Wishesh magazine february 2018 Wishesh magazine february 2018 | Page 158

INDIAN SPIRITUAL
Traditional Spirituality
158
Hinduism and its
significance
There are an estimated 1 billion Hindus worldwide, making
Hinduism the third largest religion after Christianity and
Islam. About 80 percent of India’s population regard
themselves as Hindus and 30 million more Hindus live
outside of India.
Hinduism has no founder or
date of origin. The authors
and dates of most Hindu
sacred texts are unknown,
although the oldest text (the
Vedas) are estimated to date
from as early as 1500 BCE.
Scholars describe Hinduism
as the product of religious
development in India that
spans nearly 4,000 years,
WWW.WISHESH.NET | FEBRUARY 2018
making it perhaps the oldest
surviving world religion.
The broad term “Hinduism”
encompasses a wide variety
of traditions, which are closely
related and share common
themes but do not constitute
a unified set of beliefs or
practices. Hinduism is not
a homogeneous, organized
system. Many Hindus are
devoted followers of Shiva
or Vishnu, whom they regard
as the only true God, while
others look inward to the
divine Self (atman). But most
recognize the existence
of Brahman, the unifying
principle and Supreme Reality
behind all that is.