown as “the black one”Most horrific of all godsGoddess of destruction.Portrayed with a necklace of skulls and a belt of severed arms or snakes.
Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom
.
Slide24LakshmiWife of VishnuGoddess of good fortune and bestower of wealthGoddess of perfect beauty, born fully formed from the froth of the ocean.
Symbolized by the lotus flower.
Slide25Surya
God of the sun
Portrayed as a dark red man with three eyes and four arms.
Rides his chariot of fire across the sky.
Slide26YumaGod of the dead.Judge of the underworld.Represents judgment, bringing happiness to the virtuous and righteous but bestowing suffering on sinners.
Slide27Heroes and Epics
Slide28EpicsThere are two major epics that permeate Indian literature.The first Mahabharata, is about four times the length of the Bible.
Related the epic feud of between two related families
Basic premise and idea of
Mahabharata
is the idea that people can achieve freedom “by following their prescribed duty without attachment to the results of their actions.”
The second epic is the
Ramayana
, which is only a quarter of the length of
Mahabharata.
Ramayana
focuses on
Rama
, the Indian Epic Hero, who must overcome family with the aid of his monkey troops to regain the throne of India.