Chapter 3: Hinduism - PowerPoint Presentation

Slide1

Chapter 3: HinduismSlide2

Introduction to Asia

East

This course is organized East/West

Those in the East

The East/West division is a product of the West

East is diverse

Labelling them all the same is misleadingSlide3

Map of Eurasia in the 2nd century CE(=AD)Slide4

Where is the centre of the world?

Chinese called themselves “The Middle Kingdom”

(the centre part of the world)

India likewise

“Mediterranean” means “middle of the earth”

The Silk Route

Marco Polo did not

discover

ChinaSlide5

“The Silk Route”Slide6

Religions of India

Though Hinduism is the oldest religion in India and still the religion of the largest proportion of the population (about 82%), not all Indians are Hindu.

Over the course of Indian civilization, other religions such as Buddhism, Jainism, and Sikhism sprang up in India.

After the

diaspora

, some Jews came to live in India. And after the eighth century, many Indians converted to Islam as that religion moved eastward across Asia.

Later, some Indians converted to Christianity when they were exposed to it through European and American colonialism and missionary efforts.Slide7

Diversity in India

Religious Diversity

Judaism

Christianity

Catholic

Protestant

Buddhism

Islam

A large minority

Hindu

Tribal Religions

Linguistic Diversity

22 languages are recognized by the Indian Constitution

Hundreds of languages are spoken

We can’t say “all Indians” do / think X.Slide8

Religion in Ancient India

Hinduism is one of the oldest religions in the world.

Like other ancient religious traditions, Hinduism is a composite of beliefs.

Over time, these many traditions came together to develop into a recognizable religious tradition.

Self-given label: “

Sanatana

Dharma” =Eternal

Sacred DutySlide9

Sanatana Dharma

It is still customary to refer to the ancient religion of India as Hinduism, at least after around 500 BCE when it began to take on many of its more modern forms.

Sometimes Hindus refer to their own tradition as “

Sanatana

Dharma,” or Eternal Sacred Duty.

The sense this phrase gives of an ordered cosmos and the rightful place of each person within it has been a strong theme in Hinduism.Slide10

Hinduism's Expansiveness

Amidst the religious variety on the Indian subcontinent, Hinduism has been seen, especially from the outside, as a kind of “default” religion.

Historically, unless Indians named themselves as members of some other religion, others regarded them as Hindu.

Indeed, “Hindu” was originally a Persian term meaning simply “those who live in the Indus River valley.” Like India itself, Hinduism has been a large house with many rooms. It has offered multiple ways to interact with the divine, and even multiple ways of describing and imaging the divine.Slide11

How Old Is Hinduism?

Texts

Vedas written 1500-900 BCE

oral for hundreds/thousands of years.

“Vedic religion” rather than as Hinduism.

Indian religion at this time unlike later HinduismSlide12

An Indian Definition of Hinduism

In 1966, the Indian Supreme Court listed seven features they believed characterized Hinduism (a list that was reaffirmed in 1995):

acceptance and reverence for the Vedas,

a spirit of tolerance,

belief in vast cosmic periods of creation and destruction,

belief in reincarnation,

recognition of multiple paths to salvation and truth,

polytheism, and

philosophical flexibility (no single dogma).Slide13

Implications of the 1966 definition

Of the seven items on the list of features of Hinduism adopted by the Indian Supreme Court, four of them reveal a central characteristic of Hinduism:

its willingness to incorporate a variety of religious paths and practices, as well as gods and goddesses, into a single religion.

Still, this definition refers to several very specific beliefs that characterize Hinduism.

reverence for the Vedas and a foundational belief that both individual life and the universe move in cycles of birth, death, and rebirth.Slide14

Religious Conflict in India

At many times in the history of India, Hinduism and other religions have coexisted remarkably peacefully.

At other times, there has been conflict between different religious groups.

between Hindus and Muslims, who at one time (before British colonialism) had political control of India.

in 1947, conflict between Hindus and Muslims regarding the status of the new state reached a peak.

To resolve the conflict, India was partitioned into two countries: India, and Pakistan

Many Indians were displaced when the state was partitioned.

India and Pakistan are still rivals.

still a substantial Muslim minority in India.

Compared to some other historical situations of religious discord, is relatively stable.

Still, conflicts occasionally break out among different religious groups.Slide15

World Distribution of Hinduism

The majority of Hindus today live in India.

In the first millennium CE, Hinduism spread throughout Southeast Asia.

Later, with the advent of Buddhism in this area, Hinduism mostly retreated back to India, which is still its stronghold.

In the modern era though, Hinduism has spread to every inhabited continent as Indian emigrants have taken their religion with them to their new homelands.Slide16

The Birth of Hinduism: Preview

The beginnings of Hinduism may be in the Indus Valley Civilization.

It is disputed whether Hinduism blended older Indian religious beliefs with the religion of the Aryans.

The caste system was an important aspect of Hinduism.

Early Hindus worshiped gods of sun and fire and storm.

The earliest Hindu scriptures are the Vedas.

Vedic scriptures show a transition from ritual to philosophy.Slide17

Timeline of Hinduism

Spans at least 3500 years from the beginnings of written scripture to now.

Origin reaches back even farther

The history of Hinduism is composed of five broad periods:

• Formative period: 2500-800 BCE

• Speculative period: 800-400 BCE

• Epic/Classical periods: 400 BCE-600 CE

• Medieval period: 600-1800 CE

• Modern period: 1800 CE-presentSlide18

Indus Civilization

Earliest known culture in India existed some 4500 years ago (2500 BCE).

Indus Valley had several major cities, including Harappa and

Mohenjo-daro

.

populations 40,000 people and quite advanced technologically.

plumbing systems were unequalled in Europe until millennia later.

had a written language, but it has yet to be deciphered.

practiced religion, but we have little evidence to know what it was like.

Some intriguing objects that may be early evidence for the Hindu religion.

reliefs of a man sitting in full lotus

phallic objects

(similar to later images of the Hindu god Shiva, but no proven connection

cities were abandoned before the earliest Hindu texts were written.Slide19

Indus Valley Civilization

The earliest civilization in India

Begins around 2500 BCE

A serious downturn around 1500 BCE

Largely disappeared by 800 BCESlide20

Indus Valley Civilization

Sophisticated city-builders

Sewers, grid systemSlide21

Indus Valley Civilization

Left:

NO books

Snippets of language on their art, but we can’t read it

Two schools of speculation:

The religion doesn’t disappear; it goes into hiding

The culture is dead after 800 BCE; what comes next?Slide22

Indus Valley Art and inscriptionsSlide23

A new group

Remember: There was an earlier civilization in ancient India

The “Indo-Aryans” or “People of the Vedas” (the preferable term)

Vedas: the texts these people produced

Aryans: what these people call themselves.

