PHIL 202-3 Lecture Notes - Lecture 12: Gita Govinda, Yoga Sutras Of Patanjali, Bhakti Movement
PHIL 202
Ch. 6 Hindu Traditions
Schools and Communities of Theology
Vedanta
• Shankara (c. 800)
o Reality is non-dual (advaita)
• Brahman and Atman are identical
o Liberation is the removal of ignorance
• Ramanuja (1017–1137)
o Devotion to Vishnu leads to liberation
• Joyful realization of relationship
Yoga
• Physical and mental discipline
• Yoga Sutras (Patanjali)
o Yama—restraints
o Niyama—positive practices
• Detach mind for external sensory stimuli
o Concentration and meditation
o Samadhi—absorption into and union with the divine
Tantra
• Body of ritual practices
• Esoteric nature
• Jnana, yoga, kriya, charya
Hinduism in Southeast Asia
• Hinduism was once influential across Cambodia, Thailand, Laos, Vietnam, Java,
Indonesia, and Bali
• Distinctive local characteristics
• Largely displaced by Buddhism in the 15th century
South Indian Devotion (Bhakti)
• Early Tamil poetry
o Outer (puram) world of warfare and honour
o Inner (akam) world of love and romance
• The bhakti movement began when poet-devotes of Vishnu and Shiva began writing in
Tamil (vernacular) instead of Sanskrit
North Indian Bhakti
• Devotion to Rama or Krishna
• Gita Govinda (“Song of the Cowherd”)
• Kabir (1440–1518?)
• Devotional works in vernacular made classic teachings accessible to everyone
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o Surdas (c. 1483–1563)
o Tulsidas (1543?–1623)
Colonialism and Beyond
• Foreign powers began to be involved in local politics during the Mughal empires
disintegration (1700s)
o British, French, Dutch
o Calls for change and reform
• Ram Mohan Roy (1772–1833) (Bengal)
o Hindus should be able to read their own scripture
• Translated texts into Bengali and English
• Fought for women’s rights
o Tried to abolish sati and child marriage
The Arya Samaj
• Dayananda Sarasati (1824–83)
o Only true scripture was the Vedas
• Literally revealed by God
o Rejected the notion of a personal savior god
o Full life in service to others
The Ramakrishna Movement
• Ramakrishna Paramahamsa (1836–86)
o All religions lead in the same direction, all are true
o Monastic order
o Humanitarian service
The Struggle for India’s Independence
• India’s First War of Independence (1857)
• Mahatma (great soul): Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi (1869–1948)
o Racial discrimination to be fought be with civil disobedience and passive
resistance
o Leader of the Indian National Congress
o Non-violence (ahimisa)
• “An eye for an eye makes the world blind”
Contemporary Religious Leaders
• Acharya (religious instructor)
• Gurus, ascetics, mediums, storytellers, and sadhus (holy men)
• All acharyas are gurus, but not all gurus are acharyas
o Gurus are not necessarily attached to religious sects
• Rather, may emphasize universal messages
o Ma Amritananda Mayi (b. 1953)
• “Hugging guru”
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