Devotion and Society

Hinduism: Devotion and Society

Essential Question: What does Hindu devotion reveal about their beliefs + affect society?

Om /Aum

●"Om is the one eternal syllable of which all that exists is but
the development. The past, the present, and the future are all
included in this one sound, and all that exists beyond the
three forms of time is also implied in it". – The Upanishads

●Symbol of Hinduism → oneness with the Supreme, merging
the physical with the spiritual

●Mystical mantra (word/sound used for meditation)

●Each letter in Sanskrit symbolizes the beginning, duration,
and dissolution of the universe (yugas)

●three letters also indicates three planes of existence, heaven
(swarga), earth (martya) and netherworld (patala)

●It also represents the Trimurti - three deities which embody
the cycle of the Brahman (Brahma, Vishnu, Shiva)

●Virtually all prayers begin with the utterance of the AUM

Hinduism: Devotion

Multiple Choice

The "Om/Aum" represents all of the following except:

• The past, the present, and the future

• oneness with the Supreme, merging the physical with the spiritual

• the three planes of existence, heaven (swarga), earth (martya) and netherworld (patala)

• the Trimurti - three deities which embody the cycle of the Brahman (Brahma, Vishnu, Shiva)

• the puja devotional exercise, which focuses on worshiping one deity

Hinduism: Devotion

Trimurti → embodies 3 forces/forms of the Brahman (not distinct persons, not distinctly knowable)

•Brahma

•creator of
the universe

•father of
dharma

•Vishnu

•Preserver/sustainer of life

•Many incarnations → ex. Rama, Krishna

•Shiva

•Destroyer

•Dissolves in
order to
create

•From his
meditation,
the Ganges
flows

Ganesha

●Ganesh

○Lord of success, destroyer of obstacles

○Head = atman

○body = maya (earthly existence)

○trunk = OM/AUM

○Wrote the Mahabharata

●Devotion to the Hindu deities is embodied in chants
and praise

●Sanskrit (sacred language for Hinduism) words

○Hare (Praise)

○Devo (God) - where word 'devotion' comes from

○Guru (teacher)

○Ashram (hermitage of a guru)

○Avatar (embodiment of a deity)

Hinduism: Devotion

Match

Match each 'form'/'embodiment' of Brahman to its description:

• creator of the Universe, 'father of Dharma'. Part of the Trimurti.

• preserver, sustainer of life (Rama and Krishna are avatars/incarnations). Part of the Trimurti.

• the destroyer, from his meditations the Ganges flows. Part of the Trimurti.

• Lord of success, destroyer of obstacles; said to have written the Mahabharata

Brahma

Vishnu

Shiva

Ganesha

• Brahma

• Vishnu

• Shiva

• Ganesha

Essential Question: What impact does

Hinduism have on society?

Caste System

●Each caste thought to be different parts of the
Cosmic Man (Vedas) – part of the cosmic order

●Varna – color or class

●Jati – “birth”, “kind”, profession
○thousands of different groups based on purity

○Avoid defilement that comes w/ contact w/ less
pure

○A person is in the same jati if they "convert"

○social hierarchy

●Outlawed but still exists

●4 main castes / hundreds of subcastes

●Souls reborn into higher & higher castes

●Basically same karma within caste

Hinduism Society

Match

Match the following terms to its basic description:

• sacred language of Hinduism

• Sanskrit word for 'god'

• Sanskrit word for teacher

• hermitage/sacred place of a guru

• embodiment of a deity

Sanskrit

Devo

Guru

Ashram

avatar

• Sanskrit

• Devo

• Guru

• Ashram

• avatar

4 Castes
● Brahmin (bra-min)- highest; priests

who perform rituals

● Kshatriya (ky-sha-tri-a) -warriors &

administrators;
○ those who rule & protect society

● Vaishya (vice-ya)- producers:

farmers, merchants, artisans;
○ those who increase society’s

wealth

● Shudra (shoe-dra) - Servants &

laborers

Hinduism Society

Caste System’s Outcastes

●

“Outcastes” includes untouchables
○

perform lowest tasks in society

●

In recent decades: Untouchables have
gained some legal rights thanks to
Mahatma Gandhi.
○

Gandhi renamed the outcastes
Harijan, “God’s children.”

●

System is based on heredity.

●

One is born to a lifelong caste identity as
determined by one’s karma.

Hinduism Society

Match

Match the following caste to its basic description:

• highest caste, made up of priests who perform rituals like pujas

• warriors, administrators, those who protect and rule society

• those who increase society's wealth (producers, artisans, farmers, merchants)

• servants, laborers

• those who perform the lowest tasks in society

Brahmin

Kshatriya

Vaishya

Shudras

Pariah/outcaste/harijans

• Brahmin

• Kshatriya

• Vaishya

• Shudras

• Pariah/outcaste/harijans

Dalit

● Synonymous with Untouchable

○ a name chosen for themselves

● Sanskrit: “oppressed, broken,

discriminated or shattered people.”

● "Dalit" has largely replaced "Harijan"
● Dalit is used to refer to all of India’s oppressed people

Hinduism Society

Dharma Symbolism

●

Swastika: perhaps the oldest religious symbol;
cross-cultural. Hitler used it as a sign of the
primordial, purest race (pre-Hindi).
○

From (“Vedic Dharma”) based on
philosophy of four Vedas.

●

Represents all 4 Vedas:
○

4 elements /4 directions

○

Unchanging / all directional and endless
nature of Brahman.

○

Symbol of divinity

○

Multi-religional

Hinduism Society

Four Goals of Life

Match

Match the following Hindu terms to their basic description (some are review):

• means the “birth”, “kind”, or "profession" one finds within their caste

• Synonymous with Untouchable, means oppressed, broken, those discriminated against

• perhaps the oldest religious symbol;
  cross-cultural. Hitler used it as a sign of the
  primordial, purest race (pre-Hindi).

• the one eternal syllable of which all that exists is but
  the development. The past, the present, and the future are all
  included in this one sound

• a greeting; recognizes the holy center of another, the Brahman within

jati

dalit

swastika

Om/Aum

Namaste

• jati

• dalit

• swastika

• Om/Aum

• Namaste