Ancient India

People, Society, and Culture

Richly Diverse• Aryan Invasions 1500BC conquered

natives– Indo-European decent– Others migrated to parts of Europe– Falsely theorized as a superior race– Blue-eye blondes favored by Nazis

• Invaders from Persia, Greece, and Central Asia

• Various Languages and Customs

Religions• Indian Practiced Religions

– 82% Hindu– 12% Muslim– 2% Christian– rest are other faiths

• Hinduism– Over two times the current U.S. population

represents practicing Hindus in the world – Oldest practicing religion

Buddhism and Jainism (560-321 BC)

• Buddhism– Born in India– Siddhartha Gautama (Buddha or the “Enlightened

One”)• Preached in India for about 40 years

– Ethical behavior focus– Nonviolence rather than god worship

• Jainism– Mahavira

• Would not kill an insect

– Individual morality– Nonviolence– Strict belief in all living creatures have a soul

Hinduism• Blend of Aryan and Non-Aryan traditions• Developed over 2,500 years• One god: Brahman

– Exists everywhere in living things and cosmos– Below him and part of him are three gods

• Brahma: creator• Vishnu: preserver• Shiva: destroyer (and creator of life)• Avatars: Krishna, Rama, and Buddha

• Reincarnation– Cycle of earthly existence until death– Karma effects a person’s quality of life

• Goal– Understanding of the universe– Release from cycle of rebirth– Union with Brahman

Buddha

• Siddhartha was born in Kapilavastu (563 BC) a wealthy prince

• Abandoned life of luxury– Corpse/Illness/Death– Old Age– A holy man

• Sought life’s basic truths• Attained enlightenment and taught the way• Buddhism followers spread teachings

across India and Asia

Buddhism• Arose due to complex rituals and Vedic priests’

power• Salvation is the Middle way: between desire and

self-denial• Reject Caste• Do not worship Hindu gods• Practice meditation, nonviolence, and religious

tolerance• Reincarnation• Goal

– Enlightenment– Union with Universal Spirit: Nirvana

• Is not widely practiced in India today

Four Noble Truths• Existence/Life is suffering

– Human nature is imperfect – Illness, suffering, death– Emotions: fear, sadness, frustration, depression, etc.– Life is filled with impermanence in our striving

• Suffering is caused by desire/attachment– Attachments: Physical, ideas, perception– Desires: passion, pursuit, striving– Inevitable loss

• To stop suffering one must cease to desire– Achieve dispassion– Freedom from worries, troubles, wants: Nirvana– Nirvana: incomprehensible if not attained

• To achieve this use the eightfold path– Achieving self-improvement – Medium path between self-indulgence and self-mortification– Leads to enlightenment and freedom from the birth-cycle path

Eightfold Path• Correct opinions/view

– See and understand things as they are; true nature– Have wisdom, not necessary seen as intelligence

• Correct thoughts/intention– Mental energy that controls actions– Commitment to ethical and mental self-improvement

• Correct speech– Words can make or break lives– Metal purification found through cultivating ethical

conduct– Don’t lie, slander, hurt, or blabber

• Correct actions– Body as Expression– Abstain from harm, stealing, and sexual misconduct

Eightfold Path cont.• Correct way of living

– Earn living righteously, legally, and peaceably – Avoid, weaponry, slaughter, slavery, prostitution, and selling

alcohol or drugs

• Correct effort– Mental energy is the force behind right effort– Remain wholesome and abandon unwholesome states, create

more wholesome states, maintain wholesome states you achieve

• Correct attention– Contemplate your state of being– Be aware of and think about your feelings, body, mind, and

events

• Correct concentration– Concentrate and center around wholesome traits and actions– Practice meditation– Become better able to apply concentration in all areas of

everyday life

Jainism

• Arose due to Vedic priests’ power

• Practice extreme self-denial and nonviolence

• Still exists in India but never spread

Kingdoms• Aryan Tribes expanded the region

• Warring Kingdoms for centuries

• 250BC most of India is united by Asoka

• Asoka– Benevolent– Held humane policies– Pillars were inscribed with the policies

throughout the realm

Indus Valley Civilization (2500-1500 BC)

• Egyptians built pyramids, people of the Indus Valley created complex cities

• Mysteriously declined – Brick buildings– Private homes

• Indoor bathrooms• Sewer connections

– Avenues– Cross-streets

• Mysteriously declined

Early Vedic Age (1500-1000BC)• Indo-European invasion from current day Iran

– Called themselves Aryans (ones of noble birth)– Lighter skinned– Called darker skinned “dark ones”: dasas

• Indo-European Beliefs– Aryans brought religion, class system (caste), and

Sanskrit language• Related to English• Related to other Indo-European Languages: Persian,

Spanish, German, and others

• Vedic Beliefs– Vedas: hymns, prayers, magic spells, and rituals– Oldest Veda: Rig Veda, Influenced Hinduism

• Caste system• Afterlife

Late Vedic Age (1000-500BC)• Aryans’ powerful family clans organized• Priests grew ambitious• Conflicts over who should rule• Epics: Mahabharata & Ramayana

– Describe political struggles– Explain important social and religious ideas

• Upanishads– Interpreted Vedic hymns and spiritual principles of

Hinduism• One Universal Spirit• Reincarnation• Karma

Age of Empires (321BC-500AD)• Political Unity of Northern India

– Maurya– Emperor’s advisor wrote “how to” book for

Emperors

• Asoka (grandson of Maurya)– Expanded Empire through war– Converted to Buddhism and promoted peace– Maurya Empire began to crumble after Asoka’s

death due to invasion

• Gupta Empire – Stability returns– Literature and Arts flourish

Class/Caste System• Aryans created ranking system based on purity

and dignity of occupation• Caste system also based on duty: “it is better to

do one’s own duty badly than to do another’s duty well” – Krishna

• Last Vedic age created a strict social order and caste were hereditary and usually not to change

• Men of upper two caste could marry lower but no lower caste man could up

• Brahmans (Priests) – Wore white to distinguish purity of class– Second only to kings in early Vedic times– Became greater than kings in late Vedic age

• Warriors and Rulers– Wore red and commanded respect– Rulers over local communities

• Farmers, merchants, carpenters, physicians, poets, dancers, and the like– Wore yellow

• Servants and laborers (Shudras)– Lowest of the four main castes– Wore black– Legal to beat or kill a shudra– Ironic shift; most kings came from Shudra

families• Outcastes (untouchables)

– Unclean, polluted, could ruin purity– Dug graves, disposed of animal waste, butchers,

etc.– Greatly avoided– Rang a bell

Class/Caste System cont.• Women

– Faced stricter moral standards– Sons more favored than daughters– Widows could remarry– Usually chose their husbands– Attended school and could engaged in religious

matters as adults– Composed some of the Vedas– Life worsened under Hinduism

• Inferior, sinful, and contaminated• Brides as young as eight• Could be abducted and family murdered• Forbidden to own property or be independent• Must not displease husband even after death

• Karma– Could be born into a higher or lower class next life

Literature and Art

• Had religious purpose

• Literature– Tied to moral instruction– Hymns of Rig Veda still chanted at weddings

and funerals

• Art– Temples– Images of deities– Monuments

Today’s Influence• Yoga and meditation• Chess and dice• Math and science

– Modern numerals– Zero– Decimal– Round Earth– 365 days is the solar year

• Nonviolent influences– Martin Luther King Jr.– Civil Rights Movement