2. RELIGIONS IN INDIA
India known as the land of spirituality and philosophy,
was the birthplace of some religions, which even exist
today in the world.
3. HINDUISM
known as the oldest religion in the world
most dominant religion in India today
about 80% of Indians are Hindus
most diverse and complex religion since it has a vast gallery of Gods
and Goddesses (as many as 330 million gods)
it has one god that is supreme “Brahma”- is believed to inhabit every
portion of reality and existence throughout the universe.
Brahma - Creator ,Vishnu –Preserver , and Shiva- Destroyer
4. THE VEDAS
Hindu text that constitutes the oldest layer of Sanskrit
literature and oldest scripture of Hinduism.
The 4 Vedas:
• RIGVEDA ( The Knowledge of Verses)
• YAJURVEDA ( “yajus” meaning prose mantra)
• SAMAVEDA ( from “saman” song)
• ATHARVAVEDA ( Knowledge Storehouse)
5. BUDDHISM
less then 1% of India's population is Buddhist
began with a prince called Siddhartha Gautama
was a sage on whose teachings Buddhism was founded
(sage- someone who has attained the wisdom which a philosopher seeks)
belonged to an aristocratic family
Nirvana is the highest state that someone can attain, a state of
enlightenment, meaning a person's individual desires and suffering go
away.
6. SIKHISM
(from Sikh, meaning a disciple, or a learner)
2% of India's population are Sikhs
was established by Guru Nanak(people who taught and preached were
titled Guru meaning teacher)
Sikhism emphasizes community services and helping the needy
In Sikhism everyone has equal rights irrespective of caste, creed, color,
race, sex or religion. Sikhism rejects pilgrimage, fasting, superstitions and
other such rituals.
Sikhism tried to abolish some of the Indian customs such as the Caste
System and Sati
7. CASTE SYSTEM
caste is not an Indian word it is derived from the
Portuguese casta, meaning "race, lineage, breed" and, originally,
"‘pure or unmixed.
according to the religious theory, in the Rig Veda the primal
man - Purush - destroyed himself to create a human society. The
different Varnas were created from different parts of his body.
Varnas - each of the four Hindu castes, Brahman, Kshatriya,
Vaishya, and Shudra.
8. From the mouth come the Brahmans—the priests and
teachers. From the arms come the Kshatriyas—the rulers
and soldiers. From the thighs come the Vaisyas—merchants
and traders. From the feet come the Sudras—laborers.
A fifth group describes the people who are achuta, or
untouchable. The primordial being does not claim them.
Untouchables are outcasts—people considered too impure,
too polluted, to rank as worthy beings. Prejudice defines
their lives, particularly in the rural areas, where nearly three-
quarters of India's people live. Untouchables are shunned,
insulted, banned from temples and higher caste homes,
made to eat and drink from separate utensils in public
places, and, in extreme but not uncommon cases, are raped,
burned, lynched, and gunned down.
9. CASTE SYSTEM
is a system of social hierarchy
At the top of the caste system were the Brahmin , they were the priests
who understood dharma. Dharma are the spiritual laws that govern the
universe. The Brahmin often lived apart from the rest of society in
temples.
Kshatriya were the warrior caste who made everyday decisions and ran
the government. The Kshatriya had most of the power in everyday life, but
their decisions could be overruled by the Brahmin.
10. CASTE SYSTEM
The Vaishyas were skilled farmers and merchants. They occasionally
had leadership positions in local villages.
Untouchables were hired to do work that members of the caste
system would not do. These jobs included killing or disposing of dead
cattle or working with their hides. The untouchables also worked as
sweepers, washers, or in other jobs that required contact with human
emissions such as sweat, urine, or feces.
The untouchables were often forced to sleep during the day and work
at night.
11.
12. SATI
described as a Hindu custom in India in which the widow was burnt
to ashes on her dead husband's pyre
The custom of Sati was believed to be a voluntary Hindu act in which
the woman voluntary decides to end her life with her husband after his
death. But there were many incidences in which the women were forced
to commit Sati, sometimes even dragged against her wish to the lighted
pyre.
