The Hindu temple of DeviJagadambika in Khajuraho, India

c. 1500 B.C.The Aryans arrivein India

563 B.C.The Buddha is born

Early India

2500 B.C. 1500 B.C. 500 B.C. A.D. 5002500 B.C. 1500 B.C. 500 B.C. A.D. 500

c. 3000 B.C.India’s earlycivilizationbegins

A.D. 320The Guptaempire begins

Dav

id C

umm

ing/

CO

RB

IS

190-193 CH6 CO-875047 9/22/06 8:00 AM Page 190

Chapter PreviewLike ancient Greece, early India was a land of warriors,

thinkers, and scientists. Read this chapter to find out howideas from India affect how you do math today.

View the Chapter 6 video in the World History: JourneyAcross Time Video Program.

Chapter Overview Visitjat.glencoe.com for a previewof Chapter 6.

Identifying Make this foldable to help you identify and learn key terms.

Reading and WritingAs you read the chapter,write the terms fromBuilding Your Vocabularyin your foldable. Write adefinition for each term.Then turn your foldableover (upside down) towrite a short sentenceusing each term.

Step 1 Stack four sheetsof paper, one on top ofthe other. On the topsheet of paper, draw alarge circle.

Step 2 Withthe papers stillstacked, cutout all fourcircles at thesame time.

Step 3 Staple the paper circles togetherat one point around the edge.

Step 4 Label thefront circle as shownand take notes on the pages that open to the right.

Chapter 6Key

Terms

This makesa circularbooklet.

Staplehere.

191

India’s Early CivilizationsThe earliest Indian civilization developed on theIndus River. Later, the Aryans arrived in northernIndia. A social system that determined how peoplelived evolved.

Hinduism and BuddhismEarly India’s two main religions were Hinduism andBuddhism. These two religions affected every aspectof people’s lives.

India’s First EmpiresEarly India had two great empires: the Maurya andthe Gupta. Both empires made advances in the arts,sciences, and math.

190-193 CH6 CO-875047 9/29/06 3:40 PM Page 191

Vocabulary

Building Your VocabularyWhat do you do when you are reading and come to a word you do not know? Here are some hints:1. Use clues in the sentence (called context clues) to help you define it.2. Look for prefixes, suffixes, or root words that you already know.3. Look it up in the glossary or a dictionary.4. Write it down and ask for help with the meaning.5. Guess at its meaning.

Look at the word Untouchables in the following paragraph.

192

There was one group that did notbelong to any varna. Its members werecalled Untouchables. They performeddirty work considered polluting such ascollecting trash, skinning animals, orhandling dead bodies.

—from page 200

Context If you knowwhat a varna is, it willhelp you figure outthe meaning ofUntouchables.

Context The“Untouchables”were a “group.”

Context The factthat they performedthe “dirty” work indi-cates how they wereviewed by others inIndian society.

Prefixes and SuffixesYou might know that theprefix un- means “not”and the suffix -ablemeans “to be able to.”You might guess that themeaning of Untouchableis an Indian who was notto be touched by others.

Read the paragraphs

that appear before and

after the word to help

you understand its

meaning.

190-193 CH6 CO-875047 9/22/06 8:05 AM Page 192

Defining WordsWhat are three things you could do to help you understand

the meaning of the word subcontinent in this paragraph?

Take one word from thevocabulary bookmarkthat you make in theApply It! activity. Findits definition. Thencreate a cartoon strip.Have one of thecharacters in yourcartoon strip use theword correctly.

Read to Write

193

Look at the map below. Indialooks like a diamond hanging fromthe bottom of Asia. India is a sub-continent (SUHB • KAHN • tuhn • uhnt)

because even though it is part ofAsia, huge mountains separate itfrom the rest of Asia. These moun-tains are the Himalaya (HIH • muh •LAY • uh), the highest mountains inthe world.

—from page 195

Make a vocabulary bookmark using a2-inch-wide strip of paper. As youread the chapter, write down wordsyou do not know or want to find outmore about.

