HIST 2070 Lecture Notes - Lecture 3: Ravana, Atharvaveda, Yajurveda
27 Jun 2018
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India - Hinduism:
Hinduism is the dominant religion and cultural manifestation of India, but shares that land with
Christianity, Islam, Jainism, and Sikhism - it also gave birth to Buddhism, which cant be understood
without first understanding Hinduism
In the 1920's, archaeologists uncovered evidence of an ancient urban society in the Indus river
valley - much of it is a mystery to scholars but is usually referred to as the Harappan civilization
oLittle is known about their religious beliefs, other than statues of fertility gods and
goddesses and buildings that may have served as temples
The Aryan people were a warlike people who domesticated the horse and swept across the
Indus Valley civilization beginning around 1750 BC - early Hindu civilization is a result of this
conquest
The Aryans were divided into classes or castes : priests were called Brahmins; rulers and
warriors were called Kshatriyas and commoners and merchants called Vaishyas. A fourth class,
called Shudras were servants and slaves and the fifth were untouchables
They had a polytheistic religion involving sacrifice to their many gods and goddesses
Like primal religions, these deities were representations of natural forces: storms, soil fertility,
the sun, the moon and so on
Sacred texts:
The Vedas (knowledge or sacred lore)
oOldest sacred books of Hinduism and among the oldest sacred literature in existence
oThey enunciate the basic beliefs of Hinduism, and later developments in Hindu beliefs
and religious practices use the Vedas as a foundation
oThe four Vedas
The Rig Veda (knowledge of Hymns - hymns or mantras to the gods)
The Yajur Veda (knowledge of Rites - brahamanas or ritual materials: directions
on how to perform rituals)
The Sama Veda (knowledge of chants - forest treatises or Aranyakas: materials
used only by hermits)
The Atharva Veda (knowledge of the sage Atharva - Upanishads or philosophical
materials)
oEach of the four Vedas has aspects within of the other Vedas - this is because they
began as part of oral culture, which was later written down
oThe Vedas developed over time and were not the result of a rational discourse - this
reminds us that religion is non-rational and also that religious cultures begin with a primal
stage
oThe principle god addressed in the Vedas is Indra - he is the god of clouds, rain and
thunder who rules the heavens
oThe pre-classical period saw the final developments of Hinduism - this era saw a
philosophical sophistication applied to the system of beliefs in the many Aryan gods and
goddesses and the final development of the Vedas
The Upanishads
oA new unifying concept of a single god, or underlying reality, is expressed in the
Upanishads
oWe describe the Upanishads as 'philosophical statements' attached to each of the Vedas
- the term philosophical does not adequately describe the Upanishads, they are
philosophical, but are also mystical
oThey have an internal rationality, but refer to non-rational truths
find more resources at oneclass.com
find more resources at oneclass.com
Document Summary
Hinduism is the dominant religion and cultural manifestation of india, but shares that land with. Christianity, islam, jainism, and sikhism - it also gave birth to buddhism, which cant be understood without first understanding hinduism. In the 1920"s, archaeologists uncovered evidence of an ancient urban society in the indus river valley - much of it is a mystery to scholars but is usually referred to as the harappan civilization o. Little is known about their religious beliefs, other than statues of fertility gods and goddesses and buildings that may have served as temples. The aryan people were a warlike people who domesticated the horse and swept across the. Indus valley civilization beginning around 1750 bc - early hindu civilization is a result of this conquest. The aryans were divided into classes or castes : priests were called brahmins; rulers and warriors were called kshatriyas and commoners and merchants called vaishyas.
