India’s Cultural Roots
Question 1. What are the Vedas?
Answer: The Vedas are ancient texts of India, among the most ancient in the world. There are four Vedas: the Rig Veda, Yajur Veda, Sama Veda, and Atharva Veda. They consist of hymns or prayers composed in the Sapta Sindhava region and were passed down orally.
Question 2. What is the meaning of the word ‘Veda’?
Answer: The word ‘Veda’ comes from the Sanskrit root ‘vid,’ which means ‘knowledge.’
Question 3. What are the main deities mentioned in the Vedic hymns?
Answer: The main deities in the Vedic hymns include Indra, Agni, Varuṇa, Mitra, Sarasvatī, and Uṣhas.
Question 4. Who composed the Vedic hymns?
Answer: The Vedic hymns were composed by rishis (male sages) and rishikas (female sages).
Question 5. What is the central message of the Vedic hymn ‘ekam sat viprā bahudhā vadanti’?
Answer: The hymn means “The Existent is one, but sages give it many names,” conveying the unity of all cosmic powers.
Question 6. What was Vedic society like?
Answer: Vedic society was organized into clans or ‘janas,’ such as the Bharatas, the Purus, the Kurus, and others. They lived in regions of the northwest part of the Indian subcontinent.
Question 7. What are the Upanishads, and what concepts did they introduce?
Answer: The Upanishads are texts that built upon the Vedas and introduced concepts such as rebirth, karma, ātman (Self), and brahman (the divine essence of the universe).
Question 8. What is meant by the term ‘brahman’ in the Vedic philosophy?
Answer: Brahman refers to the ultimate reality or divine essence in Vedic philosophy, the underlying force of the universe.
Question 9. What is ‘ātman’ according to the Upanishads?
Answer: Ātman refers to the Self or soul, which is considered to be divine and ultimately one with Brahman.
Question 10. What is the central teaching of Buddhism?
Answer: Buddhism teaches that ignorance (avidyā) and attachment are the root causes of suffering. Siddhārtha Gautama (the Buddha) provided a method to remove these causes, emphasizing the practice of non-violence (ahimsa) and inner discipline.
Question 11. What is the concept of ‘ahimsa’ in Buddhism and Jainism?
Answer: Ahimsa means ‘non-violence’ or ‘non-harming,’ not just in actions but also in thoughts and feelings towards all living beings.
Question 12. Who was Mahāvīra, and what did he teach?
Answer: Mahāvīra was the founder of Jainism. He taught the principles of ahimsa (non-violence), anekāntavāda (the acceptance of multiple perspectives), and aparigraha (non-possession).
Question 13. What does ‘anekāntavāda’ mean in Jainism?
Answer: Anekāntavāda means the doctrine of multiple perspectives, acknowledging that the truth has many aspects and cannot be fully captured by a single view.
Question 14. How did tribal and folk traditions influence Indian culture?
Answer: Tribal and folk traditions contributed to Indian culture through their oral traditions, deities, rituals, and legends. These traditions interacted with major schools of thought and enriched each other.
Question 15. What is the significance of Jagannath worship in Puri?
Answer: Jagannath, worshipped in Puri, was originally a tribal deity. This highlights the interaction between tribal traditions and mainstream Hinduism.
Question 16. What is the core message of the story of Śhvetaketu from the Upanishads?
Answer: The story of Śhvetaketu conveys the idea that Brahman (the divine essence) is the subtle essence of everything in the world, and all beings are part of that essence.
Question 17. What lesson is taught in the Jātaka tale of the monkey-king?
Answer: The Jātaka tale of the monkey-king teaches the value of self-sacrifice for the greater good, illustrating the Buddhist principle of compassion and leadership.
Question 18. What is the significance of the banyan tree as a symbol in Indian culture?
Answer: The banyan tree symbolizes Indian civilization with its deep roots, strong trunk, and spreading branches, representing the cultural diversity united by a common heritage.
Question 19. What is the importance of oral traditions in Indian culture?
Answer: Oral traditions have played a crucial role in transmitting knowledge, beliefs, and practices in Indian culture, especially among tribal and folk communities.
Question 20. What values are shared by the Vedic, Buddhist, and Jain schools of thought?
Answer: Despite their differences, these schools share values like dharma (righteousness), karma (action and its consequences), rebirth, and the pursuit of ending ignorance and suffering.
Leave a Reply