Hinduism for a range of Indian religious and spiritual traditions that are unified by adherence to the concept of dharma, a cosmic order maintained by its followers through rituals and righteous living,as expounded in the Vedas.
Hinduism has been called the oldest surviving religion in the world,[note 3] it has also been described by the modern term Sanatana Dharma (lit. 'eternal dharma'). Vaidika Dharma (lit. 'Vedic dharma') and Arya Dharma are historical endonyms for Hinduism.
Hinduism entails diverse systems of thought, marked by a range of shared concepts that discuss theology, mythology, and other topics in textual sources.Hindu texts have been classified into Sruti (lit. 'heard') and Sm?ti (lit. 'remembered').
The major Hindu scriptures are the Vedas, the Upanishads, the Puranas, the Mahabharata (including the Bhagavad Gita), the Ramayana, and the Agamas.
Prominent themes in Hindu beliefs include the karma (action, intent and consequences), samsara (the cycle of death and rebirth) and the four Purusharthas, proper goals or aims of human life, namely: dharma (ethics/duties), artha (prosperity/work), kama (desires/passions) and moksha (liberation/emancipation from passions and ultimately samsara).
Hindu religious practices include devotion (bhakti), worship (puja), sacrificial rites (yajna), and meditation (dhyana) and Yoga.
Hinduism has no central doctrinal authority and many Hindus do not claim to belong to any denomination. However, scholarly studies notify four major denominations: Shaivism, Vaishnavism, Shaktism and Smartism, . The six Astika schools of Hindu philosophy that recognise the authority of the Vedas are: Sankhya, Yoga, Nyaya, Vaisheshika, Mima?sa, and Vedanta.
While the traditional Itihasa-Purana and its derived Epic-Puranic chronology present Hinduism as a tradition existing for thousands of years, scholars regard Hinduism as a fusion or synthesis[note 6] of Brahmanical orthopraxy with various Indian cultures, having diverse roots and no specific founder.
This Hindu synthesis emerged after the Vedic period, between c. 500 to 200 BCE, and c. 300 CE, in the period of the second urbanisation and the early classical period of Hinduism when the epics and the first Puranas were composed.It flourished in the medieval period, with the decline of Buddhism in India.
Hinduism as it is commonly known can be subdivided into a number of major currents. Of the historical division into six darsanas (philosophies), two schools, Vedanta and Yoga, are currently the most prominent.[76] The six astika schools of Hindu philosophy, which recognise the authority of the Vedas are: Sankhya, Yoga, Nyaya, Vaisheshika, Mimamsa, and Vedanta.[19][20]
Classified by primary deity or deities, four major Hinduism modern currents are Vaishnavism (God Vishnu), Shaivism (God Shiva), Shaktism (Goddess Adi Shakti) and Smartism (five deities treated as equals).[77][78][17][18] Hinduism also accepts numerous divine beings, with many Hindus considering the deities to be aspects or manifestations of a single impersonal absolute or ultimate reality or Supreme God, while some Hindus maintain that a specific deity represents the supreme and various deities are lower manifestations of this supreme.[79] Other notable characteristics include a belief in the existence of atman (self), reincarnation of one's atman, and karma as well as a belief in dharma (duties, rights, laws, conduct, virtues and right way of living), although variation exists, with some not following these beliefs.
Hinduism can be classified into six major kinds and numerous minor kinds, in order to understand the expression of emotions among the Hindus.
The major kinds, according to McDaniel are Folk Hinduism, based on local traditions and cults of local deities and is the oldest, non-literate system;
Vedic Hinduism based on the earliest layers of the Vedas, traceable to the 2nd millennium BCE;
Vedantic Hinduism based on the philosophy of the Upanishads, including Advaita Vedanta, emphasising knowledge and wisdom;
Yogic Hinduism, following the text of Yoga Sutras of Patanjali emphasising introspective awareness;
Dharmic Hinduism or "daily morality", which is stereotyped in some books as the "only form of Hindu religion with a belief in karma, cows and caste"; and
bhakti or devotional Hinduism, where intense emotions are elaborately incorporated in the pursuit of the spiritual.
The four forms of Hindu religiosity are the classical "karma-marga",[83] jnana-marga,[84] bhakti-marga,[84] and "heroism", which is rooted in militaristic traditions. These militaristic traditions include Ramaism (the worship of a hero of epic literature, Rama, believing him to be an incarnation of Vishnu)[85] and parts of political Hinduism.[83] "Heroism" is also called virya-marga.[84] According to Michaels, one out of nine Hindu belongs by birth to one or both of the Brahmanic-Sanskritic Hinduism and Folk religion typology, whether practising or non-practicing. He classifies most Hindus as belonging by choice to one of the "founded religions" such as Vaishnavism and Shaivism that are moksha-focussed and often de-emphasise Brahman (Brahmin) priestly authority yet incorporate ritual grammar of Brahmanic-Sanskritic Hinduism.[86] He includes among "founded religions" Buddhism, Jainism, Sikhism that are now distinct religions, syncretic movements such as Brahmo Samaj and the Theosophical Society, as well as various "Guru-isms" and new religious movements such as Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, BAPS and ISKCON.[87]
To its adherents, Hinduism is a traditional way of life.[93] Many practitioners refer to the "orthodox" form of Hinduism as Sanatana Dharma, "the eternal law" or the "eternal way".[94][95] Hindus regard Hinduism to be thousands of years old. The Puranic chronology, as narrated in the Mahabharata, Ramayana, and the Puranas, envisions a timeline of events related to Hinduism starting well before 3000 BCE. The word dharma is used here to mean religion similar to modern Indo-Aryan languages, rather than with its original Sanskrit meaning. All aspects of a Hindu life, namely acquiring wealth (artha), fulfilment of desires (kama), and attaining liberation (moksha), are viewed here as part of "dharma", which encapsulates the "right way of living" and eternal harmonious principles in their fulfilment.[96][97] The use of the term Sanatana Dharma for Hinduism is a modern usage, based on the belief that the origins of Hinduism lie beyond human history, as revealed in the Hindu texts.
Sanatana Dharma refers to "timeless, eternal set of truths" and this is how Hindus view the origins of their religion. It is viewed as those eternal truths and traditions with origins beyond human history– truths divinely revealed (Shruti) in the Vedas, the most ancient of the world's scriptures.
Sanatana Dharma historically referred to the "eternal" duties religiously ordained in Hinduism, duties such as honesty, refraining from injuring living beings (ahi?sa), purity, goodwill, mercy, patience, forbearance, self-restraint, generosity, and asceticism. These duties applied regardless of a Hindu's class, caste, or sect, and they contrasted with svadharma, one's "own duty", in accordance with one's class or caste (var?a) and stage in life (puru?artha).