Part I
1.Gupta Empire: Include dates, area of India, and the major features of society. Use page 72-80 in your textbook.
The Gupta Empire was founded around 320 CE, roughly 400 years after the Mauryan Empire. It’s founder was Chandragupta I, who named himself after the Mauryan organizer. These people conquered territories along what lines, and established political alliances on the way. Their central empire, the Aryavarta, was located in the Uttar Pradesh, in North India. This empire can be characterized as experiencing a time of relative prosperity, peace, and order. They also had a thriving culture, which included lots of trading.
2. Explain the caste system of the Classical period (pages 78, 93-97).
3. How did the Vedic creation story of Purusa justify the caste system?
Purusa was the original cosmic man, from which all things stem. He was sacrificed by the other gods, and It’s individual parts created things such as the sun, earth, sky, fire, and atmosphere. It also spurned the creation of different classes of humans. Since people were created from functionally different parts of the body (mouth, arms, thighs, feet,) it encouraged a class system which separated them based on this hierarchy. Accepting that this was the natural beginning of society in a cyclical view of time, it justified treating certain groups different from birth.
4. Explain the term karma (Classical meaning, not early Vedic meaning of ritual act).
Karma is the belief that certain acts or behaviors will cause future effects directly based on past actions. The cumulative total of good and bad karma throughout your life will decide your rebirthing situation.
5. Explain the term samsara.
Samsara is the rebirthing cycle. If you exist, you are still part of it. Rebirth in the cycle can lead to a heightened or decreased status and/or religious position in your next life.
6. Explain the term moksha.
Moksha is the release from samsara. It is achieved by having no karma, as opposed to good or bad karma. Processes that help yield this result are living the life of an ascetic, and practicing yoga. Overall, it requires the transcendence of human emotion like pleasure, pain, hunger, etc., and a realization of Brahman.
7. Explain the term dharma (Hindu meaning)
Dharma is not a word that has a standard dictionary definition. It can best be described as the cosmic, spiritual, moral, and caste duties that a person must abide by. Your dharma can change based on your role in the family, or your stage in life. Your specific dharma also determines what will constitute good and bad karma.
8. Explain the term varnashramadharma.
Varnashramadharmas are the specific dharmas for an individual. They are the varying spiritual duties that depend upon your stage in life, and what caste you are a part of. Each varnashramadharma carries different responsibilities, which change as you age in to different roles.
9. What were the four ashramas or stages of life?
The four ashramas are student, householder, retiree, and ascetic. Each carries its own special requirements. Students are expected to be celibate, learn the Vedas, and study with a guru. The householder’s main concerns are getting married, having children, and raising that family up their religious traditions. In the retirement stage, you give up householder status and duties to begin the path to moksha.
10. Explain the ideal final stage of life for a man (the renunciation stage)
Ideally, when a man reaches the retirement stage, and the household can be completely maintained without his help, he will make attaining moksha his only priority. This is known as the renouncing, or ascetic phase. It requires that all possessions be given up, and followers will usually venture in to the wild, isolate themselves from all society, and live completely off nature’s bounties. This part also serves as a means of incorporating the ancient ascetic traditions with the more modern parts of the Vedas, which previously rejected such rituals.
11. Explain the term samskaras and what were some of the major samskaras?
Samskaras are the rights of passage that occur within each ashrama. They serve the purpose of indoctrination in to each of the stages of life, and some are even distinguished before birth. For example, a pregnancy can be considered successful at the garbhadhan (conception stage), punsavanam stage (second or third month of pregnancy), the simantonnayana stage (between the fifth and eighth month of pregnancy), and at katakarma (birth).
Another samskara occurs during childhood, such as namakarana (naming), niskramana (the first time the child is brought out), and chudakarma (the first hair cut). In the student stage, they receive an upanayana (sacred thread) to physically mark them as students, and then are ritually purified so that they can become contributing members of the community. After that they are allowed to marry and have a ceremony (vivaha samskara), in which they perform the saptapadi. When it comes time, they can renounce the householder stage (vanprasthashrama) and lead the life of a monk (sanyasashrama) before their antyeshti (funeral).
12. Explain the term dharmashastra (or dharmsastra).
The dharmashastras are what contain the varnashramadharmas. They are physical books, and give an in-depth handling to the dharmas. They are similar treated like laws, and are examined as a legitimate science.
