Ancient Indian Vocabulary

2. going without food for an extended period of time.
5. injecting a person with a small dose of a virus to help build up defenses to a disease
7. the main religion of India; it teaches that everything is part of a universal spirit called Brahman.
10. group from around the Caspian Sea in Central Asia that settled in Ancient India and became the dominant group.
11. a Hindu and Buddhist belief that souls are born and reborn many times, each time into a new body.
14. in Buddhism and Hinduism, the effects that good or bad actions have on a person’s soul.
15. in Buddhism, a state of perfect peace.
18. System the division of Indian society into groups based on rank, wealth, or occupation.
19. the science of working with metals.
21. a large land mass that is smaller than a continent, such as India.
22. a religion based on the teachings of Buddha.
23. number of Varnas, or social divisions in Aryan society

1. the most important language of Ancient India.
3. someone who works to spread religious beliefs.
4. river that flooded, leaving a layer of silt, creating fertile soil, just like the Tigris and Euphrates in Mesopotamia and the Nile in Egypt.
6. deep continued thought that focuses the mind on spiritual ideas.
7. the highest mountains in the world separating India from the rest of Asia.
8. an Indian religion based on the teachings of Mahavira that teaches all life is sacred.
9. early river valley civilization near the Indus River
12. the avoidance of violent actions.
13. two ancient cites on the Indus River approximately 300 miles apart.
16. Siddhartha Gautama, a member of the warrior class, who sought enlightenment and changed his name to reflect his pursuit.
17. a seasonal wind pattern that causes wet and dry seasons.
20. great river of the plains of the northern Indian subcontinent, which from time immemorial has been the holy river of Hinduism.