HINDU MYTHOLOGY

4/8/14

OBJECTIVES Define Hindu mythology

Examine Manjari Sharma’s 2011 photo series called “Darsham”

Read The Creation, Death, and Rebirth of the Universe (pg. 291 of text)

ESSENTIAL QUESTIONS What is Hindu mythology?

What is Hinduism and how does it tie into Hindu mythology?

What is karma?

What is reincarnation?

What is “Darsham?”

JOURNAL WARM-UP Examine the below photos and answer

1) What do you see? 2) What feelings do each muster? 3) Do you feel a spiritual connection?

THE BEAUTY AND CHAOS OF THE GODS “Darshan” - Sanskrit term meaning sight,

in the Hindu sense of beholding a deity and making an immediate spiritual connection

Overwhelmingly in India, Hindu gods and goddesses are rendered in paintings or sculpted from stone and clay

Manjari Sharma- Internationally published photo-based artist born and raised in Mumbai, India and based in Brooklyn, New York

Manjari's artwork is rooted in the study of relationships, personal mythology and experience

Believes a photograph can spark spiritual experience

DARSHAN 2011- Series “Darshan” Enlisted three dozen craftsmen

and artisans to recreate Hindu iconography and mythology with elaborate sets, detailed costumes, Bollywood-level prosthetics and custom props

“There are billions of gods and goddesses in Hindu mythology,” said Ms. Sharma. “I could be doing this till the day I die and not have done enough.”

WHAT IS HINDU MYTHOLOGY? Traditional narratives

related to Hinduism Subset of India and Nepali

culture Earliest Hindu texts are the

four Vedas The Rig Veda being the

oldest (1200 BC) containing 1028 hymns with more allusions to myths than full stories

Veda is a Sanskrit word meaning 'knowledge’

HINDUISM Religion of the majority of

people in India and Nepal 900 million adherents

worldwide No single founder, no single

scripture, and no commonly agreed set of teachings

Oldest living religion in the world

Believe in a Supreme God, whose qualities and forms represented by deities

Deity- a god or goddess in a polytheistic religion

HINDUISM CONT’D Believe that existence is a cycle

of birth, death and rebirth governed by karma

Karma- the sum of a person's actions in this and previous states of existence, viewed as deciding their fate in future existences

Reincarnation- the rebirth of a soul in a new bod.

Involves the worship of one or more of a large pantheon of gods and goddesses, including Shiva and Vishnu (incarnate as Rama and Krishna), Kali, Durga, Parvati, and Ganesh

THE CREATION, DEATH, AND REBIRTH OF THE UNIVERSE A.D. 300-500 Vishnu- Associated

with the sun Rudra- Associated with

storms Reincarnation- Vishnu Duty is to live by his

or her dharma Creation is always re-

creation, no beginning and no end

BEYOND THE YELLOW HIGHLIGHTER: ANNOTATION SKILLS TO IMPROVE READING COMPREHENSION Annotating is a writing-to-learn strategy

for use while reading Deeper level of engagement for active

reading Many developed the habit of reading

without pausing to consider the ideas Use sticky notes or highlighter tape Take notes or keep a reading journal

ANNOTATION EXAMPLE