Hindu Religion and Myth Quiz

Question: Who is traditionally regarded as the writer of the Ramayana, an epic Hindu poem consisting of some 24,000 couplets divided into seven books?

Answer: The writing of the Ramayana is traditionally credited to the poet Valmiki. Composed in Sanskrit, probably not before 300 BCE, the Hindu epic poem consists in its present form of some 24,000 couplets divided into seven books.

Question: Which Hindu goddess is described as the inventor of spoken and written Sanskrit?

Answer: Sarasvati is a Hindu goddess of learning and the arts, especially music; she is described as the inventor of spoken and written Sanskrit.

Question: Which Hindu deity is the personification of divine authority, the ruler of the sky realm, and the upholder of cosmic and moral law?

Answer: Varuna is the personification of divine authority. He is the ruler of the sky realm and the upholder of cosmic and moral law.

Question: What is the oldest of the sacred books of Hinduism, composed in an ancient form of Sanskrit about 1500 BCE?

Answer: The Rigveda is the oldest of the sacred books of Hinduism, composed in an ancient form of Sanskrit about 1500 BCE.

Question: What is the name of the commander of the monkey army mentioned in the Ramayana?

Answer: In Hindu mythology, Hanuman is the monkey commander of the monkey army.

Question: Which Hindu deity’s name is translated as “The Pervader”?

Answer: The Hindu deity Vishnu’s name translates from Sanskrit as “The Pervader.”

Question: Which Hindu deity wears a crescent moon and the Ganges River as decorations in his hair and a garland of skulls and a serpent around his neck?

Answer: The Hindu deity Shiva wears a crescent moon and the Ganges River as decorations in his hair and a garland of skulls and a serpent around his neck.

Question: Which benevolent goddess, also called Uma, is the wife of the Hindu god Shiva?

Answer: Parvati, also called Uma, is the wife of the Hindu god Shiva.

Question: What is the term for an incarnation of a deity in human or animal form?

Answer: An avatar (avatāra in Sanskrit) is the incarnation of a deity in human or animal form.

Question: In Sanskrit, what word, translated as “self” or “breath,” describes one of the most basic concepts in Hinduism: the universal self, identical with the eternal core of the personality that after death either transmigrates to a new life or attains release from the bonds of existence?

Answer: Atman, translated from Sanskrit as “self“ or “breath,” is one of the most basic concepts in Hinduism: the universal self, identical with the eternal core of the personality that after death either transmigrates to a new life or attains release (moksha) from the bonds of existence.

Question: Which Hindu goddess is the destroyer of evil forces?

Answer: Kali, the goddess of time, doomsday, and death, is the destroyer of evil forces.

Question: Which figure is the Hindu goddess of wealth and good fortune?

Answer: Lakshmi is the Hindu goddess of wealth and good fortune.

Question: Which Hindu deity is worshipped as the eighth incarnation of the Hindu god Vishnu and also as a supreme god in his own right?

Answer: Krishna is worshipped as the eighth incarnation of Vishnu and also as a supreme god in his own right.

Question: Which figure is the elephant-headed Hindu god of beginnings?

Answer: Ganesha is the elephant-headed Hindu god of beginnings.

Question: What is the term for each of the 10 books into which the Rigveda is divided?

Answer: The Rigveda is divided into 10 mandalas, or books.

Question: Which epic poem describes the development of Hinduism and is regarded by Hindus as both a text about moral law and a history?

Answer: The Mahabharata is an important source of information on the development of Hinduism between 400 BCE and 200 CE and is regarded by Hindus as both a text about moral law and as a history.

Question: Which genre of Vedic text speculates about the ontological connection between humanity and the cosmos?

Answer: The Upanishad, which speculates about the ontological connection between humanity and the cosmos, is one of the four genres of texts that together constitute each of the Vedas, the sacred scriptures of most Hindu traditions.

Question: Who is the fire-god of Hinduism?

Answer: Agni is the fire-god of Hinduism and is second only to Indra in the Vedic mythology of ancient India.

Question: In the Upanishads, what is considered the supreme existence or absolute reality?

Answer: In the Upanishads, brahman is the supreme existence or absolute reality.

Question: What is the Sanskrit word that means “spirit,” “person,” “self” or “consciousness,” and “deity” and also describes the primordial being from whose body the universe was created?

Answer: Purusha, a primal human, was a primordial being separated through self-sacrifice into man and woman and from whom the world was created with all its contrasts; his name also means “spirit,” “person,” “self” or “consciousness,” and “deity” in Sanskrit.