Ancient India Study Guide

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planned cities
a. Mohenjo-Daro and Harappa
4 Noble Truths
a. Life is full of suffering
b. People suffer because they desire worldly things and self-satisfaction
c. The way to end suffering is to stop desiring things
d. The only way to stop desiring things is to follow the Eightfold Path
8 Fold Path
a. Know and understand the Four Noble Truths
b. Give up worldly things and dont harm others
c. Tell the truth, dont gossip, and dont speak badly of others
d. Dont commit evil acts, like killing, stealing, or living an unclean life
e. Do rewarding work
f. Work for good and oppose evil
g. Make sure your mind keeps your senses under control
h. Practice meditation as a way of understanding reality
Aryabhata
a. the leading mathematician of the Gupta
Aryans
a. the hunters and warriors that took over the Harappans
Asoka
a. the greatest king in the Mauryan dynasty
b. ruled from 273-232 B.C.
Bhagavad Gita
a. best-known section of the Mahabharata
b. Song of the Lord
Bodhisattvas
a. an enlightened person who stays on earth to help others
Brahman
a. in Hinduism, the universal spirit of which all deities are different parts
Brahmans
a. priests
Buddhism
a. a religion founded by Siddhartha Gautama, the Buddha; taught that the
way to find truth was to give up all desires
Caste

a. a social group that a person is born into and cannot change

13. Chandragupta Maurya
a. founded the Mauryan Empire
14. Dalai Lama
a. the government leader in Tibet
15. Deccan Plateau
a. the region south of the Ganges and Indus Rivers, which is dry and hilly
16. Dharma
a. in Hinduism, the divine law that requires people to perform the duties
of their caste
17. Dynasty
a. a line of rulers from the same family
18. Ganges River
a. the river in India that flows southeast into the Indian Ocean
19. Guru
a. a religious teacher and spiritual guide in Hinduism
20. Harappa
a. one of the two cities that have been excavated from the Harappan
civilization
21. Himalaya
a. the highest mountains in the world that act as a barrier between India
and the rest of Asia
22. Hinduism
a. one of the oldest religions
23. Indus River
a. the river in India that flows southwest into the Arabian Sea
24. Indus River Valley
a. the Valley where the Harappan civilization started
25. Kalidasa
a. the great Guptan writer who wrote plays, poems, love stories, and
comedies including The Cloud Messenger and Panshantantra
26. Karma
a. in Hinduism, the good or bad energy a person builds up based upon
whether he or she lives a good or bad life
27. Kshatriyas
a. warriors and rulers
28. Mahabharata
a. one of the two sacred texts about brave warriors and their deeds
b. 88,000 verses

c. Bhagavad Gita most famous section

29. Mahayana
a. Buddha was a God
b. spread to China, Korea, and Japan
30. Mohenjo-Daro
a. one of the two cities that have been excavated from the Harappan
civilization
31. Monsoon
a. in South Asia, a strong wind that blows one direction in winter and the
opposite direction in summer
32. Nirvana
a. in Buddhism, a state of wisdom and freedom from the cycle of rebirth
33. Pariahs
a. aka Untouchables
b. disposed of corpses
c. cleaned sewers
34. Pataliputra
a. the capital of the Mauryan Empire
35. Pilgrims
a. people who travel to go to a religious shrine or site
36. Raja
a. a prince who led an Aryan tribe in India
37. Ramayana
a. the other sacred text about brave warriors and their deeds
38. Reincarnation
a. the rebirth of the soul or spirit in different bodies over time
39. Sanskrit
a. a written language developed by the Aryans
40. Shushruta
a. the Guptan doctor who performed plastic surgery to repair noses
41. Siddartha Gautama
a. Buddhisms founder
42. Stupa
a. a Buddhist shrine that is shaped like a dome or mound
43. Subcontinent
a. a large landmass that is part of a continent but is distinct from it
44. Sudras
a. unskilled laborers and servants
45. Suttee

a. the outlawed act of the woman jumping into the fire of her husbands
ashes
46. Theocracy
a. a government headed by religious leaders
47. Theravada
a. Buddha was a teacher, not a God
b. spread to Ceylon, Myanmar, Thailand, Cambodia, and Laos
48. Tibet
a. a central Asian area which has a unique form of Buddhism that is a
mix of Hinduism, traditional, and Mahayana Buddhism
49. Untouchables
a. aka Pariahs
b. disposed of corpses
c. cleaned sewers
50. Upanishads
a. ancient religious writings where the Brahman is searched for
51. Vaisyas
a. common people
52. Varna
a. a class of the Hindu caste system
53. Vedas
a. sacred verses, hymns, prayers, and teachings of India