Module 2 RELS 373.docx - Module 2 RELS 373 January 23, 2017...

Module 2
RELS 373
January 23, 2017
Hinduism and Music
Hinduism
 Name associated with the Indus river, Indus valley (modern day Pakistan)
 Sanatana Dharma = eternal righteousness or eternal duty
o Sacrifice of animals
o Dharma attached to caste system (who is your duty to?)
Stages of Hinduism
1) Vedic (knowledge of rishis) (path of rituals)
 Rishis (plural)
o Sage or enlightened being (social institutional dimension of religion)
o Men who could hear the sounds of the universe – sound is sacred
 om (aum) – this is the centric sound of the universe (creation)
o universe brought into being by sound – the power of sound: Hinduism today
reciting mantras of the Rishis.
o Rishis brought in knowledge from the universe and brought that knowledge into
the Vedas.
 Veda: idea
o Sacred “ah-ha” moment
o Ideas of universe, gods.
o Earliest Veda: Rig Veda – 1028 hymns (hymn to Purusha contained in the rig
veda)
o Latest Veda: Sama Veda
 Hymns:
 Caste: part of the Vedic period
 Vedic pantheon: religion based on fear of the gods. The gods are to be feared
respectfully (nature gods).
Hymn to Purusha (Purusha Sukta)
 Analysis
2) Upanishadic (philosophical knowledge) (the path of knowledge)
 Gurus: Enlightened master – philosophically speculative
o Ontology: the study of being
o 800 BCE some reformers start to question the killing of animals, and then Guru’s
start to rise.
 Philosophy: life is made of two things. Shift from fear to philosophical speculation
 Atman: soul/inner-self
 Brahman: all pervading essence of the universe

o Brahmin (priest)
 Samsara: cycle of reincarnation (suffering) – birth, life, death, rebirth.
 Karma: cosmic law of justice: ACTION
3) Bhakti (the path of devotion) – bhakti yoga: devotional yoga, path to be unified with the
transcendence of the universe, Brahman.
 Avatars: Vishnu – the god of light, he is the source (in mainstream Hinduism) of all
Avataras: one who takes on another form. (Vishnu takes on shapes and other
incarnations)
 Epics
 Bhagavad Gita: the song of the Lord (Krishna), comes down to earth to interact with
Arjuna.
 Yoga: to be yoked – to be unified with (in this case Brahman)
January 30, 2017
Stages of Hinduism
Vedas
The Rig Vega and the Sama Veda contain hymns to the Vedic gods
Rig Veda contains the Hymn to Purusha
Music is fashioned from the ingredients of the Sama Veda
Hymns to Agni – God of the fire
Come Agni, praised with song,
To feast and sacrificial offering:
Sit as Hotar (the reciter) on the holy grass! (Sama Veda I:1.1)
- Animals sacrificed
O Agni, God the people sing reverent praise to thee for strength: with terrors you devastate the
enemy I seek with song your mediation, offering-bearer, lord of wealth, immortal, superior over
sacrifice (Sama Veda I:2.1-2).
- Singing reverent, praise, sing = praise (music making = praise)
- Music as seeking Agni-
Hymns to Indra – God of the Storm
The singers hymn thee, they who chant the psalm of
Praise are lauding thee. The Brahmins have exalted thee, O Satakratu (one who has sacrificed
100 horses) .