These newcomers did not build cities, but they did produce texts.

Somewhat war-like, nomadic

Move cattle around, displacing people

Religion: fire sacrificial cultSlide24

The Aryan Invasion Theory

Theory (1) Hinduism a mix of religion from India & Aryan invaders.

Vedas are in Sanskrit, an Indo-European language.

Assumption: languages spread by military conquest.

Aryan invasion would have been between 2000 and 1500 BCE.

Controversial: racial ideology

Theory (2) Hinduism is completely native to India.

popular view in India today.

also ideologically based.

Archaeological and linguistic data not conclusiveSlide25

Vedic Scriptures

The earliest Hindu scriptures are called the Vedas.

4 Early Vedas 1500 BCE - 900 BCE: written forms of oral tradition.

The four Vedas include the:

• Rig Veda,

• Yajur Veda (“ceremonial knowledge”),

• Sama Veda (“chant knowledge”), and

• Atharva Veda (“knowledge from Atharva,” a teacher).Slide26

Traditional Views of the Vedas

Śruti (shruti)=“that which is heard”

The tradition views them as eternal, uncreated, and free of error.

Because their original state is as sound, the tradition emphasises knowing the Vedas by heart, chanting the hymns with eloquence, and the performance of the hymns as part of Vedic rites.Slide27

Traditional Views of the Vedas

Treasure people who work with poetry well: narrate.

A teacher instructs a boy the correct accents for a Vedic chant

Beginning at 4 years old, to 14.

Only for priestly (and rich).

Only for top 3 classes of society.Slide28

Traditional Views of the Vedas

Mantra

=a sacred verbal formula, used in Vedic (and now Hindu) rites.

The tradition understands them to have power.

Not to

have

something, but to

do

something.

They have creative power if spoken aright.

Ṛṣi

(“Rishi”)

=a “seer” or a “sage”

Kavi

=a “poet”.

In the Vedic tradition, these were both religiously inspired.

By Agni? By Soma?

They could head the Vedas in their original form.Slide29

Early Vedic Religion & Ritual

earliest forms of Hinduism “Vedic”.

Formative Period (2500-800 BCE).

characterized by

fire sacrifices

.

Priests (men from the Brahmin caste) officiated at rituals.

Attention to detail:

placing fire pits

chanting proper hymns

Purpose: communicate with and influence the gods.

smoke strengthened and restored vital powers of universe.

optimistic, world-affirming religion.

Chaos could be reversed through the Vedic fire rituals.Slide30

Vedic Gods

vital, brilliant beings associated with sky, storm, and fire.

inhabited three-level cosmos

Earth

Atmosphere

where communication between people and gods took place

heaviest spiritual traffic.

SkySlide31

The Vedic Sacrifices and Rites

Sacrificial Fire cult: the main religious practice.

(some take 15 minutes; some take weeks)

Vedic ritual age:

Height from 1100-600 BCE

the age of “Karman” = the age of action

In the Vedas, Karman and Karma

only

mean “action” (as opposed to Buddhism)Slide32

The Vedic Sacrifices and Rites

Materialism

Give

things

to get

things

Afterlife is not a focus

The medium is the message.

Performative

language not known by performers

Death

for successful rite

human sacrifices?

not at time of commentaries.

Buddhism & Hinduism

oppose

violence

Materials in rites are temporary.

thatched roof, broken pottery.

Hinduism has permanent temples, statues, iconsSlide33

Hinduism

Explain at least two ways a typical Hindu might begin his/her religious day.

What are the Vedas? What role do they play in Hinduism today?

What is reincarnation?

What were Buddhism and Jainism reacting against within the Hindu faith?

What is the caste system?Slide34

Vedic Pantheon

Important gods of the Vedic pantheon:

•

Dyaus

Pitr

(shining father),

•

Aditi

(mother of the gods),

•

Indra

(god of storm and war),

• Agni (god of fire),

•

Rudra

(god of the winds),

• Surya (a sun god),

•

Varuna

(god of sky and justice),

• Vishnu (god of cosmic order), and

•

Ushas

(goddess of the dawn).

Dyaus

Pitr

related to Zeus and Jupiter (contact with Greece & Rome?).

Virtually all maleSlide35

Agni

Agni, the god of fire, had a special role to play in early Hinduism.

He acted as the primary intermediary between this world and the heavens, taking the smoke from the fire sacrifices up to the other gods.

On earth, Agni was the god of fire; in the atmosphere, he was lightning; in the sky, he was the sun.

His name, Agni, is related to the English word “ignite.”

(read

Hymn to Agni

)Slide36

RV 1.1: A Vedic Hymn to Agni

(tr. by Wendy

Doniger

O'Flaherty)

1. I pray to Agni, the household priest who is the god of the sacrifice, the one who chants and invokes and brings most treasure.

2. Agni earned the prayers of ancient sages, and of those of the present, too; he will bring the gods here.

3. Through Agni one may win wealth, and growth from day to day, glorious and most abounding in heroic sons.

4. Agni, the sacrificial ritual that you encompass on all sides - only that one goes to the gods.

5. Agni, the priest with the sharp sight of a poet, the true and most brilliant, the god will come with the gods.

6. Whatever good you wish to do for the one who worships you, Agni, through you, O

Angiras

, that comes true.

7. To you, Agni, who shine upon darkness, we come day after day, bringing our thoughts and homage

8. to you, the king over sacrifices, the shining guardian of the Order, growing in your own house.

9. Be easy for us to reach, like a father to his son. Abide with us, Agni, for our happiness. Slide37

Soma

A deity.

Another god of the Vedic pantheon was Soma, the god of altered states of consciousness, linked with the moon, the waters, and bliss.

2. A plant, from which juice is squeezed.

Soma was also the Sanskrit term for a stimulant or psychedelic drug consumed by other gods in the Vedic pantheon (especially

Indra

).

Possibly a hallucinogen – flying, a rush.Slide38

Soma

There are many theories today about what plant or plants were used to produce soma, but no one knows exactly what it was.

Traditions say “if you can’t find soma, substitute this …”

Most religions deal with mind-altering drugs.

Alcohol in Christianity (mass)

Tobacco in Native America

… or ban them.

(read poem about

Indra

)Slide39

The Killing of Vritra

(Rig Veda 1.32)

Does this poem give you the impression that the religion was more about:

Ideas or things?

Beliefs or behaviours?Slide40

The Killing of

Vritra

1 I WILL declare the manly deeds of

Indra

, the first that he achieved, the Thunder-wielder.

He slew the Dragon, then disclosed the waters, and cleft the channels of the mountain torrents.

2 He slew the Dragon lying on the mountain: his heavenly bolt of thunder

Tvaṣṭar

fashioned.

