Week 5

SS HUM G111: INTRODUCTION TO WORLD RELIGION AND BELIEF

SYSTEMS

66
 Ave Maria College
SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL DEPARTMENT
School ID No. 402686 Gov’t Permit No. 0059 s. 2015

SS HUM G111: Introduction to World Religions and Belief Systems

To my students:

You are now on the 5th week of this course. Before you start working on the lessons for this
week make sure that you have submitted your week 4 requirements.

For this week you will learn Lesson 6. Read and watch the learning materials below then
answer Weekly Exam 5 and do Activity 5.
At the end of this week, you should be able to:
 answer correctly at least 85% of the questions in the Weekly Exam and;
 write a reflection paper based on a Hindi film.

LESSON 6: HINDU DHARMA

A. TEASER
Young people today say “YOLO” [which means “You Only Live Once!”. Sadly, some even use this
as an excuse to act irresponsibly. But is it true that human beings live only once? What if we did have
the opportunity to live more than once? Did you know that as early as three thousand years ago, people
believed that each person lives through a series of lifetimes? What is popularly called reincarnation is
one of the fundamental beliefs of the ancient religions worldview known as Hindu Dharma.
Would you prefer to live only one and get it over and done with? Or would you rather live again, with a
chance to set things right, but not know what form of life you will assume in your next incarnation?
Keep these questions at the back of your mind as we make our pilgrimage through the sacred
space that is Hindu Dharma.

Watch/Listen:
Video Clip 5 – Reincarnation in Hinduism Reincarnation in Hinduism Culturescape Culture
Express.mp4

B. ORIGINS OF HINDU DHARMA

1. The Beginnings
Below is the map of Indus Valley (around 2500 B.C.E.), a region known today as Pakistan and
northwest India.

67
 The term Hindu is a transliteration of the Sanskrit word Sindhu, meaning "of the Indus [river
valley]" It was first used by the Muslim conquerors of India to refer to its inhabitants who refused to
adopt Islam and was later also used by British imperialists.
Those who follow the ancient religious traditions of India rarely refer to it as Hinduism; many
prefer to simply call it Dharma or, as we will refer to it, Hindu ;Dharma. Some prefer to refer to it as
Sanätana Dharma, the timeless and universal Dharma. It may be helpful to think of what is popularly
known as Hinduism or Hindu Dharma as referring to a family of religions that originated in the Indian
subcontinent as early as 3000 B.C.E. with no clearly identifiable founders.
As one of the most ancient religious worldviews, Hindu Dharma has been described as the "cradle of
spirituality' and "the mother of all religions because of its influence on virtually every major religion,
and as it has given rise to other religious traditions such as Buddhism, Jainism, and Sikhism. For its
almost billion adherents, it is a way of life embracing all aspects of human existence, including family
and societal life, arts and sciences, business and politics, and even health.

2. Geographical Setting
The Indian subcontinent found in south Asia can be described as a land that is chiefly
agricultural, and is also isolated from its neighbors. The rich alluvial soil in Indian valleys, made fertile
by abundant drinkable water from rivers, supports a large population, which tends to personify nature as
a generously nurturing but sometimes moody mother. The persistent anxieties of farmers experiencing
alternating abundant harvests with catastrophic droughts influence this religious outlook. Thus, water is
given great importance in Indian worship. "To a great degree, the worship of the gods can be seen to be
an effort to live successfully amid the awesome nonhuman forces of the natural world."
In addition, the mountainous barriers and the wide ocean isolate the Indian subcontinent. India is
protected in the north from the incursions of China, Tibet, and Myanmar by the Himalayas, the planet's
tallest mountain range, which includes Mount Everest. As such, only a few and modest foreign invasions
of India met with success.

