India L3: Hinduism in Ancient India

India L3: Hinduism in Ancient India

The teachings and practice of Hinduism

Sacred Texts

The following prayer was part of one of the early Aryan Vedas:

“Oh lord of the storm gods, do not hide the sun from our sight. Oh Rudra, protect our horseman from injury. Your glory is unbounded, your strength unmatched among all living creatures, oh Rudra, handler of the thunderbolt. Guide us safely to the far shore of existence where there is no sorrow.” The prayer praises Rudra and other gods of nature.

Multiple Choice

What part of the prayer ask the gods for their protection?

• "Oh lord of the storm gods, do not hide the sun from our sight."

• "Oh Rudra, handler of the thunderbolt."

• "Your strength is unmatched among all living creatures."

• "Guide us safely to the far shore of existence where there is no sorrow."

Beginning of Hinduism

Aryan prayers were passed down through generations. As Aryan culture mixed with India's existing cultures, new ideas and beliefs became part of the Vedas. From this blending of ideas and beliefs came one of the world's oldest living religions, Hinduism.

Blend of religions

 As Hinduism developed over 3,500 years, it absorbed many beliefs from other religions. Hinduism became very complex over time, with many different practices existing side by side. Hindus believe that since people are different, they need many different ways of approaching god.

Open Ended

What do Hindus believe since people are different?

Millions of followers

Hinduism is one of the world's major religions, and a way of life for more than 850 million people in India today. It's beliefs have influenced people of many other religions. Yet Hinduism is unlike other major world religions.

Multiple Choice

About how many people still follow Hinduism today?

• 850 million

• 800 million

• 1 billion

• 850,000

Polytheistic beliefs

 Hinduism has no single founder, but Hindus have many great religious thinkers. Hindus worship many gods and goddesses. However, they believe in one single spiritual power called brahman, which lives in everything. Hindus believe that there is more than one path to the truth.

Hindu Gods and Goddesses

The gods and goddesses of Hinduism stand for different parts of brahman. An ancient Hindu saying expresses this idea: “God is one, but wise people know it by many names.”  The most important Hindu gods are Brahma, the Creator;  Vishnu, the Preserver;  and Shiva, the Destroyer.

Multiple Select

Check off the 3 main Hindu gods.

• Brahma

• Vishnu

• Shiva

• Veda

Hindu gods take many different forms, called avatars. An avatar is the representation of a Hindu god or goddess in human or animal form. Hindu teachings say that the god Brahma was born from a golden egg. He created Earth and everything on it. However, he is not as widely worshipped as Vishnu and Shiva.

Multiple Choice

How are Hindu gods and goddesses represented?

• as spirits

• as avatars

• as souls

• as powerful demons

Vishnu

 Hindus believe that Vishnu is a kindly god who is concerned with the welfare of human beings. Vishnu visits Earth from time to time in different forms. He does this to guide humans or to protect them from disaster.

Multiple Select

Vishnu is a cruel god.

• True

• False

Shiva

 Unlike Vishnu, Shiva is not concerned with human matters. He is very powerful. Shiva is responsible for both the creative and the destructive forces of the universe. Shiva developed from the god Rudra, the “wielder of the thunderbolt” in the prayer at the beginning of this section.

Multiple Select

Shiva has qualities of both good and evil.

• True

• False

Shakti

 Hindu gods have their own families. Many Hindus, for example, worship Shiva's wife, the goddess Shakti. Hindus believe Shakti plays a role in human life. Like her husband, she is both a destroyer and a creator. She is both kind and cruel.

 All Hindus share certain central beliefs that are contained in religious writings or sacred texts.   The Hindu sacred books were written in a language called Sanskrit. It is one of the oldest known languages. Sanskrit is related to many other languages in the world, such as Greek and Latin.

Multiple Choice

What language were ancient Hindu texts written in?

• Greek

• Latin

• Sanskrit

• Cuneiform

Upanishads

One of the Hindu religious texts is the Upanishads. Upanishad means ”sitting teacher.”  Much of the Upanishads is in the form of questions by pupils and responses by teachers. For example, a pupil asks, ”Who created the world?” The teacher replies, “Brahman is the creator, the universal soul.”  When asked to describe brahman, the teacher explains that it is too complicated for humans to understand. Brahman has no physical form.

Open Ended

What does Upanishad mean?

Reincarnation

One important idea in the Upanishads is reincarnation, or rebirth of the soul. Hindus believe that when a person dies, the soul is reborn in the body of another living thing. Hindus believe that every living thing has a soul. This idea is an important part of other Asian beliefs as well.

Multiple Choice

What does it mean to be reincarnated?

• to die

• to be immortal

• to become a priest

• to be reborn in a new living thing

Hindu beliefs

According to Hindu belief, the actions of a person in this life affect his or her fate in the next. Good behavior is always rewarded. Bad behavior is always punished. Faithful followers of Hinduism will be reborn into a higher position. Those whose acts have been bad may be born into a lower caste, or may even return as animals. If a person leads a perfect life, he or she may be freed from the cycle of death and rebirth. As a result, the person's soul becomes one with brahman.

Open Ended

In Hinduism, what do the actions of your life affect?

Dharma-->Kharma

To become united with the one spirit and escape the cycle of death and rebirth, a person must obey his or her dharma. Dharma is the religious and moral duties of each person. These duties depend on such factors as a person's class, age, and occupation. In Hinduism, it is a man's duty to protect the women in his family, and it is a ruler's duty to protect his subjects. 

Multiple Choice

What are the moral duties you must follow to be connected with brahman?

• dharma

• kharma

• reincarnation

• rules

A Hindu's duties

Another important idea of Hinduism is ahimsa, or nonviolence. To Hindus, people and living things are part of brahman and therefore must be treated with respect. For that reason, many Hindus do not eat meat and try to avoid harming living things.

Open Ended

Because of their belief in Ahimsa, what do most Hindus NOT do?

Bathing in the Ganges

 As you have read, Hinduism teaches that there is more than one path to the truth. Because of this view, Hinduism allows its followers to worship in various ways. People practice the ancient ritual of cleansing in the Ganges River. Hindus believe the waters of the Ganges to be sacred.

Practicing Hinduism

Many non-Hindus know yoga as a physical activity, a system of special exercises and breathing. Hindus believe yoga exercises help free the soul from the cares of the world. In this way, the soul may unite with brahman. In fact, the word yoga means “union.”  For Hindus, there are many yogas that may be used as paths to brahman. Physical activity is one yoga. Another is the yoga of selfless deeds, such as giving to the poor. By learning the sacred writings, a Hindu practices the yoga of knowledge. And by honoring a personal God, a Hindu follows the yoga of devotion.

Multiple Choice

One example of yoga is a physical activity. What is the other?

• rebirth of the soul

• selfless deeds

• medication

• dreaming

Private devotion

Hindus Worship in public by praying and performing rituals in temples. They also show devotion privately at home. It is common for Hindus to choose a personal god, and to honor that god by offering food, gifts, and prayers at a home altar. A Hindu’s devotion to the god brings us all closer to brahman.

Open Ended

What do Hindus do to honor their gods?