“Eternal righteousness”
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@ 1750 BCE
Deforestation – loss
of topsoil
Agriculture – soil
exhaustion
Tectonic activity –
earthquakes, shifting
river courses,
Sarswati River
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@ 1500 BCE
Nomadic, warlike, bronze, Sanskrit
Brahminism – polytheistic, gods of nature
Warring kingdoms established
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Oral traditions written
down – Vedas
Focus on internal being
– atman (soul)
Liberation from
desire/suffering
Justification of social
order
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Blending of Aryan and
local traditions – no
founder
Upanishads – “sitting
near”, dialogues to
explain faith
Brahma
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Origin of atman
(soul)--strives to join
once again with
Brahman
Mosksha—state of
perfect
understanding
Universal Spirit—
different forms for
different roles,
different comfort
Choice of worship
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Brahma - creator
Vishnu - order
Shiva - destroyer,
transformation
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Shakti - female aspect of divine
Ganesh - remover of obstacles
Avatar - human incarnation of
divine come to assist humans on
path to Moksha
Moksha: Freeing of the soul from earthly pain and suffering->Eternal
Bliss/Nirvana (peace of mind). Union with the Supreme Being
Brahman
Reincarnation: Living multiple lives, improving each time until you reach
the peak (also had a higher position in society)
Karma: The actions of your current life determine how you will be
reincarnated—better than before and closer to Moksha or worse and
farther away
Part of good Karma is following your Dharma: the proper path for your
current life– done by humility, personal sacrifices, living a ‘pure’ life
in all aspects
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“I believe in Reincarnation which explains
about the human hope—hope to do better; and
which makes a person responsible. If there is
no reincarnation, if I have money and wealth I
could do anything—I don’t have to obey, to be
compassionate, to care for people. So
reincarnation makes it clear, the way I am
supposed to live.”
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This is the sum of duty: Do naught unto others
which would cause you pain if done to you.
Just as he acts, just as he behaves, so he
becomes.
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Live a ‘Pure’ life
The higher your (position in society) the more
pure you should be
2 types of Purity
Moral Purity
 Ritual Purity
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Practice Truthfulness
Don’t steal, covet, or enter into debt
Be sexually pure
Exercise patience
Show steadfastness—persevere, plan, don’t
complain, have a purpose
Practice Compassion
Act honorably at all times—don’t cheat, follow
the laws, don’t take shortcuts
Moderate diet—don’t over indulge, drink in
moderation
Rituals: actions done on a regular basis
Why?
 Demonstrates Pure Spirit, Shows commitment
 Earn forgiveness for Karmic Debts
Examples:
 Worship
 Offerings
 Meditation
 Yoga
 Pilgrimages to Holy Places
 Avoid contact with ‘less’ pure people
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Ganges River = a divine goddess, made to
cleanse the earth from impurity
Bathing in the Ganges can give peace of mind
and cleanse karmic sins. Better karma  better
reincarnation
Therefore:
 The Ganges: key pilgrimage spot for ritual
bathing
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Banks of the Ganges
Oldest Aryan Settlement
Place to cleanse spirit in river
Death in Varanasi—possible to break cycle of
rebirth
After death—human remains put into the
Ganges can still lead to karmic cleansing
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Aryan supremacy over
local population
Varnas – color
Myth of Purusha
Brahmin(priest)
Kshatriya(warrior)
Vaishya(merchant)
Shudra(laborers)
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4 main castes become 1000s (by profession)
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Controls marriage, occupation, social company,
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How do you know what caste someone is in?
Occupation, family name, family location,
manner of dress, manner of speech,
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Live outside the Caste System—too
dirty/impure
Jobs related to death or dirt (leather workers,
street sweepers)
If you are higher caste and have contact with
untouchables you can become ‘unclean’ too
Extremes—no eating, drinking, touching, even
shadows of the untouchables were unclean
Untouchables couldn’t enter into the city gates,
couldn’t drink from the same wells
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Who benefitted the most from the caste
structure?
Who benefitted the least?
Why would something like the caste system
survive for so long?
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Mentioned in the sacred texts (Vedas)
Karma and reincarnation
Part of good Dharma is observing duties
without question
Laws set up severe punishments for breaking
Caste rules: Fines, outcast, lose family and
social support, death
Human nature to stay with what’s familiar
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Was the caste system a good or bad thing for
society?
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Castes were very united—tight knit social
groups
People became experts at their jobs
Everyone knew their place in society—it was
structured and organized
All Castes were seen as important in creating
the whole society
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Castes fought and distrusted eachother
society was divided
Smart and talented people were held back—
limited progress for everyone
Upper Castes could abuse their power and
position in the name of religion with little
complaint or resistance
Human rights abuses--Untouchables
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Roughly 16% of India’s Population—170
million people
“Untouchable” is not used anymore—now
called Dalits
Also found in other Countries: Nepal, Pakistan,
Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, UK
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Technically illegal
Indian Constitution—bans negative public
discrimination on the basis of caste
(employment, education, etc)
Government has set up quotas in schools and
government to help traditional lower castes
In reality—still exists. Many educated, upper
class, urban Indians don’t follow it but more
popular in rural settings. State of mind
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Intercaste marriages often not approved—in
traditional families or areas
Caste based organizations still exist
Political Parties—often organized around Caste
membership
Some workplace or school conflicts (some
violent)
Lower castes still have lower quality of life