190-193 CH6 CO-875047 9/22/06 8:06 AM Page 193

What’s the Connection?In India, just as in Egypt and

Mesopotamia, the first civilizationsdeveloped in fertile river valleys.

Focusing on the • Climate and geography influenced

the rise of India’s first civilization.(page 195)

• New ideas and technology influencedthe development of India. (page 198)

• The Aryans created a caste systemthat separated Indians into groups.(page 199)

Locating PlacesHimalaya (HIH•muh•LAY•uh)Ganges River (GAN• JEEZ)Indus River (IHN•duhs)Harappa (huh•RA•puh)Mohenjo-Daro

(moh•HEHN• joh DAHR•oh)

Meeting PeopleAryans (AR•ee•uhnz)Brahmins (BRAH•muhns)

Building Your Vocabularysubcontinent

(SUHB•KAHN•tuhn•uhnt)monsoon (mahn•SOON)Sanskrit (SAN•SKRIHT)raja (RAH• juh)caste (KAST)guru (GUR•oo)

Reading StrategyOrganizing Information Complete adiagram like the one below showinghow the Aryans changed India.

c. 3000 B.C.India’s early civilization begins

c. 1500 B.C.Aryansarrive inIndia

c. 1000 B.C.Aryans controlnorthern India

Ganges R.

KhyberPass Harappa

3000 B.C. 2000 B.C. 1000 B.C.3000 B.C. 2000 B.C. 1000 B.C.

194 CHAPTER 6 Early India

Major Ways Aryans Changed India

India’s EarlyCivilizations

194-201 Ch6 S1-875047 9/29/06 4:29 PM Page 194

The Land of IndiaClimate and geography influenced the

rise of India’s first civilization.

Reading Focus Do you have tornadoes or hurricanes

where you live? Read to find out how geography and

weather affected India’s first civilization.

Look at the map below. India looks likea diamond hanging from the bottom ofAsia. India is a subcontinent (SUHB • KAHN •tuhn • uhnt) because even though it is part ofAsia, huge mountains separateit from the rest of Asia. Thesemountains are the Himalaya(HIH • muh • LAY • uh), the highestmountains in the world.

Today, there are five nationsthat make up the Indian subcon-tinent: India; Pakistan in thenorthwest; Nepal, Bhutan, andBangladesh in the northeast.

India has two very fertileriver valleys. Both are fed by themountains in the north. Whenthe snow in the Himalaya melts,water flows into the GangesRiver (GAN • JEEZ) and the IndusRiver (IHN•duhs). If the water iscontrolled, the land near theserivers can be used for farming.

The Ganges River runs southof the Himalaya and flows intothe Indian Ocean. The IndusRiver empties into the ArabianSea. The area around the Indus iscalled the Indus River valley.

South of the river valleys is thedry and hilly Deccan Plateau. Theeastern and western coasts ofIndia are lush, fertile plains.

Monsoons (mahn • SOONZ)are an important part of the

Indian climate. A monsoon is a strong windthat blows one direction in winter and theopposite direction in summer. The wintermonsoon brings the cold, dry air of themountains. The summer monsoon bringswarm, wet air from the Arabian Sea, whichproduces drenching rains.

When the monsoon rains begin, manyfarmers celebrate. If the rains come on timeand the rainy season lasts long enough, thecrop will be good. If the rains are delayed, adrought will occur. This extended period

N

S

W E

500 km0

500 mi.0

Lambert Azimuthal Equal-Area projection

30°N

10°N

70°E

TROPIC OF CANCER

In

dus R.

Ganges R.

Ba y o fBe n g a l

A r a b i a nSe a

INDIANOCEAN

D E C C A N

P L A T E A U

GANGES PLAIN

HI M

A L A Y A

KARAKORAMRANGE

Mt. Everest29,035 ft.(8,850 m)

I N D I A

Geography of India

The mighty Himalaya and several bodies ofwater border the Indian subcontinent.1. What two rivers are found in northern India?2. Based on the area’s geography, what parts of

the Indian subcontinent do you think are bestsuited for settlement?

