Download THE ISRAELITES History Part I: The Exodus

Hinduism
The Aryan Migration
• c. 2000 BCE, Aryans began moving, looking for new areas
to settle.
• Their languages spread…
– forms basis of Indo-European languages.
• They conquered most of India and formed a society with
strict class
divisions.
• These classes are
called castes.
The Caste System
•
•
•
•
•
There were four varnas (social classes).
Within each varna there were hundreds of different castes.
Each caste was ranked—one above the other.
You were born into your caste. You couldn’t change.
Castes determined:
– Who you could
marry.
– What jobs you
could have.
– How you would be
treated by others.
HINDUS PRAYING
BRAHMAN
MULTIPLE GODS
DHARMA
KARMA
SAMSARA
Hinduism in
• Approximately
one billion
followers
worldwide.
• About 90% of
them live in
India.
• About 80% of
Indians believe in
Hinduism.
st
21
century
Multiple Gods
• Hindus believe there are literally thousands of
gods and goddesses!
The Trinity
• Brahma: the Creator
– Four heads—each head
continually recites one of the four
Vedas.
– Often depicted with a white
beard, because of the near eternal
nature of his existence.
– Holds no weapons in his four arms,
unlike most other Hindu Gods.
– Brahma’s “consort” is Saraswati,
the goddess of learning.
The Trinity
• Vishnu: the Preserver
– Maintains order and often
appears in order to restore peace
in troubled times.
– Each time he returns to restore
order using a different “avatar”
or earthly incarnation
• Rama and Krishna are two of the
most well-known.
– Lakshmi, goddess of luck, is his
consort.
The Trinity
• Shiva: the Destroyer
– Also seen as providing creative
possibility for reconstruction—his
name can mean “purifier” as well.
– Often seen (as here) dancing upon
the demon of ignorance, and often
wears snakes.
– The Ganges River flows from his
hair.
– His consort is Parvati, mountain
goddess.
Other Hindu Gods
• Saraswati
– Brahma’s consort
– Goddess of the Saraswati River
(which ran near the Indus River)
• Thus she is a goddess of purification
and nourishment.
– Goddess of intelligence,
consciousness, cosmic knowledge,
creativity, education,
enlightenment, music, the arts,
and power
• Mother of the four Vedas
Other Hindu Gods
• Durga
– A fiercer form of Parvati,
Shiva’s consort.
– The Mother Goddess.
– Depicted as having 10 arms,
riding a lion or a tiger, carrying
weapons, maintaining a
meditative smile, and
practicing mudras, or symbolic
hand gestures.
– Mother of Ganesha.
Other Hindu Gods
• Kali
– The dark goddess
– A fearful and ferocious form of
the mother goddess Durga.
– Her tongue protrudes from her
mouth, her eyes are red, and her
face and body are covered with
blood.
– She stands with one foot on the
thigh, and another on the chest
of her husband, Shiva.
Other Hindu Gods
• Ganesha
– One of the most popular
gods.
– He is the lord of success and
destroyer of evils and
obstacles.
– Also worshipped as the god
of knowledge, wisdom and
wealth.
Other Hindu Gods
• Lakshmi
– Means "Good Luck" to Hindus.
– Goddess of wealth and prosperity,
both material and spiritual.
– She is the household goddess of
most Hindu families, and a
favorite of women.
– Usually standing on a fullbloomed lotus and holding a lotus
bud, which stands for beauty,
purity and fertility.
Other Hindu Gods
• Rama
– The most perfect avatar of
the Supreme Protector
Vishnu.
– Embodies truth, morality,
the ideal son, the ideal
husband, and, the ideal
king.
– He is widely believed to be
an actual historical figure.
– His story forms the great
Hindu epic of Ramayana.
Other Hindu Gods
• Hanuman
– Very popular god
– Believed to be an avatar
of Lord Shiva
– Symbolizes physical
strength, perseverance
and devotion.
– Helped Lord Rama in his
expedition against evil
forces.
Other Hindu Gods
• Krishna
– An avatar of Vishnu.
– Another popular god.
– Played the flute.
– Had as many as 16,000 wives.
– In the Mahabharta he gives a
speech known as the Bhagavad
Gita (a short book in and of
itself) preaching that you must
do your duty (dharma) even if it
is difficult or painful.