3. Origins
The roots of the Hindu Dharma tradition may be found in the dark-skinned Dravidian people of
India who belonged to what is termed the Indus Valley civilization, which existed at about the same time
as the civilizations of ancient Egypt along the river Nile in northwest Africa and of Mesopotamia, and
along the Euphrates and Tigris rivers in the Middle East. From as early as 2500 B.C.E. to around 1500
B.C.E., a highly civilized people inhabited the Indus Valley within what historians consider to be the
first planned cities. Archaeological findings indicate the Indus Valley people placed great importance in
water and took great care in handling it.
Around 1750-1200 B.C.E., warlike nomadic tribes of light-skinned people known as the Aryans
began migrating into India from present-day Iran ["land of the Aryan"). In their own language, Sanskrit,
which will become the language of Hindu Dharma, the term Aryan means "noble"' The Aryan tribes
were led by chieftains called rajas. The Aryans may have been the first to tame wild horses and use them
to pull war-chariots. They began to settle in the cities of the Indus Valley around 500 B.C.E., eventually
subjugating the Dravidians who were of a different varna [Sanskrit "color, later "caste here were three
basic classes in Aryan society, those considered "twice Dorn: (1) the Kshatriya, rulers and warriors; (2)
the Brahmin or priest, and; (3) the Vaishya, commoners such as farmers, artisans, and merchants. At the
Service of these Aryan classes were the Shudra, slaves doing manual labor and likely taken from
the subjugated darker-skinned Dravidians. From this Aryan social stratification would originate the later
system of varnas or castes described in the Law of Manu. The religion of the Aryans was polytheistic
and animist in nature, akin to Greco-Roman mythology, with gods and goddesses personifying forces of
nature. To these gods, the Aryans offered libations of milk from their animals and also made burnt
offerings of animals, usually horses.
68
 As nomadic tribes, they built no temples. From these ritual sacrifices would emerge the initial
oral tradition that would be written down as sacred lore or Veda [Sanskrit "knowledge"].

C. SACRED TEXTS
The sacred writings of Hindu Dharma may be categorized as either shruti or smriti. Shruti
[Sanskrit "heard" are sacred writings containing eternal truth "heard" from the gods, i.e., divine
revelation. Smriti [Sanskrit "remembered" are lesser sacred texts with privileged knowledge as
"remembered and handed on by ancient human sages.
The fascinating combination of devotional hymns, ceremonial guidelines, and philosophical
reflections comprising the collections of the Vedas and their sections are exclusively regarded as shruti.
However, shruti is appropriate only for males in the "twice-born classes [Brahmin, Kshatriya, Vaishya],
who possess the spiritual maturity needed to appreciate the wisdom contained in them.
The Vedas were oral traditions passed among generations that were later transcribed in Vedic language,
an early form of Sanskrit. The bulk of their material emerged between 1500 and 400 B.C.E. The Vedas
are the oldest sacred books in Hindu Dharma and are the basic source of its worldview. They contain
descriptions and mythologies of pre-Aryan and Aryan deities. The Vedas have four books or collections:
Rig-Veda, Yajur-Veda, Sama-Veda, and Atharva-Veda.
The Rig-Veda is a collection of over a thousand mantras or hymns to Aryan gods accompanied
by mythology and used by Hindu Dharma priests officiating at sacrifices. Its name comes from the
Sanskrit ric, "praise stanza," a unit-component of a mantra. The Yajur- Veda Sanskrit "incantation' is a
guide for Brahmins assisting at ritual sacrifices who need to recite prayers to ensure a successful
offering. Used by ritual singers assisting at sacrifices, the Sama-Veda consists of "chants/holy songs
verses condensed from priestly hymns in the Rig-Veda. Named after the Atharvan, commentaries on
Vedic teaching a separate class of Hindu Dharma priest-shamans, the latter collection of the Atharva-
Veda comprises domestic rituals, popular prayers, and magic spells to ward off evil.
Each collection of Vedas is divided into four sections: Mantras [the Veda proper), Brahmanas,
Aranyakas, and Upanishads2 A mantra is an invocation or prayer that helps a devotee focus the mind on
holy thoughts, or express, devotion to a god through meaning, sound, and chanting style. Considered the
end/fulfillment of the Vedas, the Upanishads (Sanskrit "sittings near teachers"] are collections of
philosophical writings attached to the Vedas that go beyond ceremonial actions, seeking the meaning of
human existence. The Upanishads assert that there is only one ultimate reality [Brahman] and all else is
illusion or false knowledge [mayal; âtman is the "life breath" and innermost self of the individual, which
is part of Brahman.
For the rest of the adherents of Hindu Dharma, there is the vast, but lesser category of sacred
writings called smriti. Among the smriti are the Laws of Manu and the epics Rāmāyana and
Mahābhārata, which are records of the heroic deeds of women and men in ancient dynastic struggles.
The Laws of Manu, written around 200 B.C.E., are believed to have come from the first human being
and are considered the most accepted code of ideal behavior, These contain the justification for the caste
lvarna) system and the four stages (ashrama] in the life of Hindus.
The Rámäyana (Sanskrit "the journey of Rama") is an epic of almost twenty thousand verses
narrating the love story of Rana, the seventh avatar or incarnation of the god Vishnu, and hís wife Sita,
an avatar of the goddess Lakshmi. Dealing with some fundamental themes of human life, the epic
explores the essential concept of dharma in relatíon to human endeavors.
Considered the world's longest epic poen, the Mahabhárata [Sanskrit the great (story of the descendants
of) Bharata"] consists of almost two million words in a hundred thousand verses. It Concerns the
struggle for the throne of the Kuru kingdom between two blood-related sets of brothers, the Kauravas
and the Pändavas, which eventually leads to open warfare among these cousins. The Kauravas triumph
over the five Pändava brothers, who are eled in the forest for twelve years. After the return of the
Påndava brothers, the Kauravas continue to refuse to reach an agreement, which leads to another war.
69
As their battle is about to begin, the third Pandava brother, Arjuna, confides to his friend Krishna his
quaims about fighting his relatives. Krishna's discourse to Arjuna is known as the Bhagavad-Gitä, the
most popular part of the Manābhārata that has been described as containing the essence of the Vedas.
Krishna is considered the eighth avatar or incarnation of the god Vishnu

