🕉️ Chapter 08 · Topic 01 · Religions of India

Hinduism

Four Vedas, Upanishads, Puranas, six darshanas, four ashrams, four varnas, major sects — complete UPSC & PSC notes.

📖 Overview of Hinduism

Hinduism is the world’s oldest living religion — no single founder; evolved over thousands of years
Also called Sanatana Dharma (eternal law/duty)
Approximately 1.2 billion followers worldwide — third largest religion after Christianity and Islam
Characterised by: diversity of beliefs and practices; acceptance of multiple paths to the divine; concept of dharma (duty/righteousness)
Key concepts: Brahman (universal soul), Atman (individual soul), Karma (action and its consequences), Samsara (cycle of rebirth), Moksha (liberation from the cycle)

📚 Sacred Texts

Category	Texts	Key Content
Shruti (heard/revealed)	Four Vedas: Rigveda, Samaveda, Yajurveda, Atharvaveda	Oldest sacred texts; hymns, rituals, philosophy; considered divine revelation
Upanishads	108 Upanishads (principal: 13)	Philosophical texts; Brahman-Atman relationship; end of Vedas (Vedanta)
Smriti (remembered)	Mahabharata, Ramayana, Puranas, Manusmriti, Dharmashastra	Epics, mythology, law codes; secondary authority
Bhagavad Gita	Part of Mahabharata (Bhishma Parva)	Krishna’s teachings to Arjuna; karma yoga, bhakti yoga, jnana yoga
Puranas	18 Mahapuranas (Vishnu Purana, Shiva Purana, Bhagavata Purana, etc.)	Stories of gods, creation, genealogies; popular Hinduism
Agamas	Shaiva Agamas, Vaishnava Samhitas, Shakta Tantras	Temple worship, rituals, iconography

🔢 Four Vedas

Rigveda — oldest; 1,028 hymns (suktas) to various deities; knowledge of hymns
Samaveda — melodies and chants; mostly derived from Rigveda; knowledge of melodies
Yajurveda — sacrificial formulas and rituals; knowledge of sacrifice
Atharvaveda — spells, charms, healing; knowledge of magic formulas; added later
Each Veda has four parts: Samhitas (hymns), Brahmanas (ritual explanations), Aranyakas (forest texts), Upanishads (philosophical)

🏛️ Six Darshanas (Orthodox Schools)

School	Founder	Key Concept
Nyaya	Gautama	Logic and epistemology; valid sources of knowledge
Vaisheshika	Kanada	Atomic theory; categories of reality
Samkhya	Kapila	Dualism of Purusha (consciousness) and Prakriti (matter)
Yoga	Patanjali	Eight-limbed path (Ashtanga Yoga) for liberation
Mimamsa	Jaimini	Vedic ritual; dharma through correct performance of rituals
Vedanta	Badarayana (Vyasa)	Nature of Brahman; Advaita (Shankaracharya), Vishishtadvaita (Ramanuja), Dvaita (Madhvacharya)

⭐ Advaita Vedanta (Shankaracharya): Adi Shankaracharya (788–820 CE) propounded Advaita (non-dualism) — the doctrine that Brahman (universal soul) and Atman (individual soul) are identical. The apparent diversity of the world is Maya (illusion). He established four mathas (monasteries) at the four corners of India: Sringeri (south), Dwarka (west), Puri (east), Badrinath (north). He revived Hinduism against the influence of Buddhism and Jainism.

🔄 Four Ashrams & Four Varnas

Four Ashrams (stages of life): Brahmacharya (student), Grihastha (householder), Vanaprastha (forest dweller/retired), Sannyasa (renunciant)
Four Varnas (social divisions): Brahmin (priests/scholars), Kshatriya (warriors/rulers), Vaishya (merchants/farmers), Shudra (service providers)
Four Purusharthas (goals of life): Dharma (righteousness), Artha (wealth), Kama (desire), Moksha (liberation)

✅ Revision Checklist — Hinduism

✅ Hinduism = Sanatana Dharma = oldest living religion = no single founder
✅ Key concepts = Brahman + Atman + Karma + Samsara + Moksha
✅ Shruti = Vedas (4) + Upanishads; Smriti = epics + Puranas + Dharmashastra
✅ Rigveda = oldest = 1,028 hymns; Atharvaveda = spells and charms
✅ Six darshanas = Nyaya + Vaisheshika + Samkhya + Yoga + Mimamsa + Vedanta
✅ Advaita = Shankaracharya = Brahman = Atman = non-dualism
✅ Vishishtadvaita = Ramanuja; Dvaita = Madhvacharya
✅ Four ashrams = Brahmacharya + Grihastha + Vanaprastha + Sannyasa
✅ Four purusharthas = Dharma + Artha + Kama + Moksha
✅ Bhagavad Gita = part of Mahabharata = Krishna’s teachings to Arjuna