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•Sanskrit word meaning “honor”
•Primarily shows respect, reverence, and humility to the deity
•Establishes a connection or identification of the worshipper and the deity
•Performed daily and on special occasions
•similar to rites of hospitality in ancient texts
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| Adornments and offerings for puja |
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Puja materials in a large temple can be quite elaborate and expensive. Fresh flowers, fruits, oils, etc. must be used.
•Pūjā begins by bathing and dressing the deity
•money is offered at the end of pūjā in consideration of the deity’s grace
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Materials for pūjā are available outside most temples in India. These same items are returned to worshippers after the deity has blessed them.
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•“darśana” is a Sanskrit word meaning “sight”
•here worshippers “take darśana” of Durga
•Darśana is an important part of puja in which the deity sees the worshipper and vice-versa
•through this “seeing” of the deity, the worshipper receives her grace and benevolence
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•prasāda means “grace” in Sanskrit
•refers to the food and other offerings (ash, paste, oils, etc.) returned to the worshipper after being presented to the deity
•the distribution of prasāda and the waving of the āratī , or camphor flame are the final acts of pūjā
•consuming prasāda physically connects the bodies of the worshipper and the deity
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•Animal sacrifice, usually to a fierce goddess or a Tantric deity
•Often a propitiation or appeasement of angry deities
•Sacrificial animals (chickens and goats are most common) serves as a substitute for oneself
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Consecratory or life-cycle rite that marks religious milestones in life
Household ritual
Typical rites: impregnation (garbhādāna), the beginning of education (vidyārambha), the investiture of the sacred thread (upanayana), marriage (vivāha), and funerary (antyeṣṭi) and ancestral (śrāddha) offerings
•Marriage is by far the
most important and most
commonly observed
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| Great vs. Little traditions |
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Great: form of traditoins that spans the religion ex: Sanskrit, the Vedas
Little: beneath that, smaller traditions (language used, regional gods/goddesses)
Really only little traditions, no one lives in only great tradition (imagined world) |
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Varna means color
1. Brahmin
2. Ksatnya
3. Vaisya
4. Sudra
Instituted by Colonizers in order to classify Hindus simplisticly |
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collapse (less complicated than Jati, but more complicated than Varna system), both caste and varna terms created by colonizers, and is more rigid than actual practice
Mostly occupation--clumped by occupation, categorization
no social mobiliziation
Hinduism only theological system that defends caste system, even though other religions use caste (Islamics, Buddhism etc) |
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"Birth" family in which you were born (community), now refers to 1000s of community (closed off communities) - fixes identity
many many many Jatis
most important factor of Jati is marriage, always marry someome from within your own Jati
Concepts of Jati:
purity- certain people shouldn't interact w/ certain types of people (tainted)
ex: Eating, won't accept food from lower class
Occupation: certain jatis have certain jobs
Housing: how housing set up/ seperate
Dress: kinds of clothes/ how dress |
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| 4 steps through deity worship to samsara |
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1. Being/Becoming -hero worship
2. Being with
3. Bargaining
4. Becoming (no deity) == Sams(k)ara/yognia (through own efforts) |
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festival of Kingships
Navarati |
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symbolism of festivals == royalty
Navarati (9 knights/Dasara (10)
9 day celebration remind us of victory of Durga over buffalo demon
sponsored by patrons -often old monarchs
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| Diwali (maybe apart of Navarati?) |
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have lights (lamps) light path to entrance
return of Rama and Sita to Idoya after he vanquishes Ravana
connected to New Year; new pujas bounties, (christmas like) |
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Village Festivals
Holi: North India |
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no images of langs
N more egalitarian in festivals
have different political history than South, so festivals are different (reflect institution of politics)
N India, subordinates (top not replicated) more bureaucratic/systametized structure
Most of the North couldn't sponsor festivals because only one king |
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Village Festivals
South india (Holi) |
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South has more hierarchical system
S. India replicated kingship, every kind of ruler acts as a mini king in his area
all mini kings got to host festival, so there were more festivals than in the North |
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share/invite -participation
relationship of bhakti to experience of women
role of mother to teach religious knowledge (women)
hierarchy (your mine - I'm yours)
male or female assuming culturally feminine role
inflected w/gender- devotion culturally female |
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sacred place "crossing place'
place to cross over from, where human meets divine
go to for enhanced encounter with divine
Tirtha sacred, but can be replicated in other places
ex: Ganges, say all rivers in India are sacred then
pan-Indian becomes localized (make our own Ganges in our own region) similar to big deities, becoming smaller families of localized deities
all Tirtha related to one another |
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movement/effort to go to Tirtha (pilgrammage)
involves act of will (cant turn facet on , Oh ganges!)
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vow, generic term
typically mothers make vratas for family
say somehwat publically your intention of going on pilgrammage |
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practice of renouncing the world
take on ascetiscism to prepare for pilgramage (temporary)
make self more spiritual for journey
loyalty and spiritual preparation
religious salvation in own bands/not that of the gods/goddess |
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What makes bad things happen? Why is there evil?
Divine anger |
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| Divine anger, individual/village failed to live up to expectations of some deity: takes wrath out on youuu |
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Why is there evil?
Ghosts |
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Possiblity of haunting ghosts
ghosts were children/young people-someone who died a death that shouldnt have
generates a vengeful spirit
those that allowed this to happen must have ritual removal/exorcism of the bad spirit
or have a good deity possess the possessed and kick out the bad deity |
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Why is there evil?
Astrological inauspiciousness |
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Astrological inauspiciousness
problems with horoscope
marrigal problems/family strife |
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Karma: importance exaggerated in everday life not used often for explanation of evil
"action" (origonally meant action of sacrifice in Vedas--now encompasses all human action)
if you do an action it wil lhave consequence
forward looking aspect more often thought of (not backwards)
warning, if you don't shape up-- you will suffer |
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| What makes bad things happen? (List off) |
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Divine anger
Possibility of haunting ghosts
Astrological inauspiciousness
Karma
Fate |
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