13. What were some of the duties of a raja (king)?
One of the duties of a raja is to worship and take the advice of elder (respected) Brahmans. He must also follow the Laws of Manu, which outline how to fairly punish wrongdoers and protect all his people. Additionally, He must not fall victim to greed, or indulge vices such as gambling, hunting, drinking, and having sex without love.
14. Explain the term Mandala or “Circle of State”
Mandala is a broad term that is used to express political and/or military arrangements. It carries sub terms which specifically identify the status/placement of enemies. Some of these are vijigishu (invader), ari (immediate enemy), mitra (invader’s ally), arimitra (enemy’s ally), and other variations which explain an ally’s ally, etc. It also includes strategies for avoiding/showing aggression, such as sanman (a non-aggression pact), danda (a show of strength), dana (a gift or bribe), and even a approach to bluffing (indrajala).
15. What were some of the new deities that had emerged by the Classical Period and what were their chief duties?
Three of the most important deities from the Classical Period are Vishnu, Shiva, and Ganesh. Vishnu’s chief duty is to keep the physical world and its inhabitants safe from total destruction, and defend the spiritual world by protecting the dharmas. Shiva functions as Vishnu’s back up plan. If the people turn away from their dharmas, Shiva “purifies” the world by destroying it, and is consequently responsible for creating the new one (with Brahma). Ganesh is the deity in charge of removing human obstacles. Ganesh is the one that humans can offer worship to in exchange for help in their lives.
16. How were the deities a reflection of life in the Classical Period?
Deities in the Classical Period represent a marked difference between an advancing Indian civilization and its primitive roots. As Indians progressed as a complex society, their deities changed too. Deities took on new functions such as control over the spiritual world (versus simple management of the weather), justification of a boosted caste system, and explaining their expanded view of the universe. Additionally, as population grew, so did the number of the deities (from only a handful, to thousands). Lastly, as people gained more knowledge/control of the world around them, the deities became less godly and more human – even taking wives and alternate forms of common animals.
17. Explain the ritual of puja, the most important ritual of devotional Hinduism.
Puja is the ritual of worshipping a present deity, and being seen/recognized by that deity. The deity (statue or shrine) is given five-star treatment by cleaning, dressing, and offering gifts like food, flowers, and fire. Worshippers then sing songs to the deity and chant its name(s) many times. The deity accepts these acts as a sacrifice, and in return, offers its blessings.
18. What were some of the influences of Classical Indian society on Southeast Asia?
Classical Indian society had a large impact on Southeast Asia, especially in Cham, Khmer, Srivijaya, and in the decline of Funan. One major change was the spread of the Sanskrit language. The acceptance of terms like raja, and the definition it carries, changed the way rulers governed. The Hindu religion was also accepted by many people in Southeast Asia, which changed entire societies’ court and administrative practices.
19. Explain the basic design of a Hindu temple.
A typical Hindu temple will have these two parts: The shikara, which is the upper portion of the temple, meant to resemble a mountain; and the bhumi, which are horizontal tiers that represent the earth. The construction of a temple is considered very sacred, so much time and work will go its development. They are built as a mandala (circle), the revered and necessary structure of the universe, and the layout’s ideal diagram will represent Purusa. Temples can be maintained officially by a raja, individual/community donations, fees from rituals, and even a form of property tax.
20. Explain the basic plot of the Ramayana and the most important theme in the story.
Ramayana is eldest of four sons, and is next in line to be king. However, Kaikeyi, one of the king’s wives and the mother of Bharata, wanted her son to be the new king. Since the king had once promised her two wishes, she used one to banish Ramayana from the kingdom for 14 years, and the second to make Bharata king. Ramayana leaves peacefully because he obeys his father unquestioningly, and his other two siblings Lakshman and Sita go with him.
Bharata knew it wasn’t right to become king that way, so he gave the throne up to Ramayana after his exile. Sita is then kidnapped by the evil Ravana, so Ramayana and Lakshman go to her rescue. After saving her, Sita is tested to make sure she’s still a virgin, and she passes. The main theme is that we must all follow our dharmas. Without dedicated followers, good guys get punished, and the “Ravana’s” of the world gain control.
Part II
The Bhagavadgita is an epic Hindu hymn/scripture which seeks to offer morally guided advice concerning the path to serving Atma and achieving oneness with Brahma. The verses are in the form of a conversation between Krishna and Arjuna, and it takes place just prior to a great battle. It begins with Dhritaraashtra asking Sanjaya who fights on his side against the Paandavas. Sanjaya tells of many great warriors who will fight and die for Dhritaraashtra.