Find NGS online map resources @ www.nationalgeographic.com/maps

Winter monsoon(dry winds)Summer monsoon(wet winds)Mountain peak

KEY

MotionIn

194-201 Ch6 S1-875047 9/29/06 4:36 PM Page 195

196 CHAPTER 6 Early India

Necklace from Mohenjo-Daro

Model of oxcart from Mohenjo-Daro

Harappanpriest-king

The ruins of Mohenjo-Daro (below) show a carefully planned city.The picture to the right shows a typical house in the city. Fromwhat material were most of the houses in Mohenjo-Daro made?

Early Indian CivilizationEarly Indian Civilization

196 CHAPTER 6 Early India

without rain can be disastrous for farmers.Few crops will be harvested and manypeople will starve.

India’s Early Civilization In earlier chap-ters, you learned about civilizations thatbegan in river valleys. The first urban civi-lization in India also began in a river valley.

India’s early civilization grew up nearthe Indus River. When the summer monsoonbegan, the river rose higher and higher.When the river flooded nearby land, it leftbehind rich, fertile soil.

Farmers used the rich soil to growcrops to feed their families. Because peoplehad a plentiful supply of food, they couldspend time doing other things, such asmaking tools or building houses. As peo-ple began to trade their extra food andgoods with other people, their wealthgrew. This allowed them to build largerand larger cities.

India’s early civilization in the IndusRiver valley began about 3000 B.C. andlasted until 1500 B.C. More than a thousandvillages and towns were part of this civiliza-tion, which stretched from the Himalaya tothe Arabian Sea. We know something aboutthe way these people lived from studyingthe ruins of two major cities, Harappa(huh • RA • puh) and Mohenjo-Daro (moh •HEHN • joh DAHR • oh). The civilization ofthis time is called the Harappan or Induscivilization.

Harappa and Mohenjo-Daro Harappaand Mohenjo-Daro were large cities fortheir time. The well-planned cities had asmany as 35,000 people. A fortress was builton a brick platform probably to keep guardover the residents. There were wide mainstreets and smaller side streets. A wall sur-rounded each neighborhood, and narrowlanes separated the houses.

(l)Robert Harding Picture Library, (c)National Museum of India, New Delhi, India/Bridgeman Art Library, (r)Borromeo/Art Resource, NY, (br)Harappan National Museum of Karachi, Karachi, Pakistan/Bridgeman Art Library

194-201 Ch6 S1-875047 9/22/06 8:15 AM Page 196

Most houses had flat roofs and werebuilt with mud bricks that were baked inovens. Some houses were larger than others, but they all had a similar layout.There was a courtyard in the middle andsmaller rooms around it.

These ancient city dwellers had somesurprising conveniences. Wells suppliedwater, and residents even had indoor bath-rooms. Wastewater flowed to drains underthe streets, running through pipes to pitsoutside the city walls. Houses also hadgarbage chutes connected to a bin in thestreet. In addition, residents built largegranaries to store food for the entire city’spopulation.

Harappan Society The Harappans used aspecial script to write on seals and stamps.However, historians have not agreed onhow to decipher these markings. Becausethe Harappans did not leave other histori-

cal records, we do not know much abouttheir society or government. From the ruins,though, we can guess that the royal palaceand the temple may have been both enclosedin a fortress. This reveals that religion andpolitics were closely connected.

Most Harappans were farmers. Theygrew rice, wheat, barley, peas, and cotton.City dwellers made copper and bronze tools, clay pottery, and cotton cloth, as well as jewelry from gold, shells, and ivory.Archaeologists have also found many toysamong the ruins, such as small monkeys thatcould be made to climb up a string.

It is likely that the Harappans begantrading with the Mesopotamians about2300 B.C. Some Harappan sailors followedthe coastline and crossed the Arabian Sea,and others traveled over land.

Explain How is India separated from the rest of Asia?

