Hinduism: Hindu Beliefs | Edexcel GCSE Religious Studies B (1RB0)
Hinduism: Hindu Beliefs
- 103 questions
- 8 subtopics
- Hinduism, one religion of seven
- Paper 1, Paper 2 and Paper 3
Hinduism: Hindu Beliefs is examined in whichever of the three papers Hinduism is studied for, because this section is the same in all three areas of study.
It covers the nature of Brahman in Hinduism, Nirguna Brahman, Saguna Brahman and Vaikuntha, Brahman, Antaryami and Bhagavan: three aspects of the divine, Hindu deities: avatars, murti, Vishnu, Shiva and Shakti, atman, karma, samsara and moksha, the Purusharthas, sanatana dharma and varnashrama dharma, Hindu responses to suffering, knowledge and ignorance and Hindu cosmology: yugas, prakriti, tri-guna and maya.
Sample questions from Hinduism: Hindu Beliefs
Answer each one closed book first, then open the answer.
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The nature of Brahman in Hinduism
Who teaches Nachiketas about Brahman in the Katha Upanishad?
Show the answer
Yama, the god of death, teaches the boy Nachiketas about Brahman and the self. Nachiketas had asked what happens after death. -
Nirguna Brahman, Saguna Brahman and Vaikuntha
What does Taittiriya Upanishad 2.7 say a person gains by resting in the formless Brahman?
Show the answer
A person who finds support in the formless Brahman attains fearlessness. The passage also links Brahman with bliss. -
Brahman, Antaryami and Bhagavan: three aspects of the divine
Which Purana names Brahman, Paramatma and Bhagavan as three names of one truth?
Show the answer
Bhagavata Purana 1.2.11 says knowers of the truth call the one reality Brahman, Paramatma or Bhagavan. The idea is especially important in Vaishnavism. -
Hindu deities: avatars, murti, Vishnu, Shiva and Shakti
Why do Hindus reject the claim that murti worship is idol worship?
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Hindus worship the deity present through the murti, not the stone or metal itself. The murti helps the mind focus on God. -
Atman, karma, samsara and moksha
How does Brihadaranyaka Upanishad 4.4 use a caterpillar to describe rebirth?
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A caterpillar reaches the end of one blade of grass and draws itself onto the next. The self likewise leaves one body and takes hold of another. -
The Purusharthas, sanatana dharma and varnashrama dharma
Why is moksha seen as the highest of the four aims?
Show the answer
The other three aims belong to this life and eventually end. Moksha is freedom from rebirth and lasts for ever. -
Hindu responses to suffering, knowledge and ignorance
How does ahimsa respond to the suffering of others?
Show the answer
Ahimsa means non-violence, avoiding harm to any living being. A Hindu who practises ahimsa reduces suffering in word, thought and deed. -
Hindu cosmology: yugas, prakriti, tri-guna and maya
Name the four yugas in order.
Show the answer
The four yugas are Satya (or Krita), Treta, Dvapara and Kali. Satya Yuga is the golden age of truth.
The 8 subtopics
One subtopic is one session. Work down the list.
| Subtopic | What it covers | Questions |
|---|---|---|
| The nature of Brahman in Hinduism | Brahman as spirit, ultimate reality and absolute truth, the teaching given to Nachiketas in Katha Upanishad 2.2.6 to 2.2.8, immanence, transcendence and omnipresence, and how belief shapes the treatment of living beings. | 12 |
| Nirguna Brahman, Saguna Brahman and Vaikuntha | The formless and the personal Brahman, Taittiriya Upanishad 2.7 on the origin of what exists, Rig Veda 1.154 on where all creatures dwell, Vaishnava hope and Advaita liberation, and the Shiva lingam. | 13 |
| Brahman, Antaryami and Bhagavan: three aspects of the divine | What Antaryami and Bhagavan mean, the Purana that names one truth three ways, Mundaka Upanishad 2.1 on beings coming from the Imperishable, the indwelling divine in daily life, and Vaishnava and Advaita rankings. | 12 |
| Hindu deities: avatars, murti, Vishnu, Shiva and Shakti | Many deities and one Brahman, the avatars of Vishnu, the murti and the charge of idol worship, Rig Veda 1.22, Shiva as Nataraja and in Shaiva belief, and Shakti, Parvati and Lakshmi. | 13 |
| Atman, karma, samsara and moksha | The caterpillar image of rebirth in Brihadaranyaka Upanishad 4.4, how a mortal becomes immortal, Advaita, Madhva's Dvaita and Shaiva Siddhanta on the soul, and Hindu and Christian beliefs about death and salvation. | 14 |
| The Purusharthas, sanatana dharma and varnashrama dharma | Dharma, artha, kama and moksha as aims of life, why moksha ranks highest, why many prefer the name sanatana dharma, Bhagavad Gita 3.35 on duty, the varnas and ashramas, and modern readings of varna. | 13 |
| Hindu responses to suffering, knowledge and ignorance | Avidya and jnana, karma as an explanation, ahimsa, self-control, empathy and humility, Vidura's rule of conduct in Mahabharata 5.39, and how Vaishnavas, Advaita Hindus and Shaiva Siddhanta explain suffering. | 13 |
| Hindu cosmology: yugas, prakriti, tri-guna and maya | Rig Veda 10.129's Hymn of Creation, the four yugas and the decline of dharma, the Mahabharata on the present age and its end, many worlds, prakriti and the three gunas, and two views of maya. | 13 |
How the guide is worked
Answering a question from memory stores it far better than reading the answer again. The guide runs that as a fixed procedure on one subtopic at a time, about twenty minutes a session.
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Step 1 · Closed book
Cover the answers. Work through one subtopic and write down what you can. Leave blanks where you have nothing.
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Step 2 · Open book
Go back to the top. Read each printed answer and write it out in full, including the ones you had right.
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Step 3 · Closed book again
Same questions, same order, from memory. The gap between pass one and pass three is the session result.
Read the full method, the return schedule and the research behind it.
Nearby topics
Edexcel GCSE Religious Studies B Active Recall Guide
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