CH 7. PDF - India's Cultural Roots

SOCIAL SCIENCE CHAPTER: 7- INDIA’S CULTURAL ROOTS 1. The core principles of Buddhism was the idea of ahimsa, which is generally translated as non-violence means non-injuring. 2. The core principles of Jain teachings include ahimsa, anekantavada and aparigra- ha. 3. The cor...

SOCIAL SCIENCE CHAPTER: 7- INDIA’S CULTURAL ROOTS 1. The core principles of Buddhism was the idea of ahimsa, which is generally translated as non-violence means non-injuring. 2. The core principles of Jain teachings include ahimsa, anekantavada and aparigra- ha. 3. The core principles of Charvaka School of thought was that there was no life after death. Charvaka School disappeared with time as its principles were not popular. 4. The Vedic hymns were written on palm-leaf manuscripts. 5. The Vedas are India’s oldest texts. 6. What are the Vedas? The Vedas are a collection of sacred religious text in Sanskrit originating in ancient India, giving the foundation of Hinduism. They were composed during 1500 and 500 BCE and are among the most ancient texts in the whole world. There are four Vedas: The Rig Veda, the Yajur Veda, the Sama Veda and the Atharva Veda. 7. What new schools of thought emerged in India in the 1st millennium BCE? During the early 1st Millennium several new schools of thoughts emerged from Vedas. Yoga was one of them which developed methods to achieve one’s consciousness. Vedanta was another thought which evolved through Upanishads. Together these thoughts laid the foundation of Hinduism. Other school of thoughts also emerged which didn’t accept Vedas authority were Buddhism, Jainism and Charvaka School. 8. What is the contribution of folk and tribal traditions to Indian culture? The folk and tribal traditions provides an invaluable window into the rich heritage of Indian culture. Many tribes in ancient Bharat believed in elements of nature such as rivers, mountains, trees, plants, animals and some stones too, to be sacred. This was because of their belief that there is a consciousness behind all of them. This belief was also found in Hinduism and is still today. Some tribes had their own versions of Hindu epics Mahabharata and Ramayana. All these tribal beliefs and their folk and cultural traditions merged with Hindu traditions to form the Indian cultural roots. 9. What are the main messages included in the Vedas? The Rig Veda contains the Hymns about the mythology. The Sama Veda consists mainly of the hymns about the religious rituals. The Yajur Veda contains the instructions for religious rituals.. The Atharva Veda consists of the spells against the enemies and diseases.  10. Can you name some states of India or some other countries where Buddhism is a major religion even today? States of India- Buddhism is the major religion in Arunachal Pradesh, Mizoram, Nagaland, Sikkim, Maharashtra, Tripura and in Ladakh (a Union Territory). Buddhism is the official religion in four countries. Bhutan, Cambodia, Myanmar, and Sri Lanka. The religion also holds a special status in two countries, Thailand and Laos. Buddhism is also followed in China, Japan, Cambodia and Mangolia. 11. Explain a few central ideas of Buddhism Buddhism was started by Siddhartha Gautam (Gautam Buddha). It evolved during 500 BCE and did not accept the concepts and principles of Vedas. Buddhism believed that ignorance and attachment are the source of human sufferings. Their teachings were based to remove these two causes of Sufferings ignorance and attachment. Buddhism preached non-violence and sincere inner discipline to reduce human sufferings. 12. Explain a few central ideas of Jainism The Jain tradition has a succession of great teachers or Tirthankaras. There were 24 Tirthankaras the last of which was Vardhaman Mahavira. Jainism teaches that the path to enlightenment is through non-violence and reducing harm to living things (including plants and animals) as much as possible. This cycle of birth, death and rebirth is determined by one’s karma. Jains believe bad karma is caused by harming living things. To avoid bad karma, Jains must practice ahimsa, a strict code of non-violence. The principle of non-violence includes doing no harm to humans, plants, animals etc. True or False 1. The Vedic hymns were written on palm-leaf manuscripts. Answer: True 2. The Vedas are India’s oldest texts. Answer: True 3. The Vedic statement ekam sat vipra bahudha vadanti reflects a belief in the unity of cosmic powers. Answer: False 4. Buddhism is older than the Vedas. Answer: False 5. Jainism emerged as a branch of Buddhism. Answer: False 6. Both Buddhism and Jainism advocated for peaceful coexistence and the avoidance of harm to all living beings. Answer: True 7. Tribal belief systems are limited to belief in spirits and minor deities. Answers: False