Hinduism Flashcards
(88 cards)
0
Q
Bhagavad-Gita
A
Song of the Lord - conversation between Arjuna and Krishna
most read and most influential Hindu script
1
Q
Arjuna
A
greatest Pandava warrior who has a crisis on the eve of the war
2
Q
Bhakti yoga
A
Liberation through loving devotion
3
Q
Darshana
A
Going to a temple for an audience (to see and be seen by) with a deity
4
Q
Kumbha Mela
A
Worlds largest pilgrimage
5
Q
Jnana yoga
A
Realization/liberation through transcendental knowledge
6
Q
Raja yoga
A
An influential ancient example of the path to knowledge
7
Q
Yoga
A
Liberation philosophies often with body mind practices
8
Q
Dhyana
A
Meditation
9
Q
Hinduism
A
An assortment of beliefs and practices
10
Q
Vedas
A
Four collections of eloquent hymns addressed to Vedic deities
11
Q
Soma
A
Sacred hallucinogenic plant
12
Q
Hanuman
A
model of the ideal devotee, serving Rama loyally
Monkey ruler
13
Q
Agni
A
God of fire
transports sacrificial offerings to other gods
14
Q
Indra
A
God of thunder and lightning
15
Q
Dyaus-Pitri
A
Sky god
16
Q
Karma Yoga
A
liberation through action
17
Q
Prithivi
A
Earth goddess
18
Q
Surya
A
The sun
19
Q
Kauravas
A
Cousins of the Pandava princes in the Mahabharata
20
Q
Mahatma Gandhi
A
modern Indian leader
active, but non violent (ahimsa) resistance against oppression
Fought for the independence of India from British colonial rule
21
Q
Krishna
A
The most widely worshipped of Vishnu’s avataras
Helps the pandava brothers in their battle
Irresistible flute playing cowherd, charms many married women
-worshipped on Holi, a spring festival of color
22
Q
Mantra
A
Sacred sound or phrase
23
Q
Vedanta
A
Schools of philosophy based on the Upanishads
24
Smriti
All other Hindu scripture aside from the Shruti
25
Punja
Devotional worship rituals (eg. Offering)
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Brahmins
Priestly, educated class
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Kshatriyas
Kings, nobility, landlords
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Vaishyas
Commoners, merchants, artisans
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Shudras
Servants, menial workers
30
Untouchables
Barbarians/Foreigners, offspring of mixed classes
31
Dharma
duty, righteousness behaviour aligned with the cosmic order
32
Dharma Shastras
Large treaties on what is dharmic behaviour
33
Student
Formal boarding school education with a guru
- begins the pursue the goal of understanding dharma
- refrain from sex
34
Householder
Marked by the marriage ceremony and beginning of work
| -pursuit of Kama and Artha
35
Kama
love/pleasure (erotic, sensual); spouse, in-laws, children
36
Rama
- incarnation of Vishu
| - prince in the Ramayana
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Ravana
demon who kidnapped Sita in an attempt to gain her affection
38
Artha
Skill/know-how/money;develop one's professional abilities
39
The Laws of Manu
Part of the Dharma Shastras
| -generally describe orthodox dharmic principles of the four classes
40
Forest-Dweller
retirement from work and householder's life
- prescribed for grandparents; wealth is transferred to children
- begin to read scripture and think about the meaning of life
41
Samnyasin/Sannyanin
```
Renouncer
prescribed but not a common stage
-has one's death rituals performed
-puts on a saffron robe, takes a staff and a begging bowl
-seeks highest goal: Moksha
```
42
Sita
Worshiped as a deity and also as the most beautiful woman; wife in the Ramayana
43
Moksha
release/liberation; self realization
44
Samsara
worldly existence and the almost ceaseless rebirths within
45
Karma
a moral principle of "cause and effect"
47
Yajna
Vedic sacrifice (offerings into a ritually constructed square pit)
48
The Mahabharata
tale of the five Pandava princes: the Kauravas, evil cousins, deny them their kingdom after 13 years of exile and a war breaks out
53
Devi/Durga
great goddess, also called Durga, the source and summation of all female deities, and the power (Shakti) that animates the entire cosmos. She embodies both a fierce and benign nature
54
The Ramayana
tale of prince Rama sent into exile with his wife Sita who is kidnapped by the demon Ravana
55
Lakshimi
Goddess of prosperity and good fortune is often linked with her consort Vishnu.
