Introduction to Hinduism

Religion in Action: Varanasi

Ritual dimension
(rites & ceremonies /
Behavior)

Narrative or Mythic
Dimension:

Social or Institutional
Dimension
(Belonging):

Doctrinal or
Philosophical
Dimension (Beliefs):

Material Dimension
(prayer beads, icons,
temples):

Key Terms:
Samsara
Ganges River
Shiva
Lingam (mark of Shiva)
Varanasi (Kashi / Benares)
Ghat (cremation grounds)
Dalits (untouchables)
Pilgrimage
 Introduction to Vedic Religion

The Vedas
“Vedas,” meaning “sacred knowledge,” is the term used to refer to the most
revered sacred texts in Hinduism. Hindus regard the Vedas as eternal,
unauthored revelations (shruti, “what is heard”) that were received and
transmitted by ancient seers and these texts serve as the major commonality
across time and space in the Hindu tradition.

There are FOUR Vedas and FOUR types of text in each Veda:
1. Rig Veda a. Samhitas (hymns)
2. Yajur Veda b. Brahmanas
3. Sama Veda c. Aranyakas
4. Atharva Veda d. Upanishads

The oldest Veda is the Rig Veda (~1500–1000 BCE). It consists of 1028 poems,
mantras, and chants praising the gods, which would’ve been recited by priests
during sacrifices and other rituals.

The Vedas were composed and transmitted orally for over a thousand years
before being written down and they remain to this day a largely oral tradition.
Specially trained priests, called Brahmins in Sanskrit, were and continue to be
the preservers of this oral tradition.

Vedic Ritual
Fire sacrifice (yajna) was the major ritual activity in the early Vedic period.
Worshippers would offer plants, food, and animals to the gods and the brahmins
(priests) would administer the sacrifice while reciting the proper hymns and
mantras. Soma, a hallucinogenic plant, was commonly offered to the gods and
perhaps ingested by participants during rituals.

Vedic Worldview
A. Problem:
B. Solution:
C. Technique:
D. Exemplars:
Devas: The gods and goddesses
invoked in rituals. They tend to: (1) have
human qualities (anthropomorphic); (2)
to be majority male; (3) tied to nature Varuna

Agni

Vayu

Indra
 The Way of Wisdom
The Upanishads and jnana yoga

Upanishads (“sitting near”)

Historical context: The Upanishads are later texts added to the collection of the Vedas,
called the Vedanta (“end of Vedas”). They were likely composed between 600–300 BCE
during a creative period when wandering mystics and philosophers (sannyasins,
“renouncers”) reinterpreted the rituals of fire sacrifice and challenged the institutional
authority of the brahmins. This “philosophical turn” technically allowed all classes to
participate in Upanishadic learning, however, this path required individuals to withdraw
from society and to devote themselves to a life of renunciation and reflection.

Style: They often take the form of philosophical dialogues between teachers and
students, gurus and disciples, kings and their subjects. The dialogues offer mystical
and philosophical reflection on the Ultimate Reality to which the Vedic hymns
(samhitas), mantras, and rituals point (e.g. fire sacrifice/yajna). [Prothero, 47]

Focus: The sannyasins questioned and reinterpreted the why of sacrifice rather than
the how and they sought to understand the sacred powers underlying the rituals of the
Vedic period.

Key Concepts of the Upanishads:

● All beings have an ATMAN (eternal soul) that is none other than the BRAHMAN,
the infinite essence of the universe and all creation. Therefore, the atman is
eternal, unlike the body. Truth (satya) is that the absolute (brahman) is also the
self (atman.)
● Our knowledge of brahman comes through an intuitive knowledge and
experience of our true self/soul (atman), a knowledge that penetrates all
appearances and illusions (maya).
● Until it reaches spiritual liberation (MOKSHA), the atman/soul is trapped in the
cycle SAMSARA (birth, life, death, and re-birth), changing bodies as the body
changes clothes.
 ● KARMA, the universal ethical law of cause and effect, fuels the samsaric cycle
and determines the re-birth of one’s atman.
● Knowledge of the brahman and ultimate reality comes through knowing our true
self/soul (atman)

Jnana Yoga: The Path of Wisdom

YOGA (“to yoke or to unite” oneself to the divine): Discipline designed to unite a human
soul to the divine. JNANA YOGA is one of the three major paths to spiritual liberation
in Hinduism.

“Wisdom” is not factual knowledge but insight or intuition into the true nature of the
reality—i.e. the unity of the atman & brahman—which allows an individual to
discriminate what’s Real from the illusions (MAYA) of the temporal, material world.

How does one achieve wisdom?

● By removing oneself from the material world and its illusions, instead turning
inward toward a life of contemplation on ultimate reality
● By listening to and following those who are wise (gurus) and have obtained
wisdom
● By disciplining one’s body and calming one’s senses through fasting,
meditation, and breathing exercises
● By constantly observing one’s own thoughts and by constantly reflecting on our
true nature (atman/brahman)

Overview

Problem: Samsara—the unsatisfactory cycle of birth, life, death, and rebirth

Goal: Moksha—liberation from the samsaric cycle, which is fueled by karma (action)

Technique: Renunciation of the world (non-action) and contemplation of the ultimate

reality of the atman & brahman

Exemplars: Renouncers (sannyasins)

 The Epics: Bhagavad Gita (Mahabharata), Ramayana & Karma Yoga

Bhagavad Gita (“Song of the Lord”)

The Bhagavad Gita is a story within the Mahabharata, a lengthy epic poem that is
revered by Hindus. The Gita is perhaps the most famous of Hindu writings and is often
regarded as the “core expression of the Hindu tradition”, translated into many
European and Indian languages. It has even been referred to as the “Hindu New
Testament.”

The Mahabharata is “a war story punctuated by an extended meditation on duty and

the divine” (that story being the Bhagavad Gita). The story tells of rival branches of a
ruling family—the Pandavas and the Kauravas—who are competing for the kingdom.
On the eve of a major battle between the clans, Arjuna, the righteous prince and
warrior of the Pandava clan, “experiences a crisis of conscience” about whether he
should or not. In his time of need, Krishna—the eighth avatar of Vishnu—inhabits the
body of Arjuna’s charioteer and counsels him on his duty (dharma) to act without
desire (“karma without kama”). [Source: Prothero, Religion Matters, 53]

The Main Themes of the Gita

★ The importance of fulfilling one’s duty (dharma) in accordance with one’s class
(varna)
★ Dharma (duty) and renunciation are compatible as one can act (karma) with
complete detachment from the consequences of their actions (i.e. dispassionate
action)
★ The soul (atman) is immortal and until liberated is subject to rebirth
★ The Lord is transcendent and immanent
★ Spiritual liberation and union with one’s Lord is reached through devotion
(bhakti) to the Lord and by the Lord’s grace
★ The Gita doesn’t denounce the path of wisdom (jnana yoga) but rather argues
that it is only suitable for select individuals who are intellectually prepared for it

[Source: Gavin Flood, An Introduction to Hinduism, 125]