Ancient India

Aryan Civilization and

the Foundations of
Hinduism
The Indo-Europeans
 The Aryans
• Arya - noble

• They wanted land for their cattle

• Their word for war simply meant,

“a desire for more cows”
Early Aryan Government

• Aryan society
ruled by powerful
chiefs, rajahs
– Skilled warrior
– Elected by fellow
warriors

• Rajahs fought for

control of the
Gangetic Plain
Aryans Migrate into India
The
Vedas
 Collection of
hymns, chants and
rituals

 Oldest sacred
text of Hinduism

 Memorized by
brahmins, or priests
 The Vedas are divided
into:
• 1. The Mantras, or Hymns.
• 2. The Brahmanas, or manuals of
ritual, prayer and incantation for the
priests
• 3. The Aryanyaka, or “forest-texts”
for hermit saints
• 4. The Upanishads, or confidential
conferences for philosophers
 Early Vedic Age
(1500 - 1000 B.C.E)

• Religion in the making

• Earliest gods of the Vedas were
forces of nature
• Emphasis on sacrifices for
material gains
 Later Vedic Age
(1000 - 800 B.C.)

• Caste system is established

– Myth of Purusha
• Brahmins emerge very powerful
• Technical expertise in
performing ritual
 The Classical Period
(800-200 B.C.)

• die Achsenzeit – the “Axial Age”

• 250 Upanishads composed
during this period
• Reject simple worship of the Rig-
Veda
How many main gods to
Hindus worship?
a. One
b. Three
c. Sixty-seven
Meet the Trimurti

Three manifestations of
Brahman
 Brahman
• The most absolute reality
• It is a concept – a divine force that sustains all
The Creator God

BRAHMA
Vishnu
 The
Preserver God

 Nine Avatars
of Vishnu
- Sent down to
protect earth
- Rama & Krishna
Shiva
 The
Destroyer
God

 His Third
Eye

 Fearsome,
yet a
protector
Ganesha
Remover of
Obstacles,
God of
Success
Hinduism
Important Texts
 Mahabharata
• The Pandavas & the Kauravas

• Bhagavad-Gita
– Prince Arjuna’s lesson: Duty over
Personal Desires
– Krishna (incarnation of Vishnu)
teaches Arjuna about:
• Importance of Duty
• The Human Soul
 Upanishads
• Part Four of the Vedas
– Upa – near
– Shat – to sit

• Reject the simple worship of the other

Vedas
• Address mystical questions: “Whence
are we born, where do we live, and wither
do we go?
 Upanishads
• Reaction to the Brahmin Period

• Sets forth important Hindu

doctrines of:
– Atman
– Samsara
– Karma and reincarnation
– Yoga and meditation
 Upanishads
• First lesson is on the inadequacy of
the intellect.

• “Not by learning is the Atman (or Soul of

the World) attained, not by genius and
much knowledge of books… Let a Brahmin
renounce learning and become as a child…
Let him not seek after many words, for that
is mere weariness of tongue.”
– Katha Upanishad
 Atman
Ultimate reality inside each person

• Your mind, body &

emotions are illusions
• In order to achieve your
Atman you must release
yourself form illusions.
• Goal: Clean one’s
“chimney”
 Samsara
The wheel of life

• All of life is cyclical

• Soul is trapped in the
cycle of life & death
• Reincarnation of the
soul first discussed in
the Bhagavad-Gita
 Karma
The law of moral causation

• Karma determines
our location
• No such thing as an
accident, no such
thing as luck
• Not a system of
divine reward/
Cause & Effect punishment
“As a man sows, so
shall he reap.”
Moksha
Total Release

• Liberation from
Samsara
• You must wash
away bad
karma to
achieve
Moksha
• How?
 The Caste
System Brahmins

The myth of Purusha

Kshatriyas
The mouth?
The arms?
The legs?
Vaishyas
The feet?
Shudras
Aryan Social Structure
 How to achieve
MOKSHA?

The Four Yogic Paths

Path of Knowledge

JNANA YOGA
 Jnana Yoga
The Way to God Through Knowledge
• Goal: to discriminate
between one’s self and Self.
• Three steps:
– Listening
– Thinking
– Think of one’s self in the 3rd
person.
• “There goes Sybil walking
down the street…”
Path of Love

BHAKTI YOGA
 Bhakti Yoga
The Way to God Through Love
• Goal: to direct one’s love toward God
• Steps:
– Must insist on God’s otherness
– Bhakta strives to adore God, not identify
with God
• Japam – the practice of repeating God’s
name
• Ishta – the worship of one incarnation
of God
Path of Action

KARMA YOGA
 Karma Yoga
The Way to God Through Action

• Goal: selfless action

• Actions performed as
service to God
• “He who performs his task
dictated by duty, caring
nothing for the fruit of the
action, he is a yogi.”
– Bhagavad-Gita
The Royal Path: Body and Mind

RAJA YOGA
 Raja Yoga
The Way to God Through Psychophysical
Exercises

Goal: to experience the “Being” within

 The Four Layers

• 1. Body
• 2. Conscious layer of our mind
• 3. Individual subconscious
• 4. Being itself – infinite,
unthwarted, eternal
 The Eight Steps
• 1. Five abstentions
– Injury, lying, stealing, sensuality &
greed
• 2. Five observances
– Cleanliness, contentment, self-control,
studiousness, & contemplation of the
divine
• 3. Perfect the Lotus position
• 4. Breathing exercises
 The Eight Steps
• 5. Develop concentration skills
• 6. Still the mind focus on an object

“When all the senses are stilled, when the

mind is at rest, when the intellect
wavers not – that, say the wise, is the
highest state.”
- Katha Upanishad
 The Eight Steps

• 7. Loss of self-awareness
• 8. Object vanishes, confront the
infinite