Roofs were used to dry crops in the sun. The dried crops were then placed

in cool storage rooms in the house.

Almost every building had its own well. Cool water was pulled up when needed.

Outer walls ofbuildings had

no windows. Thishelped prevent

the hot summersun from heating

the insides of the house.

Bathrooms had an advanced drainage system. Drains started from houses and joined the main

sewer, which carried the water out of town.

194-201 Ch6 S1-875047 9/29/06 4:37 PM Page 197

The Aryans New ideas and technology influenced

the development of India.

Reading Focus What would your life be like without

cars or computers? Read to find out how new ideas and

technology affected the Indians.

The Harappan civilization collapsedabout 1500 B.C. Historians think that severalearthquakes and floods damaged the cities.Then the Indus River changed its course,killing many people and forcing others toflee the area. In the years that followed, agroup of people called the Aryans (AR •ee •uhnz) began settling in the region. Soon anew civilization emerged.

Who Were the Aryans? The Aryans livedin central Asia where they raised andherded animals. The Aryans were not a race or ethnic group. Some historiansbelieve that the Aryans were part of a largergroup they refer to as Indo-Europeans. The Indo-Europeans all spoke similarlanguages. Some migrated south to Indiaand Iran. Others went west to Europe.

Cattle were a prized possession becausethey provided meat, milk, and butter. Cattlewere so important that the Aryans even usedthem as money. Individual wealth was meas-ured by the number of cattle a person owned.

The Aryans were good warriors. Theywere expert horse riders and hunters. Theyhad metal-tipped spears and wooden

chariots, which they sometimesused to invade nearby villagesfor food.

After 2000 B.C., the Aryansbegan leaving their home terri-tory. They moved in waves,and some groups crossedthrough the mountain passesin the Himalaya. They enteredthe Indus River valley around1500 B.C.

Around 1000 B.C., theAryans began expandingacross the Punjab and GangesPlains and south into theDeccan Plateau. Features oftheir civilization mixed withthose of local cultures.

N

S

WE

500 km0Lambert AzimuthalEqual-Area projection

500 mi.0

30°N

10°N

70°E50°E 90°E

Ganges R.

Indus R.A

mu

D

arya

ArabianSea Bay of

Bengal

AralSea

CaspianSea

INDIANOCEAN

H I M A L A Y AGANGES PLAIN

H I N D UK U S H

D E C C A N

P L A T E A U

Mohenjo-Daro

Harappa

198 CHAPTER 6 Early India

2000–1500 B.C.

1500–1000 B.C.

1000–500 B.C.

Aryan migration:

KEY

Aryan Migration 2000–500 B.C.

70°E 90°E

20°N

Indu

sR

.

Ganges R.

INDIA

SRILANKA

CHINA

IRAN

BHUTANAFGHAN-ISTAN

BANGLADESH

NEPAL

PAKI

STAN

OMAN

The Region Today

The Aryans were nomadic herders whoeventually controlled much of India.1. After crossing the mountains, what

physical feature did the Aryans followinto India?

2. Into what area of southern India did theAryans travel?

MotionIn

194-201 Ch6 S1-875047 9/22/06 3:09 PM Page 198

The Aryans Bring Change When theAryans arrived in India, they no longerlived as nomads. They became farmers butcontinued to raise cattle. Eventually, theAryans would declare that cattle weresacred and forbid them to be used as food.

Aryan technology improved farming inIndia. They invented an iron plow to helpclear India’s many jungles and built canalsto irrigate. They slowly turned the GangesRiver valley into good farmland.

India’s varied climate supported manytypes of crops. In the north, farmers grewgrains such as wheat, barley, and millet. Ricewas grown in the river valleys. In the south,there was a mix of crops, including spicessuch as pepper, ginger, and cinnamon.

The Aryans also brought a newlanguage to India. As nomads, they had nowritten language, but in India theydeveloped a written language later calledSanskrit (SAN • SKRIHT). Over time, the sacredsongs, poems, and prayers that Aryans had known for many centuries were writ-ten down.

