Gods
This supreme divinity in Hindu faith consists of three deities personifying creation, maintaining, and destruction.
What is the Trimurti?
This is the cosmic power that creates the illusion of the material world, hiding the ultimate reality of Brahman. This force causes ignorance of unity, creating false divisions, and prevents people from truly understanding their divine self - Atman.
What is Maya?
Four large collections of Sanskrit literature, the oldest scriptures of the Hindu religion.
What are the Vedas?
1. Dharma, the most important - following your moral and ethical duties
2. Artha - Prosperity and economic success
3. Kama - Pleasure, love, and happiness
4. Moshka, the ultimate goal - Enlightenment and freedom from reincarnation
What are the Four Aims of Life?
(Puruṣārtha)
The lowest of the four Hindu castes, this group is composed primarily of peasants and artisans.
What is Shudra?
The second god of the Trimurti, this god is known as the "preserver". His consort, Lakshmi, is the goddess of prosperity and wellbeing.
Who is Vishnu?
This commonly misrepresented concept can be translated into English as "action". Overall, this is the idea that previous actions affect who we are now, including what situations we were born into.
What is Karma?
These religious and philosophical treatises discuss many core ideas in Hindu faith, like atman - the self, brahman - ultimate reality, karma, yoga, samsara - worldly existence, moska - enlightenment, and prakriti - nature, but they're primarily focused on worship.
What are the Upanishads?
This act is commonly translated to English as "Worship". It can include devotional acts to one or more gods, honoring a guest, or spiritually celebrating an event.
What is Puja?
The third highest social class in the caste system, this group is composed of farmers and businesspeople.
What is Vaisya?
The third god of the Trimurti, this blue skinned god is the "destroyer" and is associated with asceticism. Inversely, he is also associated with fertility, eroticism, and yoga.
Who is Shiva?
This term is often translated as "Enlightenment", but more specifically it refers to what enlightenment grants, freedom from the eternal cycle of life, death, and rebirth. Attaining this is the ultimate goal within Hindu religion.
What is Moshka?
This ancient collection of Sanskrit Hymns, commentaries on them, and the Upanishads is one of the four sacred Hindu canonical texts known as the Vedas.
What is the Rig Veda?
What is Brahman?
The second highest social group in the caste system, this group is mainly police, soldiers, and administration. Warrior aristocracy meant to defend during wartime and govern during peacetime.
What is Kshatriya?
The first god of the Trimurti, this god is the "creator" god. He is commonly depicted with four heads and four hands, and is not depicted wielding a weapon.
Who is Brahma?
This Sanskrit word can be translated as "wandering", "world", or informally, "running around in circles". Related to the concept of Karma, this term specifically refers to the cycle of death, rebirth, and redeath.
What is Samsara?
This hymn is dedicated to Purusha, the "cosmic being", both present in all the world, and transcendent from it, and describes the spiritual unity of the universe.
What is the Purusha Sukta?
This is the ancient Indian principle of Nonviolence, shown through how one interacts with all living beings. This is a core virtue in the Hindu faiths, Jainism, and Buddhism.
What is Ahimsa?
The highest social class, this group includes priests, teachers, and other intellectuals. Today this term is also used for anyone who achieves a state of spiritual enlightenment.
What is Brahmin?
This man, a central character in the, Mahabharata, had many important relationships with gods. He was the son of the god Indra, and received the Bhagavad Gita from the god Krishna.
Who is Arjuna?
This term can be used to mean living righteously according to one's duties, the universal law of nature, following the teachings of the Buddha, or the essential qualities of something.
What is Dharma?
This long poem, containing the Bhagavad Gita, tells the story of the archer Arjuna fighting in the Kurukshetra War and learning about the 4 Goals of Life from Krishna.
What is the Mahabharata?
This philosophy of nonviolent civil resistance was formed by Mahatma Gandhi. It has a basis in Ahimsa, nonviolence, but it also focuses on truth, fearlessness, respect for all religions, and control of one's desires.
What is Satyagraha?
This concept defines someone's moral and ethical duties based on qualifications regarding them (like class or caste) and what stage of life they're in.
What is Varna-Ashrama-Dharma?
Some notes:
Varna - what groups you belong to
Ashrama - your stage of life
Dharma - your moral and ethical duties