Chapter 6 Terms

Monsoon- Seasonal winds in the Indian Ocean caused by the differences in temperature and the slowly changing ocean waters Vedas- early Indian sacred "knowledge" - the literal meaning of the term - long preserved and communicated orally by Brahmin priests and eventually written down Varna- Two categories of social identity of great importance in Indian history Jati- regional groups of people who have a common occupation sphere and who marry, eat, and interact with other members of their group Karmathe residue of deeds performed in past and present lives that adheres to a "spirit" and determines what form it will assume in its next life cycle Moksha- the Hindu concept of the spirit's "liberation" from the endless cycle of rebirths Buddha- and Indian prince named Siddhartha Gautama, who renounced his wealth and social position Mahayana Buddhism- "great vehicle" branch of Buddhism followed in china, Japan, and Central Asia Theravada Buddhism- "way of the Elders" branch of Buddhism followed in Sri Lanka and much of Southeast Asia Hinduism- A general term for a wide variety of beliefs and ritual practices that have developed in the Indian subcontinent since antiquity Maryann Empire- the first state to unify most of the Indian subcontinent Ashoka- third ruler of the Mauryan Empire in India (273-232 B.C.E.) Mahabharata- A vast epic chronicling the events leading up to a cataclysmic battle between related kingship groups in early India Bhagavad-Gitathe most important work of Indian sacred literature, a dialogue between the great warrior Arjuno and the god Krishna Tamil kingdoms- the kingdoms of southern India, inhabited primarily by speakers of Dravidian languages Gupta Empire- a powerful Indian state based on a capital at Pataliputra in the Ganges Valley

Theater-state- Historians' term for a state that acquires prestige and power by developing attractive cultural forms and staging elaborate public ceremonies Malay peoples- A designation for peoples origination in south China and Southeast Asia who settled the Malay peninsula, Indonesia and the Philippians, then spread eastward across the islands of the Pacific Ocean and west to Madagascar Funan- An early complex society in Southeast Asia between the first and sixth centuries C.E.