from the Rig Veda To Night To Dawn Activity Options 52 Unit 1, Chapter 3

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1 3 Section 1 PRIMARY SOURCE from the Rig Veda Written in Sanskrit, the Rig Veda is the oldest of the four Vedas, India s earliest religious text. The Rig Veda consists of 1,028 hymns addressed to Aryan gods. Whom do the following hymns address? To Dawn To Night She hath shone brightly like a youthful woman, stirring to motion every living creature. Agni hath come to feed on mortals fuel. She hath made light and chased away the darkness. Turned to this all, far-spreading, she hath risen and shone in brightness with white robes about her. She hath beamed forth lovely with golden colours, mother of kine, guide of the days she bringeth. Bearing the gods own eye, auspicious lady, leading her courser white and fair to look on, Distinguished by her beams, Dawn shines apparent, come forth to all the world with wondrous treasure. Dawn nigh will wealth and dawn away the foeman: prepare for us wide pasture free from danger. Drive away those who hate us, bring us riches: pour bounty, opulent lady, on the singer. Send thy most excellent beams to shine and light us, giving us lengthened days, O Dawn, O goddess, Granting us food, thou who hast all things precious, and bounty rich in chariots, kine, and horses. O Dawn, nobly-born, daughter of heaven, whom the Vasisthas with their hymns make mighty, Bestow thou on us vast and glorious riches. Preserve us evermore, ye gods, with blessings. "To Dawn," and "To Night," from The Rig Veda, translated by Nicol Macnicol. Used by permission of Everyman's Library, Everyman Publishers PLC. With all her eyes the goddess Night looks forth approaching many a spot: She hath put all her glories on. Immortal, she hath filled the waste, the goddess hath filled height and depth: She conquers darkness with her light. The goddess as she comes hath set the Dawn her sister in her place: And then the darkness vanishes. So favour us this night, O thou whose pathways we have visited As birds their nest upon the tree. The villagers have sought their homes, and all that walks and all that flies, Even the falcons fain for prey. Keep off the she-wolf and the wolf; O Night, keep the thief away: Easy be thou for us to pass. Clearly hath she come nigh to me who decks the dark with richest hues: O morning, cancel it like debts. These have I brought to thee like kine. O Night, thou child of heaven, accept This laud as for a conqueror. from Nicol Macnicol, trans., The Rig Veda. Reprinted in Hinduism (New York: George Braziller, 1962), 63, 71. Activity Options 1. Describing Character With classmates, take turns reading these hymns aloud. Then discuss your impressions. What did Aryans ask of each goddess? Which lines best convey the traits and qualities possessed by each goddess? 2. Using Visual Stimuli Draw a sketch of Dawn based on your reading of the hymn. 52 Unit 1, Chapter 3

2 3 Section 2 HISTORYMAKERS Siddhartha Gautama Enlightened One Let a man overcome anger by love, let him overcome evil by good. Let him overcome the greedy by liberality, the liar by truth. Siddhartha Gautama, the Buddha Born a prince in a warrior family, Siddhartha Gautama lived in northern India during a time of turmoil. From a young age, he was disturbed by the suffering of his world. Unsatisfied with the life of ease, he hoped to find deeper meaning in his life. He tried many ways of reaching inner peace, but none worked. When he finally discovered his path, he decided to teach others how to reach that same state and in doing so, founded a new religion. Siddhartha was born near the foot of the Himalaya Mountains. His father ruled a small kingdom and hoped that his son would follow after him. Siddhartha was not the typical prince, however. He was concerned more with spiritual matters and wrestled with deep questions about human life. He asked himself, Why is there suffering and what is death? Hoping to settle his son down, the king built him a palace, but Siddhartha continued to be restless. At age 29, he later recalled, he broke with his comfortable life: In the days before my enlightenment... I bethought me that a hole-and-corner life is all that a home can give, whereas a wandering [religious man] is as free as air.... So the time came, when I was quite young and with a wealth of coal-black hair untouched by gray and in all the beauty of my early prime despite the wishes of my parents, who wept and lamented I cut off my hair and beard... and went off from home. He tried for six years to find the solution to his spiritual longing. In the end meditation provided the answer. He experienced the Bodhi, or moment of enlightenment. Life is suffering, he decided, but people do not realize this fact and try to achieve pleasure. By following Siddhartha s eight rules or the Eightfold Path, one can end desire and bring about the needed understanding. Then the person experiences a release from suffering, a state called nirvana. Siddhartha came to be called the Buddha, or Enlightened One. He quickly went to a park in the Indian city of Benares and preached his first sermon. He continued for 46 years, traveling throughout India. Soon he had many followers. The Buddha had great compassion for people, and he strongly rejected the inequality that was a central part of India s caste system. In this system, the Brahmins, or priests, were considered the most worthy of people. The outcasts, or untouchables, were shunned by all others. People lived in the caste into which they were born. The Buddha once said, Not by birth does one become an outcast, not by birth does one become a Brahmin. By deeds one becomes an outcast, by deeds one becomes a Brahmin. He was reinforcing the message made clear in another saying: Hatred does not cease by hatred at any time; hatred ceases by love. The Buddha gathered large numbers of followers. He did not want to create a religion that relied on a strict hierarchy to grow. He once told his followers, Be ye lamps unto yourselves. Be a refuge to yourselves. Hold fast to the truth as to a lamp. Look not for refuge to anyone besides yourselves. Even in his death, the Buddha showed his feeling for others. As the story goes, the Buddha was 80 years old when he took a meal offered by a poor believer. The food was spoiled, but the Buddha did not wish to hurt the feelings of his host and ate it anyway although he prevented his followers from joining him. Soon after, he was taken sick. He laid down in a grove of trees and gave his final instructions to his followers. As he lay dying, he sent a messenger to the poor man who had cooked the fatal meal to reassure the man that he should not feel any blame. Soon after, he died. According to Buddhist belief, his soul passed into nirvana. Questions 1. Drawing Conclusions Explain what you think the Buddha means by the quote on this page. 2. Formng and Supporting Opinions Do you agree with the Buddha s idea that all life is suffering? Explain. 3. Hypothesizing How could the Buddha s message about the caste system undermine Hindu society? People and Ideas on the Move 59

