AP World History Chapter 2 - India Flashcards

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