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Eternal righteousness

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@ 1750 BCE Deforestation loss of topsoil Agriculture soil exhaustion Tectonic activity earthquakes, shifting river courses, Sarswati River

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@ 1500 BCE Nomadic, warlike, bronze, Sanskrit Brahminism polytheistic, gods of nature Warring kingdoms established

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Oral traditions written down Vedas Focus on internal being atman (soul) Liberation from desire/suffering Justification of social order

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Blending of Aryan and local traditions no founder Upanishads sitting near, dialogues to explain faith Brahma

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Origin of atman (soul)--strives to join once again with Brahman Moskshastate of perfect understanding Universal Spirit different forms for different roles, different comfort Choice of worship

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Brahma - creator Vishnu - order Shiva - destroyer, transformation

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Shakti - female aspect of divine Ganesh - remover of obstacles Avatar - human incarnation of divine come to assist humans on path to Moksha

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Moksha: Freeing of the soul from earthly pain and suffering->Eternal Bliss/Nirvana (peace of mind). Union with the Supreme Being Brahman Reincarnation: Living multiple lives, improving each time until you reach the peak (also had a higher position in society) Karma: The actions of your current life determine how you will be reincarnatedbetter than before and closer to Moksha or worse and farther away Part of good Karma is following your Dharma: the proper path for your current life done by humility, personal sacrifices, living a pure life in all aspects

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I believe in Reincarnation which explains about the human hopehope to do better; and which makes a person responsible. If there is no reincarnation, if I have money and wealth I could do anythingI dont have to obey, to be compassionate, to care for people. So reincarnation makes it clear, the way I am supposed to live.

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This is the sum of duty: Do naught unto others which would cause you pain if done to you. Just as he acts, just as he behaves, so he becomes.

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Live a Pure life The higher your (position in society) the more pure you should be 2 types of Purity Moral Purity Ritual Purity

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Practice Truthfulness Dont steal, covet, or enter into debt Be sexually pure Exercise patience Show steadfastnesspersevere, plan, dont complain, have a purpose Practice Compassion Act honorably at all timesdont cheat, follow the laws, dont take shortcuts Moderate dietdont over indulge, drink in moderation

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Rituals: actions done on a regular basis Why? Demonstrates Pure Spirit, Shows commitment Earn forgiveness for Karmic Debts Examples: Worship Offerings Meditation Yoga Pilgrimages to Holy Places Avoid contact with less pure people

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Ganges River = a divine goddess, made to cleanse the earth from impurity Bathing in the Ganges can give peace of mind and cleanse karmic sins. Better karma better reincarnation Therefore: The Ganges: key pilgrimage spot for ritual bathing

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Banks of the Ganges Oldest Aryan Settlement Place to cleanse spirit in river Death in Varanasipossible to break cycle of rebirth After deathhuman remains put into the Ganges can still lead to karmic cleansing

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Aryan supremacy over local population Varnas color Myth of Purusha Brahmin(priest) Kshatriya(warrior) Vaishya(merchant) Shudra(laborers)

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4 main castes become 1000s (by profession) Controls marriage, occupation, social company, How do you know what caste someone is in? Occupation, family name, family location, manner of dress, manner of speech,

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Live outside the Caste Systemtoo dirty/impure Jobs related to death or dirt (leather workers, street sweepers) If you are higher caste and have contact with untouchables you can become unclean too Extremesno eating, drinking, touching, even shadows of the untouchables were unclean Untouchables couldnt enter into the city gates, couldnt drink from the same wells

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Who benefitted the most from the caste structure? Who benefitted the least? Why would something like the caste system survive for so long?

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Mentioned in the sacred texts (Vedas) Karma and reincarnation Part of good Dharma is observing duties without question Laws set up severe punishments for breaking Caste rules: Fines, outcast, lose family and social support, death Human nature to stay with whats familiar

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Was the caste system a good or bad thing for society?

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Castes were very unitedtight knit social groups People became experts at their jobs Everyone knew their place in societyit was structured and organized All Castes were seen as important in creating the whole society

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Castes fought and distrusted eachother society was divided Smart and talented people were held back limited progress for everyone Upper Castes could abuse their power and position in the name of religion with little complaint or resistance Human rights abuses--Untouchables

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Roughly 16% of Indias Population170 million people Untouchable is not used anymorenow called Dalits Also found in other Countries: Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, UK

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Technically illegal Indian Constitutionbans negative public discrimination on the basis of caste (employment, education, etc) Government has set up quotas in schools and government to help traditional lower castes In realitystill exists. Many educated, upper class, urban Indians dont follow it but more popular in rural settings. State of mind

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Intercaste marriages often not approvedin traditional families or areas Caste based organizations still exist Political Partiesoften organized around Caste membership Some workplace or school conflicts (some violent) Lower castes still have lower quality of life