HINDUS OF INDIA

Hindhus, people of the Indus

"India" from the Greeks

They left out the hard "h" sound and in their tongue in was "Indic".

* As early as 300 B.C. civilization dawned at the Hindus valley in India Mohenjo-Daro >> Sind and Harappa, Punjab

Aryans - invaded the Indus Valley (2000 B.C.)

- belong to white race and spoke sanskrit

- conquered the dark-complex-ionized Dravidians - occupied the fertile plains of North India and founded different kingdom

- later called Hindus

ARYANS
hardy farmers, herders, valiant warriors skilled potters, carpenters, masons, silversmiths and weavers trader with foreign countries, including Afghanistan, Iran, and Mesopotamia

HINDUISM
A religion that took different form
Brahma The World Soul chief god Reincarnation Transmigration of the soul The Famous Trinity Brahma the Creator Vishnu the Preserver Siva the Destroyer

Each God in the trinity has his consort.

The three main forms of the Goddess

Brahma Saraswati - Goddess of knowledge Vishnu Laksmi - the Goddess of love, beauty and delight Shiva - Kali (Paryat) - the Goddess of power, destruction and transformation

Brahma

Lord Brahma, the creator God of the Trinity appears seated on a lotus (a symbol of glorious existence)

He has four heads and hands. Each hand is holding a sacrificial tool (sruva), the Vedas (knowledge), a water pot (kamandalu) and a rosary respectively. His vehicle is a swan (hans) which is known for its judgment between good and bad.

V I S H N U

VISHNU

The preserver god of the Trinity has four hands. 1. 2. Holds a conch shell (sankha) indicating spread of the divine sound "Om"; Holds a discus (chakra), a reminder of the wheel of time, and to lead a good life

3.
4.

Holds a lotus (Padma) which is an example of glorious existence

Holds a mace (gada) indicating the power and the punishing capacity of the Lord if discipline in life is ignored. Vehicle - swift-flying bird Garuda which can spread the Vedic knowledge with great courage.

Dark color - the passive and formless ether, a great quality for a pervading god. He rests on the bed of the powerful, coiled serpent, Seshanag who represents the sleeping universe.

Also known as Hari, the remover.

SHIVA

Lord Shiva appears in a meditating but ever-happy posture. He has matted hair which holds the flowing Ganges river and a crescent moon, a serpent coiled around his neck, a trident (trishul) in his one hand and ashes all over his body. The Lord's attributes represent his victory over the demonic activity, and

calmness of human nature. He is known as the "giver" god. His vehicle is a

bull (symbol of happiness and strength) named Nandi. Shiva-Linga, a sign of the Lord, is adored instead of him. Shiva temples have Shiva-Linga as the main deity.

HINDU DEITIES (300 MILLION GODS)

1. 2. 3. Agni god of fire Indra god of the storm Ganesha god of the elephant

4.
5.

Laksmi goddess of good luck

Vasanti goddess of merriment

AGNI

INDRA

GANESHA

LAKSMI

CASTE SYSTEM
1. Brahmas (priests and scholars)
2. Kshatriyas (nobles and warriors)

3. Vaishyas (farmers, merchants, and craftsmen)

4. Sudras (laborers and slaves)

No high caste person could marry or live with one of a lower caste Untouchables(unclean to a man of caste) the outcasts, lived miserably, performed the lowest kinds of

jobs
- forbidden to use the public baths, enter the temples, eat in public restaurants

BUDDHISM
Gautama Buddha (The Enlightened One) founder - a rich Hindu prince who felt deeply moved by

the poverty of the masses

- dislike Hindu beliefs on caste - abandoned his rich palace and easy life to become a hermit

TEACHINGS
1. mans life is filled with suffering 2. mans suffering is caused by his selfish desires

3. man can end his suffering by conquering his selfish

desires 4. After conquering his selfish desires, man reaches the state of Nirvana (perfect happiness)

Eight Fold Path

1. Right belief
2. Right aspiration 3. Right speech 4. Right conduct 5. Right livelihood 6. Right effort 7. Right remembrance 8. Right meditation

CONTRIBUTIONS
1. Gave the world the four religions Hinduism, Buddhism, Sikhism, Jainism 2. Philosophical systems Yoga, the discipline of mind and body by spiritual training 3. Panchatantra 1st Fable; The Clay Cart and Sakuntala 1st Dramatic Epics; Mahabharata and Ramayana great epic poems; Bhagavad Gita worlds greatest philosophical poem

4. Classical Indian music influenced the Beatles; Love stories of their gods earliest examples of pornography; Taj Mahal in Agra, The Mogul Palaces 5. Invented the zero and the numerals in mathematics

(Indian Numerals rather than Arabic Numerals); 1st

Book on arithmetic and algebra were written by Indian Mathematicians

KRISHNA AND ARJUN O N T H E C H A R I O T, M A H A B H A R A TA 1 8 T H - 1 9 T H C E N T U R Y,