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Hinduism
an introduction
The Indian subcontinent includes areas that are now politically separate from India. The
Indus Valley, for instance, lies in what is now the Muslim state of Pakistan. Another
Muslim state was carved out of the eastern portion of India in 1947, becoming the
independent state of Bangladesh in 1972.
Basic overview
• Oldest of the world’s major religions
– Arguably should be more like 3-5 different religions,
but Western Imperialism lumped it all together
• No specific or known founder
• 3rd largest religion in the world: vast, vast, vast
majority of all Hindus live in modern day India
(about 900 million followers)
• Mono/Pantheistic (with polytheistic traditions)
• Belief in reincarnation after death and the
oneness of the soul
• Sacred Texts: Vedas, Upanishads,
Mahabharata, Ramayana, Puranas etc.
• Holy sites: Ganges, Mt. Meru
• Holy days: Diwali, Holi, Janmashtami
Topics from Intro (pp. 55-68)
for discussion
• Compare and contrast how religious scholars tried to get
a handle on Hinduism. Deduce what this tells us about
the religion, its impact and the difference between being
Hindu and Indian.
• Explain how the history of India dovetails with
Hinduism and informs our understanding of the
religion.
• Examine the importance of various texts in both a
written and oral tradition.
• To what extent did women and the lower classes
participate in the religious development of Hinduism?
• Explain the importance of the bhakti movement.
• Explain how the British impacted Hinduism & Indian
culture.
• Comment on how modern history & culture have
impacted Hinduism.
Why are we here?
• At the beginning of this era of the Universe,
Brahman—the great overarching being, the
absolute—was disrupted, splitting into trillions
of pieces
– Some say was broken by the sound Om; others say it
broke up by choice, wanting to experience many
parts of what life could be; others because it had to as
the world was being remade
• This happens once every 4.1 or 8.2 billion years
(depending on how you interpret the text) or one
full day and night for the God, Brahma
• Each yuga (epoch) is divided into four ages,
with humanity becoming more and more
degraded with the passing of each age
– Currently we are a few thousand years into the last
yuga, the Kali Yuga
What is the human condition?
• When the world was first made, the millions
of pieces of Brahman became Atman (souls)
which make up all sentient beings (anything
that can perceive and feel things)
• Now we are trapped in samsara (the cycle of
birth, life, death, rebirth)
• Everything action one takes, good or bad,
creates karma which goes on to effect one’s
future
• Bad karma leads the degradation of the
dharma (the notion of interconnectedness)
of the universe and descent into progressively
worse yugas
Where are we going?
• The ultimate goal is the return to Brahman
• To do this one must break samsara and achieve moksha
(liberation)
– After this, reincarnation will no longer occur
– Moksha can take several lifetimes to occur, according to some
readings. Or it could just be one…
• This was traditionally done by dharma (doing your duty;
the right way of living); but has been added to by yogic
practice
• When one has not achieved moksha, the atman will
instead by reincarnated. There are three main readings of
reincarnation:
1. based on karma determining station in new life
2. based on the atman’s desire to try new things
3. the atman has one attempt to be human
• If the atman cannot achieve moksha within the given
time, it is either 1.) condemned to a hell or 2.) destroyed as
unworthy of association with Brahman
How do we get there?
• There are four stated goals in life:
1.
2.
3.
4.
Dharma: one’s duty, role and righteousness
Artha: prosperity, providing for family, economic values
Kama: pleasure, love, psychological values
Moksha: spirituality & liberation from the cycle of
suffering
• #1 is the most important and takes priority over #s 2 & 3; doing
#s 1, 2, & 3 right leads to #4
• However, as the influence of capitalism & the West
enjoined Indian, addendums were made to dharma,
allowing people to be religious without staying in their
role. This became known as the yoke, or yoga
• The three yogic paths are:
1. Jnanamarga (salvation through knowledge)
2. Bhaktimarga (salvation through religious devotion)
3. Karmamarga (salvation through good actions)
How do we get there? II
• All this leads to four basic Hindu traditions (think of these as
schools of thought or ways to reach the same end):
1. Vedic tradition: emphasis on a return to the original
literature and structure of Vedic society—kinda like
fundamentalism
2. Devotional tradition: emphasis on prayer and worship of
traditional gods or their avatars (incarnations), like Vishnu
or Shiva and sacred texts like the Bhagavad Gita—makes
Hinduism seem more like a Western religion
3. Ascetic tradition: emphasis on extreme yoga to achieve
the divine. Sees the modern world as a hindrance to moksha
and wants to renounce most of it to get closer to God—like
the Amish.
