Five Faiths Project

Introduction



Hinduism



Judaism



Buddhism



Christianity



Islam


HINDUISM

Glossary

Atman
the individual human soul.
avatar
(Sanskrit) a human or animal identity taken on by a deity when making a visit to earth. Avatars first appear in the Bhagavad Gita and are generally associated with Vishnu, who, while in his incarnation as Krishna, explains that he has been born into the world many times: as a fish, a boar, a man-lion, a dwarf, a tortoise, the Hindu Noah who saves the world from a flood, and Rama. In the future, he explains, he will come to overthrow barbarians and reestablish a rightful world order. (see Hinduism poster)
Bhagavad Gita
(Sanskrit: lit. meaning: “song of the glorious one”) epic Indian poem recounting the dialogues of the god Krishna and a young man named Arjuna. 700 two-line stanzas in length, the Bhagavad Gita constitutes eighteen chapters of the sixth book of the Mahabharata. In this story, Krishna, one of the most popular Hindu gods, acts as Arjuna’s charioteer and advisor. Krishna helps Arjuna understand his relationship and responsibilities to himself, his family and community, the gods and the cosmos.
Brahma
(Sanskrit: lit. meaning “swelling, growth, expansion”) Brahma is the creative aspect of Brahman.
Brahman
(Sanskrit: lit. meaning: a swelling, expansion, growth”) Brahman is the term used to describe the supreme principle of the universe. The unknowable aspect of power and holiness present in all things.
Common Era / Before Common Era (CE and BCE)
BCE and CE replace traditional western use of BC: before Christ, and AD: anno domino, in the year of the Lord, both of which are Christian in orientation. Educator’s note: particularly in the context of these materials, it is recommended that years be noted with CE and BCE in order to acknowledge fully the diversity of beliefs.
guru
(Sanskrit: lit. meaning: heavy, weighty) teacher, generally applied to individuals who have a special connection with and understanding of Brahman and Hindu deities.
jiva
(Sanskrit) the individual human being.
karma
(Sanskrit: lit. meaning: “action, deed”) the law of consequences. This law establishes that any and all actions have ethical and physical consequences. Educator’s note: in the earliest texts, karma refers to actions of the deities and to religious actions such as devotion and sacrifice. In later texts, karma became linked with reincarnation and was established as a universal principle, that is, that one can affect one’s cycle of birth and rebirth by actions in the current lifetime.
Mahabharata
(Sanskrit: pronounced with the stress on the third syllable: ma-hab-ha’-ra-ta) Indian epic poem, originally written in Sanskrit. The central story is of a dynastic struggle between two branches of an Indian ruling family. The Mahabharata also contains secondary story lines which offer moral, social and worldview backgrounds for the ultimate battle between the two branches. Readily available in English translation.
moksha
(Sanskrit: literal meaning: “release, liberation”) the most commonly used term applied to the release of the human soul from the cycles of birth, death and rebirth. Moksha is the goal of many Hindu practices.
puja
(Sanskrit: lit. meaning: “worship, honor”) Ritual offerings of various items, services and signs meant to show respect and devotion to a deity. It is not uncommon for Hindu practitioners to have a home altar on which is placed an image of a favored deity. Puja may include the simple offerings of flowers, water, food and burning incense as signs of love and devotion. Puja also applies to devotions performed in and around Hindu temples. (See Ewald photographs “Dr. Sharma Chants during Puja” (p.11) and “The Altar in the Kitchen” (p. 13), as well as definition included in text of Hinduism poster. Also: Centers for Worship: The Hindu Temple in text)
Ramayana
(Sanskrit: lit. meaning: the adventures of Rama) The story of Rama, one of the sons of King Dasaratha, and his wife Sita.
Rig Veda
(Sanskrit: lit. meaning: “knowledge of the verses”) The oldest of the Vedas; a collection of 1,028 hymns in ten books. Believed to be composed in the oral tradition c. 1400-1200 BCE in what is now northwestern India.
samsara
(Sanskrit, Pali, et al: lit. meaning: “wandering, going through”) term applied to the cycle of birth, death and rebirth, also everyday life in the world and transmigration (rebirth of the jiva in lifetimes as both humans, animals and other living beings).
Sanskrit
the language of Aryan tribes who entered India in the second millennium BCE. Sanskrit is also applied as the name of the literature as a whole generated by the Aryans. Sanskrit is the ritual language of Hinduism, containing the laws of Brahman, in much the way a textbook might be said to hold the laws of physics.
sanyassa
(Sanskrit) the final of four stages of life. After fulfilling the requirements of youth, householder and retiree, sanyassa is the time of renunciation and wandering, during which the individual searches for wisdom and insight.
Shiva
Shiva is “the destroyer,” the name and form of God who accomplishes endings in order that new beginnings may occur. Shiva appears to Arjuna in the Mahabharata as an outcaste hunter who subjects him to combat and supplies him with magic weaponry.
shmriti
(Sanskrit: lit. meaning: “remembered”) term used to describe certain sacred texts within the Hindu tradition. These texts, principally the Vedas, were not composed but recalled. The Vedas do not contain what might otherwise be considered “original human thought,” but rather the remembered revelations or principles known by the ancient sages.
Upanishads
(Sanskrit: lit. meaning: “to sit down near to”) Meaning secret, mystical teaching, the term Upanishad is generally applied to the sacred texts of Hinduism which contain the culmination of Vedic wisdom.
Vedas
(Sanskrit: lit. meaning: “knowledge”) The Vedas are the entire corpus of collected sacred knowledge and wisdom of Hinduism, heard by the ancient sages and ultimately recorded in a series of hymns and ritual texts.
Vishnu
Vishnu is the creator and protector, appearing on earth at intervals to rescue, restore order and protect life. Krishna is one of the many avatars of Vishnu. (see Hinduism poster for image of Krishna)