Download Hinduism-early beginnings

Overview
Beginnings of Hinduism may date as far back as the earliest civilizations in India in
the Indus Valley region.
Hinduism
Hinduism may have begun as a blend of older Indian religious beliefs with the
religious beliefs of a new, conquering group of people called the Aryans.
Early Beginnings
The caste system was an important aspect of Hinduism until recently.
The earliest Hindus mainly worshiped gods of sun and fire and storm and practiced
elaborate fire rituals to connect with them.
The earliest Hindu scriptures are the Vedas.
The Vedas were composed over a long period of time and are concerned with
everything from rituals to philosophy.
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Timeline
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Indus Civilization
The history of Hinduism spans at least 3500 years from the beginnings of written
scripture to present day.
Origins of Hinduism are probably even older than the written scripture.
The earliest known culture on the Indian subcontinent existed some 4500
years ago (2500 BCE).
The history of Hinduism is divided into five broad periods:
Speculative Period: 800-400 BCE
Major cities of the Indus Valley included Harappa and Mohenjo-daro. The
populations of these cities were around 40,000 people and they had
advanced technology for the time (such as plumbing systems).
Epic/Classical Period: 400 BCE- 600 CE
They had a written language, but we have not deciphered it.
Medieval Period: 600-1800 CE
Archaeologists have found some evidence that they had some religious
practices.
Formative Period: 2500-800 BCE
Modern Period: 1800CE- Present
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Theories about the Origins
of Hinduism
The Caste System
The caste system is a series of classes into which
people are born and can never escape.
Hinduism may have come from a combination of Indian beliefs and Aryan
beliefs.
Early Hindu scriptures are written in Sanskrit. Sanskrit is an Indo-European
language and belongs to the same family of languages as Greek, Latin,
English, Spanish, Farsi and other languages spoken in northern and
Western India.
The caste system also determines what sort of work a
person can do, who they can marry and what their
social status is.
It is thought that the Aryans (from Europe) invaded the Indian region
between 2000 BCE-1500 BCE.
There are also “contact” taboos that regulate who you
could touch without “polluting” them.
Not everyone agrees with this theory because it implies that Indian culture
and religion was “originally” European.
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The Caste System
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The Caste System
The caste system consisted of four major castes, or
varnas.
Outside of the four major castes was a group of people considered
completely beneath the rest.
Brahmin (priest) - mouth
The Untouchables made up 1/4 of the Indian population.
Kshatriya (warrior/noble) - arms
This group did the most undesirable or polluting jobs, such as cleaning
toilets.
Vaishya (merchant/craftsmen/farmer) -legs
Gandhi, in an effort to end caste discrimination, renamed this group Harijan,
or children of God.
Shudra (peasant) - feet
Today this group calls themselves the “dalit” or oppressed peoples.
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The Caste System
Early Hinduism
Earliest forms of Hinduism are often called Vedic.
Discrimination against the untouchables became illegal
in 1947, after India gained independence from Britain.
Emerged during the Formative Period (2500-800BCE).
Characterized by practice of fire rituals performed by priests of the brahmin caste.
Caste system is still somewhat practiced as some
people still marrying only within their caste.
Fire rituals were used to communicate with the gods and help restore order to the
universe.
Vedic gods were seen as inhabiting the earth, the atmosphere and the sky.
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Vedic Gods
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Dyaus Pitr
Some of the most important Vedic gods include:
Dyaus Pitr (shining father)
A father diety who ruled the entire pantheon of gods
and goddesses
Aditi (mother of the gods)
Indra (god of storm and war)
Most of the important deities of this time were male.
Agni (god of fire)
Rudra (god of the winds)
The female goddesses, such as Aditi and Ushas, were
rarely mentioned in Vedic scriptures.
Surya (a sun god),
Varuna (god of sky and justice)
Vishnu (god of cosmic order)
Ushas (goddess of the dawn)
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Agni: God of Fire
Had a special role in early Hinduism
Agni is seen as a messenger between this world and
the heavens, taking the smoke from the sacrifices up to
the other gods.
Agni also has several forms. On earth, Agni was the
god of fire. In the atmosphere, he was lightning. In the
sky, he was the sun.
Agni: God of Fire
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Soma
Soma is the god of the moon. He is also known as Chandra (which is my
wife’s last name!) He rides through the sky in a chariot drawn by white
horses.
Soma is also the god of altered states of consciousness and bliss. As
such, Soma is a Sanskrit term for a psychedelic drug/drink consumed by
other gods, especially Indra and Agni.
The moon is the storehouse for this elixir. When the gods drink soma, it is
said that the Moon wanes because the gods are drinking. It is this way that
they achieve immortality. The moon is replenished when it waxes.
Soma: The Moon God
There are many theories today about what plant or plants were used to
produce soma, but no one knows exactly what it was.
Aldous Huxley makes reference to soma in Brave New World.
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Hindu Scriptures
Earliest Hindu scriptures are called the Vedas.
The initial four Vedas were begun in 1500BCE and
completed in 900BCE.
The four Vedas are called:
Rig Veda
Yajur Veda (ceremonial knowledge)
Movement from New to Full
Sama Veda (chant knowledge)
Atharva Veda (knowledge from a well-known
teacher)
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Later Vedic Scriptures
The Creation of the World
The later Vedic scriptures were written between
1000 and 500 BCE. They include the:
The Rig Veda is the most important of the Vedas.
Brahmanas
It provides detailed instructions for the Vedic fire rituals.
It also contains various accounts for the creation of the world.
Aranyakas
One account is that the world was created from the body of a superperson named
Purusha.
Upanishads
The Brahmans were mainly an elaboration of
instructions regarding rituals that were in earlier
Vedas, but the Aranyakas and Upanishads
heralded new developments within Hinduism
The separation of Purusha’s body is used in the Rig Veda to justify the existence of
the caste system.
It is written that Purusha’s mouth became the Brahmin, his arms became the
Kshartriyas, his thighs became the vaishyas, and his feet became the Shudra.
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Aranyakas
Upanishads
Called “forest book”
The Upanishads singled a major shift from the
Formative to the Speculative period.
describes how Vedic rituals can be performed by
forest-dwelling ascetics.
It is the most philosophical and metaphysical in
tone.
This shows that there were some Hindus seeking
spiritual perfection through ascetic practices like living
outdoors, practicing silence, and restricting their diets.
They are written in the form of dialogues and
explore the nature of the universe, the role of the
individual, and the goal of life.
Asceticism describes a life-style characterized by
abstinence from worldly pleasures.
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Upanishads
The philosophical core of Hinduism as it exists right up
to today can be found within the Upanishads.
Significantly, by the time the Upanishads were
completed, Hinduism was already in conversation with
Buddhism.
This undoubtedly had some influence on the directions
in which Hinduism developed.
Sycretastic!
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