Hinduism


Hinduism (/ˈhɪnduˌɪzəm/)[1][2] is an Indian religion or dharma, a religious and universal order by which its followers abide.[note 1][note 2] The word Hindu is an exonym,[note 3] and while Hinduism has been called the oldest religion in the world,[note 4] it has also been described as sanātana dharma (Sanskrit: सनातन धर्म, lit.''the eternal dharma''), a modern usage, based on the belief that its origins lie beyond human history, as revealed in the Hindu texts.[note 5] Another endonym for Hinduism is Vaidika dharma.[web 1]

Hinduism
सनातन धर्म
sanātana dharma/Hinduism
Om, the spritual symbol of Hinduism, sometimes referred as an eternal god and Supreme soul
TypeIndian religion
ClassificationDharmic
ScriptureVarious scriptures, including śruti, smṛti, epics, etc.
TheologyMonotheism, Atheism, Polytheism, Henotheism, Pantheism, Panentheism, Deism, Dualism
RegionIndian subcontinent and in other part of the world
LanguageSanskrit
FounderNo single founder, in some theories, Saptrishi
OriginPrehistoric roots, Vedic Period
Not specific
SeparationsBuddhism
Jainism
Sikhism
Brahmo Samaj
Number of followersc. 1.2 billion|(individually referred to as Hindus)

Hinduism entails diverse systems of thought, marked by a range of shared concepts that discuss theology, mythology, among other topics, in textual sources.[3] The major Hindu denominations are Vaishnavism, Shaivism, Shaktism, and the Smarta tradition. The six Āstika schools of Hindu philosophy, which recognise the authority of the Vedas, are: Sānkhya, Yoga, Nyāya, Vaisheshika, Mimāmsā, and Vedānta.[4][5] Hindu texts have been classified into Śruti ("heard") and Smṛti ("remembered"). The major Hindu scriptures are the Vedas, the Upanishads, the Purānas, the Mahābhārata, the Rāmāyana, and the Āgamas.[6][7] Prominent themes in Hindu beliefs include karma (action, intent and consequences)[6][8] and the four Puruṣārthas, proper goals or aims of human life, namely: dharma (ethics/duties), artha (prosperity/work), kama (desires/passions) and moksha (liberation/freedom from the passions and the cycle of death and rebirth).[9][10] Hindu religious practices include devotion (bhakti), worship (puja), sacrificial rites (yajña), and meditation (dhyāna) and yoga.[11]

While the traditional Itihasa-Purana and the Epic-Puranic chronology derived from it present Hinduism as a tradition existing for thousands of years, scholars regard Hinduism as a fusion[note 6] or synthesis[note 7] of Brahmanical orthopraxy[note 8] with various Indian cultures,[note 9] having diverse roots[note 10] and no specific founder.[12] This Hindu synthesis emerged after the Vedic period, between c. 500[13]–200[14] BCE and c. 300 CE,[13] in the period of the second urbanisation and the early classical period of Hinduism when the epics and the first Purānas were composed.[13][14] It flourished in the medieval period, with the decline of Buddhism in India.[15] Since the 19th century, modern Hinduism, influenced by western culture, has also a great appeal to the west, most notably in the popularisation of yoga and various sects such as Transcendental Meditation and the Hare Krishna movement.

Hinduism is the world's third-largest religion, with approximately 1.20 billion followers, or around 15% of the global population, known as Hindus.[16][web 2][web 3] It is the most widely professed faith in India,[17] Nepal, Mauritius, and in Bali, Indonesia.[18] Significant numbers of Hindu communities are found in other countries of South Asia, in Southeast Asia, in the Caribbean, Middle East, North America, Europe, Oceania, Africa, and other regions.[19][20]

  1. ^ "Hinduism". Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary. Retrieved 19 April 2021.
  2. ^ "Hinduism". Dictionary.com Unabridged (Online). n.d.
  3. ^ Michaels 2004.
  4. ^ Holberg, Dale, ed. (2000). Students' Britannica India. Vol. 4. Encyclopædia Britannica India. p. 316. ISBN 978-0-85229-760-5.
  5. ^ Nicholson, Andrew (2013). Unifying Hinduism: Philosophy and Identity in Indian Intellectual History. Columbia University Press. pp. 2–5. ISBN 978-0-231-14987-7.
  6. ^ a b Klostermaier 2007, pp. 46–52, 76–77.
  7. ^ Zaehner, R. C. (1992). Hindu Scriptures. Penguin Random House. pp. 1–7. ISBN 978-0-679-41078-2. Archived from the original on 28 March 2024. Retrieved 11 April 2021.
  8. ^ Brodd 2003.
  9. ^ Bilimoria, Prabhu & Sharma 2007; see also Koller 1968.
  10. ^ Flood 1996, p. 7.
  11. ^ Cite error: The named reference ellinger70 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  12. ^ Fowler 1997, pp. 1, 7.
  13. ^ a b c Hiltebeitel 2002, p. 12.
  14. ^ a b Larson 2009.
  15. ^ Larson 1995, pp. 109–111.
  16. ^ "Hindu Countries 2023". World Population Review. 2023. Archived from the original on 11 March 2023. Retrieved 31 December 2023.
  17. ^ Hiltebeitel 2002, p. 3.
  18. ^ Gonda 1975; Bakker 1997; Howe 2001; Stuart-Fox 2002.
  19. ^ Vertovec, Steven (2013). The Hindu Diaspora: Comparative Patterns. Routledge. pp. 1–4, 7–8, 63–64, 87–88, 141–143. ISBN 978-1-136-36705-2. Archived from the original on 28 March 2024. Retrieved 18 July 2017.
  20. ^  – "Hindus". Pew Research Center's Religion & Public Life Project. 18 December 2012. Archived from the original on 9 February 2020. Retrieved 14 February 2015.
     – "Table: Religious Composition by Country, in Numbers (2010)". Pew Research Center's Religion & Public Life Project. 18 December 2012. Archived from the original on 1 February 2013. Retrieved 14 February 2015.


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