Hindu Paths Exam 1 Section 2
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- What are the limbs of the Veda?
- Limbs of the Veda: “Vedangaâ€: grammar, prosody, melody, astrology/astronomy, geometry. Must have knowledge of these things to follow the Veda.
- What are the Srauta Sutras?
- The Srauta Sutras lay down the rules for the performance of public vedic ritual. Primarily focused on Agni and Soma.
- What are the Dharma Sutras?
- The Dharma Sutras lay down the rules for the performance of dharma for the Aryan householder, and lay the foundations for the important traditions of the Dharma Sastra.
- What are the four asramas?
- The asramas are the four stages of Hindu life. They consist of: the celibate student, householder, the hermit or forest dweller, and renouncer.
- Who were the Vratyas?
- The Vratyas were a community of aggressive warriors moving about it bands. They lived on the edges of Aryan society, and may have been connected with the Kesins.
- Who were the Kesins?
- The Kesins were were asetics who engaged in yogic practices and had exstatic experiences. They were supposedly able to read minds as well, which ability was attributed to yogins in later yogic practices.
- What is the salagrama?
- The salagrama was an ammonite stone known as part of Visnu’s deified regalia.
- What were the sramana traditions?
- The sramana traditions, from about 800 to 400 BCE, brought forth the new idea of renunciation, in which knowledge took place over action (karma). This included celibacy, poverty, and mental training, (yoga).
- What was the Dasanamis?
- Great theologian Sankara founded the renunciate order of the Dasanamis, or “ten named onesâ€. The head of the entire Dasanamis order is referred to as the teacher of the universe.
- What is Raja yoga?
- Raja yoga is a tradition of yoga in which one achieves mental control through 8 aspects of the yogic path. They are: ethics, discipline, posture, breath-control, sense-withdrawal, concentration, meditation, and absorbed meditation.
- What is Hatha yoga?
- Hatha yoga is diffenent from Raja yoga in that instead of mental control it focuses more on physical control. It does this difficult postures and breathing techniques. A complete system was developed around the 9th century.
- What is the Ramayana?
- The Ramayana is the second epic, which tells the story of King Rama and his wife Sita, and their struggles agains Ravana. Versions were circulating by the 1st cent. CE.
- Who was Sita?
- Sita was the wife of Rama.
- What are the Puranas?
- The Puranas, “stories of the ancient pastâ€, contain genealogies of deitites and kings, cosmologies, law codes, and descriptions of ritual and pilgrimages to holy places.
- Who was Ravana?
- Ravana was the evil ten-headed demon king of Sri Lanka.