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Hinduism: Contemporary Hinduism
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Hinduism (known as in modern Indian languages) is areligious traditionthat originated in the Indian subcontinent. In contemporary usage Hinduism is ... sometimes referred to as , aSanskritphrase meaning "eternallaw".Hinduism, many of whose origins can be traced to the ancientVedic civilization, is the world's oldest extant religion. A conglomerate of diverse beliefs and traditions, Hinduism has no single founder. It is also the world'sthird largest religionfollowingChristianityandIslam, with approximately a billion adherents, of whom about 905 million live inIndiaandNepal. Othercountries with large Hindu populationsincludeBangladesh,Sri Lanka,Pakistan,Indonesia,Malaysia,Singapore,Mauritius,Fiji,Suriname,GuyanaandTrinidad and Tobago.
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Hinduism has no central doctrinal authority and many practising Hindus do not claim to belong to any particular denomination.[79] However, academics categorize contemporary Hinduism into four major denominations: Vaishnavism, Shaivism, Shaktism and Smartism. The denominations differ primarily in the God worshipped as the Supreme One and in the traditions that accompany worship of that God.
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The genesis of Hinduism is nearly as elusive as its contemporary definition. Unlike Islam, which began with Mohammed, or Judaism, which began with Moses, Hinduism has no founder, nor any traditional time or place of origin; it emerges from the jungle as a continually evolving religious system. Scholars debate the primary source of what would become the Hindu religion, though all agree that several cultures had an influence
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Contemporary Hinduism is divided into four major divisions, Vaishnavism, Shaivism, Shaktism, and Smartism. Hindus believe in one God but differ in their conceptions. The two primary form of differences are between Vaishnavism which conceives God as Vishnu and Shaivism, which conceives God as Shiva.
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Among the things that are common to the different traditions that have evolved within Hinduism, the first and foremost is their allegiance to the Vedas. If a tradition doesn't accept the authority of the Vedas, it is no more considered a "Hindu" tradition. Which is why, in the Indian context, Hinduism and Vedanta are synonymous. These two words refer to one and the same faith tradition, although it must be granted that most Indians who are raised in the religion of the Vedas would identify themselves as Hindus rather than as Vedantists. The reason for this is simple. In contemporary discourse and literature, the words "Hindu" and "Hinduism" have been used more frequently than the word "Vedantists" and "Vedanta".
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Many Hindus do not claim to belong to any particular denomination at all.[106] However, scholars frequently categorize contemporary Hinduism into three or four major denominations: Vaishnavism, Shaivism, Shaktism, and sometimes Smartism or Advaita Vedanta. These denominations differ primarily in the particular forms of God worshipped, and in the rituals and traditions that accompany worship of that form of God. Vaishnavism worships God in the form of
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Contemporary Hinduism