3 3 Section 4 PRIMARY SOURCE The Ten Commandments from The New English Bible According to the Bible, God revealed the Ten Commandments to the Hebrew leader Moses at Mount Sinai. These commandments, which have been preserved in the Old Testament in Exodus 20: 1 17 and Deuteronomy 5: 6 21, established a code of ethical conduct that became the basis for the civil and religious laws of Judaism. How should people behave responsibly, according to the Ten Commandments? The Lord came down upon the top of Mount Sinai and summoned Moses to the mountaintop, and Moses went up. The Lord said to Moses, Go down; warn the people solemnly that they must not force their way through to the Lord to see him, or many of them will perish. Even the priests, who have access to the Lord, must hallow themselves, for fear that the Lord may break out against them. Moses answered the Lord, The people cannot come up Mount Sinai, because thou thyself didst solemnly warn us to set a barrier to the mountain and so to keep it holy. The Lord therefore said to him, Go down; then come up and bring Aaron with you, but let neither priests nor people force their way up to the Lord, for fear that he may break out against them. So Moses went down to the people and spoke to them. God spoke, and these were his words: I am the Lord your God who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery. You shall have no other god to set against me. You shall not make a carved image for yourself nor the likeness of anything in the heavens above, or on the earth below, or in the waters under the earth. You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous god. I punish the children for the sins of the fathers to the third and fourth generations of those who hate me. But I keep faith with thousands, with those who love me and keep my commandments. You shall not make wrong use of the name of the Lord your God; the Lord will not leave unpunished the man who misuses his name. Remember to keep the Sabbath day holy. You have six days to labour and do all your work. But the seventh day is a Sabbath of the Lord your God; that day you shall not do any work, you, your son or your daughter, your slave or your slave-girl, your cattle or the alien within your gates; for in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and on the seventh day he rested. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and declared it holy. Honour your father and your mother, that you may live long in the land which the Lord your God is giving you. You shall not commit murder. You shall not commit adultery. You shall not steal. You shall not give false evidence against your neighbour. You shall not covet your neighbour s house; you shall not covet your neighbour s wife, his slave, his slave-girl, his ox, his [donkey], or anything that belongs to him. When all the people saw how it thundered and the lightning flashed, when they heard the trumpet sound and saw the mountain smoking, they trembled and stood at a distance. Speak to us yourself, they said to Moses, and we will listen; but if God speaks to us we shall die. Moses answered, Do not be afraid. God has come only to test you, so that the fear of him may remain with you and keep you from sin. from The New English Bible (Cambridge University Press, 1970), Reprinted in Peter N. Stearns, ed., Documents in World History, vol. 1 (New York: HarperCollins, 1988), Discussion Questions Determining Main Ideas 1. According to these laws, how should the Hebrew people act toward the Lord? 2. How should the Hebrews act toward others? 3. Comparing and Contrasting How do the religious teachings represented in the Ten Commandments differ from the religious beliefs reflected by the hymns you read from the Rig Veda? People and Ideas on the Move 55

