Part of the series on Hinduism
History  · Deities
Denominations  · Mythology
Beliefs & practices
Reincarnation  · Moksha
Karma  · Puja  · Maya
Nirvana  · Dharma
Yoga  · Ayurveda
Yuga  · Vegetarianism
Bhakti  · Artha
Scriptures
Upanishads  · Vedas
Brahmana  · Bhagavad Gita
Ramayana  · Mahabharata
Purana  · Aranyaka
Related topics
Hinduism by country
Leaders  · Mandir  ·
Caste system  · Mantra
Glossary  · Hindu festivals
Murti

Dharma or spiritual tradition has two aspects: Hinduism (Sanskrit/Hindi: ; also known as Sanātana Dharma - , and Vaidika Dharma - ) is a worldwide religious tradition that is based on the Vedas, and is generally regarded as one of the oldest religions still practised in the world. ... Image File history File links Aum. ... Hinduism (सनातन धर्म; also known as Sanātana Dharma, and Vaidika-Dharma) is a worldwide religious tradition that is based on the revealed knowledge of the Veda and the direct descendant of the Vedic religion. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... Hinduism encompasses many movements and schools fairly organized within Hindu denominations. ... The term Hindu mythology refers collectively to a large body of Indian literature (essentially, the mythology of Hinduism) that detail the lives and times of legendary personalities, deities and divine incarnations on earth interspersed with often large sections of philosophical and ethical discourse. ... Hindu philosophy (one of the main divisions of Indian philosophy) is traditionally seen through the prism of six different systems (called darshanas in Sanskrit) that are listed here and make up the main belief systems of Hinduism. ... Past Lives redirects here. ... Moksha - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia /**/ @import /skins-1. ... Karma is a concept within Hinduism based on the Vedas and Upanishads, and was later adopted by other religions like Buddhism and Jainism. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... ... Nirvana - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia /**/ @import /skins-1. ... Dharma - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia /**/ @import /skins-1. ... Yoga is a family of ancient spiritual practices that originated in India, where it remains a vibrant living tradition and is seen as a means to enlightenment. ... Ayurveda (आयुर्वेद Sanskrit: ayu—life; veda—knowledge of) or ayurvedic medicine is a comprehensive system of medicine, more than 5,000 years old and based on a holistic approach rooted in Vedic culture. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... Vegetarianism is the practice of not eating meat, including beef, poultry, fish, or their by-products, with or without the use of dairy products or eggs. ... ... Artha is a Sanskrit term referring to the idea of material prosperity. ... Hindu scripture is overwhelmingly written in Sanskrit. ... The Upanishads (उपनिषद्, Upanişad) are part of the Hindu Shruti scriptures which primarily discuss meditation and philosophy and are seen as religious instructions by most schools of Hinduism. ... Veda redirects here. ... The Brahmana (Sanskrit ब्राह्मण) are part of the Hindu Shruti; They are composed in Vedic Sanskrit, and the period of their composition is sometimes referred to as the Brahmanic period or age (approximately between 900 BC and 500 BC). ... Bhagavad Gīta भगवद्गीता, composed ca the fifth - second centuries BC, is part of the epic poem Mahabharata, located in the Bhisma-Parva chapters 23–40. ... The Rāmāyana (Sanskrit: रामायण, march or journey (Ä€yana) of Rāma) is part of the Hindu smriti, written by Valmiki. ... The Mahabharata (Devanagari: महाभारत, phonetically Mahābhārata - see note), sometimes just called Bharata, is one of the two major ancient Sanskrit epics of India, the other being the Ramayana. ... The Puranas are part of Hindu Smriti; these religious scriptures discuss devotion and mythology. ... The Aranyakas (Sanskrit आरण्यक, Forest Books, Forest Treatises) are part of the Hindu Shruti; these religious scriptures are sometimes argued to be part of either the Brahmanas or Upanishads. ... The percentage of Hindu population of each country was taken from the US State Departments International Religious Freedom Report 2004. ... These are some of the most noteworthy Gurus and Saints of Hinduism: Shankara Ramanuja Madhvacharya Ramakrishna Vivekananda Sree Narayana Guru Aurobindo Ramana Maharshi Sivananda Chinmayananda Yogaswami Sivaya Subramuniyaswami Swaminarayan A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada Satya Sai Baba Shirdi Sai Baba Categories: Hindu religious figures ... The Gopuram of temples, in south India, are adorned with colourful icons depicting a particular story surrounding the temples deity. ... The Indian caste system is a social system in which people are divided into separate endogamous groups, known in English as castes, and in Hindi as jati (birth unit), biradari (fraternity) etc. ... A mantra is a religious syllable or poem, typically from the Sanskrit language. ... Glossary of terms in Hinduism - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia /**/ @import /skins-1. ... The Nataraja is one of the most famous images of Lord Siva Murtis are deities or images used by Hindus and also by some Mahayana Buddhists during worship as points of devotional and meditational focus. ... Dharma - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia /**/ @import /skins-1. ...

1.The Sanatan Dharma (shruti), tradition eternal which is not subject to change. Shruti (Sanskrit श्रुति, what is heard) is a canon of Hindu scriptures. ...

2. The Yuga Dharma (smritis), tradition valid for only an epoch or an age responding to the urge for change. Yuga Dharma are limited, temporary and relative in their scope and authority. To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... Smriti (what is fit/deserves to be remembered) refers to a canon of Hindu religious scripture. ...

The detailed workings, the minute points which have been worked out through centuries of social necessity, little ratiocinations about manners and customs and social well-being, do not rightly find a place in the category of religion. We know that in our books, a clear distinction is made between two sets of truths. The one set is that which abides for ever, being built upon the nature of man, the nature of the soul, the soul's relation to God, the nature of God, perfection and so on; there are also the principles of cosmology, of the infinitude of creation, or more correctly speaking, projection, the wonderful law of cyclical procession, and so on; these are eternal principles founded upon the universal laws of nature. The soul, according to many religious and philosophical traditions, is a self aware ethereal substance particular to a unique living being. ...

The other set comprises the minor laws, which guide the working of our everyday life. They belong more properly to the Puranas, to the Smrtis, and not to the Sruti. These have nothing to do with the other principles. Even in India, these minor laws have been changing all the time. Customs of one age, of one yuga, have not been the customs of another, and as yuga come after yuga, they will still have to change. [1] The Puranas (Sanskrit पुराण, purāṇá ancient, since they focus on ancient history of the universe) are part of Hindu Smriti; these religious scriptures discuss varied topics like devotion to God in his various aspects, traditional sciences like Ayurveda, Jyotish, cosmology, concepts like dharma, karma, reincarnation and many others. ...

See Also

• Dharma
• Hinduism