Chapter 2 - Vocab.pdf - EXAM TWO GUIDE The term “Hinduism”...

EXAM TWO GUIDE
The term “Hinduism” comes from the Sindu/Indus river. Umbrella term given to
a very “amorphous” tradition; not an Indian word; coined by European scholars
around 1830. The term “Hinduism” does not refer to a unified group.
Recent origins: “Western” or “Euro-North American”; no such term within a
tradition.
The Pizza Effect - One culture is transferred into another country and then
reimported to its original culture.
Harappa - Civilization discovered in 1856 and was believed that the
“civilization was lost”. Development of society is hard to follow because
scholars do not know much about it.
Mohenjo-Daro - One of the first major settlements in ancient India that
became a center of the Indus Valley Civilization.
Arya - Used in Buddhism that translates as “noble”, “valuable” or “rich”. It
is used in ancient India to denote people of a certain social background rather
than a race.
Veda - Earliest compositions in any Hindu tradition. Four collections of
hymns and texts that are said to have been “Revealed” to rishis
(visionaries or seers) through both sight and sound; thus the sacred words
are called shruti (“that which is heard”). This dual emphasis on seeing and
hearing the sacred is a characteristic of all Hindu traditions.
Henotheism - The supreme status and worship of one god while
acknowledging that there are other lesser gods that may be worshipped. (by
Max Muller).

Sanatana-Dharma - Alternate word for ‘Hinduism’ which isn’t an
indigenous term. It translates to ‘Eternal Religion’ It is used to refer to local
manifestations of the faith. “Dharma” comes close to “Religion” and means
righteousness for Hindus.
HINDUISM
-Shorthand for the diverse philosophies, arts, branches of knowledge and
practices associated with people and communities who have some
connection (geography, biological, intellectual, or spiritual) with the Indian
subcontinent.
Karma (“action”) - Refers to a system of rewards and punishments attached
to various actions. Concept of Karma implies a continuing cycle of death and
rebirth or reincarnation called Samsara.
Rsi (“poet-sages”) - Rsi is Sanskrit spelling, its rishis in english. They are
the Vedic seekers, they "saw" the mantras and transmitted them to their
disciples; they did not invent or compose them
Yajna (Sacrifice) - part of the vedic hymns. It was a ritual sacrifice typically
performed using fire.