D. CREED

1. Conceptions Of Ultimate Reality

All religious worldviews are directed to addressing the most acute insecurities, of whatever
variety, of their adherents. The worship of deities is a means of coping with natural, moral, and military
insecurity. The gods and goddesses respond to human need with health and fertility, social stability, and
invincible force.
Hindu Dharma has often been described as polytheistic, worshipping as many as 33 million gods
and goddesses with particular functions and powers. It acknowledges the polarities of energy, expressed
as a male principle accompanied by a female principle manifested in the pairing of Hindu gods and
goddesses. Death follows life, as creation is balanced by destruction, expressed in the god Shiva who is
represented both by male and female sex organs and a destructive trident. In a balance of forces is peace.
The world is thus perceived as both good and bad.
Images of the gods and goddesses of the Hindu pantheon are not to be understood literally. But even
if a few people worship these images as literal depictions of divine reality, it is much better than being
unable to feel any love or devotion to an abstract principle. In time, these people may be able to realize
that the ultimate reality goes beyond any one image, and that images are mere manifestations of the
various powers at work in the universe. There is, after all, more to the universe than can be perceived
with the senses.

a. Brahman
There is a reality that makes everything that can be experienced possible but which cannot be
perceived by the senses. The Upanishads name this ultimate reality (sat]. ultimate consciousness (sit],
and ultimate bliss [ananda] as Brahman (Sanskrit "ever-growing']. It can be understood both as
impersonal and without attributes [nirguna Brahman], or having person like qualities (saguna Brahman).
Unlike the anthropomorphic god of Abrahamic religions, nirguna Brahman is neithera bearded elderly
man in the sky, nor one having emotions or one who plays favorites. Brahman is formless and
changeless, infinite and eternal, neither male nor female, and beyond space and time. Being the all-
knowing source of consciousness, it isitself Being/Existence and Knowledge. In Aristotelian terms,
Brahman, according to Hindu Dharma, is both the efficient cause and the material cause of all reality, as
well as its final cause.
Since the human mind needs concrete forms to approach incomprehensible ultimate reality, the
majority of the adherents of Hindu Dharma choose to worship one particular deity, saguna Brahman,
with whom they can feel a direct personal connection. Devotion to this god or goddess can take different
forms, including prayer lpuja), ceremonial worship, chanting the deity's name, and pilgrimage to sites
associated with the deity.

b. Trimurti
Saguna Brahman-Brahman with personlike attributes-commonly takes the form of Trimurti, "three
images representing the three primary natures of Brahman: Brahmā, Vishnu, and Shiva. This personified
trimurti corresponds to three phases in the cycle of the universe: creation, preservation of order, and
destruction prior to recreation. The eighteen Puranas are the source of explanatory beliefs in the Hindu
trimurti of Brahman.