4. Popular tradition: Emphasis on Hinduism within old
culture (sacredness of Ganges, Mt. Meru,) and key festivals,
while also adding the popular deities of the time era as well
as the culture of India (diet, arranged marriage, etc.)—this
tends to put more superstition into the religion
Why are we here?
Creation & Cosmology (pp. 84-86 & 88-91)
• Describe early puja (ritual). Explain what it
tells us about the culture, values, society and
people of early Hinduism.
• Explain the view of the world order and gods
as contained in the Rig Veda
• Examine the importance of fire & Agni.
• Discuss what is meant by “sacrifice” in the
Rig Veda.
• Compare and contrast themes in the
“Creation Hymn” & “The Birth of the Gods.”
Why are we here?
More Creation & Cosmology
• After the Vedas there are several different creation and
cosmology stories expounded
– Most clear and most popular come from the tales of the Gods,
known as the Puranas
• This is when the old Vedic gods of various objects leave us to be
replaced by anthropomorphic Gods
• Creation Myth:
– In the beginning there was Brahman who desired to create
something out of the chaos of the universe. He removed
darkness, created water and planted a seed, which grew into an
egg. Out of the egg came Brahma who created all the other
worlds (there are about 40, including 28 hells—big ones are
earth, world of the gods and world of the ancestors). He then
let the egg sit for a year and through concentrated thought,
split it in two, creating heaven and earth, adding water and salt
around the earth—separating it from other worlds. He then
created Manu the first human, who had 24 children creating all
the good and bad desires of humanity, which Brahma took and
manifested into the forms of other gods, devas, asuras, etc.
Why are we here?
More Cosmology & the Caste System
• From Manu
would spring the
rest of
humanity. Manu
lived in a perfect
age where all
dharma was
done in
harmony, but as
the ages
degraded the
varna (caste)
system was
needed
Why are we here?
Gods
• As Aryan society replaced Dravidian society, the Gods
changed, becoming the popular Hindu Gods today
– Old Vedic Gods still played some role, especially Agni,
Indra, and Surya
• Three major Gods known as the trimurthi: Brahma
(the creator), Vishnu (sustainer) and Shiva (destroyer)
– They also have avatars (incarnations)—Vishnu’s are the
most popular, Krishna and Ram(a)
• Tons of other gods, and like anything else they fall in
and out of style, currently Lord Ganesh, Kali, Durga,
Saraswati, and Hanuman are some of the more popular
ones
• Any modern Hindu will tell you that this is not
polytheism, but rather all manifestations of Brahman,
who is impossible to comprehend for humans
Brahma, Vishnu, Shiva
Ganesh
Kali
Durga
Nandi (Shiva’s ride)
Ganesh
Extremely
popular temple
for Vishnu and his
avatars mainly
Venkateswara
(in S. India—
involves walking
10K and climbing
4,000+ stairs to
show devotion)
Dancing Shiva
Puja to the goddess Lakshmi –
performed by women for family
wealth (done in home).
Why are we here?
The day Krishna left the Earth
(pp. 238-241, 245-250, & 263-267 )
• According to Hindu theory, the world starts out perfect and slowly
degrades over the course of several billion years
• These long epoch are divides into yugas. We are currently in last yuga of
this cycle, the Kali Yuga. At the end of it Vishnu will return as Kalki, a sort
of messianic figure.
• Explain how all of the Gods outside of the trimurti fit within the
context of Dharma, Artha and Kama in a Venn Diagram.
• Evaluate what the Puranas interpretation of time says about
Hindu beliefs and values
• Comment on the necessity of the caste system in Hinduism.
Evaluate how that informs religion’s role in society.
• Compare and contrast the values of Vaishnavites vs. Shaivites
• Explain the relevance of linga worship and the divine feminine
in in Hinduism. Deduce the impact of these values to the culture
and society of India
• Outline the differences between the yugas discussed.
• To what extent is the Hindu understanding of cosmology
reflected in the Puranas account of the destruction of the world?
Hinduism Socratic Seminar
• Texts: excerpts from The Ramayana of Valmiki
(pp. 196-209); The Bhagavad Gita (pp. 179195); “Feet like Lotus Powder” by Asan (pp. 380382); various bhakti poetry (pp. 480-485); Five
Tales by A.K. Ramanujan (pp. 582-588); “The
Gospel of Selfless Action” by Gandhi (pp. 640647); Midnight’s Children by Rushdie (pp. 698700) & “India’s war on biryani” from my website
• Discussion on roles and beliefs in Hinduism,
how they have changed, and how the old classics
have been reinterpreted in the modern sense.
