agenda 4.1 reading quiz early india & hinduism notes sacred religious texts worksheet 4.2...
TRANSCRIPT
AGENDA4.1 Reading Quiz
Early India & Hinduism NotesSacred Religious Texts Worksheet
4.2 (?)
Homework:Read “Hindu Beliefs” Handout and answer
questions #1-4
Main IdeasEarly civilization arose in the
Indus River Valley, flourished, and then died out
The Indus River Valley civilization thrived from 2500 BCE – 2000 BCE
Later, India’s Vedic civilization developed a culture based on old and new beliefs.
Snapshot of India
India is a country in South Asia
2nd largest population in the worldCapital: New DelhiLanguages: Hindi &
EnglishReligions: Hinduism,
Islam, Christianity Hinduism = 80% of
population
GeographySubcontinentLarge landmass that juts out from a larger
continent
3 Geographical ZonesMountains Hindu Kush & Himalayas
Deccan Plateau Dry
Northern Plains Fertile soil
Monsoons Heavy winds and heavy rains Both helped and hurt early peoples
Indus Valley Civilizations
First civilization along Indus RiverGuessed to be about 2500 BCE
Remains show complex cities and villagesWell planned and designed Suggests a functioning government
Economy focused on agriculture and tradeTraded both locally and great distances
Little is known about Indian culture and civilizationBelieved to be a single society vs. many states
Decline…
Thrived from about 2500 BCE – 2000 BCE
Best guesses for decline…FloodsFamineOver-farmingOther natural causes
Aryans moved into the Indus Valley around 1500 BCE – not sure if they caused the collapse or if they followed it
AryansA group of Indo-Europeans that migrated
into the Indus River Valley from the Caucasus Mountain Region
Aryan = Sanskrit world meaning noble
Little known about them
Sacred literature, the Vedas is all the archeologists have on themHence the name “Vedic Period”
Vedic PeriodSociety:Smaller villages than IRV civilizationSome villages grouped together under
regional leaders known as rajasRajas were also war leaders
Society was divided into four varnas (caste system)
Caste SystemDivided into 3 classes or castes:Priests (Brahmins) – highest ranking,
fewest in numberWarriors (Kshatriyas)Peasants (Vaisyas)
Non Aryans made up a fourth class (Sudras)
Caste System
People treated according to position in caste system
Born into caste for life
People outside caste system = “untouchables”Gravediggers, butchers, trash collectorsConsidered “impure”
Hinduism – Quick Facts
80% of the population in India practice Hinduism
World’s 3rd largest religion
Called “one of the oldest living religions”
No single founder
Where did Hinduism come from?
Named after the people on the southern side of the Sindu (Indus) River, as described in the Vedas, an ancient text
Ultimately spread through out the subcontinent, absorbing cultural and religious practices, but continuing to claim the Vedic tradition
Hindu ScripturesVedas: hymns of praise dating from
second millennium BCE; contain information gods, riturals, varnas (castes), duties of priests
Upanishads: reflections on the Vedas
Epics: Ramayana and MahabharataBhagavad-Gita is a 700 verse scripture that is part of the Mahabharata
Hindu Scriptures
Using the textbook, fill in the scriptures chartExplain what each scripture is how it is
important to Hinduism
God - BrahmanThe Universal Soul or Supreme power
To access and understand the workings of God in the world, people worship and pray to other manifestations of God
God is also trinity ofBrahma – creator Shiva – destroyer Vishnu – preserver
Dharma“Law of being”
Principle or law that orders the universe
Individual conduct in conformity with this principle
Sacred duty
Both spiritual and practical
Dictated byCasteAgeStation in life (single, married, parent, child)
KarmaAll deeds (even small ones) have an
effect (negative or positive)
The state of one’s soul (atman)
Cumulative impact of one’s actions
Your actions now impact your next life
SamsaraThe continuing cycle of the soul’s birth,
death, and rebirth
Reincarnation: the rebirth into another living form
Whether one achieves rebirth into a higher or lower station is result of karma
MokshaThe release from samsara (release from
the cycle of rebirth)
Reaching moksha is THE goal of spiritual Hindus
The merging of the individual soul (atman) with the Universal Soul (Brahman)