70
Watch/Listen:
Video Clip 6 - Video Clip 6 - Hindu gods overview World History Khan Academy.mp4

E. BASIC DOCTRINES
a. Samsara
In Hindu Dharma, the human being is seen as a soul who wears a series of physical bodies like
many different costumes. Translated by R.J. Zwi Werblowsky as "what turns round forever," samsāra is
a course or succession of states of existence, where the indestructible ãātman survives the death of one
physical body and is later reborn in another one-more popularly known as the doctrine of reincarnation
or transmigration of souls. Like the material universe, the human being undergoes a series of successive
life-cycles until it finally attains moksha, or liberation from samsāra or the wheel or cycle of rebirth.
b. Moksha
The ultimate goal of Hindu Dharma is liberation from the endless cycle of birth and death, or
samsāra. A peculiar characteristic of Hindu Dharma is the assertion that moksha ["spiritual
freedom/liberation"] can be achieved during one's earthly life through the different yogas/margas-it is
not necessary to wait for a celestial afterlife.
Moksha is freedom from the wheel of samsāra attained by the the reconciliation of the individual
âtman, one's innermost self, with Brahman. The atman is the essence of Brahman present in individual
human beings. While the ätman is imprisoned, as it were, in the individual's physical body, it is subject
to the law of karma and samsāra and is perceived as separate from Brahman. In speaking, Brahman and
atman appear to be different; but in reality they are esentially one, since what appears to humans as
ultimately different is ultimately the same. The perception of Brahman and ātman as different is based
on maya [Sanskrit "illusion/false knowledge"].
One gains insight into one's own identity when one recognizes that Brahman and ātman are one
and the same and consequently seeks the communion of one's ātman with Brahman-it is seeking to be
one with itself. Moksha results from the obliteration of the distinction between Brahman and atman,
usually when the physical body releases ātman. Falling asleep is used as an analogy for the experience
of ātman uniting itself with Brahman. As there are levels of sleep, so are there levels of experiencing
communion with Brahman.
c. Karma
The law of karma may be regarded as the most important doctrine of Hindu Dharma, that every
thought or deed has a consequence. It is analogous to the modern scientific principle, "For every action,
there is an equal and opposite reaction." It emphasizes that human beings get exactly what they deserve.
One's present condition in life, including one's varna or social class, is exactly the lifetime status most
appropriate to one, a consequence of the karma one has accumulated through thoughts and actions in
previous lifetimes. The choices one has made in the past directly affect one's present condition, and the
choices made today and thereafter will have consequences for future lives. While one cannot change the
consequences of past decisions, one is free to change one's present thoughts and actions in order to
improve one's future status. Hence, a person is responsible for his/her own present and future condition
in life. Such an understanding can lead one to right choices, deeds, thoughts, and desires, without need
for any external commandments. Karma, therefore, is not the same as fate or predestination, nor does it
take away one's free will; it challenges us to properly exercise our freedom and to take responsibility for
our thoughts and actions.
When one causes pain or injury, one incurs a karmic debt carried over into future lifetimes.
When one gives genuinely and selflessly to others or, out of devotion, to a god, the karmic burden is
lessened. Moreover, human beings can acquire good karma and lessen bad karma through the four
yogas/margas.

71
Hindu Dharma basically teaches that one attains moksha through the communion of ātman with
Brahman by exercising one of the four yogas/ margas.