13. SATI
One theory says that Sati was introduced to prevent wives from
poisoning their wealthy husbands and marry their real lovers. Other
theory says that Sati began with a jealous queen who heard that dead
kings were welcomed in heaven by hundreds of beautiful women,
called Apsaras. And therefore when her husband died, she demanded
to be burnt on her dead husband's pyre and so to arrive with him to
heaven and this way to prevent the Apsaras from consorting with her
husband.
14. PANCHATANTRA
Is perhaps the oldest collection of Indian Fables. It was
written by the great Hindu Scholar Pandit Vishnu Sharma.
“Panchatantra” means five books . It is a “Nitishastra” which
means book of wise conduct in life.
15. THE FIVE BOOKS
BOOK 1: The Separation of Friends
BOOK 2: The Gaining of Friends
BOOK 3: Of Crows and Owls
BOOK 4: Loss of Gains
BOOK 5: Ill-Considered Actions
16. THE HARE AND THE LION
A lion was getting fed up of hunting. He called all animals and
passed an order, "Everyday one of you should come by yourself as
my prey". All animals started to obey this order. It was the hare's
day. The hare was very sad. As he was going to the lion's den, he
came across an old well. He looked into it. It was very deep and
dangerous. He made a plan to his mind. The lion was very angry
that no animal had come that day. The hare slowly came towards
the lion. The lion roared "Why are you late?"
17. The hare humbly replied, "Oh my way another lion chased me. I
got away with much difficulty to give my life to you, Your
Majesty".
The lion was pleased with the hare. But the thought of another
lion in the jungle made him angry. The lion roared "Do you know
where he lives?" The hare replied "Yes, Sir. Please come with
me".
The hare took the lion to the old well. He said "Sir, that lion lives
in this well". The lion peeped into the well. He mistook his
reflection for another lion. He roared and there was an echo. He
thought that the other lion was roaring too and jumped into the
well. That was the end of the lion.
MORAL : Wisdom can win might
18. ELEPHANTS AND THE
KING OF THE MICE
There was a village which was ruined by a strong earthquake. With the
houses and the streets shattered, the villagers abandoned the village to
settle elsewhere. Despite being shattered, the vacant houses of this village
had become homes for a large number of mice. The mice found the place
very comfortable and grew in numbers after some time.
There was a lake on the outskirts of the village, where a herd of elephants
used to visit regularly to drink water and bathe. These elephants used to
travel through the abandoned village to reach the lake.
19. But as the herd of elephants travelled through the abandoned village,
everyday many mice got trampled. This posed a problem for the mice.
So, the king of mice decided to confront the elephants and request
them to act accordingly. Next day, as the herd of elephants approached,
the king of mice met the elephants cordially and said, "O Sirs, we live
in the ruins of this abandoned village and as you travel through this
village, everyday many mice get trampled. Therefore, I request you to
change your route to the lake. If you do so, I shall remember to return
the favour in your time of need." At this the king of elephants laughed,
"O king of Mice, there will be no such favour that we, the giant
elephants, will require from you, small mice. However, I will honour
your request and we will change the route to the lake from today. You
will not have to worry about any danger caused by us anymore." The
king of mice thanked the king of the elephants for his consideration,
and the herd of elephants never entered the village anymore.
20. After some time, the herd of elephants fell into traps set by elephant-
hunters. Many of the elephants, including their king, got entangled in
the nets. They struggled hard but could not set themselves free from the
strong nets. Suddenly, the king of the elephants remembered the
promise of the king of mice. He summoned another elephant who had
not got trapped to remind the king of mice of his promise and plea for
help on his behalf. As soon as the elephant informed the king of mice
of the situation, the king of mice summoned all mice at once. He said,
"Now is the time for us to return the favour of the elephants. We should
go immediately" And so, the elephant brought the mice to the place
where the other elephants had been trapped. All the mice started
nibbling on the strong nets and cut them loose. The elephants broke
loose from the nets and were grateful to be free again. The king of
elephants thanked the king of mice for his timely help, and became
great friends thereafter.
