Hinduism

Hinduism () is an umbrella-term for a broad range of Indian religious and spiritual traditions (''sampradaya''s) that are unified by the concept of ''dharma'' ('Hindu dharma'), a universal order maintained by its followers through rituals and righteous living. The word ''Hindu'' is an exonym, and while Hinduism has been called the oldest religion in the world, it has also been described as ''Sanātana Dharma'' (), a modern usage, based on the belief that its origins lie beyond human history, as revealed in the Hindu texts. Another endonym for Hinduism is ''Vaidika Dharma'' ().

Hinduism entails diverse systems of thought, marked by a range of shared concepts that discuss theology, mythology, among other topics in textual sources. Hindu texts have been classified into Śruti () and Smṛti (). 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 ''karma'' (action, intent and consequences), ''saṃsāra'' (the cycle of death and rebirth) 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 ultimately the ''saṃsāra''). Hindu religious practices include devotion (''bhakti''), worship (''puja''), sacrificial rites (''yajna''), and meditation (''dhyana'') and yoga. The two major Hindu denominations are the Vaishnavism and Shaivism, with other denominations including the Shaktism and Smarta tradition. The six Āstika schools of Hindu philosophy that recognise the authority of the Vedas are: Samkhya, Yoga, Nyaya, Vaisheshika, Mīmāṃsā, 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 of Brahmanical orthopraxy with various Indian cultures, having diverse roots and no specific founder. This Hindu synthesis emerged after the Vedic period, between to 200 BCE, and , in the period of the second urbanisation and the early classical period of Hinduism when the epics and the first Purānas were composed. It flourished in the medieval period, with the decline of Buddhism in India. Since the 19th century, modern Hinduism, influenced by western culture, has acquired a great appeal in the West, most notably reflected 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. It is the most widely professed faith in India, Nepal, Mauritius, and in Bali, Indonesia. Significant numbers of Hindu communities are found in the countries of South Asia, in Southeast Asia, in the Caribbean, Middle East, North America, Europe, Oceania, Africa, and other regions. Provided by Wikipedia