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Hinduism….and YOU!
Vocab
• Vedas- the eternal truth
– Their texts (bible)
• Trimurti- The Trinity (Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva).
• Varna- The priests or Brahmins
• Vaishyas- Traders and farmers
• Kshatriyas- warriors
• Shudras- menials and servants
• Atman- Eternal Soul
• Karma- Moral law
• Moksha- Release from Reincarnation.
• Brahman- God
More Vocab!
• Margas- Paths to Moksha
• Juana-Margas- The way of knowledge or insight
• Karma-marga- The way of action or appropriate
works
• Bhakti-marga- the way of devotion to Brahman.
• Maya- The power of Brahman to make things
manifest.
• Darhma- a guide to appropriate behavior
• Avatara- Forms of Brahman (decent)
• Mantras- sacred chants that turn random sound
into power and order
Hinduism
The eternal Truth
• Hinduism is the name given in the 1800’s to
describe a broad range of religions in India.
• The written language is called Sanskrit.
• Hinduism in Sanskrit is called Sindhu
– This means river and it refers to people of the indus
valley.
– 80% of India’s one billion population considers
themselves Hindu’s.
– There are many different versions of Hinduism within
India, but they all go by the same guidelines.
Hinduism
• Hinduism is one of two longest surviving
religions.
– Judaism is the other.
• Its roots sprang from the Indus valley in 2500
B.C.
– That’s close to 4500 years ago!
• When the Aryan’s invaded India in 1500 BC
they brought certain Vedas to the Hindus.
Hinduism
• The Vedas is the equivalent to the Bible to the
Hindus.
• There are four Vedas
– Sambitas
– Brahmanas
– Upanishads
– Sutras
• This is also known as Shruti.
– In Sankrit it is known as “that which is heard”.
Hinduism
• There are other texts, like the Shruti
– Which has Ramayana and the mahabharata
• This contains the epic poem the Bhagavad Gita.
• In the Vedas, its characterized by elemental
gods and goddesses.
– These will later form the Trimurti of the gods
Brahman, Shiva and Vishnu
– The Rig Veda text consists mainly of hymns and
prayers addressed to them.
Hinduism
• The religious undertone of Hinduism became
a part of society, it hinted at a sort of caste
system.
– This wasn’t intentional because the religion is
about how to live a life of appropriateness.
• The caste system were known as Fati.
– It developed when the religion became more
theocracy the priest became dominate.
Fati
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Fati order was this:
Brahmins- Priests
Kshatriyas- warriors
Vaishyas- traders and servants
Shudras- menials and servants
– These are called the outcastes and untouchables
– This group perform the foulest and most polluting
tasks.
Fati
• The caste system still dominates India today.
• The Indian government has tried to change
the way society thinks about the Shudras but
have been unsuccessful.
Brahma and Atman
• Brahma- is the Hindu’s version of God
– He is the Creator
• He is the essence of everything living
including the Atman
– Atman is the eternal soul
• This Atman has been reborn million of times
in different forms
– The form depends on Karma
Brahma and Atman
• Karma- is the moral law of the universe
– The universe is made up of Brahma
– Our sense of Karma is reward and punishment during
life
– It actually is the law that is very impersonal and very
certain like gravity.
– Depending if you have lived the life of Margas,
depends if you are reborn as something of higher
standing or lower standing.
• Margas is the way of appropriate behavior.
Brahma and Atman
• The whole point of life is to reach the point of
Moksha
– Moksha- is the point of release
– In Moksha, your eternal soul goes back to be
apart of Brahman and the universe, you’re never
to be reborn again!
• There are several ways to get to Moksha and
these ways are called Margas.
Margas
• Juana-Margas- this is the way of knowledge or
insight.
– This way believes the more knowledge of the world
you know the better your chances of Moksha.
• Karma-marga- is the way of action and
appropriate works.
– By good works, you enter the state of Moksha
• Bhakti-marga- the way of devotion to God.