F. CODE
1. Dharma
Dharma is a rich and complex term that can be translated into English in a variety of ways: duty,
obligation, law, virtue, and ethic. But it goes beyond human rules and regulations, since its origins are
founded on the ancient Vedic concept of rta, representing the cosmic principle of harmony, regularity
and right order underlying the material universe, analogous to the "laws of nature" in contemporary
science.
In addition to the natural processes, dharma, as a principle of right action, can also refer to rules
governing human activity. In other words, dharma is rta incorporated into the life of individuals. The
dharma daily worship and rta are principles not created festivals by humans but discovered and by
discerned by them. Hindu Dharma pilgrimage acknowledges a vital connection life cycle rit between
nature and humanity: when human beings fail to live according to their dharma, the cosmic order is
threatened and the material world slides toward disintegration. The essence of Hindu Dharma is to
discover and live out one's dharma.
Traditionally, there are two main types of dharma: vishesha dharma and sadharana dharma.
Underlying a worldview wherein each member of society contributes something of value to the whole,
vishesha dharma concerns particular socio-religious obligations determined according to ones gender,
social class [varna), and life stage [ashrama]. It is the dharma of the Brahmin to teach, of the Kshatriya
to defend, of the Vaishya to generate business, and of the Shudra to serve. Similarly, it is the dharma of
"twice-born" boys to study, of young adults to marry and raise children, and of the elderly to retire and
live the remainder of their lives in reflective isolation.
The ethical foundation of Hindu Dharma lies in sadharana dharma, which concerns universal moral
norms applicable to all human beings regardless of religious affiliation and historical-cultural context:
"One should not behave toward others in a way that is disagreeable to oneself. This is the essence of
morality. All other activities are due to selfish desire" (Mahābhärata, Anusasana Parva XilI.113.8).
The Yoga Sutra (Sadhana Pada 2.35-45) of Patanjali identifies ten virtues-five negative [yamas] and five
positive [nivamas).
1. Ahimsa: avoidance of violent thought and action
2. Satya: avoidance of dishonesty and betrayal
3 Asteya: avoidance of theft and covetousness
4. Brahmacariya: avoidance of lust, drunkenness, and bad company
5. Aparigraha: avoidance of greed and desire
6. Saucha: purity in body, mind, and speech
7. Santosha: contentment with one's possessions
8. Tapaha: endurance and perseverance
9 Svadhyaya: scriptural study and the quest for wisdom
10 Ishvarapranidhana: devotion, worship, and meditation

2. Four Yogas/Margas/Ways Of Salvation

To attain moksha, Hindu Dharma proposes four disciplines [yogas] or ways (margas] of salvation:
(1) karma yoga, "the yoke of action/work;" (2) inana yoga, "the yoke of knowledge/wisdom;" (3) raja
yoga, "the royal yoke" of physical discipline, and; (4) bhakti yoga, "the yoke of love/devotion" Fulfilling
one's vishesha dharma, focusing selflessly on one's duty and detaching oneself from the results of one's
actions, is an acceptable way of attaining moksha, according to karma yoga.
According to jnana yoga, human alienation from the ultimate reality is a result of ignorance-"not seeing"
[Sanskrit avidya] that the ātman is ultimately of the same essence as Brahman. Estranged from its true
72
self and true nature, the ignorant soul succumbs to maya and falsely identifies itself with the material
world rather than ultimate reality, resulting in samsära.
But knowledge, internalized from the lessons of the ancient sages of Hindu Dharma through
detachment, discrimination, and introspection can overcome this avidya. Moksha lies in the recognition
that one's identity is grounded in Brahman-Atman and not in the material world, which must be
renounced.
The aim of raja yoga, or what is popularly known simply as yoga, is to detach the atman from the
world and unite it with Brahman by training the physical body. The first steps involve embracing an
ethic stressing detachment from the world, cleanliness, and strong control over bodily desires. The
following steps concentrate on forming the proper bodily posture, i.e., sitting in the lotus position, until
one becomes indifferent to one's body and all sensory stimulation, and on controlling breathing so as to
attain inner serenity. Then the person concentrates his/her entire mind only on one object, but gradually
withdrawing concentration of that object until the person extinguishes all consciousness, attaining union
with Brahman through Samadhi [Sanskrit "intense mental concentration"].
Strongly emphasized in the Bhagavad-Gitä, bhakti yoga proposes that one may attain moksha by
passionately surrendering to and embracing one god with trust and love. Escape from samsāra lies in a
positive loving relationship with a god, rather than in merging one's ātman with Brahman solely through
reflection and meditation. In popular forms of Hindu Dharma, adherents usually choose to serve either
Shiva or Vishnu, and/or his consorts.

