01:840:211 Lecture Notes - Lecture 1: Historical Vedic Religion, Indus River, Yajna
Religion in Asia 01/19/2017
Vedic Hinduism and Ritual in Ancient India
<g Veda 1.1 “Agni” (trans. Jamison and Brereton, pp. 88–89>
● agnim | īḷe | puraḥ-hitam | yajñasya | devam | tvijam | hotāram | ratna-dhātamam //
● agniḥ | pūrvebhiḥ | ṣi-bhiḥ | īḍyaḥ | nūtanaiḥ | uta | saḥ | devān | ā | iha | vakṣati //
● agninā | rayim | aśnavat | poṣam | eva | dive--dive ...
<A note on the Term “Hinduism”>
● Hinduism - has a complex history. It is NOT a word that ancient or medieval Indian texts
themselves use to describe a religious identity or set of religious practices, philosophies,
or beliefs.
● Hinduism - comes from the Persian language, and had initially a geographic referent,
signifying the peoples who lived south of the “Indus” river (al-Hindi).
- Only around 8th century C.E → when Islam starts to become prominent in India, the
term comes to refer to Indians (including Buddhists) who are NOT Muslims.
- “Hindu” - defined by what s/he is not. This highlights the central problem of defining a
religion that is historically, theologically, and culturally so diverse
- English word Hinduism - in reference to a religious identity dates to the middle of the
19th century
- Scholarly discussions of ancient Hinduism - common to find the religion referred as
“Brahmanism” i.e. the religion of the Brahmin (Brahmana) priests.
<The Vedas>
● The earliest surviving literature of the Hindu tradition - collection of texts: Vedas
- The oldest texts in this collection (Rg Veda) were compiled approximately 3,000 years
ago (c.1,400 - 1,000 BCE) - the latest were composed around 200 BCE
● Sanskrit - Veda literally means “Knowledge”
● Earliest Vedas - Mantras - liturgical hymns, prayers, incantations - also procedural rules
for the use of mantras in the performance of various types of ritual sacrifice (Yajna)
● Vedas - written in Sanskrit - an ancient language of the Indo-European family (which
also includes Latin, Greek, English)
● Originally oral compositions - the technology of writing Sanskrit had not yet been
developed in India - and are still transmitted orally
● Rgveda was finally written down in manuscripts only after 1,000 CE
● Ancient India (and today still) - the Vedas were learned, memorized, and taught by a
class of Male Priests (Brahmins) - who performed Vedic ritual sacrifices
● Brahmins were the sole members of Vedic society who could perform these religious
rituals and interact with Vedic deities via sacrifice
find more resources at oneclass.com
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Document Summary
Agnim | e | pura -hitam | yaj asya | devam | (cid:2522)tvijam | hot ram | ratna-dh tamam // Agni | p rvebhi | (cid:2522) i-bhi | ya | n tanai | uta | sa | dev n | | iha | vak ati // Agnin | rayim | a navat | po am | eva | dive--dive It is not a word that ancient or medieval indian texts themselves use to describe a religious identity or set of religious practices, philosophies, or beliefs. Hinduism - comes from the persian language, and had initially a geographic referent, signifying the peoples who lived south of the indus river (al-hindi). Only around 8th century c. e when islam starts to become prominent in india, the term comes to refer to indians (including buddhists) who are not muslims. Hindu - defined by what s/he is not. This highlights the central problem of defining a religion that is historically, theologically, and culturally so diverse.
