* Your assessment is very important for improving the workof artificial intelligence, which forms the content of this project
Download If YOU lived there
Survey
Document related concepts
Dharmaśāstra wikipedia , lookup
Buddhism and Hinduism wikipedia , lookup
California textbook controversy over Hindu history wikipedia , lookup
History of Shaktism wikipedia , lookup
Anti-Hindu sentiment wikipedia , lookup
Daṇḍa (Hindu punishment) wikipedia , lookup
Brahma Sutras wikipedia , lookup
Hinduism in Indonesia wikipedia , lookup
Dayananda Saraswati wikipedia , lookup
Invading the Sacred wikipedia , lookup
Women in Hinduism wikipedia , lookup
Indra's Net (book) wikipedia , lookup
Hindu views on evolution wikipedia , lookup
Neo-Vedanta wikipedia , lookup
Indigenous Aryans wikipedia , lookup
Transcript
s f • sm If YOU lived there ... Main Ideas 1. Indian society divided into distinct groups. 2. The Aryans formed a religion known as Brahmanism. 3. Hinduism developed out of Brahmanism and influences from other cultures. 4. The Jains reacted to Hinduism by breaking away. Your family are skillful weavers who make beautiful cotton cloth. You belong to the class in Aryan society who are traders, farmers, and craftspeople. Often the raja of your town leads the warriors into battle. You .adrnre their bravery but know you can never be one of them. To be an Aryan warrior, you must be born into that noble class. Instead, you have your own duty to carry out. How do you feel about remaining a weave The Big Idea Hinduism, the largest religion in India, developed out of ancient Indian beliefs and practices. BUILDING BACKGROUND As the Aryans migrated into India, they developed a strict system of social classes. As the Aryans' influence spread through India, so did their class system. Before long, this class system was a key part of Indian society. Key Terms caste system, p. 479 reincarnatien, p. 481 karma, p. 482 nonviolence, p. 483 .-tt~~; ••••••• Indian Society Divides As you read, take notes iiitIJ on Hinduism using a diagram like the one below. Pay attention to its origins, teachings, and other religions that developed alongside it. Other Religions As Aryan society became more complex, their society becarn divided into groups. These groups were largely organized _ people's occupations. Strict rules developed about how p • of different groups could interact. As time passed, these became stricter and became central to Indian society. The Varnas According to the Vedas, there were four main vamas, or divisions, in Aryan society. These vamas were • • • • Brahmins (BRAH-muhns), or priests, Kshatriyas (KSHA-tree-uhs),or rulers and warriors, Vaisyas (VYSH-yuhs),or farmers, craftspeople, and traders Sudras (soo-drahs), or laborers and non-Aryans. The Brahmins were seen as the highest ranking because performed rituals for the gods. This gave the Brahmins :. influence over the other vamas. 78 CHAPTER 19 --------------------------------------------------------.---Caste System The Varnas e rules of interaction between vamas stricter, the Aryan sodal order became complex. In time, each of the vamas an society was further divided into y castes, or groups. This caste system ed Indian society into groups based person's birth, wealth, or occupation. ne time, some 3,000 separate castes ed in India. The caste to which a person belonged ined his or her place in society. ever, this ordering was by no means anent. Over time, individual castes or lost favor in society as caste bers gained wealth or power. On rare ions, people could change caste. People in the lowest class, the Sudra , had hard lives. But there was a of people who were even worse off, p who didn't belong to any caste at They were called untouchables because Ie from the castes were not supposed ve contact with them. The only jobs to them were unpleasant ones, such ing animal hides and disposing of animals. As a result, they were seen as and were the outcasts of society. p their classes distinct, the Aryans oped sutras, or guides, which listed es for the caste system. For example, e could not marry someone from a nt class. It was even forbidden for e from one class to eat with people another. People who broke the caste could be banned from their homes their castes, which would make them chables. Because of these strict rules, spent almost all of their time with in their same class. Drawing Inferences Brahmins Brahmins were India's priests and were seen as the highest varna. Kshatriyas Kshatriyas were rulers and warriors. Yaisyas Vaisyas were farmers, craftspeople, and traders. Sudras Sudraswere workers and servants. How rson become a member of a caste? Why do you think priests were at the top of Indian society? HISTORY OF ANCIENT INDIA 479 • A universal