Early Civilizations

Good farmland and geographic isolation of South Asia made the Indus and Ganges river valleys centers of civilizations. Mountains and oceans provided natural boundaries that limited invasions. Fertile soil provided arable farmland.

Aryans Collection of tribes that crossed the Hindu Kush into India Vedic Period- named for religious texts called the Vedas, which are the holiest book of Hinduism

Hinduism

Origins of Hinduism Hinduism began in ancient India. It is the oldest known religion in the world today and the world’s third largest religion. It is different from other religions because there is no single known founder. Its origins are believed to come from the Aryans, a group of nomads who settled in the Indus River Valley.

Sacred Text The most ancient sacred text of the Hindu religion are written in Sanskrit and called the Vedas. The Vedas scriptures guide Hindus in their daily life. They cover various subjects, from nature to everyday life and behavior, and form the basis of all other religious writings.

Basic Beliefs Hinduism is a polytheistic. However, all Hindus worship one supreme being, Brahman, who created lesser gods to be his helpers.

Basic Beliefs Dharma Kharma Reincarnation Moksha A person’s religious and moral duties Kharma The Hindu idea that sums up a person’s deeds during their lifetime. The phrase “What goes around comes around” comes from a belief in karma. Reincarnation The belief that the individual soul of a person is reborn in a different form after death, based on their karma, or their deeds in their prior life or lives. Moksha When a soul finally escapes the karmic cycle, it becomes one with Brahman.

How well you perform your dharma (duty) determines your karma (fate) How well you perform your dharma (duty) determines your karma (fate). If you do a good job, you’ll earn good karma, and have a good rebirth into a better caste. If you do a bad job, you’ll earn bad karma, and have a bad rebirth.

Caste System Caste system A lifelong social group into which one is born This system seems to have developed slowly over time based on the beliefs of the Aryan nomads. Caste members lived, ate, married, and worked within their own group.

Dalits or “untouchables” are discriminated against Dalits or “untouchables” are discriminated against. They are given unclean jobs and can have no contact with people of the caste system. The Caste System has been banned in modern India, however it remains in some rural areas https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iTSRHiOA2Ag