Terms : Hide Images
| 9818979511 | Harappan | the first Indian civilization; it is also known as the Indus Valley civilization | 0 | |
| 9818979512 | Aryans | the dominant people in North India after the decline of the Indus Valley civilization; they spoke an early form of Sanskrit | 1 | |
| 9818979513 | Rigveda | the earliest collection of hymns, ritual texts, and philosophical treatises, it is the central source of information on early Aryans | 2 | |
| 9818979514 | raja | from an ancient Indo-European word meaning "to rule", and related to the modern English "royal"; refers to an Aryan tribal chieftian who led his people into battle and governed them during peacetime | 3 | |
| 9818979515 | Brahmans | priests of the Aryans; they supported the growth of royal power in return for royal confirmation of their own religious rights, power, and status | 4 | |
| 9818979516 | caste system | the Indian system of dividing society into hereditary groups that limited interaction with each other, especially marriage to each other |  | 5 |
| 9818979517 | varna | the four strata into which Indian society was divided under the caste system | 6 | |
| 9818979518 | Vaishya | merchants and artisans | 7 | |
| 9818979519 | Kshatriya | warriors and officials | 8 | |
| 9818979520 | Shudra | peasants and laborers | 9 | |
| 9818979521 | outcastes | people not belonging to a caste; they were scorned and sometimes deemed "untouchables" |  | 10 |
| 9818979522 | samasara | the transmigration of souls by a continual process of rebirth | 11 | |
| 9818979523 | karma | the tally of good and bad deeds that determines the status of a individual's next life |  | 12 |
| 9818979524 | moksha | release from the wheel of life | 13 | |
| 9818979525 | brahman | the unchanging, ultimate reality, according to the Upanishads | 14 | |
| 9818979526 | Four Noble Truths | the Buddha's message that pain and suffering are inescapable parts of life; suffering and anxiety are caused by human desires and attachments; people can understand and triumph o | 15 | |
| 9818979527 | Eightfold Path | the code of conduct set forth by the Buddha which began with "right conduct" and eventually ended with "right contemplation" |  | 16 |
| 9818979528 | Gosala | followers of him are called Ajivikas | 17 | |
| 9818979529 | nirvana | a state of blissful nothingness and freedom from reincarnation |  | 18 |
| 9818979530 | sutras | the written teachings of the Buddha, first transcribed in the second or first century B.C.E. | 19 | |
| 9818979531 | Mahayana | the "Great Vehicle", a tradition of Buddhism that aspires to be more inclusive | 20 | |
| 9818979532 | bodhisattvas | Buddhas-to-be who stayed in the world after enlightenment to help others on the path to salvation | 21 | |
| 9818979533 | dharma | the moral law that Hindus observe in their quest for brahman | 22 | |
| 9818979534 | Code of Manu | the codification of Indian law from the second or third century C.E.; it lays down family, caste, and commercial law |  | 23 |
| 9818979535 | caste system | 24 |
