1. South Asia: Vocabulary Study Guide

2. subcontinent
landmass
-a landmass separated by water and land from other land areas which may once have been part of a huge continent
Mountains
Lots of water!

3. monsoon season
time of year
a time of year when heavy rains fall which the farmers depend on for growing crops

4. subsistence farming
process
a type of farming where families grow food just for themselves
there is very little extra to sell or trade

5. Sanskrit
language
A language that was spoken by the Aryan people who migrated to the Indus River Valley.

6. social group
caste
priests and teachers = brahmins
rulers and warriors
farmers and merchants
servants to all others = sudra
*some may be considered “untouchables”
a social group into which a person is born and belongs in his whole life

7. brahmin
social class
the caste that has the highest position in society (made up of teachers and priests)

8. social class
sudra
except for the Untouchables, sudra is given the lowest position in ancient Indian society
also called serfs

9. India’s main religion and one of the oldest religions in the world
Hinduism
India’s main religion and one of the oldest religions in the world
there is no founder

10. The Vedas are Books of Knowledge that contain Aryan stories and songs.
writings
The Vedas are Books of Knowledge that contain Aryan stories and songs.
the Rig Veda is a collection of more than 1,000 hymns from which faithful Hindus recite verses every day

11. universal truth
Brahman
Brahman is believed by the Hindus to be the source of everything and to have three main forms

12. dharma the order of the universe
belief
dharma
the order of the universe
Dharma is believed to be maintained by Vishnu

13. the process through which a spirit or soul goes from one life to the next
reincarnation
process

14. religion
Buddhism
a religion started by Siddharta in India in the 4th century B.C.
Emperor Ashoka spread the religion throughout Asia
Siddharta became known as the Buddha which means “The Enlightened One”

15. beliefs
Four Noble Truths
beliefs that say that suffering is a part of everyone’s life and is caused by wanting too many things

16. Eightfold Path
way of living
a way of living that the Buddhists believe can help people find relief from their suffering

17. a technique that Buddhists believe clears a person’s mind
meditation
a technique that Buddhists believe clears a person’s mind

18. goal
enlightenment
Buddha said that ALL people, not just priests, could reach the goal of enlightenment which is a state of pure goodness