The Vedas & Vedic ReligionProf. Jessica Vantine Birkenholtz

RLST 1103 September 2015

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Today Devi

The Vedas & Vedic religion

Key concepts/teachings Dharma Karma, samsara, moksha Atman, Brahman

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Devi Mahadevi = Great Goddess

5th c CE

Two dominant categories: ‘Mild’: Lakshmi, Parvati,

Saraswati, Sita, Radha ‘Wild’: Durga, Kali

Shakti

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Saraswati Associated with speech,

learning, culture, and wisdom

Consort: Brahma

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Lakshmi Associated with

prosperity, well being, royal power, and illustriousness

Consort: Vishnu

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Parvati Consort: Shiva

Two sons: Ganesh and Kumar

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Parvati and Shiva Tension between householder

and ascetic ideals

Parvati’s role

Shiva-Shakti

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Durga Virgin warrior goddess

Fierce and destructive, but working for the good of the cosmos

Role reversals

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Kali Fierce virgin warrior goddess

Blood-thirsty demon-slayer All-loving, compassionate Mother

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Krishna & Radha Lengthiest and most individualized biography

Historical hero and god

The Divine as human

Love affair with Radha

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Celebrations of the Divine

Rituals Fasting Festivals Pilgrimage Procession

s Sacrifice

National, regional, village level

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Hinduism: Now and Then

Brhadaranyaka Upanishad, 3.9.1-3.9.9 How many?

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Chronology of Hinduism

Indus valley civilization (c. 2500 to 1500 BCE)

Vedic period (c. 1500 to 500 BCE) Rise of Aryan culture The Vedas and dharma, and ritual texts

composed

Epic and puranic period (c. 500 BCE to 500 CE) Composition of Mahabharata and Ramayana Composition of Puranas Vaisnavism, Saivism, and Saktism begin to

develop

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Chronology of Hinduism

Medieval period (c. 500 CE to 1500 CE) Development of bhakti tradition Continued development of Vaishnavism,

Shaivism, and Shaktism Sanskrit and vernacular devotional literature

and poetry; tantric literature

Modern period (c. 1500 CE to the present) Rise and fall of Mughal and British Empires Origin of India as a nation state

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“For Hinduism, the meaning of ‘tradition’ is cumulative, not

unchanging.”

(Hawley & Narayanan, Life of Hinduism, 4)

The Vedic World c. 1500 to 500 BCE

Aryans, the ‘noble ones’

Vedas

Vedic religion and society

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The Vedas Composed 1500 BCE to 500 BCE

“Book of knowledge”

Shruti, ‘that which was heard’ Rshis (seers, sages)

Oral tradition Brahmans

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The Vedas Samhitas (collections)

Rg veda Sama veda Yajur veda Atharva veda

Brahmanas (instructions for performance of rituals)

Aranyakas (forest treatises)

Upanishads (secret treatises) -philosophical

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Vedic Gods The Rg veda

The Devas (gods) Many related to natural phenomena

Dyaus (sky) Varuna (night) Vayu (wind) Agni (fire) Soma (moon and soma plant)

Usha

Vayu

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Main Devas No supreme deity in the Rig Veda

Three prominent deities: Agni Soma Indra

Agni

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Indra King of the gods

Warrior deity Thunderbolt

Rig Veda 1.32 Triumph over Vritra Releasing the waters

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Rta Comic order

Power of rta = highest power Not even the gods can go against it Varuna’s domain

“A unifying principle [that] kept the individual, social, ritual, and the cosmic orders in harmony”

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Vedic Religion Rites of sacrifice

Hymns, fire, soma Power of hymns & flawless

performance of ritual

Propitiation of gods

Relationship b/w men and gods

Maintaining cosmic order

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Vedic Society Purusha Sukta, ‘Hymn to the

Supreme Person’ (Rig Veda 10.90) Origins of the four classes (varnas)

Brahmin (priests, scholars) Kshyatriya (warriors, kings,

royal/ruling families) Vaishya (merchants, peasants,

agriculturalists, artisans) Shudra (servants)

Untouchables (dalits, harijans)

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Vedic to Vedantic Upanishads

Vedanta, 600 to 300 BCE

Discuss several important philosophical ideas that are central to later Hinduism Karma Samsara Moksha Atman Brahman

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Karma, Samsara, & Moksha

Karma = action, especially ritual action Cause and effect

Samsara = a continuing cycle of death and rebirth, i.e., reincarnation

Moksha = spiritual liberation and personal salvation

• Brhadaranyaka Upanishad 4.4.1- 4.4.7

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Atman & Brahman Atman = human soul

Brahman = Supreme Being, Ultimate Reality Pervades and transcends human thought and

the universe Cannot describe it

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Review Aryans

Vedas Rig Veda Upanishads

Vedic religion Ritual/sacrifice, fire, hymns Agni, Soma, Indra

Vedic society Four varnas

Brahmins, kshyatriyas, vaishyas, shudras

• Dharma• Karma• Samsara• Moksha• Atman• Brahman