– By worshipping the gods, they will grant you Moksha.
Margas
• There are several application in the margas
– An example is Yoga.
• Means “Individual holiness”
• Most of these margas are of progress toward
Moksha.
– They share a belief in Maya and Dharma.
• Maya- is the power of Brahman or God to make
things manifest.
– When people impose wrong views on appearance,
the world becomes illusory and ensnaring.
• Therefore the basic ill is ignorance or Avidya
Margas
• Dharma means appropriate behavior.
• Hinduism can be mapped out by Dharma!
– It is a path to a good rebirth and to Moksha.
– Another name for Hinduism is Sanatana Dharma
• Or Everlasting Dharma.
• Along with the margas, there are different
types of stages or desirable goals that all
Hindus most go through.
Purushartha
• These four goals are called Purushartha
– Or Desirable goal
• These four are:
– Dharma- appropriate behavior
– Artha – the pursuit of legitimate worldly success
– Kama- the pursuit of legitimate pleasure
– Muksha – release of the eternal soul
Ashramas
• With the Purushartha there are the Ashramas
• The Ashramas are stages of life that each
Hindu are expected to pass thorugh.
• There are four of them:
• Brahmacarya- A student
• Griharstha- A house holder
• Vanaprastha-one who withdraws for reflection
• Samnyasin- world-recouncer
Margas
• Another paths say that Muksha could not be
attained unless you detach all feeling from the
world
– This includes polluting and repulsive things.
– Some extreme cults live in cremation grounds.
– They also eat, wine, meat, fish, parched grain.
• This is called pancamacra
Help in Margas
• Hindus, who do not how to start in the ways
of Margas, find help.
– Gurus, philosophers and to them, help from
Brahman.
• Brahman, to Hindus, is the source and
pervader of all appearance who is present in
humans as atman.
– The soul.
Brahman’s help
• In the help of finding Muksha during the Margas,
Brahman is thought to manifest in many forms
– Even in the form of a female
• The feminine deity is extremely reverend.
• The form that Brahman takes is called avatara
– Avatara- to descend
– The most important avatars are Vishnu, as Krishna.
– Others would be Vishnu, Shakti and Shiva
– The worshipers of these Avatars are called:
– Vaishnavas (Vishnue), Shaivas (Shiva) and Shaktas
(Shiva)
Worship
• Darshan- this means worship
• Is a viewing image and puja (ritual) is of
paramount importance.
– In the home or in the temple
• The temple is build to house the image of
Brahman
– And to bring his presence into it through ritual
• The temple is built in accordance with the
structure of the universe.
– Leading up to the highest point above the image
of Brahman.
Darshan
• Entering into the sacred power of the universe
is also achieved through different kinds of
cosmic diagrams
• These are called Yantras and mandalas.
• This is also summed up in Mantras
• Mantras are sacred chants that turn random sound into
power and order
• The most powerful of them all is OM or AUM.
• It is the sound used in mystical contemplation.
Shiva the Destroyer
• It is believed that Brahman has different forms, He
is creator but he is also destroyer…
• The Destroyer form is called Shiva.
– Shiva is the third in the Hindu trinity or Trimurti.
• Vishnu and Brahma are the other three.
• He is everything and therefore appears in many
different forms.
– He is creator, destroyer and perserver and is often
depicted with three faces.
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Two opposites, such as male and female
Great yogi and deligent householder
Bhairava the destroyer and the giver of rest.
Third is serene and peaceful reconciling all of the sides.
Shiva the Destroyer
• In the Shiva Purana text, he has over 1000 names.
– Some are Mashevara, Lord of Knowldedge.
– Mahakala, Lord of time.
• His city is Varanasi and anyone who dies there will go
straight through death to Shiva.
– Even if they are burdened by bad Karma
• Shiva is often worshiped through the linga (male
energy surrounded by the Yoni, the female source of
life)
– According to the shiva purana it is not the linga that
is worshipped, but the one whose symbol it is.