On the other side of the battle, fighting for the Kurus, Arjuna looks upon his enemies. He is shocked to realize that they are his brothers, teachers, sons, and even friends. Suddenly he is overwhelmingly sad, and refuses to battle. He must contemplate his options and decide if a long time in hell is worth this fight. Krishna immediately tries to convince Arjuna that leading the war is both necessary and good, thus setting the stage for the rest of the story.
The two main characters in the story are Lord Krishna and Arjuna. Krishna, who is currently concealing his identity as the supreme being, engages Arjuna, the just leader of the Kurus, in a long-reaching discussion of what to do next. As discovered in chapter one, Arjuna does not wish to fight his kin, and has several seemingly valid reasons.
Firstly, Arjuna has been told that slaughtering family members results in many years of dwelling in hell. Secondly, Arjuna believes that Bheeshma and Drona are noble gurus, and he is not worthy to kill them. Even if he did, and gained an entire kingdom, the guilt would keep him from ever happily enjoying it. Finally, the mere thought of killing his family members brings him a great sadness, so it stands to reason that actually murdering them could cause an even more sorrow – perhaps even an unending grief.
Krishna, on the other hand, immediately rejects Arjuna’s reasoning. Firstly, he says, killing Bheeshma and Drona would not evoke the scarlet letter that Arjuna thinks it will, because they are not actually noble gurus. More importantly, the wise man does not grieve for the living or the dead, because he rejects those very subjects of notion. Atma can never truly destroy, or be destroyed, because Atma exists in many forms, and will always persist – so the vessel it resides in is unimportant. Moreover, all the physical senses are temporal, and embracing them keeps us from immortality.
Besides, Arjuna has his cosmic duty to worry about. Arjuna has the dharma of a warrior, which means that not fighting actually turns him away from dharma. Reversely, combating and killing in this battle would actually serve his karma, so there would no penalty. Besides, to a warrior, retreat is the ultimate shame, and would forever haunt his reputation. And even if he did happen to die while serving his dharma, he would go to heaven – and not dying (winning the fight) garners him the Earthly kingdom. Moreover, only people of steady prajna can enjoy true happiness, so now is a good time to begin practicing.
Krishna goes on to talk about the four different religious paths that lead to steady prajna. The first of which is jnana-yoga, the path of self knowledge recommended for the contemplative person. This requires a mental capacity that most mortals lack, because although they may abstain from the pleasures of the flesh (kaama) and deny pain, most still think about sin and misconduct, making them hypocrites, and rendering this path inaccessible to them.
The second is karma-yoga, the active path that requires many unselfish works. Providing yajna (sacrifice) to the devas (deities) will guarantee you have all that you need, and result in the spiritual self-realization that leads to Brahma. Through selflessness and a detachment from the results of those acts, one can become dependent solely on God, and be forever nourished. Of these two courses, Krishna considers karma-yoga to be the superior path.
The third yogic line to Krishna lies in the teachings of samnyasa-yoga, and requires complete renunciation. The first step is to accept Krishna as the only important thing in the universe. After that, everything else is easy. With complete devotion and dedication to Krishna, one could effortlessly leave behind the materialistic world, and be nourished by Krishna – but only through the actual realization that Krishna is everything, created all, has always been, and forever will be, can moksha be granted.
The final fold to Krishna is with the bhakta-yoga, which dictates a never ending search for their personal God, and pursuance of all his goals, will be rewarded by his prescience. This requires completely giving oneself to Krishna’s will. Like a yajna, the surrender is of all emotion, for acts and life, in favoring of loving Krishna. Those devotees who can truly love and understand Krishna as the manifest, unmanifest, and their personal God, are said to be the greatest yogis.
Krishna’s true identity is explored in Chapter 11 of the Bhagavadgita, when he is revealed as the entire creation of all things real and unreal, living and dead, all at one time. He has hundreds of thousands faces and forms, none in the same color or shape, and all of them divine. He is all the deities, all the mouths in the world, more suns than can ever be found, and all rebirths. That is his universal form, but he also has a four armed form, a human form, and could be nothing if he chose. He is immortal, invincible, and self sustaining.
In the end, since Krishna is detached from both joy and pain, the lingering question is, how does one specifically please Krishna? One way that his will can be satisfied is by practicing any of the yogas mentioned above. It is also infinitely important to follow your dharma, through all your journeys and stages of life. Eventually, you can do what pleases him the most – realize his unbounded and immeasurable place in the universe, and that you are part of the very same brahma.
