ACS 210 Study Guide - Final Guide: Rigveda, Indus River, Hindu Cosmology

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ACS210 Ideas that Shape the World II: Antiquity Final Exam Study Guide
Indus River and South Asia: Chapter 6
Rig Veda
-Creation Hymn
At the beginning of our universe, nothing existed. No one died and no one lived.
Everything was hidden by darkness.
Universe was created by the power of heat.
The first thought grew out of desire.
No one knows who created the universe or what happened, not even the gods.
-Burial Hymn
Death is not wanted nor is it desired.
Throughout your life, you must be pure and clean.
Although the dead ones have left us, we must fill our lives with happiness and
laughter.
We must choose the right path and live a long life.
When you die you will be mummified and your body will be protected by Yama; the
lord of the dead.
Written in the first person point of view which suggests a greater power.
Has a positive connotation throughout the Hymn, putting a better outlook on
death.
-Historical and Cultural Content
Is one of the four sacred scripts of the Aryans, who invaded India in 1500 BC.
Original hymns were passed down orally until they were written down in 600 BC.
Is the oldest of the four Vedas.
Also known as the Book of Wisdom, is a collection of 1,028 hymns which contain
the mythology of the Hindu gods.
Considered to be one of the foundations of the Hindu religion.
There are 33 gods mentioned in the Rig Veda, including Indri, the war god; Agni,
the fire god; and Yama, the god of death.
-Style
The Creation Hymn and Burial Hymn are in a poem format.
Each contain seven stanzas and within each stanza there are 4 lines.
-Is there a god?
Yes, the Rig Veda mentions a god in both hymns.
Burial Hymn says “let Yama build a house for you here”; Yama being the god of
death.
-Is there more than one god?
Yes, in the background it says 33 gods are mentioned in Rig Veda.
In the Creation Hymn it says “The gods came afterwards”; implying there is more
than one.
-Where did we come from?
The Creation Hymn says it was all darkness in the beginning.
Unclear as to what started the creation of the universe.
Hymn states: “the one who looks down on it, in the highest heaven, only he knows-
or perhaps he does not know.”
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Upanishads
-One of the four genres of texts that together constitute each of the vedas, or sacred
scriptures of most Hindu traditions.
-Present a vision of an interconnected universe with a single, unifying principle behind
the apparent diversity in the cosmos.
-There are thirteen known Upanishads composed from the middle of the 5th century
through the 2nd century BCE.
-The first five Upanishads composed:
Brihadaranyaka
Chandogya
Taittiriya
Svetastavatara
-All were written in prose, arranged in verses every noe and then.
-Several more that are not listed.
-All written in Sanskrit.
-Are an essential part of Hindu writings, with the earliest stemming back to the origins
of Hindu cosmology and thought.
-Tried to propose answers to questions posed in the Rig Veda and the Brhamanas
regarding the significance of Vedic sacrifice and the source of the controlling power of
the world and individual.
-Translate into “sitting in from of the teacher”
-Ten Upanishads that are considered the most important.
-Are a sacred text of Hinduism.
-The ultimate ground of all reality is called Brahman.
Bhagavad Gita
-Hindu text.
-Translates into “Song of God”
-Written between the 5th century BCE and 2nd century CE (historians differ on
approximate date)
-Inserted into the larger epic, Mahabharata.
-18 sections made over 700 verses.
-Written in Sanskrit.
-Each chapter is called a “yoga”
-Set on battlefield, dialogue between Krishna (Supreme God) and Arjuna (warrior).
-Only Hindu text that contains direct words of Krishna.
-Was written as a conversation on the battlefield between Krishna and Arjuna five
thousand years ago and is attributed to being recorded by Led Vyasa.
-Hindu tradition attributed Krishna’s saying to Arjuna to an earlier conversation that
took place when Krishna instructed the sun god, Vivasvan, with these same words 120
million years ago.
-Key Points
We are constantly making important choices throughout our lives; nothing is
meaningless.
Sympathy: at times one can relate the experiences characters in the Bhagavad Gita
had to face to their own modern experiences.
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Bhagavad Gita was written as more of a spiritual book, does not focus on morals as
much as faith.
Don’t worry about material possessions; objects on Earth.
Teaches that there are three paths one must take to have a “direct relationship” with
God, so to speak.
Those three paths stress making good decisions, having complete faith/devotion,
and knowledge.
Some Hindus worship many gods, but all Hindu texts including the Bhagavad
suggest the worship of a single Supreme god.
Example: “Those whose intelligence has been stole by material desires surrender
unto demigods and follow the particular rules and regulations of worship according
to their own natures” [Bhagavad Gita 7:20)
Karma
-Ghati is destructive karma.
-Aghati is non destructive karma.
-Good karma results in a higher spiritual state.
-Bad karma has negative spiritual and physical results.
-4 kinds of aghati:
Happiness determining(vedniya)
Body determining (nam)
Status determining (gotra)
Longevity determining (ayushya)
-For everything you do there will be a consequence.
Dharma
-Is a truth or a teaching.
-Non injury is the highest religion.
-Avoid Karma.
-3 jewels: right belief, right knowledge, right conduct.
Indus Valley Civilization
-Geography
Was located in the Northwestern region of the Indian subcontinent.
Now is modern-day Pakistan and Northwest India.
Because of the location of the IVC being located by the Indian River, flooding was
regular.
Flooding caused the soil to become rich and made the civilization grow.
Rich soil led to a surplus of food so the famers benefited.
The IVC was far from isolation.
Because they were exposed to the Indian River, this made way for trading with
other civilizations.
-Time period
Emerged 3300-1300 BCE.
They were at their peak period from 2600-1900 BCE.
The decline in their civilization was 1800 BCE.
By 1700 BCE, most of the cities were condemned.
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Document Summary

Acs210 ideas that shape the world ii: antiquity final exam study guide. Creation hymn: at the beginning of our universe, nothing existed. Style: the creation hymn and burial hymn are in a poem format, each contain seven stanzas and within each stanza there are 4 lines. Is there a god: yes, the rig veda mentions a god in both hymns, burial hymn says let yama build a house for you here ; yama being the god of death. Is there more than one god: yes, in the background it says 33 gods are mentioned in rig veda, in the creation hymn it says the gods came afterwards ; implying there is more than one. One of the four genres of texts that together constitute each of the vedas, or sacred scriptures of most hindu traditions. Present a vision of an interconnected universe with a single, unifying principle behind the apparent diversity in the cosmos.

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