Download Indian Philosophy

Indian Philosophy
Exam Review
THE BHAGAVAD-GITA
THE RAMAYANA
Krishna, avatar of Vishnu, and Arjuna, his
devotee
 “Arjuna, see my forms in
hundreds and thousands,
diverse, divine, in many
colors and shapes.
 See the sun gods, gods of
light, howling storm
gods, twin gods of dawn,
and gods of wind,
Arjuna, wondrous forms
not seen before.”

(Gita 624)
Rama, avatar of Vishnu, and loyal wife, Sita
Manthara, evil hunchback servant of Kaikeyi
 “Consumed with rage,
the malevlolent
Manthara approached
Kaikeyi as she lay upon
her couch, and said, “Get
up, you foolish woman,
how can you lie there
when danger is
threatening you? Do you
realize that a flood of
human misery is about to
overwhelm you?”
(Ramayana, 587)
Vishnu, the Divine Preserver
Shiva, the Divine Dissolver
 Shiva’s dance represents
both the destruction and
the creation of the
universe and reveals the
cycles of death, birth and
rebirth.
 Shiva stands for letting
go of everything in the
world of forms.
Brahma, the Divine Creator
 Brahma is traditionally
depicted with four heads,
four faces and four arms.
With each head he
continually recites one of
the four Vedas. He is often
depicted with a white
beard, indicating the near
eternal nature of his
existence. He is shown as
having four arms, with
none holding a weapon,
unlike most other Hindu
gods.
Brahman, Universal Energy (Aum)
Karma: doctrine of cause and effect
Oh, THAT Karma!
Maharishi Mahesh Yogi w/Beatles
Holi Festival: India, 2011
Dharma: faith, teachings, path of life
 The dharma-wheel
represents the path of
righteousness that a
person should follow if
he or she is to achieve a
balanced life.
 If you do all of these
things right, then you
will be freed from the
cycle of rebirth.
Moksha: freedom from the cycle of reincarnation
OM: the divine sound
Ramayana: The Six Virtues and the Levels of
Good and Evil
 Benevolence
 Compassion
 Learning
 Good Character
 Restraint
 Equanimity
 “When the lord of the
world is hurt so is all the
world, as the fruit and
flowers of the tree are
hurt by an injury to its
root.”
Bhagavad-Gita: Moral Dilemmas
 The body is
temporal, but the
soul is immortal.
Therefore, we are
to go forth and
fight against evil
in all of its
forms—moral,
natural, and
metaphysical. We
are not to be
distracted by
material illusion.