spirit called Brahman created the universe and everything in it. Everything in the world is just a part of Brahman. • Every person has a soul or atman that will eventually join with Brahman. • People's souls are reincarnated many times before they can join with Brahman. • A person's karma affects how he or she will be reincarnated. Brahmanism Later Vedic Texts Religion had been an important part of Aryan life even before the Aryans moved to India. Eventually in India, religion took on even more meaning. Because Aryan priests were called Brahmins, their religion is often called Brahmanism. Over the centuries, Aryan Brahmins v ~ down their thoughts about the Vedas... time these thoughts were compiled collections called Vedic texts. One collection of Vedic texts des Aryan, religious rituals. For ex it describes-now __to perform sacri Priests prepared ani;nalS,·~foo.p../.or to be sacrificed in a fire. The believed that the fire would carry , offerings to the gods. A second collection of Vedic describes secret rituals that only c people could perform. In fact, the rt:: were so secret that they had to be do the forest, far from other people. The final group of Vedic texts are Upanishads (oo-PAHN-ee-shads), mas: which were written by about 600 These writings are reflections on the by religious students and teachers. The Vedas Focus ON READING Which were written first, the Vedas orthe Vedic texts? Aryan religion was based on the Vedas. There are four Vedas, each containing sacred hymns and poems. The oldest of the Vedas, the Rigveda, was probably written before 1000 BC It includes hymns of praise to many gods. This passage, for example, is the opening of a hymn praising Indra, a god of the sky and war. II The one who is first and possessed of wisdom when born; the god who strove to protect the gods with strength; the one before whose force the two worlds-were afraid because of the greatness of his virility [powel-]: he.O people, is Indra." -from the Rigveda, in Read;~g aooat t-he World, Volume I, edited by Paul Brians, et al 480 The god Brahma represents the creator aspect of Brahman. His four faces symbolize the four Vedas. CHAPTER 19 ~ Finding Main Ideas are the Vedic texts? Siva, the destroyer aspect of Brahman, is usually shown with four arms and three eyes. Here he is shown dancing on the back of a demon he has defeated. induism Develops e Vedas, the Upanishads, and the other edic texts remained the basis of Indian ----.' lgion-Iof centuries. Eventually, though, e ideas of these sacred texts began to end with ideas from other cultures. ple from Persia and other kingdoms in tral Asia, for example, brought their as to India. In time, this blending of as created a religion called Hinduism,] e largest religion in India today. ndu Beliefs e Hindus believe in many gods. Among m are three major gods: Brahma the ator, Siva the Destroyer, and Vishnu Preserver. At the same time , however , dus believe that each god is part of a gle universal spirit called Brahman. They 'eve that Brahman created the world and erves it. Gods such as Brahma, Siva, and hnu are different aspects of Brahman. In , HiIidus believe that everything in the rld is part of Brahman. Vishnu is the preserver aspect of Brahman. In his four arms, he carries a conch shell, a mace, and a discus, symbols of his power and greatness. Life and Rebirth According to Hindu teachings, everyone has a soul, or atman. This soul holds the person's personality, those qualities that make a person who he or she is. Hindus believe that a person's ultimate goal should be to reunite that soul with Brahman, the universal spirit. Hindus believe that their souls will eventually join Brahman because the world we live in is an illusion. Brahman is the only reality. The Upanishads taught that people must try to see through the illusion of the world. Since it is hard to see through illusions, it can take several lifetimes. That is why Hindus believe that souls are born and reborn many times, each time in a new body. This process of rebirth is called .