AKA Shri, she is depicted as a beautiful woman seated upon a lotus
-Worshipped during Divali, the festival of lights
56
Ganesha
popular, elephant-headed, potbellied deity; leader of Shiva's forces who presides over obstacles
57
Shiva
In early theology, identified with the destructive principle of the cosmos. To devotees of Shiva, he is the supreme deity who reconciles the seeming polarities of creation and destruction. Worshipped in the form of a symbolic erect phallus (linga)
59
Vishnu
All pervading and often depicted blue like the sky. Through his incarnations (avatara) preserves righteousness when forces of chaos and unrighteousness threaten the cosmic order. Generally portrayed as a cosmic king, resting on an endless serpent.
60
Avatara
Incarnations of gods in human form
61
Kali
Dark, fierce goddess who symbolizes time and destruction. Often depicted as naked, with disheveled hair and a garland of skulls
62
Guru
One's teacher, generally used to designate the most important guide and mentor in one's spiritual development
63
Shankara
south Indian renouncer, known for his Vedanta philosophy of radical non-dualism
64
Swami Vivekananda
- Founder of the Ramakrishna movement
| - Influenced the West's knowledge of Hinduism
65
Divali
A festival of lights celebrated on the new moon between mid-October and mid-November. Homes are painted and decorated with lamps, firecrackers are set off, and people buy new clothes and feast. Marks the victory of light over darkness, and begins the new year for many communities
66
Sacred Thread ceremony
Males of the "twice-born" classes, particularly brahmins are given a sacred utterance to repeat and a loop of sacred thread to wear over their left shoulders
67
Marriage Rite
Generally arranged by parents, often involving horoscopic consultations. Formally initiates men and women into the householder stage of life.
68
Shruti
Applied exclusively by orthodox Hindus to the Vedic Samhitas, the Brahmanas, the Aranyakas, and the Unpanishads. The divine origin attributed to these texts gives them a status akin to the "revealed scriptures" 0f other traditions.
69
Brahman
Several Hindu words derive from the Sanskrit verbal root, "brih" to expand. For instance, brahman refers to the all-encompassing, Absolute Reality.
70
Upanishads
The last portion of each of the Vedic secs of texts. Contain philosophical speculation about the nature of reality, the relationship between Atman and Brahman, and the notion of liberation (moksha)
71
Polytheism
Belief in a divine world of many gods and spiritual forces
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Henotheism
Worship of one god but does not deny the existence of other gods
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Brahmanas
Vedic ritual texts
74
Brahma
Name of the Hindu creator God
75
Sanskrit
Official language of the Aryan migration (Cultured/Perfect)
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Pandavas
Princes of the the Mahabharata tale
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Dravidian
Non-Aryan civilizations further to the south in which traditions Hinduism derived from
78
The Rig Veda
- Oldest portion of the Vedic literary corpus
| - contains over a thousand hymns to many gods and few goddesses of the Vedic pantheon
79
Aryans ("the noble ones")
- Indo-European settlers migrated to the Indian Subcontinent
| - Possessed superior technology to the people of the lands they colonized
80
Twice-Born
name given to the upper three classes in Hindu society
81
Atman
our true Self
82
Ahimsa
Non-violence
83
Puja
The veneration of images of deities and Tirthankaras with offerings of flowers, food, and an honorific flame
84
Sarasvati
- Brahma's wife/consort/counterpart
- goddess of creativity depicted with four arms, holding prayer beads, the Vedas and Lute
- particularly worshipped by students and educators
85
Samadhi
Highest state of meditative absorption
86
The Indus Valley
The beginning of the Hindu practices (2500-1500 bce)
87
devi
Name for all goddesses
88
Maya
a power of illusion (dependent on Brahman), which keeps us deluded
89
Cit
Consciousness
90
Ananda
Bliss
91
Advaita
non-dualism
92
Cosmogony
Creation of the cosmos
93
Tejpreet says:
Julia, you will do just fine! Don't stress too much, you're smart :)
Good Luck!
