RELS 131 Lecture Notes - Lecture 2: Ravana, Upanayana, Unthinkable

• School: Queen's University
• Department: Religious Studies
• Course: RELS 131
• Professor: La Grone, Danielle

Document Summary

Defining a single hinduism is impossible there is no start date" to trace back to. No founder, no central institution collection of sacred writings called the vedas" that we see beliefs/practices of hinduism the word hindu" is a creation of those outside the tradition. Indus valley civilization two ancient towns located along indus river (mohenjo daro and harrapa) Dravidian people lived along riverbank, lived in a highly urban society. Remnants suggest ritualistic practices along with water storage for purification. Some scholars argue that the hindu caste system is a result of distinction between the aryans and dravidians. Sacred literature divided into two categories: shruti: which is heard. Recorded by sages/rishis who hear voices: smrti: which is remembered. Usually begin as oral teaching that is eventually written down: vedas is composed of shruti literature, texts were composed in sanskrit, which is language of the elite. Many probably never read the scriptures, and used oral tradition.