The Aryans were organized into tribes.Each tribe was led by a raja (RAH • juh), orprince. The rajas ran their own small king-doms, which often fought among them-selves. Rajas fought over cattle and treasureand over women kidnapped from otherstates. These small rival kingdoms existedin India for about a thousand years, from1500 B.C. to 400 B.C.

Analyze Why do you thinknomads like the Aryans were great warriors?

Society in Ancient IndiaThe Aryans created a caste system that

separated Indians into groups.

Reading Focus Why are some people treated differently

than others? Read why this idea was accepted in India.

One of the results of the Aryan arrival inIndia was the development of a caste sys-tem. A caste (KAST) is a social group thatsomeone is born into and cannot change.

CHAPTER 6 Early India 199

Development ofSanskrit c. 1500 B.C.

Sanskrit became the most importantlanguage for public affairs in much ofancient India. Hindi, the nationallanguage of India today, and otherregional languages evolved out ofSanskrit. The earliest example of orallytransmitted, ancient Sanskrit is thefour Vedas—sacred writings. Sanskritwas in common usage until about A.D.

1100 and was used in some officialcommunications until A.D. 1830.

Sanskrit Definition English Definition

Nava Ship Navalor navy

A fleet of

Dua Two Dual Consisting of

Deva God Divine

Sanskrit Influences on English Words

ships

two parts

relating toGodWeb Activity Visit jat.glencoe.com and

click on Chapter 6—Student Web Activity tolearn more about India.

194-201 Ch6 S1-875047 9/27/06 2:23 PM Page 199

A caste dictates what job you will have,whom you can marry, and with whom youcan eat or drink. In India, no one uses theword caste, which is the word Portuguesemerchants used to describe India's socialgroups. Indians call these groups jati.Thousands of jati exist in India.

Why was this system created? No one issure, but ideas about skin color were prob-ably part of it. The Aryans were a light-skinned people. They thought they werebetter than the dark-skinned people theyencountered in India.

The Aryans might have created the castesystem because the people they encoun-tered in India greatly outnumbered them.The caste system kept groups separate and

set the rules for everyone’s behavior. Thishelped the Aryans stay in control.

Social Levels of the Caste System Thethousands of different jati in Indian societywere grouped together into four classescalled varnas. The top two varnas wereBrahmins (BRAH • mihns) and Kshatriyas(KSHA • tree • uhs). Brahmins included thepriests—the only people who could per-form religious ceremonies. The Kshatriyaswere warriors who ran the governmentand army.

Next were the Vaisyas (VYSH • yuhs), orcommoners. Vaisyas were usually farmersand merchants. Below the Vaisyas came theSudras (SOO • druhs). Sudras were manuallaborers and servants and had few rights.Most Indians belonged to the Sudra varna.

There was one group that did not belongto any varna. Its members were calledUntouchables. They performed dirty workconsidered polluting such as collecting trash,skinning animals, or handling dead bodies.

Life for an Untouchable was very hard.Most Indians believed that being near anUntouchable was polluting, so they forcedthem to live apart from others. When

200 CHAPTER 6 Early India

Today, Untouchables refer tothemselves as Dalit, which means “oppressed.” Why did the Aryans create the castesystem?

Warriors, rulers

Common people

Unskilled laborers, servants

Kshatriyas

Vaisyas

Sudras

Brahmins Priests

Early India’s Social SystemEarly India’s Social System

A Brahmin

(l)Carl Purcell/The Purcell Team, (r)AFP Worldwide

194-201 Ch6 S1-875047 9/27/06 2:24 PM Page 200

Reading SummaryReview the • India’s early civilization, including

the cities of Harappa andMohenjo-Daro, developed in thefertile Indus River valley.

• The Aryans, a group of nomadicherders, migrated into the north-ern part of India by about 1000B.C. They brought the iron plowand the language later calledSanskrit to India.

• India’s caste system divided peo-ple into specific social andeconomic classes. Ancient Indiansociety favored men over women.