Like lowing

kine

in rapid flow descending the waters glided downward to the ocean.

3 Impetuous as a bull, he chose the Soma and in three sacred beakers drank the juices.

Maghavan

grasped the thunder for his weapon, and smote to death this firstborn of the dragons.

4 When,

Indra

, thou

hadst

slain the dragon's firstborn, and overcome the charms of the enchanters,

Then, giving life to Sun and Dawn and Heaven, thou

foundest

not one foe to stand against thee.

5

Indra

with his own great and deadly thunder smote into pieces

Vṛtra

, worst of

Vṛtras

.

As trunks of trees, what time the axe hath felled them, low on the earth so lies the prostrate Dragon.

6 He, like a mad weak warrior, challenged

Indra

, the great impetuous many-slaying Hero.

He, brooking not the clashing of the weapons, crushed—

Indra's

foe—the shattered forts in falling.

7 Footless and handless still he challenged

Indra

, who smote him with his bolt between the shoulders.

Emasculate yet claiming manly vigour, thus

Vṛtra

lay with scattered limbs dissevered.

8 There as he lies like a bank-bursting river, the waters taking courage flow above him.

The Dragon lies beneath the feet of torrents which

Vṛtra

with his greatness had encompassed.

9 Then humbled was the strength of

Vṛtra's

mother:

Indra

hath cast his deadly bolt against her.

The mother was above, the son was under and like a cow beside her calf lay Danu.

10 Rolled in the midst of never-ceasing currents flowing without a rest for ever onward.

The waters bear off

Vṛtra's

nameless body: the foe of

Indra

sank to during darkness.

11 Guarded by

Ahi

stood the thralls of

Dāsas

, the waters stayed like

kine held by the robber.But he, when he had smitten Vṛtra, opened the cave wherein the floods had been imprisoned.12 A horse's tail wast thou when he, O Indra, smote on thy bolt; thou, God without a second,Thou hast won back the kine, hast won the Soma; thou hast let loose to flow the Seven Rivers.13 Nothing availed him lightning, nothing thunder, hailstorm or mist which had spread around him:When Indra and the Dragon strove in battle, Maghavan gained the victory for ever.14 Whom sawest thou to avenge the Dragon, Indra, that fear possessed thy heart when thou hadst slain him;That, like a hawk affrighted through the regions, thou

crossedst

nine-and-ninety flowing rivers?

15

Indra

is King of all that moves and moves not, of creatures tame and horned, the Thunder-wielder.

Over all living men he rules as Sovran, containing all as spokes within the felly.Slide41

The Creation of the World

Rig Veda also contains an account of the creation of the world from the body of a

superperson

named

Purusha

.

The separation of

Purusha’s

body has been used to justify the existence of the caste system.Slide42

Purusha

Hymn

(Rig Veda 10.90)

What did the parts of his body become?

What are the four Sanskrit words for these four classes of people?

Does it present some group as “better” than others?Slide43

RV 10.90 Purusha

('primal man')   (tr. by Walter Maurer)

1

. Thousand-headed is

Purusha

, thousand-eyed, thousand-footed. He covered the earth on all sides and stood above it the space of ten fingers.

2.

Purusha

alone is all this, what has been and what is to be, and he is the lord of the immortals, who

gro

further by means of food.

3. Such is his greatness, and greater than this is

Purusha

- a quarter of him is all beings, three-quarters of him the immortals in heaven.

4. Three-quarters of

Purusha

went upward, but a quarter of him was here below. From that he spread out in all directions into what eats and does not eat.

5. From that

Vira:j

was born; from

Vira:j

,

Purusha

. When he was born, he extended beyond the earth, behind and also in front.

6. When with

Purusha

as oblation the gods offered a sacrifice, the spring was its clarified butter, the summer the fuel, the autumn the oblation.

7. A sacrifice on the sacred grass they sprinkled him,

Purusha

, who was born in the beginning. With him the gods sacrificed, the

Sa:dhyas

and the seers.

8. From that sacrifice, a total offering, was brought together the clotted butter: it made the beasts: those of the air, of the forest and of the village.

9. From that sacrifice, a total offering, the Hymns of Praise and the Chants were born; the metres were born from it; the Sacrificial Formula from it was born.

10. From it the horses were born and whatsoever have incisor teeth in both jaws. The cows were born from it. From it were born the goats and sheep.

11. When they portioned out

Purusha

, in how many ways did they distribute him? What is his mouth called, what his arms, what his thighs, what are his feet called?

12. His mouth was the

Bra:hmana

, his arms were made the

Ra:janya

(= Kshatriya), what were his thighs were made the

Vaishya

, from his feet the

Shu:dra

was born.

13. The moon from his mind was born; from his eye the sun was born; from his mouth both

Indra

and Agni; from his breath the wind was born.

14. From his navel was the atmosphere; from his head the heaven evolved; from his feet the earth; the directions from his ear. Thus they fashioned the worlds.

15. Seven were the altar sticks; thrice seven burning logs were made, when the gods, offering the sacrifice, tied

Purusha

as their victim.

16. The gods sacrificed with the sacrifice to the sacrifice. These were the first rites. These powers reached the firmament, where the ancient

Sa:dhyas

are and also the gods. Slide44

Recap: The Birth of Hinduism

• The Indus Civilization may have contributed some elements to later Hindu religion.

• Some have theorized that Hinduism was composed of an invading Aryan religion mixed with indigenous elements, but this is controversial.

• The caste system has been an important feature of Hindu culture for most of Indian history.

• Fire rituals were used by the earliest Hindus to communicate with the gods.

• The early Vedic scriptures contain instructions for fire rituals and the character and names of the most important gods.

• The Vedas are the earliest scriptures of Hinduism. They span a sequence of religious developments from the fire rituals to more abstract and philosophical systems within Hinduism.Slide45

Review: Chronology

Rig Veda: complete by 1500 BCE

The Age of Karman: 1100-800 BCE

Upanishads: begin around 600 BCE

The Epics / Early Hinduism

The Bhagavad Gītā is part of the Epic tradition

400BCE - 400CE

Formative period: 2500-800 BCE

Speculative period: 800-400 BCE

Epic/Classical periods: 400 BCE-600 CE

Medieval period: 600-1800 CE

Modern period: 1800 CE-presentSlide46

Later Scriptures

1000 - 500 BCE

• Brahmanas,

• Aranyakas,

• Upanishads.Slide47

Brahmanas

elaboration of instructions for rituals from earlier VedasSlide48

Aranyakas

“forest books”

Perform

Vedic rituals

in symbolic ways by forest-dwelling ascetics.Slide49

Aranyakas

Called “the forest books,” the

Aranyakas

describe how Vedic rituals can be performed in symbolic ways by forest-dwelling ascetics.

