PHI 2389 Lecture Notes - Lecture 1: Rigveda, Aryan Race, Vedas
20 Aug 2016
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PHI 2389 lecture 2
September 14th 2015
Harappa Civilization Indus Valley (Northwest India) c. 2600-1700 BCE
-main cities: Harappa, Merhrgarh, Mohenjo-Daro, Lothal
-a complex culture with existing planned cities and artifacts which suggest complicated models of
government
-seals showed to trade connections that existed in that time
-uncovered remains in Mohenjo-Daro (water, sewage, weights of measure, toys and games)
-Harappan seal; shows they had writing
-Aryan migration gradually replaced the people living there (1750 BCE)
-area = noble
-the same word comes into play with the Nazis and the Aryan race “superior race”
-term was adopted from India
-no writing; oral
-start of the Aryan migration brought Sanskrit language
-the Indian situation now; languages are derived from Sanskrit, and from the culture that was there prior
to the Aryan migration
-Sanskrit has strong affiliations with Ancient Greek (William Jones in the 18th C)
-created a family of Indo-European languages
-similarities with some of the gods
-Sanskrit term for god (deva); Greek term for god (deus)
-Vedic period; 1500-500 BCE
-Vedas; written down 1000-500 BCE
-much older oral tradition
- Vedas wanted: sons and cattle
-Vedas used chants and incantations in religious sacraments and rituals
-Vedas are polytheistic; gods attributed to nature or natural patterns and control some aspect of life
-toward monotheism; Rig Veda
-that which is One the sages call by many names (Indra, Mitra, Varuna, Agni of the heavenly sun-
bird)
-Rig Veda; Hymn of Creation
-shows people thinking back as to how would the world come about
-is an interesting moment in human consciousness where people aren't just thinking about their next
meal but how did everything come to be? how is there anything at all?
-images a time at which there was nothing and somehow things must have come into existence
-beginning of philosophical questioning
-there was neither non-existence or existence/no distinguishing sign of night or day
-not a world reigning spirituality, more personal
-worldly orientation comes across in the hymns
-“rita” means cosmic order, rhythm, law, something beautiful and well formed
-an idea in objective morality
-“dharma” has implications of morality and closest term in Sanskrit to religion
-“daan” (giving)
-an emphasis on these values and moralities
-the wealthier man should give to the needy considering afterlife (belief in reward and punishment
after death)
-riches are like chariot wheels revolving/now to one man they come, now to another (karma)
-myth of the dismemberment of the cosmic man:
-mouth — brahmin (priest)
-two arms — raajanya (ruler)
-two thighs — vaisya (merchants)
-feet — sudra (labourers & servants)
-this was a 4 fold social division (varna)
-the caste system in India becomes rigid, complex, tangled
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Document Summary
Harappa civilization indus valley (northwest india) c. 2600-1700 bce. A complex culture with existing planned cities and artifacts which suggest complicated models of government. Seals showed to trade connections that existed in that time. Uncovered remains in mohenjo-daro (water, sewage, weights of measure, toys and games) Aryan migration gradually replaced the people living there (1750 bce) The same word comes into play with the nazis and the aryan race superior race . Start of the aryan migration brought sanskrit language. The indian situation now; languages are derived from sanskrit, and from the culture that was there prior to the aryan migration. Sanskrit has strong af liations with ancient greek (william jones in the 18th c) Sanskrit term for god (deva); greek term for god (deus) Vedas used chants and incantations in religious sacraments and rituals. Vedas are polytheistic; gods attributed to nature or natural patterns and control some aspect of life.
