Religious Studies 2140 Lecture Notes - Lecture 3: Yajurveda, Rigveda, Mantra

• School: Western University
• Department: Religious Studies
• Course: Religious Studies 2140
• Professor: William Acres

Document Summary

Vedas text-classical sanskrit (veda was the language used by the brahmans) 1. rig veda: oldest veda, largest, written 1500 bce. 2. same veda: hymns taken from rig veda and arranged musically for chanting. 3. yajur veda: rituals (ex of important ritual: when a baby takes solid food) 4. atharva-veda: deals with magical prayers, spells, witchcraft and superstitions (priest telling a new born babies fortune) Motio(cid:374) a(cid:374)d kar(cid:373)a are s(cid:455)(cid:373)pto(cid:373)s of (cid:271)o(cid:374)dage, kar(cid:373)a does(cid:374)"t a(cid:272)tuall(cid:455) (cid:272)ause this. People who escape from this bondage become free (liberated) All vedas consist of mantras (everyone gets a different mantra, people go to different temples, (cid:455)ou (cid:272)a(cid:374) get a (cid:374)ew (cid:373)a(cid:374)tra if (cid:455)ou do(cid:374)"t like (cid:455)our, e(cid:454)a(cid:373)ple of (cid:373)a(cid:374)tra: aum) Ce(cid:374)tral the(cid:373)e is (cid:862)the ide(cid:374)tit(cid:455) of self with the a(cid:271)solute(cid:863) Take the concepts and simplify them, start putting names and faces on them. Path of devotion (vast majority of hindus would follow this path, bakhta) Means whatever action we do has an ethical consequence.