Look in Genesis and Find Similarities to the Hindu Creation Story

A Hindu Creation Story

Look in Genesis and find similarities to the Hindu creation story.

Hindu vocabulary and concepts

murti- image of a deity

puja - worship to a deity; at home (in a shrine) or in a temple (with a priest),

the ritual involves sounds, light, washing, food, scent, and prayers.

mandir - Hindu temple; complex of shrines, each devoted to a different deity

guru - wise teacher

mantra - sacred sounds, words, or phrases, repeated in ritual

samsara - Law of birth, death, and rebirth(reincarnation): also called the

Wheel of Life

moksha – ultimate goal; to be freed from the cycle of rebirths

karma – law that whatever one does in life affects what one will be in the

next life

dharma - one’s personal code of conduct/duty relating to family and society

Vedas - first sacred writings of Hinduism

Sanskrit - language of the Vedas; “Veda” is Sanskrit word for knowledge

Upanishads - interpretations of the Vedas added to the end of each

Upanishads moved Hinduism from a focus on sacrificial

practices to a meditative way of life (inner self)

Ganges – sacred river come closer to the source of life, to wash away their

sins, and to cleanse both their bodies and their spirits

Brahman - the supreme cosmic force

atman - the true self

maya - illusion that things are all different from one another – inability to

perceive the divine oneness (Brahman)

ahimsa - the principle of non-violence

caste - traditional Hindu social level or class

Brahmans: priests; study and teach the Vedas, lead rituals

Kshatriyas: warriors; protect the people, run a fair government

Vaishyas: producers, traders, merchants, artists

Sudras: unskilled workers, servants; serve the three higher castes

* Untouchables (Dalits): outcastes; may not interact with

members of the four castes

ascetic - someone who practises severe self-discipline or abstains from

physical pleasures for religious purposes

The Four Stages of Life

Stage 1: Student - ages 7 to 20 - religious education and willingness to

search for the truth

Stage 2: Householder – ages 20 to 50 - duty to family, raising children,

earning a living

Stage 3: Semi-retired when family is self-supporting - retreat from worldly

life, focus on spiritual matters

Stage 4: Wandering ascetic - when ready - holy, detached life, with no

possessions or responsibilities

Sacred Thread ceremony – for boys of upper 3 castes; beginning of the life

of a student

avatar - incarnation of a deity (descended into the world in earthly form)

Circle of Creation, Preservation, and Destruction - shows the interplay

of Creation (Brahma), Preservation (Vishnu), and Destruction (Shiva).

yoga - Hindu path (or discipline) to liberation

Path of Knowledge - quest for spiritual knowledge and truth

study with a guru

goal - understand that atman and Brahman are one

Path of Devotion - choose a particular deity and spend life worshipping

that deity

Path of Good Works (karma yoga) - doing dharma, or duty, to the best of

their ability

revealed scriptures (heard) - came from the deities through holy people

traditional scriptures (remembered) - mostly popular stories about the

deities

Laws of Manu - Hindu scriptures that govern actions and virtues

book contains many important instructions for living

according to caste and acting according to duty

arranged marriages : traditional Hindu beliefs; parents and others arrange

marriages

belief that love develops gradually after marriage, not before

greater wisdom to make a successful marriage

consider qualities of character, education, caste, and tradition

similar or compatible backgrounds