G. CULT
1. Samskara
The diverse heritage of Hindu Dharma bears quite an extensive system of more than forty
traditional life-cycle rituals collectively called samskaras, although an abbreviated list of sixteen
ceremonies is often cited. The Sanskrit word samskara can be translated variously as
"purification/refinement, "construction," and "imprint." A samskara is a sacred rite of passage marking a
key milestone in the human pilgrimage from conception to death that refines and defines an individual's
identity and by which he/she is fully integrated into the community. The full number of samskaras, even
the sixteen, is seldom celebrated, and there is considerable ceremonial variation depending on gender,
social class, geographical location, and sectarian affiliation. Nine of the sixteen samskaras are related to
the earliest years of human existence, while the rest involve adolescence and adulthood. Not all of the
sixteen will be described here.
The fourth samskara, jatakarma, is performed immediately after the birth of the child. With a
golden spoon dipped in honey, curds, and ghee, the father writes the sacred Sanskrit syllable om [®] on
the infant's tongue or lips. In the Hindu Dharma tradition, the syllable om is considered the fundamental
sound of the universe and often introduces sacred chanting. In its written form, is used as the identifying
symbol for Hindu Dharma, analogous to the cross for Christianity. This action identifies the infant as an
adherent of Hindu Dharma and expresses the hope that he/she will use organs of speech to express truth
and wisdom. Before the infant is handed to its mother, the father also whispers into its ear a secret
sacred name such as "Veda" or "Brahma," marking him/her as part of the divine Brahman.
After ten to twelve days of purification, the fifth samskara of naming, namakarana, is performed.
The infant is bathed, dressed in clean clothes, and handed again to his/her father who is seated in front of
a sacred fire [a common feature of worship in Hindu Dharma. The infant's head should face north,
because the south is believed to be the realm of the dead. Oblations of ghee are poured into the sacred
fire while chanting appropriate mantras. Then another everyday name is whispered into the infant's ear.

Namaste (Na-mas-tey)
In the Indian subcontinent, it is customary to respectfully acknowledge another person's presence
by pressing one's hands together with a smile while saying, "Narmaste" derived from Sanskrit, the word
73
namaste literally means ") bow to you" Namaste may be spoken in greeting or in leave-taking. Usually
accompanied by a gesture called Anjali Mudrä or Pranamasana, a slight bow made with palms facing
and fingers together pointing upwards before one's face or chest, depending on the rank of the person.
The gesture made with hands resting on one's forehead signifies utmost reverence, as when one honors a
divine image.
Marriage, which mirrors the transcendent union of primal paired forces that brought the universe
into being, is part of the cosmic order and a serious duty binding on all who are physically and mentally
capable. While there is a variety of wedding traditions in Hindu Dharma, there are common elements.
As incarnations of the divine couple Vishnu and Lakshmi, the groom and bride take a bath in the
morning of their wedding, their bodies are anointed with turmeric, sandalwood paste, and oil, which are
associated with fertility.
In an Indian custom called mehendi, the hands and feet of the bride are painted with intricate
patterns using red and brown henna. Like the images of the goddess Lakshmi, the bride is lavishly
adorned with as much jewelry as possible-nose-ring, earrings, necklaces, bangles, anklets, and toe-rings.
The samskara of vivaha begins with prayers to the elephant-headed god Ganesha, who removes
obstacles and brings good fortune. The family of the bride, usually at their home, welcomes the groom
with gestures like the application of tilak to his forehead, the circular movement of five rights known as
arati, the showering with flower petals or the sprinkling of perfumed water. When the bride arrives, she
is escorted to the mandap, a cloth canopy on flower-draped poles, which signifies divine protection and
the new household in the making. The father of the bride entrusts his daughter to the groom, who
promises to care for her in terms of dharma duty, artha [material prosperity, and käma lpleasure. After
offering some rice or other food to the sacred fire, the couple walks around it seven times while they
recite their wedding vows. The groom then knots a piece of their clothing together, and thus bound, the
couple take together seven steps, each signifying the blessings of food, strength, prosperity, happiness,
children, Iong life, and friendship.
The last samskara of ontyesti or final sacrifice" involves funeral rites. The manner of death and
its timing is significant in Hindu Dharma. A premature or violent death, accompanied by vomit or urine
and a pained expression is a bad death. A good death occurs in old age after adequate spiritual
preparation and a peaceful countenance.
The funeral is held as quickly as possible, with coins placed in bodily openings to prevent the
ātman from have escaping The corpse is dressed in new garments and laid on a bier decorated with
flowers such as roses, jasmine, and marigolds. The eldest son is the chief mourner, playing a crucial role
in rituals for the favorable release of the month-old child out of the house deceased's ätman. The bier is
carried at to encounter the sun and the the head of the funeral procession, followed by family and friends
beginning of a sacred fire with appropriate with the oldest, with the names of a favorite god/goddess
repeatedly chanted.
Cremation, because of the purifying effect of fire [a common element in worship] and the total
destruction of physical body, is the most common means of disposing of the deceased and facilitates the
passage of âtman into the next phase of existence. The ideal wood used for a funeral pyre is the
pleasantly fragrant sandalwood. Infants and children below the age of reason, as thread ceremony of
becoming well as radical ascetics (sannyasin], are twice-born" and entrance into often buried because
they no longer the ashrarma of a Vedic student require the purifying fire. Sometimes a large clay pot full
of water is broken to symbolize the transition from one beard existence to another. After a few days, the
chief mourner will return to collect the bones and ashes of the deceased preferring to scatter them in a
river or lake, if possible, one that is considered sacred fand not store them in an urn).
It is customary for adherents of and practice detachment, believing that the tears of the living cause pain
for the deceased, delaying the passage of the next phase of existence.

