levo

Hinduism: Crime and Punishment

  • 8 subtopics
  • 24 things to know
  • Paper 2
  • Paper 2, Religion, Peace and Conflict, for the religion studied in this area. Two of the three areas are taken, each through a different religion

What Hinduism: Crime and Punishment covers

Hinduism: Crime and Punishment is examined in Paper 2, Area of Study 2: Religion, Peace and Conflict, if Hinduism is the religion studied for that area. It covers Hindu attitudes to justice, Hindu attitudes to crime and its causes, Hindu teachings on good, evil and suffering, Hindu attitudes to punishment: danda and prayascitta, Hindu attitudes to the aims of punishment, Hindu teachings on forgiveness and restorative justice, Hindu teachings on the treatment of criminals and Hindu attitudes to the death penalty.

Where it is assessed

Paper 2

Area of Study 2, Religion, Peace and Conflict, if this is the religion studied for that area.

Check the Pearson Edexcel specification ↗

The 8 subtopics

Each one has its own page.

What you need to know

Answer each one before you reveal it.

Your recallNot started
Key term

What does the Manusmriti say about who should punish, and why is punishment needed?

Key term

How do Hindus view the aims of punishment, especially protection and retribution?

Key term

How do Hindus use Bhagavad Gita 4.35–37 to support reforming offenders?

Key term

What do Hindus mean by justice?

Key term

How do Hindus view crime?

Key term

What do Hindus teach about the rewards of good actions?

Key term

What does forgiveness (kshama) mean for Hindus?

Key term

What does Mahabharata 13.117 teach about ahimsa?

Key term

What is capital punishment, and does India still use it?

Key term

Why is justice important for Hindus?

Key term

What causes of crime do Hindus recognise?

Key term

What do Hindus teach about how evil actions are punished?

Key term

What is punishment, and why do Hindus see it as necessary?

Key term

Why is forgiveness important in Hinduism?

Key term

How do Hindus apply Mahabharata 13.117 to the treatment of criminals?

Key term

What is the purpose of capital punishment, according to its supporters?

Key term

What is rajadharma in Hindu teaching?

Key term

What does Bhagavad Gita 14.16 say about the fruits of the three gunas?

Key term

How does the story of Dhruva in Bhagavata Purana 4 show good actions rewarded?

Key term

What is danda in Hindu teaching?

Key term

Name the four aims of punishment that Hindus debate.

Key term

What does Mahabharata 3.29 teach about forgiveness?

Key term

Why do Hindus believe criminals should be treated with respect?

Key term

Why do some Hindus support the death penalty?

Take Hinduism: Crime and Punishment further

The same content, four other ways.

Commonly confused

Pairs that lose marks when they are blurred together.

  • Danda vs Prayascitta

    Danda: punishment imposed by a ruler to keep order. Prayascitta: penance a wrongdoer performs to remove a sin's effects.

  • Punya vs Papa

    Punya: merit earned through good actions. Papa: sin or demerit caused by wrong actions.

  • Sattva vs Tamas

    Sattva: the quality of goodness, purity and light. Tamas: the quality of ignorance, darkness and inertia.

Questions from this topic

Each one with the model answer underneath.

  1. 1

    What do Hindus mean by justice?

    Model answer

    Justice means fairness, giving each person what they are due and upholding dharma. A just society protects the right order of the world.

  2. 2

    Why is justice important for Hindus?

    Model answer

    Justice upholds dharma, the moral order that keeps society stable. Injustice lets the strong exploit the weak.

  3. 3

    What is rajadharma in Hindu teaching?

    Model answer

    Rajadharma is the duty of a ruler to protect the people and uphold justice. A good king punishes wrongdoers and protects the innocent.

  4. 4

    What story is told in Brihadaranyaka Upanishad 5.2?

    Model answer

    The gods, humans and demons each asked Prajapati, the creator, for teaching. Prajapati answered each with the single syllable “Da”.

  5. 5

    What did the gods, humans and demons each understand by “Da” in Brihadaranyaka Upanishad 5.2?

    Model answer

    The gods understood damyata, be self-controlled. Humans understood datta, give, and the demons understood dayadhvam, be compassionate.

  6. 6

    What does the thunder repeat, according to Brihadaranyaka Upanishad 5.2?

    Model answer

    The divine voice of the thunder repeats “Da, Da, Da”. The thunder reminds everyone to practise self-control, giving and compassion.

What is inside Levo

Six ways to work the same material.

1Closed book
2Open book
3Closed book

See a huge jump in your memorisation

Answer cold, learn it, then prove it stuck. Levo tracks the jump between your first attempt and your last.

Catholic Christianity: Catholic Beliefs
Catholic Christianity: Living the Catholic Life
Catholic Christianity: Marriage and the Family
Catholic Christianity: Matters of Life and Death

Cram a whole paper in one sitting

Sort every topic into what you know and what you do not, then drill only the weak ones.

The Act also made compulsory.
monogamypolygamydivorce

Blank Blitz consolidates the facts

Rapid timed gap-fills on the terms and numbers you need to recall without thinking.

AOmnipotent means all-powerful.
BBenevolent means all-loving and wholly good.
CEternal means existing without beginning or end.

Build It trains answer structure

Assemble a full-mark answer from its marking points, in the order an examiner wants them.

Miri means worldly or political authority.
TrueFalse

Test It catches misconceptions

Spot the fault in a statement. The traps are the mistakes students actually make.

721941163128510

Brain Breaks between sessions

Short focus games to reset attention, so the next set lands better than the last.

Hinduism: Crime and Punishment revision questions

What does Hinduism: Crime and Punishment cover in Edexcel GCSE Religious Studies B?
8 subtopics: hindu attitudes to justice, hindu attitudes to crime and its causes, hindu teachings on good, evil and suffering, hindu attitudes to punishment: danda and prayascitta, hindu attitudes to the aims of punishment, hindu teachings on forgiveness and restorative justice, hindu teachings on the treatment of criminals and hindu attitudes to the death penalty. Each one has its own page with questions and model answers.
How is Hinduism: Crime and Punishment organised?
By the Edexcel 1RB0 specification, subtopic by subtopic, so it matches the order you are taught it in.

Every question in Hinduism: Crime and Punishment, on a schedule.

Attempt a question from memory, write the correct version, then attempt it again. Levo records the jump between your first attempt and your last, and brings each question back on the day you are due to forget it.

Or £46 a year, about £3.83 a month. Cancel anytime.