Early+Aryan+(Brahmanism)+99-104

=Early Aryan (Brahmanism) 99-104=


 * __Religion in the Ved__****__ic Age__** pg. 99 (AK)
 * Cultural and religious traditions formed as caste system emerged and organized society.
 * Aryans entered India with beliefs for a mobile and violent society.
 * These ideas spread, but Aryans encountered new ideas and blended them with their own.
 * This became foundation for Hinduism.
 * Faith was very popular in India and some of Southeast Asia for more than 2000 years.
 * In India, religion reflects the larger society.
 * Aryans continued to expand into India, pushing into Punjab and further.

**__Aryan Religion__** pg. 100, 102, 103, 104 (KV) (SM) (JY) (DH)
 * polytheistic
 * reincarnation
 * Indra- violent, wielder of thunderbolts (led them to battle), associated with rain for crops, god of war.
 * reflects instability of early Vedic society
 * Varuna- oversaw behavior of mortals, despised evil deeds & lying, punished with disease & death
 * similar to heaven & hell: "House of Clay" (hell) "World of the Fathers" (heaven)
 * ritual sacrifices- expected to be performed frequently by brahmins (no less than 5x a day), "soma" a hallucinogenic mixture to feel powerful & divine inspiration, expected to gain divine support for military success, large families, long life, and abundant herds of cattle
 * later many turned away from sacrificial cults & changed to focusing on spirituality, "mystics"
 * mystics gained inspiration from Dravidian religious beliefs
 * Dravidians worshiped nature spirits.
 * Karma and samsara represents the relationship between physical incarnation and the realm of ultimate truth and reality.
 * Those who had heavy burden of karma possibly came back as animal or insect
 * Wanted //moksha// which was a deep dreamless sleep after beating reincarnation
 * goals were asceticism and meditation- leading simple lives without pleasures
 * Had high ethical standards.
 * Discouraged greed. Encouraged respect.

__**Upanishad**__ pg. 101 (EP)
 * Most disciples were men.
 * Each person participates in larger cosmic order and forms a small part of a universal soul, known as Brahman.
 * Souls were born into physical world many times.
 * Highest goal was to escape cycle of birth and rebirth and enter into permanent union with Brahman.
 * [[image:http://www.goodkarmafactory.com/sitebuilder/images/KarmaCop-311x322.jpg]]