• You will receive the talking points for HW the
night before.
• This is a (50 point) culminating grade.
What is the human condition?
the atman (pp. 176-177 & 183-188)
• Describe Arjuna’s problem and Krishna’s
solution.
• Outline what you believe a soul to be.
• Comment on the importance of a soul to the
theory of religion.
• Describe Krishna’s attributes and perception
of the soul.
• Explain how Krishna’s description of the soul
agrees with the principals of Hinduism.
Scenes from the Mahabharata in
Hastinapur
What is the human condition?/
Where are going?
Moksha, Samsara, Karma, & Reincarnation
• You have critically read the article from Kinsley’s
Central Hindu Beliefs on Actively Learn. Find a
partner or two that you have not worked with before.
Create web explaining how these ideas play into and
influence your understanding of Hinduism.
• At the center should be the atman, based on your
understanding from the Gita. Define it with the best
quote from the Gita you can find
• Do some further research online or in the classroom
textbook. Try to find example of where these same
ideas differ within Hinduism. Deduce what that
difference tells us about the variety and diversity of
Hinduism.
• Discuss: Is it accurate/fair/acceptable to lump all these
ideas under one umbrella term of Hinduism?
Where are we going?
Meditation, Hatha Yoga, & Asceticism (pp. 132-135)
• Define yoga, as you understand it, from this
passage and life. Compare and contrast both
ideas and goals.
• Explain what meditation is. Analyze its benefits.
• Meditation is begun and codified in and was
originally central to Hinduism, but popularity
has waned; very central to Buddhism.
• Hinduism is more likely to have extreme
ascetics as a way of showing bhakti (devotion)
– Also a form of jnana yoga—harnessing mind over
body.
Shaivite sadhu meditating in the
Himalayas at the source of the
holy Ganges River.
Ascetics sitting on beds of nails.
Where are we going?
Puja
• Spend the next fifteen minutes with a partner
researching puja in general and specific forms of
Hindu puja.
– Check out this live stream as an example
– Compare and contrast commonalities in the specific
forms of Hindu puja.
– Comment on how they correlate with prominent
Hindu ideas, stories, and rituals
• Cite your sources informally
• Turn in one sheet of paper per group—you may
want to each take a photo of it before handing it
in, so you have a copy of the notes.
Unused temple in S. India
Actively used
temples in India
Hindu temples in the US
“Kama sutra” temple
In-home puja to Ganesh
Where are we going?/
How do we get there?
Dharma
• To past generations of Hindus, dharma (doing one’s
role/duty) has been one of the core Hindu beliefs.
– With Imperialism & modern capitalism, that has waned
• This will preserve order and perpetuate the cycle of life.
(Almost like a circular great chain of being.)
• Traditionally this meant two things for men: 1.) Playing the
chosen role of your caste and 2.) following the
caturasrama (ideal life cycle for high caste males):
1.
2.
3.
4.
Early Life: student’s life, study—respect your teacher
Mid life: marry, have a family, raise kids, provide for a protect
them
Retirement: Go off with wife away from town and into forest—
apart but not completely cut off; begin religious work
End of life: go off by yourself (leave your wife), end world
attachment and become an ascetic, give old, wise advice, and
die.
How do we get there?
Artha & Kama
• Modern Hinduism states four goals for life, know as
Purusartha: dharma, artha, kama, and moksha
– When they conflict, dharma should take precedent over all
others.
– Moksha (if achieved) will be achieved at death
• Artha: wealth and righteousness
– This is key for all members of Hindu society, provided
(historically) they stay within their own caste
• Kama: pleasure and enjoyment; less important that artha
– In both the mental and physical (use your imagination)
• While Western religions generally condemn these two
ideas, most Eastern religions do not
• Both of these were originally done as way of incorporating
basic human desires into a sustainable religious system
• All of these should be achieved in balance not excess
How do we get there?
Jnana, Bhakti, Karma paths
Directions: You will have the next two days to
research and advertise your assigned form of
marga. You will then create a some sort of visual to
share with the class. Be sure to be comprehensive,
as there will be no additional lecture, and hit on all
forms of your path—origin, yoga, penance and
atonement, arcane and modern uses, etc. Finally,
each path should also have a further grounding and
analysis in Hindu scripture. So,
jnana (pp. 115-124)
bhakti (pp. 245-248, 267-273 & 480-481)
karma (pp. 106-108, 210-213, & 223-226)