1. Describe the cities of Harappaand Mohenjo-Daro.

2. Why are monsoons importantto Indian farmers?

Critical Thinking3. Cause and Effect What

caused the collapse ofHarappan civilization?

4. Cause and Effect Draw adiagram to show how theAryans changed the lifestyle of the Indians.

5. Contrast How did the Aryanand Harappan lifestyles differ?

6. Explain How did India’s socialclasses, or varnas, shape India’ssociety?

7. Descriptive Writing Write a description of the city ofHarappa or Mohenjo-Daro that could have been used toattract residents to that city in ancient India.

8. VocabularyExplain how the suffix in theword plentiful can help youdetermine its meaning.

What Did You Learn?

Study CentralTM Need help with the material in this section? Visit jat.glencoe.com

CHAPTER 6 Early India 201

Untouchables traveled, they had to tap twosticks together so that everyone would hearthem coming and have time to move away.

The Role of Men and Women In ancientIndia, the family was the center of life.Grandparents, parents, and children alllived together in an extended family. Theoldest man in the family was in charge.

Men had many more rights thanwomen. Typically, only sons could inheritproperty, and only men could go to schoolor become priests. Women received theireducation at home.

In families at the top of Indian society, aboy had a guru (GUR •oo), or teacher, untilhe went to the city for more education.Young men from these families could marryonly after finishing 12 years of schooling.

In India, parents arranged marriagesfor their children. Even today, parents

arrange 90 percent of marriages in India.Boys and girls often married in their teens,but ideally not until after completing theireducation. Divorce was not allowed, but ifa couple could not have children, the hus-band could marry a second wife.

One custom shows how the lives ofIndian men were considered more impor-tant than the lives of Indian women. InIndia, people were cremated, or burned in afuneral fire, when they died. Sometimeswhen a man from a prominent family died,his wife was expected to leap into thefuneral flames. This practice was called sut-tee (suh • TEE). If the wife resisted and didnot kill herself, it was a great shame.Everyone would avoid the woman fromthen on.

Identify What were thefive major groups in Indian society?

Cause Effect

Cause Effect

Cause Effect

194-201 Ch6 S1-875047 9/27/06 2:25 PM Page 201

202 CHAPTER 6 Early India

Hinduism andBuddhism

What’s the Connection?Much of Indian civilization is

based on Aryan ideas and culture,which you learned about in the lastsection. One of the most importantand long-lasting contributions of theAryans is the main religion of India,Hinduism.

Focusing on the • Hinduism grew out of the ancient

beliefs of the Aryans. (page 203)

• A new religion, Buddhism, appealedto many people in India and otherparts of Asia. (page 205)

Locating PlacesNepal (nuh•PAWL)Tibet (tuh•BEHT)

Meeting PeopleSiddhartha Gautama (sih•DAHR•

tuh GOW•tuh•muh)Dalai Lama (DAH•LY LAH•muh)

Building Your Vocabulary Hinduism (HIHN•doo• IH•zuhm)Brahman (BRAH•muhn)reincarnation

(REE• ihn•kahr•NAY•shuhn)dharma (DAHR•muh)karma (KAHR•muh)Buddhism (BOO•DIH•zuhm)nirvana (nihr•VAH•nuh)theocracy (thee•AH•kruh•see)

Reading StrategySummarizing Information Create a web diagram like the one below. Inthe ovals, identify major beliefs ofHinduism.

c. 1500 B.C.Aryans bring earlyHindu ideas to India

c. 563 B.C.The Buddhais born inNepal

c. 200 B.C.Theravada Buddhismspreads to Sri Lanka

Ganges R.

NEPAL

SRILANKA

1500 B.C. 800 B.C. 100 B.C.1500 B.C. 800 B.C. 100 B.C.

Hinduism

202-208 Ch6 S2-824133 7/15/04 3:56 PM Page 202

HinduismHinduism grew out of the ancient

beliefs of the Aryans.

