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Hinduism: Vedic Hinduism
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Hinduism and Judaism are mothers of all modern religions in the world. Buddhism, Sikhism and to some extent Jainism and Zoroastrianism came from Hinduism. Of course, Jainism existed during Rig Vedic Period. Statues of Rishabha, the first Thirthankara and founder of Jainism was found in the Mohenjadaro, Harappa excavations. Islam and Christianity came from Judaism. Judaism, Islam and Christianity have Abraham as the common father figure.
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Hinduism is the world's oldest major religion that is still practiced. Its earliest origins can be traced to the ancient Vedic civilization. A conglomerate of diverse beliefs and traditions, Hinduism has no single founder. It is the world's third largest religion following Christianity and Islam, with approximately a billion adherents, of whom about 905 million live in India and Nepal. Other countries with large Hindu populations include Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Mauritius, Fiji, Suriname, Guyana and Trinidad and Tobago.
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While most major world religions are traceable to one particular founder, Hinduism has its beginnings in such remote antiquity that it cannot be traced to any one individual. Its roots... are firmly planted in the ancient Vedic texts.
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The existence of the proto-historic period of Hinduism is demonstrated by the archaeological discoveries of what is known as the Indus valley civilization (approx. 4000- 2200 BCE). The conquering tribes of Aryans brought with them their traditions and beliefs. Linguistic research asserts the proto-indo-European language naming the sky 'Deiwos', that is the root-sourceof words related to the terminology of the divine like 'Deus' in Latin, 'Div' in Iranian, 'Deva' in Sanskrit, etc. The development of the indo- European pantheon of deities reflects a common origin for the supreme power; Zeus for Greeks, Jupiter for Romans, Dyaus for the Vedic tribes. There is no written scripture dated back to the proto-historic period of Hinduism.
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Modern Hinduism grew out of the knowledge described in the Vedas. The earliest of these, the Rigveda centers on worship of celestial spirits such as Indra, Varuna and Agni, and on the Soma ritual. The early Indo-Aryans would perform fire-sacrifices, called yajयज्ञ), with the chanting of the Vedic mantras, but they built no temples, idols or icons. Probably animals were ... sacrificed in larger yaj as claimed by Buddhist and Jain texts. The age and origins of the Vedas themselves are disputed, but it is clear that they were transmitted orally for several centuries, if not several millennia. They show strong similarities to the language and religion of the Avesta (of Zoroastrianism), as well as more distantly to other Indo-European languages and religions (see Indo-Aryan migration).
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Hinduism is based on "the accumulated treasury of spiritual laws discovered by different persons in different times." The scriptures were transmitted orally in verse form to aid memorization, for many centuries before they were written down. Over many centuries, sages refined the teachings and expanded the canon. In post-Vedic and current Hindu belief, most Hindu scriptures are not typically interpreted literally. More importance is attached to the ethics and metaphorical meanings derived from them. Most sacred texts are in Sanskrit.
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Vedic Hinduism