An Introduction to Hindu Religion and Culture

1. An Introduction to Hindu Religion and Culture

2. Important Hindu Religious Symbols

3. Om or Aum Made of three Sanskrit letters: Aa, Au, and Ma • When combined, they make the sound of AUM or Om—the most important symbol in Hinduism. • This symbol actually represents Brahman or the absolute.

4. Swastika Second in importance only to the OM • It is not a letter or syllable but a pictorial picture character in the shape of a cross which, when branches are bent at right angles and facing in a clockwise direction,represents the eternal nature of the Brahman.

5. Purnakumbha (Earthen Pot) • Full of water and with fresh mango leaves and a coconut atop it—generally placed as the chief deity or by the side of the deity • The pot symbolizes mother earth—the water-giver of life—the leaves life, and the coconut divine consciousness.

6. The Lotus The holiest of flowers for the Hindu • The lotus is representative of the true soul of an individual—also a symbol of creation.

7. I. Generalizations of Indian Religion A. It is complex and indefinable—no creeds 1. Indian religion is given to a functional definition of religion and emphasizes evolutionary change 2. Hinduism can be considered more of a league of religions, than a single religion 3. It seems not to want any boundary around it.

8. B. It is a highly inclusive religious system. 1. May believe anything or nothing 2. Room for all types of souls C. It is a system of rationalism and esoteric wisdom. 1. One must go to the wisdom of the ages, a metaphysical view of history. 2. Ultimately all is question of knowledge. 3. Sin is delusion, maya is sin or delusion.

9. D. By Tradition it is ethnic-centered 1. To be Indian is to be Hindu 2. It is a nationalistic religion

10. E. Spirit of Indian Philosophy 1. Chief mark is its concentration upon the spiritual. 2. Intimate relationship of philosophy and life, practical applications of philosophy to life: Truth must be lived. 3. Has introspective attitude and introspective approach to reality. 4. Most philosophies idealistic 5. Requires extensive use of reason, but intuition is accepted as the only method through which ultimate truth can be known 6. Stresses Sruti, or acceptance of authority

11. II. Strands of Indian Religion • Understanding the development of literature helps to understand the historical development. • Each piece of writing over-shadows another piece. • Each culture is produced by its religious literature. • The oldest document represents mixture of thought of the invading Aryans.

12. B. Word darsana, usually translated “philosophy”, in Sanskrit means “seeing” or “experiencing”—all systems follow in two main divisions: 1. astika—the orthodox 2. nastika—Buddhism and Jainism, which reject the authority of the Vedas

13. C. Divisions of Hindu thought through its literature 1. Vedic period—2500-600 BCE 2. Epic period—600 BCE-200 CE, also the beginning of the rival schools; development of bhakti, Gita, beginning of 6 darsanas 3. Sutra period—200 CE—systematic treatises of the various schools were written 4. Scholastic period--?-1700 CE, commentators on the Sutras

14. a Rishi

15. D. Historical Development of Indian Thought 1. Brahmanism-Vedic period—2500-500 BCE a. Pre-Aryan—2500-1500 BCE (1) Earliest religious thought is deduced from archaeological evidence through seals, figurines and other such artifacts.

16. (2) Pre-Aryan or Dravidian culture is known through ruins of two cities, Harappa and Mohenjodaro, which seemed preoccupied with fertility symbols (figurines of pregnant females, stone phallic symbols) which seem to suggest worship of the Mother Goddess and the worship of a divinity similar to Shiva; usually associated with a bull often represented as a phallic symbol. Some seals point to religious motifs found in Mesopotamia, such as the Gilgamesh legend. b. Aryanism—1500-500 BCE

19. Harrappan Artifacts

20. Priest-King Male Head

21. Mohenjodaro Great Bath Mohenjodaro Street

22. The Indo-Aryans (Europeans)

26. I. Early History A. Around 2000 BCE a series of migrations began from the area north of the Black Sea B. The settlers eventually covering most of Europe, the Northern part of the Near East and the Indian sub –continent C. The study of this migration beginning with a study of the Indo-Aryan languages—from the ancient Sanskrit to languages of modern Europe

27. D. Early Indo-European mythology 1. According to some scholars these early people would reject the more popular sky-god in favor of a tripartite division of divine power—which would in turn reflect the social structures of the people a. A magical-legal function b. A warrior function c. The various functions surrounding fecundity