H. COMMUNITY
74
 Since the arrival of the Aryans in the second millennium B.C.E., a well-defined system of social
stratification has been observed in the Indian subcontinent. Originally, there were more than three
thousand distinct classes based on ethnicity, profession [priests, warriors, metal workers, weavers, etc.].
or religious affiliation [Jains, Jews, Christians, Muslims, and Sikhs]. The Law of Manu will legitimize
the division into four varnas ["colors"), what is popularly known as the caste system.
Following the Aryan social classes, there were (1) the Brahmin or priestly class; (2) the Kshatriya, rulers
and warriors; (3) the Vaishya, commoners such as farmers, artisans, and merchants; and
(4) the Shudra, servants of the three other classes.
The full-blown caste system, however, isa relatively modern development that begins only
after 700 C.E., since there is evidence in early Indian society of social intercourse among different
classes. When the Portuguese colonized parts of India in the sixteenth century, they used the term casta
['race, breed to refer to these class divisions.
The caste system dominates every aspect of life in Indian society: diet profession, place of
residence, and choice of lifetime partner. One is admitted to the caste of ones parents through bir th.
Complex rules based on purity and pollution regulate interaction among members of different castes.
The greater the potential for contact with sources of ritual pollution-dirt, blood, and death-the more
inferior one's social status becomes in ritual terms, Brahmins are at the top of the caste system. They
safeguard the sacred traditions of Hindu Dharma. With only a few of them serving as priests catering to
people's ceremonial needs, they are mostly householders engaged in secular pursuits, Although not
landed or wealthy, they have retained a superior social status. They must, however, refrain from any
contact with pollution, restricting themselves to a vegetarian diet.They may accept food cooked only
from people of equal or higher rank. As a result, many restaurants are run by Brahmins. Beyond the four
castes are the Dalits, sometimes called "untouchables because their work brings them in constant contact
with sources of ritual impurity. They perform tasks like washing clothes, sweeping streets, cleaning
latrines, tanning leather, and handling corpses. This usually means very low income, poor living
conditions, and little hope of social mobility. And yet, while these Dalits are considered unclean, Indian
society will grind to a halt without them since their work enables members of higher castes to live in
relative purity.
Sadly, the tradition of Hindu Dharma seems to legitimize the status of outcasts, who are simply
experiencing the consequence of their karma from previous lifetimes, and may hope for a better situation
in their next incarnation if they embrace and do not rebel against their dharma or duty in their present
life. Reacting against discrimination, many lower-caste Indians sometimes choose to convert to another
religion such as Christianity or Islam. However, upper-caste Hindus still continue to treat these converts
according to their inferior status.
Discrimination against these outcasts was officially outlawed in the 1948 Constitution of the Republic of
India. Mohandas K. Gandhi even referred to these "untouchables" as harijan ['God's children"], whose
long and quiet suffering has earned the respect of gods and human beings.
Although some goddesses of Hindu Dharma were considered embodiments of female virtue,
women are depicted in the sacred texts of Hindu Dharma as beings inferior to men. As mentioned
earlier, women of whatever caste were not considered a worthy audience of the Vedas; they needed to be
reincarnated as men to at tain spiritual progress. In the Laws of Manu, unmarried women are subject to
their fathers, married women to their husbands, and widows to their sons. There is also an Indian custom
of a wife immolating herself either on her deceased husband's funeral pyre or in another manner soon
after, called sati or suttee [Sanskrit "good woman"). Although satī was never common practice and is
now outlawed, certain castes held it as the summit of wifely devotion.

