Hinduism originated from the Aryan people who brought Sanskrit and myths of gods to India between 1500-500 BC. Their hymns and rituals were collected in the Vedas, most importantly the Rig Veda. Later, the Upanishads provided interpretations of the Vedas and introduced concepts like Brahman, the universal spirit, and Atman, the individual soul/self. Hindus believe in reincarnation and strive for moksha, liberation from the cycle of rebirth. The caste system divided society but Hinduism reinforced it through karma and dharma despite not being its religious origin.

1. Hinduism

2. • The earliest records of Hinduism are Aryan
- The Aryans brought their spoken language of
Sanskrit to India with them
- This language evolved into written form
- Aryans also brought a rich collection of myths
(tales of their many gods they believed
controlled the forces of nature)
- Aryan priests memorized long poems and
hymns suited to different religious rituals

3. - These hymns, poems, and rituals were
gathered into four collections called Vedas
- The Vedas record Indian history from
about 1500 to 500 BC---a time period called
the Vedic Age

4. - The oldest and
most important
Veda is the
Rig-Veda
- It includes
1,028 hymns of
praise

5. • Around 400 BC, the wisest Hindu teachers
tried to interpret and explain the hidden
meanings of the Vedic hymns and rituals
• Their answers were recorded in a
collection of essays called the Upanishads.

6. • A universal spirit is present within all living
things—Brahman. This is thought to be the
mighty spirit that creates and destroys life
– The Brahman is One but expresses itself
as Many
– Everything in nature is tied together by
Brahman
– Because all living things are considered a
part of Brahman, Hindus forbade the
killing of animals

7. •One aspect of Brahman is the
Self, or the Soul, called Atman
– The Atman is everywhere,
though you can’t see it
• Nothing that lives ever dies
entirely
– When a living thing dies, it
is reborn in another form---
a process known as
reincarnation

8. • All wise Hindus must seek to reach a
state of perfect understanding called
moksha. At this point the self will
disappear and merge with Brahman
• The authors of the Upanishads taught
that forms of self denial—such as fasting,
helped achieve union with Brahman.

9. • Also, they
encouraged the
practice of yoga—
which combines
physical and mental
exercises to reach a
state of tranquility

10. • Hinduism includes a
complicated set of divisions
between groups of people
known as the caste system
- Consists of many varnas,
or classes
- According to the Rig-
Veda, four different
groups of people were
created from the body of
a Hindu god

11. • Created from
the god’s mouth-
--they became
the priestly class
and the highest
group in Indian
society

12. • Created from
the god’s arms---
they became the
rulers and the
warriors

13. • Created from
the god’s legs---
they became the
landowners, mer
chants, artisans,
and herders

14. • Created from
the god’s feet---
they became the
laborers, farm
workers, and
servants

15. -The lowest
“caste” of
untouchables
- People who
performed jobs
considered
unclean

16. -Over time, these divisions became more
and more defined
- Hundreds of sub-castes formed based on
occupation within each of the four castes

17. • A person’s caste was based on birth– born into
the same caste as parents
- Determined occupation, spouse, dress, etc.
- Purity (the meaning of castes) became key to
ranking castes---the higher your caste, the purer
you were and to associate with someone from a
lower class risked contamination to your purity

18. • Is the caste system explicitly a religious part of
the Hindu religion???? No!
• HOWEVER, Hinduism played a large part in
maintaining the rigid structure
- Cycle of birth and reincarnation
- Actions in this life determines your fate when
born again
- If faithful and dutiful in this life, you will have
a better fate in the next life
- In a previous life, Brahmins had committed
no bad deeds while untouchables had

19. • To earn good rebirth a person had
to be a good member of his or
her caste
- Each caste had its particular
duty or set of obligations called
dharma
- The individual’s wishes did not
matter
- It was better to do your duty
badly than to do someone
else’s duty well

20. • Hindus believed in an ethical law of cause
and effect called karma
- Moral behavior in one life guaranteed
rebirth in a higher caste
- Immoral behavior automatically dropped
a reborn soul to a lower caste

21. • Hindus believed in an ethical law of cause
and effect called karma
- Moral behavior in one life guaranteed
rebirth in a higher caste
- Immoral behavior automatically dropped
a reborn soul to a lower caste