Reading Focus Have you ever wondered why most

people try to behave properly or do good deeds? As you

read this section, find out how a Hindu would answer

this question.

Hinduism (HIHN •doo • IH • zuhm) is one ofthe oldest religions in the world, and today itis the third largest. The basic principles ofwhat is known today as Hinduism werealready formulated by 1500 B.C. They arefound in the four Vedas—sacred writings.The Aryans believed in many deities whocontrolled the forces of nature. We knowabout Aryan religion from their sacredhymns and poetry, especially their epics, orlong poems.

For centuries, the priests, or Brahmins,recited these works, and much later theywere written down in Sanskrit. Over the cen-

turies, Aryan religion changed. It borrowedsome religious ideas from the people theAryans encountered in India. This mix ofbeliefs eventually became Hinduism.

Early Hinduism Hinduism grew out of thereligious customs of many people overthousands of years. This might explain whyHinduism has thousands of deities. Hindustend to think of all deities as different partsof one universal spirit. This universal spiritis called Brahman (BRAH •muhn).

The search for a universal spirit isdescribed in the ancient sacred texts knownas the Upanishads (oo • PAH • nih • SHADZ).Those writings say that every living beinghas a soul that wants to be reunited withBrahman and that this happens when a per-son dies.

The Upanishads describe how a personunites with Brahman: A soul that becomesone with Brahman is like a lump of saltthrown into water. The lump of salt is gone,but the water tastes salty. The salt hasbecome part of the water.

Hindu temple

Fire sacrifice accompanied by readingfrom the Veda. What ancient scripturesdescribe a universal spirit?

203(l)Robert Harding Picture Library, (r)Borromeo/Art Resource, NY

202-208 Ch6 S2-875047 9/22/06 8:54 AM Page 203

204 CHAPTER 6 Early India

Name Realm

Brahma

Vishnu

Siva

Ganesha

Krishna

Lakshmi

Surya

Saraswati

Parvati

creator of the world

preserver of the world

destroyer of the world

lord of existing beings; remover of obstacles

teacher of the world

deity of light, beauty, good fortune, and wealth

deity of the sun

deity of knowledge, music, and creative arts

universal mother

Major Hindu DeitiesMajor Hindu Deities

Siva

Ganesha

What Is Karma? Hindus believe that asoul is not joined to the Brahman immedi-ately after a person dies. Instead, a personmust pass through many lives to be unitedwith Brahman. On its journey, a soul mightbe reborn into a higher caste. If a personlived a bad life, he or she might be reborninto a lower caste or life–form.

This idea of passing through many livesto reach the Brahman is called reincarnation(REE • ihn •kahr •NAY • shuhn). It is very impor-tant in Hinduism and it influences howHindus live their daily lives. It even affectshow they treat animals because they con-sider all life sacred.

To earn the reward of a better life in theirnext life, Hindus believe they must performtheir duty. Dharma (DAHR • muh) is thedivine law. It requires people to perform theduties of their caste. A farmer has differentduties than a priest and men have differentduties than women.

The consequences of how a person livesare known as karma (KAHR•muh). If Hindusdo their duty and live a good life, they willhave good karma. This will move themcloser to the Brahman in their next life.

How did the belief in reincarnationaffect Indians? For one thing, it made manyof them more accepting of the caste system.People believed they had to be happy withtheir role in life.

A dedicated Hindu believes that thepeople in a higher varna are superior andthat they are supposed to be on top. Thebelief in reincarnation gave hope to manypeople, even servants. If servants did theirduty, they might be reborn into a highercaste in their next life.

Explain How is karmarelated to reincarnation?

Brahma, Vishnu, and Siva are considered thethree main Hindu deities.1. Which deity is known as the “teacher of the

world”? 2. Conclude Why does Hinduism have so

many deities?

(t)SEF/Art Resource, NY, (b)Victoria & Albert Museum, London/Art Resource, NY

202-208 Ch6 S2-875047 9/29/06 4:39 PM Page 204