Keep in Mind:
75
 The term Hindu is a transliteration of the Sanskrit word Sindhu, meaning "of the ndus [river
valley]" It was first used by the Muslim conquerors of India to refer to its inhabitants who
refused to adopt Islam and was later also used by British imperialists. Those who follow the
ancient religious traditions of India rarely refer to it as Hinduism; many prefer to simply call it
Dharma or, as we will refer to it, Hindu ;Dharma. The ultimate goal of Hindu Dharma is
liberation from the endless cycle of birth and death, or samsāra. A peculiar characteristic of
Hindu Dharma is the assertion that moksha ["spiritual freedom/liberation"] can be achieved
during one's earthly life through the different yogas/margas-it is not necessary to wait for a
celestial afterlife.

REFERENCES
Book:
Manloto, Christian B. and Rapadas, Maria Teresita R. (2016), Pilgrimage to Sacred Spaces: An
Introduction to World Religions. Phoenix Publishing House Inc. Quezon City
Sites:
Reincarnation in Hinduism Retrieved on: May 29, 2020 https://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=uehV5MMlsdg
Hindu Gods Overview Retrieved on: May 29, 2020 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=INv2gdpfXPQ
PK the Movie Retrieved on: June 1, 2018 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w-Srp4fkoZU
Yoga Music Retrieved on: May 29, 2020 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MhNaRdVAdxI

76
 Ave Maria College
SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL DEPARTMENT
School ID No. 402686 Gov’t Permit No. 0059 s. 2015

NAME: ______________________________________ DATE: _________

PROGRAM & YEAR ___________________________ SCORE:________

Weekly Exam 5- Finding Moksha

I. Instruction: Find the word moksha in the puzzle and answer the following questions.

Q N V T S Q W Q R J

E M C P D Z X P S H

R L C X E X Z O T J

T K M X V C F N U D

Y J X O B F G M V J

U H Z J K H T L W N

O G S H H S Y K X Y

O F D U J I H U Y G

P D R T M I U A Z G

A S Y Y L U N M V B

W R O R W M Q R B B

D G W K E O W W N X

T F A H S K O M M F

A B N S D S A X K E

H Y E V M H R Z L F

S I R W S A A Q R W

K O T K T R C W F R

O O O Q Y T V T F E

M M K W P N V T C Q

B M H R O B N Y E T

77
REFLECT!

After going through the activity, answer the following questions:

1. Explain the relationship between samsara, moksha, and karma.

2. Remember the teaser on the mystery of reincarnation? This time, you may want to articulate your
thoughts about it.
 “Would you prefer to live once only and get it over and done with?”
 “Would you rather live again, with a chance to set things right, but not know what form
of life you will assume your next incarnation?”

II. Instruction: answer the following questions.

1. Who are trimurthi? Enumerate and explain their power as gods and goddesses.
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________

2. In order to get rid the cycle of birth, death and rebirth, one has to achieve moksha. In what ways
Hindus can attain moksha?
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________

78
_____________________________________________________________________________
_______________

79
 Ave Maria College
SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL DEPARTMENT
School ID No. 402686 Gov’t Permit No. 0059 s. 2015

NAME: ______________________________________ DATE: _________

PROGRAM & YEAR ___________________________ SCORE:________

Activity 5: Reflection Paper no.1 “PK”

Watch/Listen:
Movie 3 – “PK” PK Full Movie with English Sub.mp4

Instruction: After watching the movie “PK”, write a reflection paper based on the insights gained from
the movie.

80
Reminder:

Keep all your outputs in your portfolio and make sure to submit them to your course facilitator
before you proceed to Week 6.

Keep going!
End of Week 5

81