This alerts us to the fact that, by the time of the

Aranyakas

, there were some Hindus seeking spiritual perfection through ascetic practices like living outdoors, practicing silence, and restricting their diets.Slide50

Transition: Vedas to Upanishads

The Upanishads appear at the end of the Vedic tradition at around the 6

th

Century BCE.

Important in philosophical development

More than oneSlide51

Upanishads

Upanishads show shift from Formative to Speculative Period.

Upanishads are most philosophical and metaphysical.

written in the form of dialogues (like Socratic dialogues).

Explore nature of universe, role of individual, goal of life.

philosophical core of modern Hinduism is from Upanishads.

At this time, Hinduism was interacting with Buddhism.

This influenced the directions Hinduism developed.Slide52

Chāndog

ya

&

Brihadā

ran

yaka

Upanishads

These two Upanishads (numbers 9 and 10) explain Vedanta philosophy

(

reading

from

Chāndogya)Slide53

From the Chandogya

Upanishad

Let the Master teach me more; said he.

Let it be so, dear; said he.

As the honey-makers, dear, gather the honey from many a tree, and weld the nectars together in a single nectar; and as they find no separateness there, nor say: Of that tree I am the nectar, of that tree I am the nectar.

Thus, indeed, dear, all these beings, when they reach the Real, know not, nor say: We have reached the Real.

But whatever they are here, whether tiger or lion or wolf or boar or worm or moth or gnat or fly, that they become again.

And this soul is the Self of all that is, this is the Real, this the Self.

That thou art

, O

Shvetaketu

.Slide54

Chandogya Upanishad

In

a hermitage deep in the forest lived the learned sage,

Uddalaka

Aruni

with his son

Shvetketu

. When

Shvetketu

came of age, his father sent him to an Ashram for his education as was customary in those days. When

Shvetketu

returned home after twelve years of education,

Uddalaka

asked him, "What did you learn while in the Ashram, my son?"

"I learned everything that can be known, father,"

Shvetketu

answered.

When he heard this,

Uddalaka

became silent and thought, "What pride! Such conceit is born only out of ignorance. My son has not yet grasped the essence of the supreme knowledge of

Brahman

which brings humility."

Shvetketu

observed the change that came over his father and inquired, "Why did you become so quiet, father

?"Slide55

Chandogya Upanishad

"

Dear son," replied

Uddalaka

, "You say that you know everything that can be known. Then you must know that knowledge or wisdom by which what is unknown becomes known and what is unseen becomes seen?"

"No, I don’t," replied

Shvetketu

. "But please, father, tell me about it."

Uddalaka

lovingly said, "Well son, look at those pots and toys. They are made of clay. The potter takes a lump of clay and makes all kinds of different shapes out of it. So by knowing one lump of clay, one can know everything that is made of clay!"

"This is true for everything, son," continued

Uddalaka

, "If you know the fundamental structure of gold, you will also know all the ornaments made out of it. If you know a piece of iron, you know all the utensils made of iron."

To make things clearer for his son,

Uddalaka

headed towards the river while continuing his conversation, "Therefore, my child, you must get to know the essence of all things, the

One

that exists in everything in this Universe, the great power of

Brahman

."Slide56

Chandogya Upanishad

"

It is that same power which guides the river from the hills to flow into the ocean. That power then causes the water in the ocean to evaporate and form clouds which will produce rain to replenish the river, thus completing the cycle."

Pointing towards a tree which was chopped down by a woodcutter,

Uddalaka

said, "Take for example that tree over there. The sap, which is it’s life and enabled it to draw sustenance from the earth, is leaking out of it."

"Can you tell that one of the branches of the tree is dead?" questioned

Uddalaka

. "Each branch of that tree if deprived of the sap, which is it’s life, will dry up. And when the entire tree is drained of the sap, the whole tree will die."

While

Uddalaka

and

Shvetketu

were talking, they saw a dead body carried by a group of people for cremation.

Uddalaka

pointed towards the dead body and spoke to his son, "Similarly, my son, when life forsakes the body, the body dies, but the life itself does not die."

The son looked puzzled when

Uddalaka

explained, "My son, that which does not die is called the

Atman

and you are that

Atman

. The

Atman

is all pervasive and is present in everything that you see, living or nonliving

."Slide57

Chandogya Upanishad

"

Why can’t I see this

Atman

which is all pervasive and in everything?" Asked

Shvetketu

.

To explain this,

Uddalaka

asked his son to bring a fruit which was hanging from a

Banyan

tree (a tree common in India which gives plenty of shade and bears small fruits).

Shvetketu

picked a fruit from the tree and brought it to his father.

"Break it, son, and look inside," suggested

Uddalaka

.

"What do you see?"

Uddalaka

questioned

.

"Tiny seeds, father," replied

Shvetketu

.

"Do you see anything inside?" asked

Uddalaka

.

"No! There is nothing there" responded

Shvetketu

.

"If there is nothing inside," said

Uddalaka

, "Then how can that tiny seed gives rise to this huge

Banyan

tree? That,

Shvetketu

, is the

Atman

, the essence of all things. The

Atman

pervades the universe, and, my son, you are a part of that universe

."Slide58

Chandogya Upanishad

"

Well father, if we cannot see the essence, how do we know that it exists?" said

Shvetketu

with a puzzled mind.

"I shall explain that to you, my son" affirmed

Uddalaka

. "First put some water in that pitcher."

"Now bring some salt and put the salt in the water," instructed the father.

Shvetketu

did as his father asked.

"Keep the pitcher aside for now," said

Uddalaka

, "And bring it to me tomorrow morning."

Early the next morning,

Shvetketu

went to his father with the pitcher of water.

"Can you see the salt?" asked

Uddalaka

.

Shvetketu

searched, and of course, the salt was no longer visible.

Shvetketu

said, "No, father, it must be dissolved in the water."

"Now taste it from the top," instructed

Uddalaka

.

Shvetketu

dipped his finger into the water and tasted the water from the top.

"It is salty,"

Shvetketu

said.

"Now taste the water from the bottom," said

Uddalaka

.

"It’s salty there too, father" answered

Shvetketu

.

"Similarly,

Shvetketu

, as you cannot see the salt, you cannot see the essence. But it is always present everywhere

."Slide59

Chandogya Upanishad

Finally

Uddalaka

concluded, "My son, this omnipresent essence is called the

Atman

, which pervades everything. You too are that, Oh

Shvetketu

."

"I am grateful father," said

Shvetketu

and touched his father’s feet. "You have helped me gain the knowledge with which the unknown becomes known, the unseen becomes seen."

The father then blessed his son.Slide60

From the Chandogya

Upanishad

Let the Master teach me more; said he.

Let it be so, dear; said he.

These eastern rivers, dear, roll eastward; and the western, westward.

