Hinduism
Way of Noise- Brahman- Priestly, ritually orientated, Vishnu, seems to have originated with the Aryan invasion
Way of Silence- Shraman- Yogi, meditation, Shiva, many practices seems to have been indigenous to the Indian subcontinent
Vedas: timeline, content, importance, the main gods in the Vedas, and the Vedic commentaries
• The term Vedas can refer to either the four main Vedas: Rig Veda, Yajur Veda, Sama Veda, and Artharva Veda, or the term can refer to the wider Hindu sacred literature which are: the Aranyakas, the Brahamanas, and the Upanishads. (For testing and clarification purposes, we will use the more limited use of the term and consider the other texts as commentaries on the Vedas.)
1. Rig Veda- 1,000 hymns
Most important and oldest of the four Vedas, means “sacred lore.”
Contains over a thousand hymns to the various gods.
The text is organized into ten books and are hymns, mandalas, dedicated to the various gods.
2. Magjur Veda- Rites
Second oldest book of the Vedas, means “knowledge of rites.”
Mostly concerned with material (mantras) to be recited during sacrifices.
3. Sama Vedas- chants
Third oldest of the Vedas, means “knowledge of chants.”
Mostly deals with chants which are performed during sacrifices and prescribes the proper pitch and melody those chants.
4. Arthar veda- popular
The youngest and second most important Veda, means “knowledge given by Atharva.”
Incorporates prayers, spells, magic, and incantations.
Seems to represent the popular (or non-priestly, ritual) religious practices and aspects, which would be practiced at home for example.
Significance of Vedas
• The Vedas have been described to represent the “dawn” of Hindu religious life and is the basis of Hindu religious society.
• The main theme of the Vedas is the concept of order.
– This conception of order operates at three levels: Cosmic order – rta Social order – dharma, Moral order – karma.
• The commentaries to the Vedas are: the Brahmanas, the Aranyakas, and the Upanishads.
• All of the individual Vedas have their own commentaries and these commentaries are also considered sacred.
• The Brahmanas are commentaries on the proper way of performing the various rituals in the Vedas.
• The Aranyakas, or “forest treatise,” deal with dangerous rituals and sacrifices which should only be learned in the forests.
*Upanishads- see below*
Most important gods in the Vedas are:
a. Indra – god of the thunderbolt, clouds, ruler of heaven, god of the soma, destroys the Daysu.
b. Agni – god of fire, god of priests and the priest of the gods, acceptor of sacrifices, messenger of the gods, the link between the gods and man.
c. Varuna – god who presides over order, a sky god, god of oaths, and the forgiver of sins.
d. Yama – Lord of death, was the first person and the first to die. He has a twin, Yami, who is his consort. He is the god of justice, devoted to order and harmony.
Order: rta- cosmic right relations with the gods, dharma-social , karma-moral
Caste system: varna, the four castes and their responsibilities
– Brahmins – these are the priests, educators, they accept the gifts to the temple, officiate at sacrifices, and they have to maintain a state of purity.
– Kshatriya - warriors, government officials, can perform certain sacrifices.
– Vaishya – traders, merchants, charity, agriculturalists.
– Shudras – the lowest caste, they serve one function, to serve the other castes. Servants and laborers
– The first three castes are referred to as “twice born” while the Shudras are referred to as “once born.”
• Upanishads: significance: means “to sit near” or “to sit by,” becomes the basis for Hindu philosophy. Upanishads- express meditation to achieve liberation. Extremely influential and important commentaries on the Vedas. First Upanishads were written around 1000 BCE and were continued to be written up to the modern period.
• Emphasizes the concepts of samsara, moksha, atman, avidya, maya, jnana (knowledge)and Brahman.
• Stresses meditation over action and ritual observance to achieve liberation.
Sees Brahman as the eternal ultimate reality, which is present in all living things, which is indentified with the atman. Sensorial perception is deceptive and illusory (maya), thus differentiation and individualization. The only true reality is that of the atman and Brahman.
• Brahman-Creator god and the first person of the Trimurti. He is referred to in the Vedas as Prajapati, which means “lord of creatures.”
