Download Learning About Hindu Beliefs

Learning About Hindu Beliefs
HISTORY ALIVE
CHAPTER 15
Hinduism:
India’s first major religion
The Origins of Hinduism
 Began before recorded
history.
 2,000 B.C.E. people
called Aryans migrated
to northern India.
 Believe Hinduism existed
at Mohenjodaro.
Vedas
 Early Hindu religion is
called Vedism.
 Vedas are a collection of
sacred texts (writings)
written in Sanskrit.
 The word Veda means
“knowledge”
Sanskrit
 An ancient language of
India.
Brahmanism
 An ancient Indian
religion in which the
Brahmins (priests and
religious scholars) are
the dominant class.
 The Brahmins became
important because they
would perform the
rituals and interpret the
Vedas correctly.
Hinduism and the Caste System
 Hinduism became a way
of life in India.
 Brahmanism taught that
a well organized society
was divided into social
classes.
 Europeans later called
this the caste system.
 Caste-a class, or group,
in Hindu society.
The Vedas Describe the Main Social Classes
 Brahmins (priests and
religious scholars)
 Duty to study and teach
the Vedas
 Held the top place in the
caste system
The Vedas Describe the Main Social Classes
 Kshatriyas (rulers and
warriors)
 Duty to become skilled
with weapons
The Vedas Describe the Main Social Classes
 Vaishyas (herders and
merchants)
The Vedas Describe the Main Social Classes
 Shudras (servants)
 Held the lowest place in
the caste system.
Untouchables
 Over the centuries a fifth
class developed, called
the untouchables.
 People whose jobs were
considered lowly.
 Handle garbage.
 Dead animals.
Untouchables
 Could not enter temples
or attend schools.
 Hindus avoided looking
or touching them.
Hindu Beliefs About Brahman
 Brahman is the Hindu
name for supreme power
or diving force, that is
greatest than all the
other deities.
Hinduism
 Hinduism sees time
going around in a circle.
 Brahman is constantly
creating, destroying, and
re-creating the universe.
 The cycle never ends.
Brahman
 Everything in the world
is a part of Brahman
including the human
soul.
 Through their own souls
people are connected to
Brahman.
Ancient Hindu Temples
 Built great temples in the
sixth century C.E.
 The doors always face
east, toward the rising
sun.
 Buildings are covered
with beautiful carvings
and sculptures.
Hindu Temples
 Modern Hindus continue
to visit temples to
express their love of the
deities.
 Visitors often sit quietly
and meditate.
 At other times they give
thanks, make requests,
and take part in rituals.
Hindu beliefs about Deities
 In Hinduism, deities are
the forms that represent
the various qualities of
Brahman.
Most Important Hindu Deities
 Brahma
 Vishnu
 Shiva
 Each deity controls one
aspect of the universe.
Brahma
 Creates the universe.
Vishnu
 Preserves the Universe.
 Sometimes portrayed as
having blue skin and six
arms.
 Extra arms are symbols
of strength.
Shiva
 Destroys the Universe.
Devi
 She embodies the female
powers of the universe.
Hindu Beliefs about Dharma
 Dharma stands for law,
obligation, and duty.
 To follow one’s dharma
means to perform one’s
duties and so to live as
one should.
Common Dharma
 Set of values
 Marriage is important
 Sharing food with others
 Caring for one’s soul
 Nonviolence
 All life forms have a soul.
 Reverence of life
symbolized by the cow.
 Cows gave milk, butter,
and leather.
Hindu beliefs about Karma
 Karma explains the
importance of living
according to dharma.
 Law of karma governs
what happens to people’s
souls after death.
 Karma is made up of all
the good and evil a
person has done in their
life.
Hindu Beliefs
 If people lived well, then
they might be born into a
higher class in the next
life.
 If they lived badly, they
could expect to be born
into a lower class.
Mahatma Gandhi
 Taught that all people
should be treated fairly
including the
untouchables.
 Untouchables are also
children of God.
 Today Indian Law
protects the rights of all
people.
 The caste system is less
strict.
Hindu Beliefs about Samsara
 Samsara is a continual
cycle of birth, death, and
rebirth.
 Samsara ends when the
soul escapes from the
cycle of rebirth and is
united with Brahman.
Reincarnation
 The belief that a person’s
soul is reborn into a new
body after death.
Pilgrimages
 A journey to a holy place.
 The Indians would travel
to sacred places like the
Ganges and Sarasvati
Rivers.
 Difficulty of journey
would cleanse them from
their sins.
 Faithful Hindus still
make pilgrimages today.
Hindu Monks
 Are called sannyasins.
 They devote their entire





lives to attaining
enlightenment.
The meditate
They recite prayers
Perform breathing
exercises
Sing sacred songs
Practice yoga
The End