REL 1300 10 Introduction to World Religions Midterm Study Guide Terms to know Hinduism 4 Aims of Life puru rtha that which is sought by man human purpose aim or end refers to a goal end or aim of human existence 1 There are generally considered to be four such puru rthas namely 1 Dharma righteousness 2 Artha prosperity 3 K ma desire 4 Mok a spiritual liberation 4 Stages of Life 4 A ramas 1 Brahmacharya or the Student Stage 2 Grihastha or the Householder Stage 3 Vanaprastha or the Hermit Stage 4 Sannyasa or the Wandering Ascetic Stage 4 Var as 1 Brahmins priests teachers and preachers 2 Kshatriyas kings governors warriors and soldiers 3 Vaishyas cattle herders agriculturists businessmen artisans 1 and merchants 2 4 Shudras labourers and service providers Agni God of fire and the acceptor of sacrifices The sacrifices made to Agni go to deities because Agni is a messenger from and to other gods He is ever young because the fire is re lit every day and also immortal artha One of the 4 aims of human life in Indian Philosophy Explained as an attitude and capability that enables one to make a living to remain alive to thrive as free person It includes economic prosperity health and security of oneself asura A group of power seeking deities related to the more benevolent devas They battle constantly with the devas Sometimes called anti gods that violated sacred laws didn t cleanse themselves were envious of the devas tortured living beings and creating confusion in everything atman Means inner self or soul The first principle the true self of an individual beyond identification with phenomena the essence of an individual In order to attain liberation a human being must acquire self knowledge which is to realize that one s true self atman is identical with the transcendent self Brahman Avat ra a deliberate descent of a deity to Earth Most closely related with Vishnu Bhagavad G t 700 verse Hindu scripture that is part of the Hindu epic Mahabharata Dialogue between prince Arjuna and his god king Krishna Arjuna is facing the duty to kill his relatives in battle Krishna tells him to fulfill his warrior duty and kill them Embodies the dharma what is right of the warrior bhakti This term refers to religious devotion in the form of active involvement of a devotee in worship of the divine In monotheistic Hinduism it is the love felt by the worshipper towards the personal God brahma ultimate reality cannot be exactly defined described as the highest reality According to Advaita a liberated human being has realized Brahman as his or her own true self Brahma a Brahmin Priest Class An individual belonging to the Hindu priest artists teachers technician class and also to an individual belonging to the Brahmin tribe into which they were born Brahma as ritual commentaries on Vedas Belonging to the period 900 700 BCE their principal concern is with the sacrifice and they are the oldest extant sources for the history of Indian ritual Discussed in them are the going of cows Dalit Pariah untouchable a designation for a group of people traditionally regarded as untouchable Consist of numerous social groups from all over India dar an dar ana means auspicious sight in the sense of an instance of seeing or beholding and being seen or beheld at the same time Witnessing a deity One could receive darshana in the temple or from a great saintly person such as a great guru Devas Sanskrit for deity Loosely described as any benevolent supernatural being Also called Suras and mentioned at the same time as their half brothers Asuras Devas are also the maintainers of the realms as ordained by the Trimurti Dev M h tmya A hindu religious text describing the victory of the goddess Durga over the demon Mahishasura This text is the base and root of the Shakta doctrine dharma behaviors that are considered to be in accord with rta the order that makes life and universe possible and includes duties rights laws conduct virtues and right way of living dvij twice born a male member of the first three varnas in Brahmanical Hindu society the Brahmins Kashatrias and Vaishyas are included in the Dvija category Also means twice born the first birth being physical and the second spiritual The second birth occurs when one uptakes fulfilling a role in society Only Dvijas were allowed to perform certain sacred rituals and rituals in the traditional Brahmanical society henotheism is the belief in and worship of a single God while accepting the existence or possible existence of other deities that may also be worshipped Coined to describe he theology of Rigvedic religion Indra also known as Sakra is the leader of the Devas or gods and the lord of Svargaloka or heaven in Hinduism He is the god of rain and thunderstorms He wields a lightening thunderbolt known as vajra and rides on a white elephant known as Airavata Indra is the supreme deity Itihasa refers to events of the past In the Vedic age those portions of the Brahmanas which narrated events of bygone days were known as itihasa and hd some ritualistic importance J ti a caste in Hindu society A sharp distinction should be made from varnas and that jatis are a limited regional endogamous group of families and varna as a universal all Indian model of social class K l the Hinud goddess associated with empowerment Shakti Shi is the fierce aspect of the goddess Durga Sometimes reffered to as the Goddess of Time Change and Destruction Normally presented as dark and violent karma explains causality through a system where beneficial effects are derived from past beneficial actions and harmful effects from past harmful actions creating a system of actions and reactions throughout a soul s reincarnated lives forming a cycle of rebirth Not limited to the material world but also to our thoughts words and action K a deit worshipped across many traditions of Hinduism Many recognize him as the avatar of Vishnu Some consider him to be the supreme being Often portrayed as a young boy playing a flute or a young prince giving guidance Worship of Krishna or the supreme being is known as Krishnaism K atriya one of the 4 varnas of the Hindu society Traditionally the Kshatriya constituted the ruling and military elite Their role was to protect society by fighting in wartime and governing in peacetime M h dev used to denoted the Goddess or Devi that is the sum of all other Devis an all encompassing Female deity as the consort or complement to an all encompassing Male deity or the Ultimate Reality in Shaktism
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