From the ocean to the ocean they go, and in the ocean they are united.

And there they know no separateness, nor say: This am I, this am I.

Thus indeed, dear, all these beings, coming forth from the Real, know not, nor say: We have come from the Real.

And whatever they are here, whether tiger or lion or wolf or boar or worm or moth or gnat or fly or whatever they are, that they become again.

And that soul is the Self of all that is, this is the Real, this the Self.

That thou art

, O

Shvetaketu

.

Let the Master teach me more; said he.

Let it be so, dear; said he.Slide61

From the Chandogya

Upanishad

Bring me a fruit of that fig-tree. Here is the fruit, Master.

Divide it into two; said he.

I have divided it, Master.

What do you see in it? said he.

Atom-like seeds, Master.

Divide one of them in two; said he.

I have divided it, Master.

What do you see in it? said he.

I see nothing at all, Master.

So he said to him:

That soul that you perceive not at all, dear,—from that very soul the great fig-tree comes forth. Believe then, dear, that this soul is the Self of all that is, this is the Real, this the Self.

That thou art

, O

Shvetaketu

.

Let the Master teach me more; said he.

Let it be so, dear; said he.Slide62

Vedas compared to Upanishads

From ritual action (

karman

)



meaning/knowledge (

jñāna

)

From external



internal

From material

 Immaterial

From senses



not-sensed worldSlide63

The Six Senses

In Indian Thought: 6 senses (the usual 5 plus mind/ego)

Ego/mind will die, along with other senses; it coordinates the others.

The 6 senses can only lead you to knowledge of the material, which is not the knowledge the Upanishads say you need.Slide64

What is this immortality?

The

Ātman

:

Tricky to describe: the ‘true self’, not subject to death and change.

Not part of the material world; cannot be sensed.

The part of us that keeps going after we die.

‘soul’ is a bad translation

‘soul’ carries connotations from Christianity that do not apply to Hinduism:

ātman

is not individual.Slide65

Brahman

The “real” or the “existent”.

Atmans are ultimately Brahman (not Brahm

i

n=the priestly caste)

This is the special knowledge: there is no difference.

Brahman is the essence/core of things.

How to describe this with language?

Does the atman

become

Brahman?

No, it

is

Brahman all along.

Clay pot, bowl, ladle – what is this? Just clay. All the same.

Open the seed of the tree.Slide66

The Goal

The goal is an experience / direct knowledge that the Atman is the same as Brahman.

Based on this awareness of Atman and Brahman comes the idea that differences in the physical world are not ultimately real.

The realization of Atman/Brahman is described as merging into oneness (as nectar is collected from this flower and that) where all ego and distinctions are lost.

This is understood to be an experience of immortality beyond a state of the senses.Slide67

Summary: Samsara

and

moksha

Brahman, the all-pervading reality, could be known from within as the subtle self or soul,

atman

.

cycle of death and rebirth known as

samsara

, in which the atman is continually reborn according to the results of one’s actions, or

karma

.

to escape this cycle of death and rebirth and attain

moksha

, liberation from samsara.Slide68

Summary: Upanishads

Upanishads show shift from Formative to Speculative Period.

Upanishads are most philosophical and metaphysical.

written in the form of dialogues (like Socratic dialogues).

Explore nature of universe, role of individual, goal of life.

philosophical core of modern Hinduism is from Upanishads.

At this time, Hinduism was interacting with Buddhism.

This influenced the directions Hinduism developed.Slide69

Useful books on the Vedas, Vedic Period, and the Upanishads

Upaniṣads, translated by Patrick Olivelle.

Stephanie Jamison, The Ravenous Hyenas and the Wounded Sun: Myth and Ritual in Ancient India. Straightforward 60-page introduction.

The Rig Veda: An Anthology. Wendy Doniger O’Flaherty

Frits Staal on Agni (a 1975 reenactment: photos).

Altar of FireSlide70

The Hindu Epics and their teachings

Mahabharata

RamayanaSlide71

The Epics

world-affirming did not die out.

200 BCE - 200 CE

2 long legends about interactions gods, goddesses, and (royal) heroes

Some parts say life is suffering

But mainly world-affirming attitude.

Message: humans can be part of a divine planSlide72

Epics

Two main epics, but many versions (in Sanskrit, in vernacular languages such as Hindi and Bengali)

The Ra

ma

yana – the story of King

Rāmā

, also a deity

The

Mahā

bhā

rata

– the story of the 5 “

Pandava

” brothers – princes, warring against their cousins, “

Kauravas

” for the kingdom.Slide73

Ramayana on Dharma

first Hindu epic: legends

Rama

(royal

military

hero) and his wife,

Sita

.

world-affirming attitude of Vedic religion:

Rama as an exemplary ruler.

Kidnapping of

Sita

by

Ravana

The god Rama and the monkey king Hanuman fight the demon king

Ravana

in the

climaxSlide74

Ramayana

do duty

keep word

Rama destined to inherit throne.

mother of one of Rama’s younger brothers insisted that

her

son,

Bharata

, become king.

King owed

Bharata’s

mother a boon

King exiled Rama from the kingdom for 14 years.

After father’s death,

Bharata

came to Rama and begged him to take the throne.

Rama insisted on remaining in exile

Political considerations and personal desires could not make Rama break promise.

archetypal follower of dharma, social dutySlide75

The Mahābhārata

The story of the 5 “

Pandava

” brothers.

Princes, warring against their cousins “

Kauravas

” for the kingdom.

The

Bhaghavad

Gītā

is a small section of this epic.

“The Song of the Lord” (Gita=song;

Bhagavat

=lord)

not really “Bible” of Hinduism, but one of most important texts

part of 5

th

book of

Mahabhārata

– just before the battle between the cousins.

Many interpretations:

Gandhi: non-violence;

others (e.g.,

Tilak

): violence against British oppression.

Told by “Sanjay”

Sanjaya

to

Dhritarashtra

, who is the blind king of the

Kauravas

.Slide76

Bhagavad Gita

The real story is about

Arjuna

, 2

nd

Pandava

brother.

Key

ingredient in the war.

Fights from a chariot, so he needs a charioteer: “

Kṛṣṇa

”

Arjuna

thinks Krishna is a human king (he

’

s in disguise).

Actually, in this text, he

’

s the supreme deity.

Shiva,

Durga

, Brah

man

are the supreme deity in other texts.Slide77

Video: from Vedas to EpicsSlide78

Basic Doctrines of the Gita

1

Refer to discourse 1 of the Bhagavad Gita (beginning with verse 26)

Why doesn’t

Arjuna

want to fight?

Refer to discourse 2 of the Bhagavad Gita

What is

Arjuna’s

“dharma”?

What determines one’s rebirth?

