Lecture 3Outline of Last Lecture I. Where Do We Find Hinduism?II. What is Hinduism?III. Unity in DiversityIV. Class and CasteV. DoctrineVI. Narrative and PerformanceVII. BhaktiOutline of Current Lecture VIII. Chronology of HinduismIX. Indus Valley CivilizationX. The AryansXI. Vedic ReligionXII. The VedasXIII. Vedic GodsXIV. Main DevasXV. IndraXVI. RTAXVII. Vedic SocietyXVIII. UpanishadsCurrent LectureXIX. Chronology of Hinduisma. Vedic Period (1500-500 BCE)i. rise of Aryan culture PHIL 110 1st Editionii. the Vedas and dharma, and ritual texts composedb. Epic and puranic period ( 500 BCE to 500 CE)i. composition of Mahabharata and Ramayanaii. Composition of Puranasiii. Vaisnavism, Saivism, and Saktism begin to developc. Medieval period (500 CE to 1500 CE)i. development of bhakti traditionii. continued development of Vaishnavism, Shaivism, and Shaktismiii. Sanskrit and vernacular devotional literature and poetry; tantric literatured. Modern Period (1500 CE to present)i. Rise and fall of Mughal and British EmpiresXX. Indus Valley Civilizationa. 2500 BCE to 1500 BCEThese notes represent a detailed interpretation of the professor’s lecture. GradeBuddy is best used as a supplement to your own notes, not as a substitute.b. Centered around Indus/Sindh river (in modern Pakistan)c. Mohenjo-Dara and Harappad. Highly developed urban civilizatione. Dravidian languagef. Fertilityi. plants, animals, humansg. Mother goddess cultXXI. The Aryansa. 1500 BCEb. ‘Noble ones’c. militarily advanced, skilled with horses and chariotsd. Indo-European languagei. Proto-sanskrite. The controversy:i. Indo-Europeans who migrated into India from other parts of Asia?ii. Indian subcontinent was Aryan homeland?f. ‘Master Narrative’g. The Vedas and Vedic culture/religionXXII. Vedic Religiona. Rites of sacrifice, hymns, fire and somab. Propitiation of gods in return fori. material benefitsii. enhanced social standing, power, purityc. Maintaining cosmic orderd. Portable religioni. required only priestsii. domestic or communaliii. pouring of offerings into fire as hymns recitede. Social Significancei. included some, excluded others in terms of who performs it and who benefitted from itXXIII. The Vedasa. Earliest surviving Indo-European textsb. 1500 BCE to 500 BCEc. Shruti ‘that which was heard’i. Rshis (seers, sages)d. Revered by almost all Hindus as revelation and authoritye. domain of brahmansf. oral traditiong. primary focus and function is ritualh. source of dharmai. Four Vedas:i. **Rig Vedaii. Yajur vedaiii. Sama vedaiv. Atharva Vedaj. Four subsections:i. Samhita (hymns)ii. Brahmana (instructions for performance of rituals)iii. Aranyaka (forest treastise)iv. **Upanishad (philosphical works, secret scripture)1. 600 to 300 BCEk. Vedasi. hymns chanted during the performance of ritualsl. Rig Vedai. Earliest (1500 to 1200 BCE)ii. Important source of myth and ritualm. Upanishadsi. philosophical works, secret scriptureii. latest (600 to 300 BCE)XXIV. Vedic Godsa. Brhadaranyaka Upanishad 3.9.1-3.9.9i. How many? 303 and 3,003, 33, 6, 2, 1.5, 1b. The Devas (gods)i. majority are male; few goddessesii. many related to natural phenomena1. Dyaus (sky)2. Varuna (night)3. Vayu (wind)4. Agni (fire)5. Soma (moon and soma plant)XXV. Main Devasa. no supreme deity in the Rig Vedab. Three prominent deities:i. agniii. soma1. both are mediators between humans and deitiesa. soma--> important offeringb. fire --> carries offerings to godsiii. IndraXXVI. Indraa. King of Godsb. Warrior Deityc. Thunderboltd. 1/4 of Vedic hymns are to Indrae. Rig Veda 1.32i. Triumph over Vritraii. Releasing the watersXXVII. RTAa. comic orderb. power of rta=highest poweri. not even the gods can go against itii. Varuna’s domainc. “a unifying principle kept the individual, social, ritual, and the cosmic orders in harmony”XXVIII. Vedic Societya. Purusha Sukta ‘Hymn to the Supreme person (Rig Veda)i. sacrifice of primordial, cosmic manii. creation mythiii. origins of the four classes (varnas)1. Brahmin (priests, scholars)2. Kshyatrya (warriors, kinds, royal/ruling families)3. Vaishya (merchants, peasants, agriculturalists, artisans)4. Shudra (servants)a. untouchables (dalits, harijans)XXIX. Upanishadsa. last of the Vedic texts, 600 to 300 BCEb. Discuss several important philosophical ideas that are central to later Hinduismi. Karma, Samsara, Atman, Brahmanc. Karma= action, especially ritual actioni. cause and effectd. Samsara= a continuing cycle of death and rebirth (reincarnation)e. Moksha= spiritual liberation and personal