HINDUISMJORDAN CATENAZZO, KAYLA DEGUZMAN, ZAYNAH KHAN, MORGAN RACLAWSKI, MARY

HENRY, AND ERIN KENNICK

INTRO TO HINDUISM VIDEO

• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9EICcU9oN-s

THE ORIGIN OF HINDUISM❖ Hinduism was brought to India by invading Aryans

❖ Has elements from the Pre-Vedic religion, the oldest known religion of India

❖Most of what we know about this religion comes from the Vedas, which were a collection of hymns and ritual texts written in different time periods (1500 – 1000 BCE)

• Rig Veda- This was the largest and most important of the four vedas, and it was meant for recitation

• Sama Veda- This is very similar to the Rig Veda, but it is meant for chanting

• Yajur Veda- "Knowledge of the Sacrificial Formulas" for liturgy

• Artha Veda- Named after a kind of group of preists, has magical incantations and charms

ORIGINAL BELIEFS/PRACTICES

❖ Hinduism involves many different beliefs, philosophies, and viewpoints, making it more complex and diverse than many other religions

❖ Hinduism is considered henotheism, because one god out of many is worshipped above the others at certain times

❖ People believed in something called darsán, which meant there was a two-way vision between certain religious leaders and a god

❖ Caste System- Brahmin, Kshatriyas, Vaisyas, Shudras

❖ Reincarnation- The soul is eternal, but the physical body is not

❖ Karma- How you live your life plays a role in incarnation

❖ Time is cyclical

ORIGINAL BELIEFS/PRACTICES (CONT.)

❖Some beliefs in Hinduism contradict each other

❖EX: There are different explanations for how the universe exists

• Purusha existed before time, and the gods are his children. They took parts of him to make the moon, sun, sky, and earth.

• A quote from the Rig Veda suggests the origin of the universe is something that can't be known.

• There are many universes that are dreams of gods.

FOUR PRINCIPALS OF HINDUISM

Purusharthas – the four proper goals of life

• Moksha – end of death and rebirth impelled by Karma; it's achieved through overcoming ignorance and desires (salvation of the soul)

• Dharma – obedience of laws (righteousness)

• Kama – desire, wishing, longing

• Artha – wealth, power; well-being

Kama

Dharma

Artha

Moksha

Purusharthas

PRINCIPLE VIDEO

• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cgFg7OP6c58

GODS

❖Brahma- "The Creator", first member of the Hindu Trinity, creates the universe

❖Vishnu-"The Preserver", second member of the Hindu Trinity, maintains order and harmony in the universe

❖Shiva- "The Destroyer", third member of the Hindu Trinity, destroys the universe so it can be renewed

❖Ganesha- Has the head of an elephant, common in Hindu households

❖Indra- King of the Heavens, wields a thunderbolt

TURNING POINTS

The Indo-European influence

1

Vedism becomes one of the major

traditions of Hinduism.

Buddhism's effect on Hinduism

INDO-EUROPEAN INVASION AND ITS EFFECT ON HINDUISM

• Scholars believe that the Indus Valley Civilization may have influenced many of Hinduism's main gods and rituals to India.

• the god Shiva of the Trimutri; the Sacred bull (Nandi); mother goddess; caste system

• Sanskrit language and the Vedic religion were key foundations of Hinduism and were likely from the Indo-Aryans

VEDISM AND ITS EFFECT ON HINDUISM

•WHAT WERE VEDAS? VEDAS ARE THE OLDEST AND MOST SACRED WRITTEN RELIGIOUS TEXTS ABOUT THE TRUTHS OF HINDUISM. IT HAS SHAPED AND INFLUENCED THE HINDI BELIEFS EVEN TODAY.•THE RIGVEDA IS WRITTEN: THE RIGVEDA WAS LIKE THE HINDUISM BIBLE AND AN IMPORTANT VEDIC TEXT THAT WAS WRITTEN IN SANSKRIT. IT INCLUDED 1,028 POEMS, IMPORTANT RULES AND RITUALS THAT PEOPLE NEEDED TO DO AND FOLLOW.•WHAT WAS SO IMPORTANT ABOUT THESE VEDA TEXTS? HINDUS BELIEVED THAT THESE VEDA TEXTS WERE RECEIVED BY SCHOLARS DIRECTLY FROM GOD AND PASSED ON FROM GENERATION TO GENERATION BY WORD OF MOUTH.

BUDDHISM AND ITS EFFECT ON HINDUISM

•Asoka of the Mauryan converted to Buddhism after feeling bad for all the killing and chaos during bloody Battle of Kalinga (262 BCE). Asoka sent missionaries throughout India and on its borders. He even sent his son to Sri Lanka to share these Buddhist ideas, and that kingdom permanently converted to Buddhism.

•Animal sacrifices played a big role in Hindu practices/worship -- they believed that these sacrifices preserved dharma. Many villages decapitated animals (usually goats) before local gods/goddesses or "Devi" (as they were called). However, this practice was eliminated when they switched to Buddhism –Buddhists did not believe in disrespecting animals, let alone killing them. They thought that it went against karma – any wrong behavior will result in consequences in the future – so it was important to treat animals with respect. Slowly, Buddhist ideas took over the Hindu religion and the presence of Hinduism decreased during Asoka's reign.