How does Krishna try to persuade

Arjuna

that he wouldn’t really be killing anyone?Slide79

Why doesn’t Arjuna want to fight?Slide80

Basic Doctrines of the Gita

Dharma: right action / right doing

Some translators call it “sacred duty” or “just duty”.

BG 2.31-33:

Arjuna’s

duty is to fight, since he is a warrior.

Dharma is related to

varṇa

(caste)

To not do Dharma is to perform

adharma

– wrong actions.

Dharma

shastras

(texts on dharma) say: it is better to do one’s own duty poorly than to do someone else’s better than they.Slide81

Arjuna’s Dilemma

The cousins have the same gurus

Most of them are fighting with the Kauravas.

Arjuna’s duty is to fight; also, he is the best warrior of the Pandavas. If he doesn’t fight, his family will lose.

Arjuna suspects it is wrong to kill his childhood friends, cousins, and especially gurus (like killing your own father).

He’s damned both ways – following duty.

Arjuna’s response is non-action. But non-action doesn’t exist.

Krishna says inaction is an action – He must act, and there are ways to act without gaining (bad) karma.

Krishna shows himself as supreme deity and that human souls (jivas) can attain moksha.Slide82

Basic Doctrines 2

Karma

The word itself isn’t prominent in the text, but the concept is.

A system of rewards and punishments for certain actions.

R & P can last over several lifetimes

Samsāra

The constant cycle of birth, death, rebirth and so on; “reincarnation”

The state of one’s rebirth is dependent on one’s karma (BG 2.27)

You’re worried about killing your relatives? You’re thinking the short view – look at the Grand Scheme of things. There are rebirths galore!Slide83

Basic Doctrines 3

Moksha

“Liberation” (Samsara is not a good thing; it’s not immortality; it’s multi-mortality)

Samsara is ruled by death; moksha is an escape from it to

im

mortality.

As in the Upanishads, moksha is brought about through some sort of transforming knowledge/ wisdom.

Atman/

Jiva

(

Upanishadic

ideas in the Gita)

Krishna tells

Arjuna

that each person has an atman which cannot be killed, and which is beyond human perception – hence he argues that

Arjuna

will not really kill anyone in this battle. (BG 2:11-25)Slide84

Jiva and Atman

In addition to Atman, each person has an individual soul that is theirs alone.

This is called their

jiva

.

This soul has many characteristics that distinguish it from other souls, that make it unique to an individual person.

One’s

jiva

is like the proverbial snowflake: each one different from every other one.

Atman is not like this: my Atman is exactly the same as your Atman, and Atman in either you or me is Brahman.

What part of an individual is reincarnated over and over again?

Obviously, it is not one’s body. Is it one’s soul?

If the consequences of one’s actions follow one into subsequent lives, they must be carried in the

jiva

, or individual soul.

Atman, equivalent to Brahman, is immune to the effects of karma.Slide85
Slide86

Ways to attain Moksha

There are several ways to attain moksha, to act to improve karma by doing dharma and not

adharma

:

(“yoga” comes from a root meaning “join.” Here it means “path.”)

Karma yoga: unselfish action

Jnana

yoga: transforming knowledge

Bhakti yoga: devotion brings forgiveness

Raja yoga: meditation

Hatha yoga: posturesSlide87

Karma yoga: “the path of (unselfish) action”

Do your dharma without any thought or attachment to the rewards or punishments those actions might bring.

Karma is thought to be connected to desire.

If one acts without a desire for the fruits of action, one can act without gaining (bad) karma.

This takes effort, and training to learn

.

In the context of reincarnation, karma is the consequences of one’s choices.

In the context of yoga, one’s karma is one’s duty, the path in life prescribed by one’s social station.

need not retire from all worldly pursuits and become a wandering monk to attain

moksha

.

lead exactly the sort of life society expects one to lead.

use worldly duties almost as a meditation technique to keep attention focused not on the actions themselves, but on Brahman.Slide88

Jñāna

yoga:

“the path of knowledge / transforming wisdom”

Scriptural knowledge and “true” understanding can destroy karma and lead to release/

moksha

.

“the fire of knowledge will reduce karma to ashes

”

study of Hindu scriptures (of which there are enough to last a lifetime!) and philosophical contemplation of the central principles of Hinduism.

particularly appropriate for priests (originally of the

brahmin

caste) and intellectuals.Slide89

Bhakti yoga

“the path of devotion”

This path becomes dominant for the next centuries

Krishna will forgive karma in return for complete devotion

Example: the poems by

Mirabai

She is a

Bhakta

devotee of Krishna “married” to

Krishna

Just as one may lose all thought of self when deeply in love with another person, one can lose all thought of self through devotion to a particular god or goddess.

Self drops away in the ecstatic experience of worship of the god or goddess until, ultimately, one becomes joined with him or her.Slide90

Raja Yoga

Raja yoga (“royal” yoga) was developed in the early centuries of the first millennium CE by a teacher and philosopher named

Patanjali

.

Raja yoga is composed of eight “limbs” or practices directed toward preparing for and engaging in meditation.

• Self-control (

yama

),

• Observance (

niyama

),

• Posture (asana),

• Breath control (

pranayama

),

• Restraint (

pratyahara

),

• Steadying the mind (

dharana

),

• Meditation (

dhyana

), and

• Enlightenment (

samadhi

).

It is a technique of guiding thought that ultimately leads to Brahman-consciousness or liberation.Slide91

Hatha Yoga

physical postures

popular in the West.

developed out of raja yoga.

At first, the only asana, or posture, was full lotus.

an extremely stable posture that holds the back in good alignment.

However, it can also leave one stiff and sore.

Asanas

(postures) other than full lotus were first developed as a means of stretching out the body after long periods of sitting meditation in full lotus.

Eventually this series of postures and associated breathing techniques became its own form of yoga.

careful practice of these physical positions will still the mind and allow it to focus on the only true reality, Brahman.Slide92

To remember

T

he Hindu Epics and their teachings

The Ramayana: The history of King

Rāmā

, also a deity

importance of dharma

The

Mahābhārata

: The story of the 5 “

Pandava

” brothers,

Basic Doctrines of the

Bhagavad

Gita

Dharma: right action / right doing

Arjuna

must act; Krishna tells him there are ways to act without gaining (bad) karma.

Karma: rewards and punishments for certain actions.

Samsāra

: The constant cycle of birth, death, rebirth; “reincarnation”

Moksha: “Liberation” (

Samsara

is multi-mortality)

Atman/

Jiva

: spirit/soul cannot be killedSlide93

Caste System: 4 varnas

From earliest times, Hinduism divided people into classes into which individuals are born and from which they can never escape.

division into 3 classes also in other Indo-European languages besides Sanskrit.

