1 Ancient Roots of Hinduism Jeffrey L. Richey, Ph.D. REL 231 Religions of India and Tibet Berea College Fall 2003

2 WHAT IS HINDUISM? Hindu = from Persian Hind (India); originally ethnic, not religious, label Since medieval period, “Hinduism” denotes broad set of devotional, philosophical, and scriptural traditions rooted in ancient India

3 THE INDUS RIVER VALLEY CIVILIZATION Original inhabitants of northwestern India-Pakistan (c BCE) Indus society: 1. Agricultural 2. Urban 3. Mercantile Indus religion: 1. Polytheistic (esp. goddesses) 2. Fertility-oriented By 1500 BCE, on brink of collapse, perhaps due to combination of natural and human disasters

4 THE “ARYAN INVASION” Around 1500 BCE, “Aryan” peoples from southern Russia enter Indus region Aryan society: 1. Pastoral 2. Nomadic 3. Equestrian Aryan religion: 1. Polytheistic 2. Patriarchal Aryan language was ancestral to Sanskrit, oldest known in Indo-European family

5 INDO-EUROPEAN LANGUAGE & MYTHOLOGY Words in Indo-European languages share common ancestors: 1. English -- father 2. German -- Vater 3. Latin -- pater 4. Greek -- pater 5. Sanskrit – pitar Other examples: 1. English – divinity / ritual 2. Latin – divus / ritus 3. Sanskrit – deva / ŗta Deities in Indo-European traditions share common origins: 1. Norse -- Alfodr (“All Father,” i.e., Odin) 2. Latin – Diespiter (“Day Father,” i.e., Jupiter) 3. Greek – Zeuspater (“Father Zeus”) 4. Sanskrit – Dyauspitar (“Sky Father”) Thus, Sanskrit reveals deep links between ancient Indian and Western cultures

6 INDO-ARYAN SOCIETY Divided into 4 hereditary occupational divisions (varņas = colors): 1. Brāhman (priest) 2. Kşatriya/Rājanya (warrior) 3. Vaiśya (merchant/artisan) 4. Śūdra (peasant) On margins of fourfold society are Dalits (so-called “untouchables”), who perform menial and polluting tasks: 1. Corpse handlers 2. Executioners 3. Hunters and fishermen 4. Leatherworkers

7 THE VEDAS Concerned with orthopraxy (proper action) in ritual Brāhman authors edit oral liturgical traditions, producing Vedas (“knowledges”), c BCE By 600 BCE, sūtras (“threads,” commentaries), or summaries of Vedas, become popular 4 collections (samhitās) of Vedas: 1. Ŗigveda (ŗic = praise stanzas sung by priests in ritual) 2. Sāmaveda (sāman = songs sung by priestly entourage) 3. Yajurveda (yajus = short incantations uttered by priests’ assistants in ritual) 4. Atharvaveda (therapeutic spells and hymns used by atharvans = healers)

8 KARMAMARGA: THE WAY OF ACTION Ātman (“breath”) = 1. Essential element of person 2. Coexistent with body 3. Separable at death, when it ideally rejoins ancestors Ŗta (“right, rite”) = 1. Correct pattern 2. Cosmic order 3. Accomplished by orthopraxy Dharma (“law”) = 1. Fixed principles 2. Social order 3. Accomplished by obedience to varņa-specific obligations Ashramas (“stages of life”) for males of of three upper varņas: 1. Brahmaçarya (study with guru or master) 2. Grihastha (marriage, family, career) 3. Vānaprastha (partial withdrawal from social life) 4. Sannyāsa (complete renunciation of society, devotion to spiritual life) Women participate only in householder stage, with two likely fates: 1. Marginalization as widow 2. Predeceasing husband Gradually, goal of improved reincarnation through right action (karma) replaces reunion with ancestors

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