sudras (servants, laborers) vaishyas (herders, farmers, merchants, craftspeople)...
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SudrasSudras(servants, laborers) (servants, laborers)
VaishyasVaishyas(herders, farmers, (herders, farmers,
merchants, craftspeople)merchants, craftspeople)
KshatriyasKshatriyas
(warriors)(warriors)
UntouchablesUntouchables
BrahminsBrahmins(priests)(priests)
Non-Aryans
Hinduism
HinduismHinduism
• One of the world’s oldest religions–Over 3,000 years old
• No single founder – Formed from the beliefs of the
diverse groups who settled in India• Original people of the Indus valley• Aryans
OriginsOrigins
• Developed from the Vedas– 3500 – 2500 years ago– Polytheism
• rituals and many gods
– Sacred texts – The Caste System
BrahmanBrahman
• One universal spirit• Appears as many different gods – This gave people a concrete way to
worship and understand an impersonal god
AtmanAtman
• The individual soul of human beings
MokshaMoksha
• Ultimate goal of Hinduism
• Union with the universal spiritual force (Brahman) – Release from
worldly cares and difficulties
• Atman + Brahman = Moksha
ReincarnationReincarnation
• Sometimes called Samsara
• Atman is reborn into the world after death
• Continues until union with the Brahman
DharmaDharma
• Spiritual and moral duties that must be followed
KarmaKarma
• All of the deeds of a person’s life
• Allows people to continue towards Brahman
• Goods deeds– Reincarnated into a
higher castes• Bad deeds– Reincarnated into a
lower caste or stuck in the same level
Sacred TextsSacred Texts
• Vedas • Upanishads–Nature of the
world and meaning of life
• Ramayana and Mahabharata – Epic poems –Discuss
importance of following dharma
Hindu GodsHindu Gods• Vishnu– The preserver
god• Appears as ten
different avatars
Krishna with his consort Radha ; appears in the Mahabharata
ShivaShiva
• God of destruction• Constructive
destruction
Shiva with his wife, Parvati, and his son Ganesha
How Ganesha got his Elephant Head
• Parvati (Ganesha’s mom) told him to stay outside her bath and allow no one to enter
• Shiva arrived, and because he had been away for a long time, Ganesha didn’t recognize his dad
• When Ganesha refused to allow Shiva to enter, Shiva cut off his head
• Parvati refused to allow Shiva into her bedroom unless Ganesha was returned to life
• Shiva took the head from the next animal to appear, and restored Ganesha to life with an elephant’s head
All of the many Hindu deities are manifestations of the spirit Brahman
• What is the ultimate goal of Hinduism?
• What is the connection between reincarnation and the caste system?
• Identify one sacred Hindu text.