Theory: Aryan invaders claimed the top three castes, and made the indigenous the lower castes.

caste dictates what employment, whom to marry, and social status.

caste involved contact taboos (who can touch whom without getting “polluted”).Slide94

The Varna System

Varna (“class”) system: impractical

Not a significant issue in the Vedas (“varna” not mentioned in

Rigveda 10.90

.12)

.

Mentioned in the

Manu Smriti

(

मनुस्मृति

) (200BCE-200CE)

Brahmins

(teachers, scholars and priests),

Kshatriyas

(kings and warriors),

Vaishyas

(traders),

Shudras

(agriculturists, service providers, and some artisan groups).Slide95

Class System: Untouchables

Besides these 4, the “untouchables” (25%) were completely beneath the caste system.

did polluting work, such as cleaning toilets or tanning hides.

Gandhi insisted on calling the untouchables “

harijan

,” or “children of God.”

Today they call themselves as “

dalit

,” or “oppressed peoples.”

Discrimination against untouchables illegal since 1947.

However, the caste system lingers on even today.

Many Indians marry within their caste and observe contact taboos.

Caste often disregarded in urban areas, but persists in rural parts.Slide96

The Jati System: the working caste system

Jati

means real working community of birth, marriages, of profession, culture and religion (closer to the widely (

mis

)understood meaning of caste;

varna

, however, means the social rank, status, order (closer to class).

Jati

(“caste”):

Hair-cutters

Stone masons

Priests

Land workers

Jatis

can be closed

Hard to enforce in rural settings.

Now it is illegal to discriminate.Slide97

Caste in Hinduism

For modern Hindus, cast is not very relevant, especially in North America.

Most are not prepared to enforce it / live by it.

Caste is a cultural expression

Not just Hindus in India; other religious groups live by it, to some extent.

Social Elitism is not India’s problem alone (compare the English class system)

The British showed hypocrisy in their critiques of caste, when they practised something similar.Slide98

Brahma

Creator

Not the same as Brahman (with an n, ultimate reality)

Vahana: swan

4 heads, 4 arms, and a reddish complexionSlide99

Saraswati

Goddess of knowledge, music, and the arts

Vahana: swan

wife of Brahma

sits on a white lotus playing a veenaSlide100

Viṣṇu

(

Vishnu)

Supporter of Dharma / order.

He appears when order is threatened.

Appeared in 10 avatars traditionally

(but there’s not one straightforward list)

Important ones:

Krishna (from the BG)

Vishnu, the preserver of Dharma

Rama (from the Ramāyana)

Vamana (a dwarf)

Varaha (a boar)

There is a huge body of literature on Vishnu’s various avatars.

Devotees of Vishnu are called Vaishnavas.Slide101

Vishnu iconography

Vishnu is theoretically shapeless and

omnipresent

. However, he is traditionally represented as follows:

A four-armed male-form

Blue skin

He has the mark of sage

Bhrigu

's

feet on his chest.

on his chest is the

srivatsa

mark,

symbolising

his consort

Lakshmi

.

Around his neck, the jewel in which

Lakshmi

dwells, and a garland of flowers.

A

crown

symbolizes his supreme authority.

two earrings represent inherent opposites in creation

He rests on

Ananta

the infinite snake Slide102

Vishnu holds four attributes:

A

conch

represents creating and maintaining the universe.

The discus symbolizes the purified spiritualized mind.

A

mace

symbolizes all spiritual, mental and physical strength.

A

lotus

represents spiritual liberationSlide103

Vishnu and

LakshmiSlide104

Lakshmi

Vishnu’s main consort

Goddess of wealth and good fortune

Two arms up holding lotuses (need a lot of water)

Right hand: money

Standing on a lotus

Elephant: pouring water Slide105

Shiva

The divine yogi

Vishnu is to dharma as Shiva is to moksha

Ascetics, renunciants, yoga & meditation

Vahana: bullSlide106

Shiva

Trident: emblem of Shiva

Snake around neck

3rd eye

Ganges flowing out of his head

In Himalayas

Off by himself

Prayer beads

(did this idea come to Catholicism from India?)

Loincloth

Pot for beggingSlide107

Parvati (Uma)

Shiva’s consort

Divine Mother

Has many forms (Durga, Kali)

(a second consort, Ganga, is the Ganges)

Vahana: lionSlide108

Shiva with family

Mountains

White Shiva

Bull

Wife on lion

Elephant-headed son

6-headed son

Threaded human headsSlide109

Skanda /

Murugan

The first son of Shiva and Parvati

God of war

The army general of the Gods

Vahana: peacockSlide110

Ganesha

2

nd

son of Shiva & Parvati

Very popular

God of the intellect, and can remove obstacles

Vahana: mouseSlide111

Shiva as Nataraj

Lord of the Dance

The images originate in south of India

Shiva as lord of creation

His dance has 108 steps which bring about the creation, maintenance, and destruction of the world

Hand: stop – remove fear

Fire

Cycle of creation-destruction

Hand pointing to foot (pure)

Standing on a dwarf, symbolizing ignoranceSlide112

Lingam

The aniconic form of Shiva

At most Hindu temples

Usually placed in a yoni – a concave objectSlide113

Hindu Goddesses

Devī = “Goddess” – a generic title

The concept of Śakti – a creative, potent power all deities need to carry out their various functions.

This is a feminine thing, so when it is personified, it is as a goddess.

All deities need shakti

Vishnu needs Shakti to incarnate himself.

So gods “always” have consorts, to provide it.

Devotees of the Goddess(es) are called Śāktas.Slide114

Multiple ideals of the “Divine Feminine”

There’s not just 1 goddess.

Mā: prehistoric? Ideal mother, big breasted, broad hipped, fertilitySlide115

Sītā: the ideal wife (of Rama in the Ra

ma

yana)

Loyal, domesticSlide116

Rādhā

Rādhā: the ideal lover – a gopi, with romantic affairs with Krishna

Theological idea behind the obsessive love & desire to be with KrishnaSlide117

Durga: the ideal warrior

Pan-Indian, but more so in North-Eastern (Bengal)

As Mahishamardini (Destroyer of the Buffalo Demon), in the Devīmāhātmya.Slide118

Devī

Māhātmya

A demon has practised meditation, austerities, yoga, etc. and gets so much tapas (religious energy/heat) from it that the gods are afraid he will scorch the world.

So he is granted a boon – immortality

In

Puranic

Hinduism, the Gods have immortality

Brahma grants that he can’t be killed by a male.

The demon then fights the gods, wins, their force pools up together, and forms

Durga

: the sum of the gods’

shakti

power

Here, she takes

male

power, and uses it as

she

pleases.

The demons fall for her because she is so beautiful, and as soon as they let their guard down, she lops off their heads!Slide119

Durga

Lion vahana

Buffalo demonSlide120

Durga

Durga rules over Maya “illusion / delusion; the world of difference”

Don’t be fooled, like the demons, by the world of illusion.

