Religious Studies: Hinduism

Religion "born during the so-called Axial Age (c. 800–200 BCE ). Hinduism is a complex religious system, with tremendous regional variation. So much so, that past critics have argued that there is no real Hindu religion. Despite these assertions there are shared elements that comprise a core we can call Hinduism."

Abrutyn, S. (2012). Hinduism. In G. Ritzer (Author), Blackwell Encyclopedias in Social Sciences: The Wiley-Blackwell Encyclopedia of Globalization. Wiley.

Avatar: "[T]he “descent” of a deity upon earth" or an alternative incarnation of a deity. Examples of an avatar of a deity include Krishna and Rama, who are incarnations of the god Vishnu.

Bhakti:  a tradition of worship that emphasizes devotion to a personal god as the sole necessary means for achieving salvation.

Caste:  India’s complex class structure of varnas that govern "religious, social, and economic interactions.". Four main subcategories: the Brahmins (priests), Kshatriyas (kings, warriors), vaishyas (merchants), and shudras (craftsmen and servants).

Darshan: the act of seeing and revering a deity and "receiving the gaze of the deity."

Karma: "deed” or “action,” and the accumulated results of action."

Puja: "the ritual of honouring or worshipping one or more Hindu deities."

Reincarnation: belief that after death the human soul or the spirit of a plant or animal may live again in another human or animal.

Samsara: "the cycle of birth, decay, death, and rebirth to which all living beings are subject until they achieve release through enlightenment."

• Bhakti. (2018). In Helicon (Ed.), The Hutchinson Unabridged Encyclopedia with Atlas and Weather Guide. Helicon.
• Foulston, L. (2009). PŪJĀ. In D. Cush, C. Robinson, & M. York (Eds.), Encyclopedia of Hinduism. Routledge.
• Irons, E. A. (2016). Karma. In E. Irons (Author), Encyclopedia of World Religions: Encyclopedia of Buddhism. Facts On File.
• Irons, E. A. (2016). Samsara. In E. Irons (Author), Encyclopedia of World Religions: Encyclopedia of Buddhism. Facts On File. 
• https://pluralism.org/hinduism-glossary-terms

Definition: " the worship of the goddess Shakti, the primordial creative, sustaining and destructive power of all existence."

Jones, C. A., & Ryan, J. D. (2016). Shakti. In C. Jones & J. Ryan (Authors), Encyclopedia of World Religions: Encyclopedia of Hinduism. Facts On File.

Definition: "orthodox Hindu sect composed of members of the initiated upper classes characterized by their allegiance to all the gods of the Hindu pantheon and by their adherence to rules of ritual and of conduct laid down in the ancient sutra texts."

"The Smartas may give preference to one deity above the others, and Shiva is highly favoured among them today. But they pay allegiance in their worship to the five major gods—Shiva, Vishnu, Shakti, Surya, and Ganesha—in the pancayatana puja (“five-shrines worship”)."

Britannica, T. Editors of Encyclopaedia (2007, March 1). Smarta sect. Encyclopedia Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/topic/Smarta-sect

Definition: "group of traditions that adhere to the worship of Vishnu."

Sects:

1. Shrivaishnavas: founded in Shrirangam in Tamil Nadu, best known for their great 12th-century teacher Ramanuja;
2. Gaudiya Vaishnavites of Bengal, founded by the great 15th-century devotional mystic Chaitanya;
3. Vallabhas founded at Brindavan in the north by the great teacher Vallabha around the 15th century
4. Madhva sect founded in the state of Karnataka at Udipi in the 13th century
5. Nimbarka: based in Govardhana and founded by the 15th-century Vedantin philosopher Nimbarka
6. Sri sect founded by Ramananda, who was strongly influenced by the Ramanuja lineage, at Ayodhya.

eBooks & Journal Articles

• The Global Turn in Nationalism: The USA as a Battleground for Hinduism and Hindu Nationalism
• The Impact of Hinduism and Buddhism on the Music of Indonesia
• Hinduism and reproductive decision‐making: Karma, Samsara, and the in‐between.
• Hinduism, Belief and the Colonial Invention of Religion: A before and after Comparison
• Charting Hinduism's rules of armed conflict: Indian sacred texts and international humanitarian law.
• Debasing the Deity: The Material Culture of Hinduism.
• Worldview and relationships to the world: The concepts of karma(n) and bhakti in Weber's study on Hinduism and Buddhism

Guides & Reference Sources

• Asian Studies in Credo Reference: Religion
• ISKON (Vaishnaivism)

Alphabetical List of Hindu Deities

Hinduism Glossary Terms