~ More than 800 million people in India practice Hinduismtoday. reincarnation. Hinduism and the Caste System According to the traditional Hindu view of reincarnation, a person who has died is reborn in a new physical form. HISTORY OF ANCIENT INDIA 481 The type of form depends upon his or her was popular karma, the effects that good or bad actions have on a person's soul. Evil actions during Hindu one's life will build bad karma. A person with bad karma will be reborn into a lower life, Hinduism helped system in India. caste or as a lesser creature, an ant. In contrast, people all four vamas. to accept their places preserve the c Hinduism and Women good rebirth. This salvation Hinduism teaching society, through at all levels such as a pig or actions build good karma. People with good karma are born into a higher caste in their next lives. In time, good karma will bring salvation, or freedom from life's worries and the cycle of is called moksha. taught that each person had Early Hinduism taught that both men women could gain salvation. Howe Hinduism also taught that women w inferior to men. Women were not allows to study the Vedas or other sacred texts. Over the centuries, Hindu women ha gained more rights. This change has b a duty to accept his or her place in the world without complaint. This is called obeying one's dharma. People could build good karma by fulfilling the duties required of leaders like Mohandas Gandhi, who 1 the movement for Indian independen "As a result, many of the restrictions on their specific caste. Through placed on Hindu women reincarnation, Hinduism offered rewards to those who lived good lives. Even untouchables could be reborn into a higher caste. The Sacred Ganges Hindus believe that there are many sacred places in India. Making a pilgrimage to one of these places, they believe, will help improve their karma and increase their chance for salvation. The most sacred of all the pilgrimage sites in India is the Ganges River in the northeast. Known to Hindus as Mother Ganga,-the Ganges flows out of the Himalayas. In traditional Hindu teachings, however, the river flows from the feet of Vishnu and over the head of Siva before it makes its way across the land. Through this contact with the gods, the river's water is made holy. Hindus believe that bathing in the Ganges willpurify them and remove some of their bad karma. Although the entire Ganges is considered sacred, a few cities along its path are seen as especially holy.At these sites, pilgrims gather to bathe and celebrate Hindu festivals. Steps lead down from the cities right to the edge of the water so people can more easily reach the river. Summarizing Why is the Ganges a pilgrimagesite? 482 Hinduism CHAPTER 19 the result of efforts by influential Hin have been lift ~ Summarizing What facto determined how a person would be reborn? Jains React to Hinduism Although Hinduism was widely followed in India, not everyone agreed with its beliefs. Some unsatisfied people and groups looked for new religious ideas. One such group as the Iains (]YNz), believers in a religion called jainism (jv-ni-zuhm). J ainism was based on the teachings of a man named Mahavira. Born into the hatriya varna around 599 Be, he was appywith the control of religion by e Brahmins, whom he thought put too uch emphasis on rituals. Mahavira gave his life of luxury, became a monk, and blished the principles of J ainism. The J ains try to live by four principles: jure no life, tell the truth, do not steal, d own no property. In their efforts not injure anyone or anything, the Iains ctice nonviolence, or the avoidance of . lent actions. The Sanskrit word for this nviolence is ahimsa (uh-HIM-sah). Many . dus also practice ahimsa. The Iains' emphasis on nonviolence mes from their belief that everything is . e and part of the cycle of rebirth. J ains very serious about not injuring or killing y creature-humans, animals, insects, plants. They do not believe in animal ifice, such as the ones the ancient mins performed. Because they do not t to hurt any living creatures, Iains are etarians. They do not eat any food that es from animals. Identifying Points of View y do Jains avoid eating meat? You have learned about two religions that grew in ancient India-Hinduism and Iainism. Section 3, you will learn about a third religion that began there-Buddhism. UMMARY AND PREVIEW These Jain women are wearing masks to make sure they don't accidentally inhale and kill insects. Reviewing Ideas, Terms, and Places 1. a. Identify What is the caste system? b. Explain Why did strict caste rules develop? 2. a.ldentify What does the Rigveda include? b. Analyze What role did sacrifice play in Aryan society?_ 3. a. Define What is karma? b. Sequence How did Brahmanism develop into Hinduism? c. Elaborate How does Hinduism reinforce followers' willingness to remain within their castes? 4. a. Recall What are the four main teachings of Jainism? b. Predict How do you think the idea of nonviolence affected the daily lives of Jains in ancient India? Critical Thinking 5. Analyzing Causes Brahmanism Jainism Draw a graphic organizer like this one. Using your notes, explain how Hinduism developed from Brahmanism and how Jainism developed from Hinduism. FOCUS ON WRITING 6. Illustrating Hinduism Now you have another possible topic for your poster. How might you illustrate a complex religion like Hinduism? What pictures would work? HISTORY OF ANCIENT INDIA 483