MORAL : Never underestimate anybody by their appearances.
21. MAHABHARATA
Is an epic narrative of the Kurukshetra War and the fates of the Kaurava and
the Pandava princes. It also contains philosophical and devotional material,
such as a discussion of the four "goals of life" or purusharthas .
Mahabharata is the longest known epic poem and has been described as "the
longest poem ever written“. It is roughly ten times the length of the Iliad and
the Odyssey combined
22. MAHABHARATA
Kurukshetra War - also called Mahabharata War, is a war described in
the Indian epic Mahabharata as a conflict that arose from a dynastic
succession struggle between two groups of cousins,
the Kauravas and Pandavas, for the throne of Hastinapura in an Indian
kingdom called Kuru.
Kaurava- refers to the descendants of Kuru, a legendary king who is the
ancestor of many of the characters of the Mahābhārata. The well-known
Kauravas are Duryodhana , Dushasana , Vikarna, Yuyutsu and Dussala.
23. MAHABHARATA
Pandava -are the five acknowledged sons of Pandu, by his two
wives Kunti who was of Yadhuvansh and Madri who was the princess
of Madra.
Their names are Yudhishthira, Bhima, Arjuna, Nakula and Sahadeva.
All five brothers were married to the same woman, Draupadi.
Together, the brothers fought and prevailed in a great war against
their cousins the Kauravas , which came to be known as the Kurukshetra
War .
24. MAHABHARATA
In some ways, the entire story of the Mahabharata is an explanation of how
our world, the world of the Kali Yuga, came into being, and how things got to
be as bad as they are. The Ramayana has its share of suffering and even
betrayal, but nothing to match the relentless hatred and vengeance of the
Mahabharata. The culmination of the Mahabharata is the Battle of
Kurukshetra when two bands of brothers, the Pandavas and the Kauravas, the
sons of two brothers and thus cousins to one another, fight each other to
death, brutally and cruelly, until the entire race is almost wiped out.
The five sons of Pandu, the Pandavas, are the heroes of the story.
25. The eldest is King Yudhishthira. Next is Bhima, an enormously strong
fighter with equally enormous appetites. After Bhima is Arjuna, the
greatest of the warriors and also the companion of Krishna. The last
two are twins, Nakula and Sahadeva. These five brothers share one
wife, Draupadi (she became the wife of all five of them by accident, as
you will learn)..
The enemies of the Pandavas are the Kauravas, who are the sons of
Pandu's brother, Dhritarashtra. Although Dhritarashtra is still alive, he
cannot manage to restrain his son Duryodhana, who bitterly resents
the achievements of his cousins, the Pandavas. Duryodhana arranges
for his maternal uncle to challenge Yudhishthira to a game of dice,
and Yudhishthira gambles everything away, even himself..
The Pandavas have to go into exile, but when they return they engage
the Kauravas in battle.
26. Krishna fights on the side of the Pandavas, and serves as Arjuna's
charioteer. The famous "Song of the Lord," or Bhagavad-Gita, is
actually a book within the Mahabharata, as the battle of
Kurukshetra begins When Arjuna faces his cousins on the field of
battle, he despairs and sinks down, unable to fight. The Bhagavad-
Gita contains the words that Krishna spoke to Arjuna at that
moment.
The Pandavas do win the battle. Duryodhana is killed, and the
Kaurava armies are wiped out. But it is hardly a happy ending.
Yudhishthira becomes king, but the world is forever changed by the
battle's violence. If you are familiar with the Iliad, you might
remember how that epic ends with the funeral of the Trojan hero
Hector, a moment which is utterly bleak and sad. The same is true
for the Mahabharata. There are many truths that are learned in the
end, but the victory, such as it is, comes at a terrible price
