Hinduism Flashcards
(27 cards)
Soma
Rig veda: stimulating drink that priests used before ritual
Agni
Rig veda: god of fire
Vac
Rig veda: goddess of sound (ritual hymn, not just everyday sound)
Rudra
Rig veda; unpredictable god that can protect or kill you
Indra
Rig veda: god of storm/lightning; destroyed vrtra
Varuna
Rig veda: sky god
Ratri
Rig veda: goddess of night
Usas
Rig veda: goddess of dawn
Yama
Rig veda: first human to die, shows the way for oncoming people
Trimurti
Three bodies; Brahman (4 faces), vishnu, shiva
Identify Vishnu:
4 arms with three each holding either a mace, discus, or conch. Female friend= Laxmi
Identify Hanuman
Monkey king who’s devoted to vishnu and laxmi
Shiva:
Great Sannyasin, good husband/caretaker, lord of dance and ambivalence, female friend= parvati
Ganesha:
Elephant son of Parvati and Shiva
Kali
Goddess that kills demons; usually above an erect male and always has a necklace of severed demon heads
Identify Krishna:
Usually blue, is holding a flute, usually seen in lila (play, erotic past times), female friend= radha
Yajna
Sacrificial fire ritual
Rita
Order/predictable patterns of the cosmos
Jati
Sanskrit for occupation/vocation
Varna
Caste
Purusa
Idea of monism/That One
Tat tsvam asi
True self that is beyond the material world; is part of Brahman
3 Gunas
3 threads (inertia, passion, lucidity)
Puja
Ritual
