REL 2300 Lecture Notes - Lecture 4: Rigveda, Vedic Priesthood, Indus River
Document Summary
Derived from a name applied by foreigners to the people living in the region of the indus river. Introduced in the 19th century under colonial british rule for census taking. Referred to all practitioners and traditions that did not fall into another category (ex: not christian, muslim, buddhist, jain, or sikh) Diversity: hinduism covers a wide range of beliefs and practices: includes monotheism, polytheism, and monotheism. No historic founder or unified system of belief encoded in a creed. Practice (ritual) takes precedence over belief: correct practice is determined by your specific dharma. Truth is one; sages call it by various names . Origins in the civilization that formed along the indus river (in present day pakistan) India is the original contect for many hindu traditions and still the primary contemporary context. Shruti=revealed: regaurded by hindus as a timeless revelation, a popular definition of a hindu is one who accepts the vedas as revelation ( means wisdom or knowledge.
