REL-1300 Lecture Notes - Lecture 6: Vedic Period, Guru Nanak, Asceticism
Document Summary
Vedic civilization from 1500 bce: hereditary priests brahmins. Aryan migration/rule, take on leadership of the culture as priests (brahmins) Sacrificial rites to aryan gods agni, indra, soma. In exchange for favors or protection from the gods. These are not the same as the bhakti gods. Whe(cid:374) bhakti (cid:272)o(cid:373)es alo(cid:374)g late(cid:396), they (cid:271)e(cid:272)o(cid:373)e less i(cid:373)po(cid:396)ta(cid:374)t (cid:271)ut do(cid:374)"t go away. Agni fire god, fire as an element of cosmic power, sacrifices over fire. Clarify what the castes and duties are. Based on idea of the human race as being together, a single, cosmic person. Scheduled castes dalits, the untouchable: some are beggars, prostitutes, but others just deal with things that are inherently unclean or undesirable, such as death (dealing with funerals), butchers, etc, the (cid:272)aste is(cid:374)"t (cid:374)e(cid:272)essa(cid:396)ily di(cid:396)e(cid:272)tly (cid:396)elated to (cid:373)o(cid:374)ey. Whence was it produced: vedic ritual today a hindu wedding. Those of higher castes will have a brahmin officiate the ceremony.
