- "Hinduism is the world's third-largest religion, with over 1.2–1.35 billion followers."
The study of Hindu rituals, festivals, art, music, and traditions.
Vedas: These are the oldest Hindu scriptures that contain hymns, mantras, and rituals dating back to 1500 BC.
Upanishads: These texts explore the meaning of the Vedas and provide philosophical teachings about the nature of reality, the soul, and liberation.
Bhagavad Gita: This text is part of the epic Mahabharata and contains teachings about Hinduism's central concepts such as dharma, karma, and reincarnation.
Puranas: These are collections of stories about the gods, goddesses, and heroes of Hindu mythology that provide insight into Hindu religious beliefs.
Yoga: This system of physical and mental exercises is practiced by many Hindus as a spiritual practice to attain self-realization.
Caste system: This is a social hierarchy that divides people into different groups based on their birth and occupation.
Karma: This is the law of cause and effect that determines one's present situation based on their actions in past lives.
Dharma: This is the Hindu concept of righteousness, duty, and morality that should guide one's actions in life.
Moksha: This is the ultimate goal of Hindu life, liberation from the cycle of birth and death and union with the divine.
Puja: This is the Hindu ritual of worship that involves offerings of flowers, fruit, and incense to the gods.
Festivals: There are many Hindu festivals and celebrations throughout the year, such as Diwali, Holi, and Navratri, that reflect the diversity and richness of Hindu culture.
Hindu art and architecture: Hinduism has a rich tradition of art and architecture, including intricately carved temples, colorful paintings, and sculptures that depict the gods and goddesses.
Hinduism and modernity: Hinduism has undergone many changes and adaptations to modern times, from the rise of religious reform movements to the challenges of globalization and technology.
Hinduism and other religions: Hinduism has influenced and been influenced by other religions, such as Buddhism, Jainism, and Sikhism, and has also interacted with other religions such as Islam and Christianity.
Vaishnavism: It is a popular sect in Hinduism which worships Lord Vishnu as the supreme deity. This sect emphasizes the importance of devotion and love for God.
Shaivism: It is a sect that worships Lord Shiva as the supreme deity. This sect emphasizes the importance of asceticism and spiritual discipline.
Shaktism: It is a sect that worships the feminine aspect of the divine, Devi or Shakti. This sect emphasizes the power of creative energy.
Smartism: It is a sect that accepts all major Hindu deities as forms of the same supreme God. This sect emphasizes the importance of knowledge and wisdom.
Advaita Vedanta: It is a sect that emphasizes on the non-dualism of God and the individual soul. This sect believes that ultimate reality is one and indivisible.
Dvaita Vedanta: It is a sect that emphasizes the duality of God and the individual soul. This sect believes in the personal existence of the supreme God.
Yoga: It is a spiritual practice that combines physical postures, breathing exercises, meditation and philosophical teachings. It is based on the teachings of Patanjali.
Bhakti Yoga: It is a spiritual practice that emphasizes on devotion and love for God. It is a path of surrender and devotion to God.
Karma Yoga: It is a spiritual practice that emphasizes on selfless action and service. It is a path of action and service to others.
Jnana Yoga: It is a spiritual practice that emphasizes on knowledge and understanding. It is a path of wisdom and self-awareness.
- "The word Hindu is an exonym."
- "Hinduism has also been described as sanātana dharma (Sanskrit: सनातन धर्म, lit. ''the eternal dharma'')."
- "Hinduism is a diverse system of thought marked by a range of philosophies and shared concepts, rituals, cosmological systems, pilgrimage sites, and shared textual sources."
- "Prominent themes in Hindu beliefs include the four Puruṣārthas, the 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)."
- "Hinduism prescribes the eternal duties, such as honesty, refraining from injuring living beings (ahiṃsā), patience, forbearance, self-restraint, virtue, and compassion, among others."
- "Hindu practices include worship (puja), fire rituals (homa/havan), devotion (bhakti), fasting (vrata), chanting (japa), meditation (dhyāna), sacrifice (yajña), charity (dāna), selfless service (sevā), learning and knowledge (jñāna), recitation and exposition of scriptures (pravacana), homage to one's ancestors (śrāddha), family-oriented rites of passage, annual festivals, and occasional pilgrimages (yatra)."
- "Hindu texts are classified into Śruti ("heard") and Smṛti ("remembered"), the major scriptures of which are the Vedas, the Upanishads, the Purānas, the Mahābhārata, the Rāmāyana, and the Āgamas."
- "Scholars regard Hinduism as a fusion or synthesis of Brahmanical orthopraxy with various Indian cultures, having diverse roots and no specific founder."
- "The four major denominations of Hinduism are Vaishnavism, Shaivism, Shaktism, and the Smarta tradition."
- "Hinduism is the most widely professed faith in India, Nepal, Mauritius, and in Bali, Indonesia."
- "Significant numbers of Hindu communities are found in other countries of South Asia, in Southeast Asia, in the Caribbean, Gulf states, North America, Europe, Oceania, Africa, and other regions."