CHANGES IN HINDUISM

• In 260 BCE Emperor Asoka converted to Buddhism

• This conversion of some of India lead to the core aspects of Hinduism to be changed

• Ex: caste system weakened, and animal sacrifice outlawed

CONSEQUENCES OF THE CHANGES

This resulted in personal worship

becoming a greater part of the Hindu faith

Eventually lead to the presence of Hinduism

in India dropping

SPREAD OF HINDUISM

• First half of the 1st millennium ce, many of the early kingdoms in Southeast Asia adopted specific Hindu texts, theologies, rituals, etc.

• Practices changed to suit the time and needs of the society and culture

• This was another change of Hinduism as it spread

TIMELINE

DIFFERENT GROUPS

• Unlike other religions, Hinduism is more accurately a family of many different religions. However, they all share many beliefs such as karma, temple worship and reincarnation.The three main religious groups are:

1. Vaishnavas (worshippers of Vishnu)

2. Shivas (worshippers of Shiva)

3. Shaktas (worshippers of Shakti)

4. Smartas (worshippers of the five deities, Vishnu, Shiva, Devi, Ganesh, and Surya)

DIFFERENT GROUPS (CONT.)

• In terms of population, the Vaishnavas are the leading sect of the Hindu peoples. It is often referred to as sanatana dharma, or the, "eternal function of the soul."

• Though all 4 sects have more similarities than differences, the deities that each one worships differs.

• Gods such as Siva are compassionate and pure. Some deities prefer the pleasing and wrathful personalities, such as Shakti.

• The gods may also assume varying amounts of incarnations, the embodiments of their spiritual form.

MODERN HINDUISM AND WHERE IT STANDS TODAY• There are about 650 million people that practice Hinduism

worldwide

• Most Hindu people live in India where the religion was born but it is still practiced in many other countries

• People in these societies have had to alter the religion to have it fit the culture around them, but the majority have a very specific way of practice

• Hinduism was the religion of those who were not Muslim

• Hindu people were considered "the rest" because they didn’t practice the religion that most people were practicing which was Islam

MODERN HINDUISM (CONTINUED...)

• Since the 19th century, Hindu leaders have rejected or challenged the Caste system

• Leaders started changing caste names

• Mahatma Gandhi changed that name of the lowest caste to "Hirijans"

• Many Hindus people disagreed with this and tried to change it back

MODERN HINDUISM (CONTINUED...)

• Traditions

• Greet one another with the palms of their hands together while saying "namaste"

• Hindus do not wear shoes inside houses or at holy places/temples

• They do not enter a temple after consuming alcohol

• Apply a line of dot of kumkum (coom coom) between the eyebrows at the time of worship

• During festivals ,on certain days they do not eat non-vegetarian foods

• Marriage is a huge deal and they have huge ceremonies

• Women wear special outfits when they are married

PRIMARY SOURCES

Rig Veda Hymnhttp://www.sacred-texts.com/hin/rigveda/rv01022.htm

The Laws of Manuhttp://www.sacred-texts.com/hin/manu/manu06.htm

ASSESSMENT• List one change of Hinduism.

• True or False? Hinduism is considered a polytheistic religion because there are multiple gods.

• What collection of hymns and religious rituals gives us a lot of information about Hinduism?

• Which civilization influenced the core beliefs and practices of Hinduism?

• What is the Rigveda?

• List two of the major sects of Hinduism

• Which sect has the highest population?

• What is the meaning of sanatana dharma?

• What are the four main principles of Hinduism?

a) Karma, Dharma, Moksha, and Artha

b) Kama, Dharma, Moksha, and Artha

c) Kama, Dharma, Moksha, and Purusharthas

ASSESSMENT CONTINUED

• What do the Hindus people say while greeting one another?

• True or false? Those who practice Hinduism now have altered the religion a bit to fit their culture.

• True or False? The Rig-Veda is the most sacred text in Hinduism

• True or False? The Laws of Manu were the 2 written law codes.

RESOURCES

• Smith, Brian K., et al. “Hinduism.” Encyclopædia Britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., 7 Feb. 2018, www.britannica.com/topic/Hinduism.

• Bennett, Sean. “Sociology 1010.” Chapter 17 Hindu Culture, freebooks.uvu.edu/NURS3400/index.php/ch13-hindu-culture.html.

• Violatti, Cristian. “Hinduism.” Ancient History Encyclopedia, Ancient History Encyclopedia, 15 Oct. 2018, www.ancient.eu/hinduism/.

• Violatti, Cristian. “The Vedas.” Ancient History Encyclopedia, Ancient History Encyclopedia, 14 Oct. 2018, www.ancient.eu/The_Vedas/.

• Wangu, Madhu Bazaz, Hinduism World Religions, New York, Facts on File, 2001

• http://bhoffert.faculty.noctrl.edu/REL100/24.Hinduism.ModernWorld.html

• Spodek, H. (2006). Hinduism and Buddhism (C. Cavaliere, Ed.). In The World's History (3rd ed., Vol. Combined, pp. 271-285). London, United Kingdom: Laurence King Publishing.

• Srinivisan, Amrutur. “Hindu Gods and Goddesses.” Dummies, www.dummies.com/religion/hinduism/hindu-gods-and-goddesses/.