Download India*s Great Civilizations

Classical India
600 B.C. – A.D. 600
Early Indians – Aryans
• Vedic Aryans entered India between 1,500
and 1,200 B.C. (Indo-European Migrants)
• They conquered the native Dravidian culture
by virtue of their superiority due to their
horses & iron weapons
Aryan Varnas (Social Classes)
• Brahmans – Priests – study and teach the Vedas,
perform religious ceremonies to please Aryan deities
& ensure welfare of people
• Kshatriyas – Warriors – study the Vedas, lead gov’t &
head the army
• Vaisyas – Common people: merchants, artisans,
farmers – tend herds, care for land; make & sell useful
products
• Sudras – Unskilled laborers, servants – serve other
varnas
• Pariahs – Slaves – perform tasks considered unclean
(also called “Untouchables”)
The Caste System
• Varnas were divided into smaller groups known
as jati (formed according to occupations)
• Europeans named this system of social classes
the caste system
– Born into group & cannot change
– Marry within group
• Dharma – duties of the males who belong to
each varna (societal roles)
Hinduism
• "Ekam sat viprah bahudah vadanti" (Truth, or God,
is one, but wise men call Him/It by different names)
• Most important gods: Brahma (the Creator);
Vishnu (the Preserver); Siva (the Destroyer)
• Every person has an essential self (atman), which
is part of one eternal spirit Brahman Nerguna
• Moksha - goal (reunited w/ Brahman Nerguna)
• Reincarnation continues through cycles of rebirth
until a soul reaches spiritual perfection
• Karma (how a person lives his/her life) determines
the form of the next life
• Ahimsa – nonviolence towards all living things
What do you
think happens when
people do not perform
their dharma?
How did the caste
system provide a
sense of order in
society?
New Religions
• During the 6th & 5th centuries B.C., new
religions and philosophies emerged that
rejected the brahmins’ superiority and
appealed to the interests of new social
classes.
• Hinduism goes through an evolution that
transforms it into a popular religion of
salvation seen through the great epics.
Jainism
• Mahavira (Nataputra
Vardhamana) –
teacher/founder who placed a
special emphasis on ahimsa
(about 500 B.C.)
• Rejected Brahmin
domination, sacrifices & the
caste system
• Refused to farm (for fear of
plowing under living things) &
turned to commerce
• Use a broom to sweep aside
insects
Buddhism
(Intro)
Siddhartha Gautama was
born about 563 B.C. into a
high ranking family of the
Kshatriya caste. A
prophet predicted that the
boy would someday
become a wandering holy
man. To stop that from
happening, Gautama’s
father kept him in the
palace, surrounded by
comfort and luxury. He
married a beautiful woman
and had a son who filled
his hours with joy.
Buddhism
(Intro 2)
Then one day, he rode beyond the palace gardens
and saw for the first time a sick person, an old
person & a dead body. The new awareness of
human suffering disturbed him. He left his
sleeping wife and child never to return. He set out
to discover “the realm of life where there is neither
suffering nor death.”
Buddhism
•
•
After meditating under a giant tree for 48 days,
he believed that he understood the cause and
cure for suffering & sorrow. He now became the
Buddha, the “Enlightened One.”
Four Noble Truths
1. All life is full of suffering, pain & sorrow.
2. The cause of suffering is the desire for things that
are really illusions, such as riches, power & long
life.
3. The only cure for suffering is to overcome desire.
4. The way to overcome desire is to follow the
Eightfold Path
Buddhism (cont.)
• The Eightfold Path: the right views, right
aspirations, right speech, right conduct, right
livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness and
right contemplation.
• Through meditation, a person might achieve
nirvana (union with the universe and release
from the cycle of rebirth)
• Accept the laws of karma, dharma &
nonviolence
• Rejected priests, formal rituals, the existence of
many gods and the caste system
Compare and contrast Hinduism & Buddhism
Buddhism (cont. 2)
• Buddhist monasteries grew into centers of
learning
• After his death, followers wrote down his
teachings into a sacred text, the Tripitaka or
“Three Baskets of Wisdom”
– “Let no one forget his own duty for the sake of
another’s, however great. Let a man, after he has
discerned his own duty, be always attentive to his
duty.”
– “Overcome anger by not growing angry. Overcome
evil with good. Overcome the liar by truth.”
Mahayana Buddhism:
“the greater vehicle”
• Changes from original Buddhism:
– Buddha viewed as devine
– Bodhisattvas (individuals who reached spiritual
perfection, but intentionally delayed nirvana to
help others
– Monasteries accepted gifts from wealthy
individuals
• Nalanda became famous as an educational
center
* The older, stricter faith survives as Theravada Buddhism.
Theravada Buddhism
Mahayana Buddhism
Reaching Nirvana is the ultimate
goal of the Theravada Buddhist.
Vow to be reborn in order to help all
other sentient beings reach Nirvana
first.
Strives for wisdom first .
Compassion is the highest virtue.
Centers on meditation, and requires
Encourages practice in the world
major personal dedication such as
and among the general community.
being a monk or nun.
Followed as a teaching or
Philosophy.
Followed with reference to higher
beings, more like a religion.
Moved primarily South and West
covering Indochina and Ceylon (SriLanka).
Early work written in Pali (e.g.
kamma, dhamma).
Moved Primarily North and West,
covering China, Korea, Japan, and
Tibet.
Early texts are in Sanskrit (e.g.
karma, dharma)
Emphasizes rules and education
Emphasizes intuition and practice
Politically conservative
Politically liberal
Hindu literature
• Vedas – “Books of Knowledge” which
formed the basis of Aryan religious
practices (oldest is the Rig Veda)
– Upanishads – a section that addresses
mystical questions
• Mahabharata – epic poem (100,000
verses)
– Bhagavad Gita – “Song of the Lord”
• Ramayana – epic poem (24,000 verses)
(These pieces of literature are written in Sanskrit)
Mauryan
Empire
(
B.C.)
• Founder - _____________________________
– Area: ____________________________________
– Achievements/Key Facts:
• _____________________________________________
• _____________________________________________
Mauryan Empire (cont.)
• Asoka (r.
-
B.C.)
– Known for:
________________________
– Changes:
• (1)____________________
______________________
• (2) Rock Edicts: _________
______________________
______________________
• (3) (public works) ________
______________________
______________________
Evaluate Asoka’s impact on India.
Gupta Empire
(A.D.
)
• Founder - _________________________
– Area: __________________________________
– Achievements/Key Facts:
• ___________________________________________
• ___________________________________________
Gupta as Golden Age
Golden Age - ___________________________
______________________________________
1. (Med.)______________________________
2. (Astr.)______________________________
3. (Astr.)______________________________
4. (Math)______________________________
5. (Math)______________________________
6. (Trade)_____________________________
___________________________________
Mathematical Achievements
•
•
•
•
Symbols “1-9” or “Arabic Numerals”
“Zero” as a numerical value & a place marker
The concept of infinity
The theorem bearing the name of the Greek
mathematician Pythagorus is found in the
Shatapatha Brahmana as well as the Sulba
Sutra, the Indian mathematical treatise, written
centuries before Pythagorus was born
• The Binary number system, essential for
computers, was used in Vedic verse meters
Write a paragraph on the contributions of the Gupta.