Yanja
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Chapter 35:Yanja:Worship usually took the form of a sacrificial ritual (yanja)Yana: addressed to nature gods such as the sun godRituals involed the sacrifice of animals  to please the gods through worship and to ensure the well being of the sacrifice and his familyPuja:Much more common than YanjaPuja: ritual of devotional worship regularly conducted at temples, usually brahman priests and often in private homesPuja can be addressed to any of the manifold gods and goddesses in hindu such as Vishnu and Shiva and Shakti all of whom appear in myriad forms and aspects in Hindu mythology Temples dedicated to the different gods and have a sanctified image During puja, priests ritually purifies himself and invokes the diety in the image and then chantsPilgrimage and the sacred:Sacred is even contained in natureSacred manifests itself in the form of naturePilgrims flock to such places during auspicious months of the Hindu calendar and mythological stories grow about the miraculous nature of the pilgrimage site Particularly important in hindu cosmology are sacred rivers and holy townsThe water of the ganges in north india is esp potent and single dip in the river is believed to earn for the worshipper untold spiritual meritThe sacred often manifests itself in living things too→ cow and monkeys etcFestivals: Look at the pageChapter 36Family and societyCaste system orders indu society hierarchically that different social gropuids are ranked in a relationship of either good orbad depending on their levels of “purity”Every Indian is born into the caste of this parentsBrahmans: the purest and highest casts        Did ritual, worship Untouchables: outcast of societyCaste determined most aspects of one’s life        Where he lived, hang out with, eat food,and marryIt is restricted to interact with thelowest rungs of society The joint family Status within the family determined one place in householdA lot of gerneations live togetherHead of household: older maleWomen have no propertyFamily property passed down the male lineMahabharata and Ramayana: tell what a family role should look like (wife, husband etc)
Marriage:Women derive her identity from male authorityNot romantic but arrangement between familes of same rankedBride is a “gift” from parents Gifting their daughter to the groom family: parents get spirt meritWomen can sometimes marry up but never downFamily and society today Caste is going under some changes in modern timesWomen get more rights but still upheld popular women’s role in familyCaste does not determine one occupation, income,social statusUrbanization and industrialization grants new jobs opportunity; allows people to break away from cashe and be independent Women becoming more education so less dependent on roles of family Hinduism in the modern world (37)Bhaki: devotional traditionSati: the self immolation of widows and no child marriageAs moved away from ancient thinking Old religion can be superstitions Astrologers and gurus some believe in atrolgers and gurusconversion into hindusim is impossible because of their karma and karma puts people in caste Politicization militancy has began 1947 india was independent Want a united nation with some nationalism The majority of people (poor) appeal to nationalistic ideology Massacre of muslimes in Gujarat in 20002 Hindu nationalists seek the hinduization of indian polity, culture, and education The hindu diaspora the development of Hinduism has resulted in many coming to the west festivals: kumh melaThe caste system Untouchables converted to other religionsGandhi influence allowed untouchables some education and employment Forward communities: claim positive discrimination policies Caste wars between        Savarnas: belonging to warna vs. avarnas (untouchables) Revisionist emphasizes the positive side of caste More rights to untouchables Women in Modern Hinduism: Women trying to get more rightsIshwar married a widowGandhi put women into the public area Chapter 33Religitions devotion: bhakiHindus divide their scriptures into 2 categories: revealed and remembered The vedas= knowledge Vedic samhitas : Ancient hinduism Brahmans: explain the significance of rituals Aranyaks: provide analysis of the fire ritual→ intrinsic powerUpanishads= Dharma sutras Law of manu: dutires laws and regulations binding hindus Hindus seeking release from samara –the cycle of lives, deaths, and reincarnations – need to obey dharma sutras