A point of devotion: she responds to it.

Finally, Durga

is

Brahman.

Other gods are bubbles in the ocean – they pop.

The ocean is Durga. All else comes out of her and is temporary.Slide121

Kali

Goddess of time and death

Vahana: donkey

usually portrayed as dark and violentSlide122

Kālī

The ideal mother and ideal destroyer

Another Pan-Indian goddess, with a focus in Bengal.

Somewhat

ferocious!

Poems to Kali: Build up the goddess in your own mind.

Dishevelled

severed heads around neck

Bluish

Naked

Blood-smeared

FangsSlide123

Kali

The poems to Kali ask you to think. They make you question physical appearance.

In the Devi Mahatmya, Durga creates goddesses to fight for her.

Kali is created out of Durga’s anger.

Durga licks up the blood which was spilled, created new demons.

Blood was polluting – great aversion.

But – there’s a great deal of

power

. If you are not disgusted by what others consider disgusting, maybe you’ve overcome this world of maya.Slide124

Identify the DeitySlide125

Hinduism

Video

0:22-0:33

10. What is the role of astrology in Hinduism?

11. What is the significance of the Ganges River in Hinduism?

12. Which day of the week is traditionally considered the Hindu Sabbath?

13. Where did the term“Hinduism” originate and when?Slide126

Video: HinduismSlide127

Review: Main Hindu Deities

Krishna: cares about humanity

Viṣṇu

(Vishnu): Supporter of Dharma / order.

10 avatars

Lakshmi: Goddess of wealth and good fortune

Shiva: The divine yogi

Parvati

: Shiva’s consort

Skanda

: The army general of the Gods

Ganesha

: Can remove obstacles

Shiva as

Nataraj

: Lord of the Dance

Linga

:

aniconic

form of ShivaSlide128

Bhakti Poems

Mirabai

: a poet devoted to Krishna

Kamalakanta

: a poet devoted to Kali

Being devoted is good, according to the poems

Why be a devotee?

Mira: I can

’

t help it. Is life better? poem 84; 27; 193.

Kali Poem 57; 120; 43.

Shiva poem 133; 143

Compare

Cathurvedi

186 with BGSlide129

Krishna

Krishna insists he has a great love for humanity and he rewards those who love him back.

Indra doesn’t act this way.

He doesn’t come to help you in time of need.

Maybe

Agni would; or he/it might just burn you.

Krishna provides a different relation between human and divine.

The Bhagavad Gita makes it less abstract, more personal.Slide130

Poem of Mirabai

(

Caturvedi

, no. 27)Slide131

Mahadevi

themes in the poems to Kali

Many poems present Kali as the Great Goddess

The creator, preserver, and destroyer

Over Maya (illusion)

Is Brahman (songs 10 & 11). Kali is the essence in things.Slide132

Poem of Kamalakanta

(

Śyāmā

Sangīt

150)

Mother,

You are always finding ways to amuse yourself.

Shyama

, you stream of nectar,

Through your deluding power

You forge a horrible face

And adorn yourself with a necklace

Of human skulls.

The earth quakes under your leaps and bounds

You are frightful

With that sword in your hand.

At other times

You take a flirtatious pose,

And then even the God of Love is outdone, Mother!

Your form is inconceivable and

undecaying

.

You are beyond the three qualities

And yet composed of them.

You are terrifying,

You are death,

You are a beautiful woman.

Thus assuming various forms,

You fulfil the wishes of your worshipers.

Sometimes you even dance,

Brahman, Eternal One,

In the lotus heart of

Kamalakanta

.Slide133

Tantra

and Kali

Are closely connected.

Many

Tantrics

are devoted to Kali, especially the devotion called

Dakshinakali

.

Kali dancing on Shiva.

I will lie on the battlefield on which she is dancing. When she realizes who I am, she will stop dancing (on me).

This is also a tantric image (

Tantra

: anything non-Vedic)

Right-handed

Tantra

: non-Vedic mantras, pujas;

Left-handed

Tantra

: impropriety. Joining polar opposites. Much of this is through impure things.Slide134

Four Stages (Ashramas

) of Life

yoga is time-consuming.

a balance between the world-denying, pursuit of liberation and world-affirming social conservatism by prescribing different forms of spiritual practice for different life stages, or

ashramas

.

Four life stages (

ashramas

) have are appropriate for upper-caste men (and sometimes their wives):

student (

brahmacharin

)

householder (

grihastha

)

retiree (

vanaprastha

)

renunciate

(

sannyasin

)Slide135

Sannyasin

final stage:

renunciate

man abandons family ties and positions

subsists by begging

lives a nomadic life

loses all strictures and privileges of caste

freed from all attachments, single-mindedly pursues moksha

most Hindus never become

renunciates

.

Example: Swami

Bhaktivedanta

Prabhupada

take worship of Krishna to the West.Slide136

Schools of Hindu Philosophy

Several influential schools of Hindu philosophy have developed and remain paths within Hinduism today.

Samkhya

philosophy

developed by

Patanjali

,

regards

prakriti

, the world we sense, as a figment in the imagination of

purusha

(pure consciousness), sustained only by the “turnings of thought.”

Advaita

Vedanta

advanced by

Shankara

rejects the dualism of

purusha

and

prakriti

and regards Brahman as the only reality.

modified by thinkers such as

Ramanuja

to allow for a degree of difference between humans and gods necessary for

bhakti

yoga.

Tantric

Hinduism

provides “shock therapy” techniques to achieve moksha quickly while living in the very degenerate

kaliyuga

age.Slide137

Time Line review

1500 BCE: Rig Veda

1100-800: Age of Karman

600: Upanishads

400 BCE-400CE: Epic Hinduism

500CE- Classical and Puranical Hinduism

Voluminous texts in Sanskrit and vernacular languages

Collections about and stories of

how

gods preferred to be worshipped,

where

they like to be worshipped, and

why

.Slide138

Hinduism video

9. What are the Hindu stages of life that a man should expect to pass through in his lifetime in the pursuit of spiritual fulfillment?

10. What is the role of astrology in Hinduism

? (0:22)

11. What is the significance of the Ganges River in Hinduism

? (0:23)

12. Which day of the week is traditionally considered the Hindu Sabbath?

13. Where did the term“Hinduism” originate and when

?

14. What are some of the major contributions made to Hinduism by such modern thinkers as Ram Mohun Roy or Bal Gangadhar

Tilak

? (0:35)

15. What are the most important effects that Gandhi had on modern Hinduism

? (0:38)

16. Why did Gandhi use the tactic of nonviolence against British rule in India?Slide139

Hinduism

Video

0:29-0:45Slide140

Video: Hinduism