RELS 131 Lecture Notes - Lecture 1: Atharvaveda, Yajurveda, Rigveda
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27 Jul 2016
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Week1 lecture 2!
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Hinduism? Hindus?!
The problem with the terms!•
Did the ancient South Asians identify themselves as Hindus?!•
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Some Common Features!
Caste System - social stratification based on the division of labour!•
The Holy Trinity - creator, preserver and the destroyer, very holy all over Hinduism !•
Few other major Gods - !•
Belief in reincarnation - a cycle that goes on!•
The Rig Veda as the holiest of all texts - !•
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Vedas and Vedic!
Vedic: includes the Vedas, the Brahmanas, the Aranakyas, and the Upanishads!•
Vedas: The four Vedas!•
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The Four Vedas (*NEED TO KNOW) !
The Rid Veda: The songs/hymns of praise!•
The Yajur Veda: Sacrificial Rituals !•
The Sam Veda: Music!•
The Atharva Veda: Folk Religion!•
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dating of the Vedas are problematic, preserved through memory, not written down, knowledge •
is transmitted!
memory is deeply valued!•
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Rig Veda!
Agni (Fire)!•
described as a God that is different in different ways. !◦
Soma (Unknown Plant) •
most mysterious god. A creeper plant. Many scientist/scholars don't really know. Upon ◦
drinking it, you have this close contact with god. Mind is the centre of the story and being
high is exactly this. It is considered a good state to be in. !
Storm (Varuna)!•
Brings the rain with him. The god of storm and rain works as a team. Describe as being ◦
fostered int he mind. He comes in a chariot of water. He takes watery buckets and pours
buckets into the sky!
Rain (Parjanya)!•
Dyads (Sky)!•
Huge and wide and blue. All of nature. It describe nature, praising nature. !◦
Yama (Death)!•
Later become the guardian of hell. !◦
Indra (King) •
Most important of all the veda Gods. Who is orangey coloured, he's a man's man. ◦
** Remember the bolded ones!
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The Female Pantheon!
Prithvi (Earth) !•