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U2 Hinduism > Lecture 5 > Flashcards

Lecture 5 Flashcards

1
Q

what are purusharthas

A

4 goals of life (originally just 3); areas or orientations of human activity literally ‘aims of human beings’

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2
Q

what are the 4 purusharthas

A

dharma
artha
kama
moksa

The first three together reflect social engagement and having a full life
The last one is more for ascetic withdrawls

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3
Q

what is dharma

A

‘right action’, moral order, sacred duty

dharma should influence this

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4
Q

what is artha

A

political and financial success; professional achievements; power/wealth
(dharma should influence this)

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5
Q

what is kama

A

engagement of sense of pleasure and the arts

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6
Q

what is moksa

A

liberation, release from cycle of birth and death

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7
Q

what is ashrama

A

stage of life; resting point
Traditionally follow them in order… however the idea of having to wait until old to renounce is not appealing to many
Thus many mocks subscribers don’t follow this; they think it should be done earlieer
so there are now more modern variations

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8
Q

what are the 4 ashrama (traditionally first to last)

A

student (brahmacarin)
house holder (grhastha)
forest dweller (uanaprastha)
renouncer (samnyasin)

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9
Q

what is the root origin of sharma

A

from the root dhr which meant ‘to uphold’

in the earliest sense; order and harmony maintained through proper ritual actions

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10
Q

what are the 2 expanded meaning of dharma

A

sanatana-dharma

varnasrama-dharma

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11
Q

what is sanatana-dharma

A

‘the eternal dharma,’ the dharma for ALL times and people (e.g. ‘golden rule’)

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12
Q

what is varnasrama-dharma

A

dharma according to one’s social position and stage of life (more specific sharma)

an abstract model for living an ideal brahminical life that change emphases according to 2 factors; one’s caste (varna) and stage of life (ashrama)

Not a ‘model of’ reality (e.g. aritst’s drawing of a building) but an idealized social ‘model for’ reality (e.g. architect’s blueprint)

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13
Q

explain the early narrative imagining of social order

A

Rg Veda , the Purush Sukta (Hymn of the cosmic people):

  • imagining certain type of creation origins
  • connects sacrificial persons to all elements of the universe
  • critical verse describes people creation (groups of people) called varna/caste
  • this became earliest text to describe people in different groups/levels
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14
Q

what is Varna

A

social class/categories; one of several terms discussed as ‘caste’

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15
Q

what are the 4 castes/varna

A

brahmin
kshatriyas
vaishya
shudra

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16
Q

what is the caste brahmin

A

those who learn the vedas, they are the scholars, maintain the rituals of purity

17
Q

what is the caste kshatriyas

A

warriors (political leaders, royalty)

18
Q

what is the caste vaishya

A

‘people’, merchant/economic base, middle class, artisans, etc

19
Q

what is the caste shudra

A

unskilled labourers whose work supports the upper three caste

20
Q

what is special about the upper castes

A

considered ‘twice born’ and they undergo the upanayana ritual

21
Q

can all the castes study the veda

A

only the upper castes (3)

22
Q

what is another name for varna

A

colour; which is why there is a theory of racism in castes

23
Q

give an example of brahmins in history

A

PMs of india

24
Q

give an example of kshatriyas in history

A

Lakshmibai, the rani of Jhansi

25
give an example of vaishya in history
Gandi, vegetable vendors
26
give an example of shudra in history
street sweepers
27
is there more than 4 varnas
the Dalit is a separate category all together
28
what is the Dalit
'oppressed, down traders', self-designation of many communities outside of the 4-fold varna hierarchy. - official terms used by the gov.; scheduled castes, scheduled tribes - older terms usually considered deeply offensive by Dalits today; untouchables, gods people (coined by Ghandi and offensive because referring to them as 'gods special children') - premodern terms; candela; fierce, panacea, the 'fifth' (category) -castes didn't even want to touch their shadow, just disgusted with them; they did the dishonourable work
29
what is Jati
birth group; kind; sometimes glossed in western literatures, 'subcastes' - there are 100s of Jatos across india; highly localized - reference to 'caste' in indian politics usually refer to Jati, not varna - often associated with a particular profession but it is not necessary that everyone in a certain jati does the same job - they don't fir neatly into the 4 varnas
30
what are the implications of caste
- not about just one relationship - caste can impact social practices including rituals, dietary rules and dress - its illegal to discriminate in india based on caste but it still happens - caste is not limited to hindus, it effects the lives of all religious people in south asia - caste (birth varna and jati) doesn't always match with economic class - hierarchy and rankings are only one aspect of castes
31
who was Louis Dumont
french anthropologist who wrote Homo Hierarchius about caste system; predicted it as a hierarchical ranks that is conceded in terms of purity Challenes of Dumont; -caste are not ridged compartments whose meanings are pre determined; it is alway a work in progress -indian anthropology who coined term sanskritization believed they can raise their status by simply being vegetarian/changing reps but that is not the case, it is so much more complex
32
what are the 2 examples of precolonial challenges to castes
buddhism and Bhakti Poets
33
Who was Rapidas/Raidas
16th c bhakti poet shoemaker/Dalit Bhakti and social protest, caste reform Ram-nama; name of Kam
34
who is Kabir
15c poet weaver caste, probably muslim by birth critical of all organization
35
explain caste in the colonial period
- The census; a surveying project to gather demographic info concerning the population - census what not just a country mechanism, but it actually hanged the way people thought about case themselves - tried to fit local, fluid understanding of Jati into the 4 varna (for ex; conflating particular occupations with particular varna) - many have argued that caste as we know it today is a modern phenomenon
36
Who is Dr BR Ambedkar
- indian, social reformer, key architect of indian constitution - mahar (Dalit) caste - criticized and debated with gandhi about how to best help marginalized communities of india - fight against Dalit disenfranchisement, exploitation and dehumanization imposed by Brahmanical hegemony - 1938 publication of the Annihilation of Caste - shortly before his death, he led a mass Dalit conversion from hinduism to buddhism
37
explain the reservation system
1947; Dr Amdedkar appointed a chairman of constitution drafting committee -pushed for Reservations; a type of affirmative program where marginalized people are given access to a certain number of seats in legislature, gov. jobs, higher education institutions -1932 round table conference; Q of separate election granted for religious minorities and scheduled castes (Dalit) (Gandhi did not want to get ride of castes or have separate election and this is where they butted heads) -Dr inn favour to end caste all together -Gandhi; opposed, castes a positive feature of hinduism (social and cohesion), end untouchability by incorporating untouchables into the Sundra Varna -resulted in Povna Pact
38
what is the Pvna pact
a single electorate for hindus with scheduled castes having seats reserved within it
39
explain caste and class
``` class mobilization is often a family matter, not individual - modern mobilization; education (ex 1st person to go to college), professional (securing a good job to provide income to family), urban space (access to opportunities), marriage (financial security) ```

U2 Hinduism (8 decks)

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