The Culture and Belief Systems of

1. The Culture and Belief Systems of India

2. The Kingdoms of the Ganges and the Aryans • 1500BC, the Indus Valley civilization collapses • Herding nomads from the north, called the Aryans, invade the Indus Valley, destroying the civilization found there. • Aryan Civilization • The Aryans glorified warfare. • They were herders, following a nomadic life to find water and grazing land for their cattle and horses. • The earliest Aryans have no cities. • Most of our knowledge comes from a collections of prayers, hymns, religious teachings and history called the Vedas. • The Vedas • Aryan priests would memorize the Vedas and recite them as part of Aryan religious practices. • The Vedas show the Aryans as a warrior culture that value chariot racing, eating, drinking and dice games. • The Aryans relied heavily upon cattle as a source of food and leather for clothing. • Aryan families would measure their wealth in the amount of cattle they owned.

3. Social Classes of the Aryans -The Aryans ordered their society into a strict social order. -This develops into a castesystem - A caste is a social group you are born into and cannot change. The following are the castes of the Aryan social system. Brahmins/priests Kshatriyas/warriors Vaisyas (herders, farmers, artisans and merchants) Sudras (laborers,servants) - The lowest group, the Sudras, were originally only those who were the descendants of the Indus Valley people that the Aryans conquered. -Another group – outcast untouchables, were considered outside of the caste system and below even the Sudras.

4. From Nomads to Farmers • Eventually, the Aryans developed into a settled society • The spread east, taking over the lands around the Ganges River. • Aryan war chiefs, called rajahs, became rulers and kings. • A written language, Sanskrit, is developed, allowing for the Vedas to be written down for the first time. • New kingdoms emerge, led by rajahs, who pass their rule down their line to their sons. • Epic Literature • Like the Epic of Gilgamesh, the Aryans have their great stories. • In the Mahabharata, tells the tale of how the Aryans conquered and set up the Kingdoms of the Ganges River. • In the Ramayana, a demon kidnaps a woman and her husband must save her with the help of a monkey.

5. Belief System – Hinduism---------------------------------------------------------- • Founder: None/ It is the result of a cultural blend based mostly on the Aryan Vedas. • It remains one of the most complex religion in the world. • Core Beliefs • Brahman (not to be confused with Brahmin) • It is an all-powerful spiritual force that all things are a part of. • To make sense of it, Hindu’s worship many gods. This puts a face on the different parts of Brahman. • Important Writings • The Vedas are a core part of Hindu tradition. • Also the Upanishads and the Bhagavad-Gita • The Hindu Cycle of Life • The ultimate goal of life for a Hindu is to achieve moksha (union with Brahman). • To achieve moksha, a Hindu must obey the law of karma. • Karma is all the actions of a person’s life and how they affect his/her placement in the next life (see below). • If a person lives a good life, their atman(soul), is reincarnated (samsara) into a higher level of existence. • If a person lived an evil life, they are reincarnated as a lower form of life.

6. The Hindu Cycle of Life • What determines whether you are earning good or bad karma is your adherence to your dharma. • Dharma is the duties and responsibilities you are born with. • They are determined by caste, occupation, gender and age. • By adhering to your dharma, you accumulate karma. • Hindus are also pacifists, which they adhere to as the concept of ahmisa.