28. 2. This tripartite division would lead to an emphasis of three main deities a. There seems to be a tendency to divide the function between two deities (1) One deity would be threatening and indifferent to the fate of humanity (2) One deity would be concerned with the proper ordering of human life and society

29. b. The warrior deity is one of ambiguity (1) As a warrior he must be great in battle in order to protect society and the cosmos (2) But as a result of his victory his rage may be turned on creation itself and must be placated by sacrifice and ritual 3. The theme is found in the mythologies of the Indo-Aryans with some variations

30. Vedic Gods andGoddesses

31. Earliest evidence for Indo-Aryan mythology comes from the Rig-Veda, written at the end of the 2nd century BCE by the Aryans who “invaded” northern India

32. Indra

33. I. He is lord of the heavens; the most popular and powerful of the Vedic deities II. He rides a white elephant called Airavata and has the power to control lightening

34. IV. He had many battles with demons; the most famous was the slaying of Vrtasura A. He killed the demon of the dark skies (clouds) with his weapon (lightening) B. He released the cows (waters) that were held in captivity by the demon

35. V. Prone to drinking soma which caused him to lose control of himself VI. He is more like a king of the earth than the heavens VII. In the Kena Upanishad we read that he was the only god to have gone nearest to Brahman and was to know Him as Brahman—this gave him the right to become the rulers of heavens

36. VIII.He is usually shown with four arms and riding on a white elephant IX. He is sometimes shown with his wife, Sachidevi X. With the emergence of devotional Saivism and Bhagavatism his importance declined

37. XI. Some scholars believe that he prefigures Krishna

38. Varuna I. There are signs that he is an omniscient, omnipresent, omnipotent, and compassionate God II. He is also a precursor of Brahman III. He is the ruler of the world order (rita) Rama & Varuna

39. IV. He is the supreme God who controls justice V. He has innumerable spies (rays of light)—thus he knows what goes on all over the world VI. He lost much of his importance as Indra became more prominent—he was relegated to the position of a dikpala or ruler of a quarter (western hemisphere) and lord of the oceans and waters

40. VII. He is usually depicted as the rider of a chariot drawn by seven swans and has four hands and an umbrella over his head—suggesting his lordship over aquatic life

41. Agni I. The chosen Priest, God, minister of sacrifice, the hortar, who lavishes wealth and dispels the darkness II. He is appointed by Manu as the priest III. Often invoked along with Indra, with whom he shares the passion for soma drink

42. IV. Agni was the earliest Angiras, a Seer V. Aryans were aware of his destructive ability, as he sets the forests aflame VI. In images, he is depicted with two heads, long flowing hair, a pot belly, six eyes, seven hands, four horns, and three legs.

43. VII. His seven hands represent the seven flames and the three legs represent the three worlds which he reigns; the pot belly denotes his love for rich oily food VIII. His vehicle is the Ram

44. IX. As the fire god, Agni he consumes the sacrifice and, as priest, presents it to the gods above X. He is also the element that binds together the three worlds, in heaven he is born over again as the sun, in the atmosphere he is kindled by the waters, on earth he is kindled by the hands of humanity

45. Rudra and Rudras I. Rudra is a militant god of storms and lightening and a “provider of medicines” II. He is a fierce looking god, well built and golden in color, with braided hair of “firm limbs, multiform, strong, tawny who adorns himself with bright gold decorations”

46. III. He wields the thunder bolt, bow and arrow, and sends down streaks of lightening shaking the worlds, making people nervous with fear IV. Sometimes the hymns refer to not just one Rudra but a group of Rudras eleven in number—some suggest this is a symbolic reference to the ten vital breaths

47. Mitra I. A god of the heavens, like Varuna II. Together they uphold the law, causes the cows to stream, the plants to flourish, and send down the rain-flood III. Both are adityas and often invoked together

48. IV. Mitra stirs men to action and sustains both earth and heaven V. Mitra and Varuna are guardians of the world, who sit in a gold hued chariot from day break and behold the infinity

49. Vishnu I. In the Rig Veda, he is a minor god, one of the adityas II. Like the Vishnu of later days, he is a lover and protector of devotees in whose loved mansion all god loving creatures live happily.

50. III. He is a god of three strides who upholds the threefold existence, the earth, the heaven, and all living creatures