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University of Southern California

Hinduism, also known as Sanatana Dharma, is the world’s 3rd largest religion with approximately 1 billion adherents encompassing diverse beliefs and traditions while lacking a single founder.

Early evidence of Hinduism can be found as far back as 5500 BCE making it the world’s oldest living religion. Hinduism has a wide body of scriptures, the oldest being the Rigveda dating back to 1700 BCE. Texts include the Vedas, the Upanishads, the Tantras, the Agamas, the Puranas, and the epic poems Mahabharata and Ramayana. The Bhagavad Gita, an excerpt from the Mahabharata, is seen by many as a summary of the teachings of the Vedas. Many were oral traditions before being written down in their current forms.

Hindu beliefs span monotheism, polytheism, monism, and atheism, but any such term is an oversimplification of the variations found in Hindu traditions. Most Hindus, however, believe that the atman, the true self of every person, is eternal.

Despite the lack of any universal doctrine, prominent themes in Hinduism include Dharma (duty/ethics), Samsara (the cycle of life, death, and rebirth), Karma (consequence of action), and Moksha (liberation from Samsara). Another prominent teaching is Ahimsa (non-violence), including a respect of all life because divinity is believed to permeate all beings, including plants and animals.

Hinduism has no central authority and most Hindus do not claim to belong to any particular denomination. Academically, however, Hinduism is often categorized into four denominations, Vaishnavism (worship Vishnu as the supreme God), Shaivism (worship Shiva as the supreme God), Shaktism (worship Shakti personified through the female divinity), and Smartism (belief in the oneness of all deities).

The term Hindu comes from Sindhu, the Sanskrit word for the Indus River.

A brief overview:

USC Hindu Student Organization

About Hinduism

Lord Ganesh, remover of obstacles and God of intelligence

Laxmi, Goddess of Wealth

Vishnu, God of Preservation