• Brahman is the eternal reality, the ground of being for the material world, including the gods. He is completely transcendental yet immanent at the same time.
• When understood using positive theology, He is described as being omnipotent, omnipresent, and omniscient.
• Satchitananda has also been used to describe both Him and the religious experience associated with Him. Satchitananda means “truth-consciousness-bliss.”
• When understood negatively, there is nothing comparable to Him in language, He is completely ineffable.
• Two examples of how Brahma creates the world: 1) chanting the Vedas and 2) constructing it with transcendental substance, Brahman, and the transcendental force, Shakti.
• He is uninvolved with creation and likewise there is a lack of devotion to Brahma.
• His consort is Saraswati, she is the goddess of music, knowledge, and the arts.
Brahma is typically depicted with the following symbols: four heads, his skin is red, a rosary, a book, a lotus flower, a white beard, a spoon or jar
Atman- The atman is inner quality of a human that is associated with Brahman. It is of the same quality as Brahman and therefore eternal and beyond sensorial awareness. Realization of the relationship between the atman and Brahman is the goal of Upanishadic thought.
Moksha- liberation
Avidya- ignorance
Maya- illusion
Jnana- knowledge
Bhakti- devotion
Sruti-sacred texts
Smriti- what is remembered- Bhagavad gita, Law of Manu
Law of Manu- Law of Manu
• Was written sometime between 200 BCE – 200 CE.
• It is a text which describes the social and ethical standards expected of a Hindu person, and these ideals are based on classical Indian society.
• The life of upper class men is regimented into four stages with various expectations at each.* see below 4 stages of a hindu life*
• In the Law of Manu, a woman’s role is to serve her husband. She is to stay at home and be protected. She is to bear children and to die before her husband. Widowhood is a social stigma in traditional Hindu society.
• The Law of Manu also included the a new class to the caste system which were never mentioned in any previous sacred scripture, the Dalit, who were the untouchables.
4 Stages of a Hindu Life-
• First, a young man is expected to study the Vedas and their commentaries by following a teacher (guru).
• When the young man becomes an adult, he is expected to follow the career which is dictated by his caste, marry, become a householder and support his family.
• The third stage is retirement and preparation for renunciation. Traditionally, the man would go to the forests and offer sacrifices, preparing himself for the life of the renunciate.
• The final stage is renunciation, when the man becomes a wandering beggar, a sannyasi. He has no attachments whatsoever.
Trimurti –
• The Trimurti is frequently regarded to as the Hindu trinity. The three aspects are Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva. Brahma is the creator, Vishnu the preserver, and Shiva the destroyer.
• The Trimurti developed into an important Hindu theological concept during the Puranic period, which was from 300 CE to 1200 CE. The earliest written versions are from the 3rd – 5th century CE, but there is a reference to the Puranas in the Chandogya Upanishad (500 BCE) and in the Arthaveda.
• The word purana means “of ancient times” and the Puranas are a collection of myths relating to the gods, creation, cosmology, philosophy, etc.
All three of these deities are present in hymns found in the Rigveda, they nevertheless play a minor role there and were never explicitly expressed with this concept. That being said, there are references throughout Hindu scripture to a tripartite essence to reality. In the Bhagavad Gita for example, this relationship is expressed using the terms sattva (creation), rajas (preservation), and tamas (destruction).
Brahma is typically depicted with the following symbols: four heads, his skin is red, a rosary, a book, a lotus flower, a white beard, a spoon or jar.
• Shiva- Symbols of Shiva: trident, lingam, crescent moon, third eye, dreadlocks or matted hair, ashes, tiger skin loincloth, the Ganges River, the Himalayas, cobras, and the drum.
• The consort of Shiva is Kali. The name Kali means “death” and She is goddess who prepares one for death. Kali has various names: Parvati, Mahakali, and Dursa. Kali is the reason Shiva wakes up from His powerful meditation. Kali wakes Shiva up by dancing uncontrollably after becoming intoxicated by the blood of her victims.
• Vishnu – Symbols associated with Vishnu: conch shell, swirling discus(chakra), crown of cobras or a crown of peacock feathers, two earrings, and a mace.
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