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Hinduism (/ˈhɪnduˌɪzəm/)[1][2] is an Indian religion or dharma, a religious and universal order or way of life by which 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 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 puranic chronology presents a genealogy of thousands of years, starting with the Vedic rishis, 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 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]
- ^ "Hinduism". Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary. Retrieved 19 April 2021.
- ^ "Hinduism". Dictionary.com Unabridged (Online). n.d.
- ^ Michaels 2004.
- ^ Holberg, Dale, ed. (2000). Students' Britannica India. Vol. 4. Encyclopædia Britannica India. p. 316. ISBN 978-0-85229-760-5.
- ^ Nicholson, Andrew (2013). Unifying Hinduism: Philosophy and Identity in Indian Intellectual History. Columbia University Press. pp. 2–5. ISBN 978-0-231-14987-7.
- ^ a b Klostermaier 2007, pp. 46–52, 76–77.
- ^ 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.
- ^ Brodd 2003.
- ^ Bilimoria, Prabhu & Sharma 2007; see also Koller 1968.
- ^ Flood 1996, p. 7.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
ellinger70was invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Fowler 1997, pp. 1, 7.
- ^ a b c Hiltebeitel 2002, p. 12.
- ^ a b Larson 2009.
- ^ Larson 1995, pp. 109–111.
- ^ "Hindu Countries 2023". World Population Review. 2023. Archived from the original on 11 March 2023. Retrieved 31 December 2023.
- ^ Hiltebeitel 2002, p. 3.
- ^ Gonda 1975; Bakker 1997; Howe 2001; Stuart-Fox 2002.
- ^ 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.
- ^ – "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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