4 6 Section 3 RETEACHING ACTIVITY The Rise of Christianity Summarizing Complete the chart below by summarizing information about the rise and spread of Christianity. Person(s) Role in Rise and Spread of Christianity 1. Jesus of Nazareth 2. apostles 3. Paul 4. Pontius Pilate 5. Constantine 6. Peter 7. Augustine Reading Comprehension Find the name or term in the second column that best matches the description in the first column. Then write the letter of your answer in the blank. 8. the dispersal of Jews when driven by the Romans from their homeland into exile 9. emphasized a personal relationship between God and people 10. declaration that made Christianity an approved religion in the Roman Empire 11. called the Messiah, or king, whom the Bible had said would come to save the Jews 12. father or head of the Christian Church a. Christianity b. bishop c. pope d. Diaspora e. Edict of Milan f. Jesus McDougal Littell Inc. All rights reserved. 13. priest who supervised several local churches 48 Unit 2, Chapter 6

5 10 Section 1 HISTORYMAKERS Muhammad The Messenger of Allah Believers, if you help Allah, Allah will help you and make you strong. But the unbelievers shall be [sent to eternal damnation]. He will bring their deeds to nothing. Because they have opposed His revelations, He will frustrate their works. Qur an, Sura 47 Muhammad loved spending afternoons meditating in the caves around his hometown of Mecca, which is located in modern Saudi Arabia. In A.D. 610, his normal routine was interrupted when he saw a vision of the archangel Gabriel. Gabriel told Muhammad to preach the word of Allah, the one God, to the world. As a result, Muhammad formed the beginnings of a unified state for his people and founded one of the great religions of the world. Muhammad had had a difficult childhood. His father passed away around the time he was born, and six years later his mother died. He was then raised by a grandfather and later by an uncle. Muhammad suffered financially from these personal tragedies and was left to make his own way in the world. However, Muhammad possessed both an intelligent mind and leadership ability. When he was in his twenties, a wealthy widow named Khadijah hired him to conduct some business for her in Syria. Pleased with his work, she married Muhammad. From then on, he was comfortable materially. Muhammad had a deeply spiritual nature. It was about this time, at the age of 40, when he saw the vision of Gabriel, the messenger for Allah. This experience led to a profound turning point for Muhammad and the world. These visions recurred intermittently for the rest of his life. For two or three years, Muhammad told only his wife and closest friends of these visitations and the message. They became the first followers of the new religion of Islam. In 612 or 613, Muhammad began to spread his message in public. He quickly won converts from among the young men of Mecca and opponents from among the wealthy merchants of the town. These merchants thought Muhammad was crazy and disliked his call to end differences in status between rich and poor. The merchants and others harassed Muhammad and his followers, now called Muslims. The merchants threw stones and thorns at Muhammad as he walked through the town and boycotted Islamic businesses. Two factors protected the Muslims in these difficult times. One was the support of Abu Bakr, a local merchant who was a believer. The other was the protection given Muhammad by Abu-Talib, his uncle and the head of their clan. In 619, though, his uncle died, and the new head of the clan was unwilling to continue this protection. The situation grew worse for the small Islamic community. Muhammad carried on secret talks with the people of a nearby town where some of his followers had settled. That place was Yathrib, which was later renamed Medina. In 622, Muhammad moved to the town, whose people agreed to accept him as their political leader. Many of them also converted to Islam. Muslims soon began to raid trading caravans from Mecca a common practice at the time. In 624, Muhammad led an attack on Meccan soldiers. The Meccans tried to punish Muhammad with an assault the next year, but the Muslims retained control of Yathrib. Two years later, the Meccans sent 10,000 soldiers to attack. Muhammad arranged a strong defense and the Meccans eventually withdrew. Within three years, the tide had turned completely. This time Muhammad led a force of 10,000 into Mecca and took control of the city. Muhammad lived only two more years. During that time, he consolidated his power. He forged alliances with leaders of local nomadic peoples and sometimes arranged political marriages. When he died, he had created a strong political structure that was ready to expand in power. He had also founded one of the world s major religions. Questions 1. Determining Main Ideas Why was Muhammad s early life difficult? 2. Making Inferences What evidence is there that Muhammad was a good businessman and a shrewd leader? 3. Drawing Conclusions Why did the Meccan merchants object to Muhammad s message? The Muslim World 15

6 10 Section 1 RETEACHING ACTIVITY The Rise of Islam Reading Comprehension Find the name or term in the second column that best matches the description in the first column. Then write the letter of your answer in the blank. 1. the Arabic name for God 2. spiritual leader of the Islamic faith 3. a monotheistic religion whose founder was Muhammad 4. a follower of the religion of Islam 5. the migration of Muhammad from Mecca to Yathrib in an Islamic house of worship 7. pilgrimage to Mecca by followers of the Islamic faith 8. the holy book of the Islamic faith 9. the practice of the Islamic faith by following closely to Muhammad s teachings mosque Qur an Sunna Muhammad Muslim Hijrah Allah Islam Shari a hajj 10. the Islamic system of law that regulates the family life, moral conduct, and business and community life of Muslims The Muslim World 19