Hindus subscribe to a diversity of ideas on
spirituality and traditions, but have no ecclesiastical order, no unquestionable religious authorities, no governing body, no prophet(s) nor any binding holy book; Hindus can choose to be
polytheistic,
pantheistic,
monotheistic,
monistic,
agnostic,
atheistic or
humanist. Hinduism is subdivided into a number of major sampradayas. Of the historical division into six
darsanas (philosophies), two schools,
Vedanta and
Yoga, are currently the most prominent. Classified by primary deity or deities, four major Hinduism modern currents are
Vaishnavism (Vishnu),
Shaivism (Shiva),
Shaktism (Shakti) and
Smartism (five deities treated as same). These deity-centered denominations feature a synthesis of various
philosophies such as Samkhya, Yoga and Vedanta, as well as shared spiritual concepts such as
moksha,
dharma,
karma,
samsara, ethical precepts such as
ahimsa, texts (
Upanishads,
Puranas,
Mahabharata, Agamas), ritual grammar and rites of passage.
Vaishnava sampradayas According to the Padma Purāṇa, one of the eighteen main Purāṇas, there are four Vaishnava
sampradāyas, which preserve the fruitful mantras: During the
Kali Yuga these sampradāyas appear in the holy place of
Jaganatha Puri, and purify the entire
earth. Each of them were inaugurated by a deity, who appointed heads to these lineages: Other major Vaishnav sampradaya are: •
Swaminarayan Sampradaya, founded in 1801 by
Swaminarayan •
Pranami Sampradaya •
Radha Vallabh Sampradaya •
Mahanam Sampraday •
Warkari tradition • Haridasi tradition •
Manipuri Vaishnavism • Samartha Sampradaya •
Bishnoi Sampradaya •
Matua Mahasangha Shaiva sampradayas There are three main
Shaiva sampradayas known as "Kailasa Parampara" (Lineage from
Kailash)-
Nandinatha Sampradaya,
Adinath Sampradaya and
Meykanda Sampradaya. The
Nandinatha Sampradaya traces its beginning to at least 200 BCE. Its founder and first known spiritual preceptor was the Maharshi Nandinatha. Nandinatha is said to have initiated eight disciples (Sanatkumar, Sanakar, Sanadanar, Sananthanar, Shivayogamuni,
Patanjali,
Vyaghrapada, and
Tirumular) and sent them to various places to spread the teachings of non-dualistic
Shaivism all over the world. Tamil
Shaiva Siddhanta philosophy is known as the descendant from the teaching of
Sanatkumara, one of the
Kumaras. (Sanatkumara→Satyanjana Darshini→Paranjyoti Rishi→Meykandar.
Aghori and
Nath are shavite. Nandinatha and Meykandar Sampradayas are associated with the
Shaiva Siddhanta while Adinath Sampradaya is associated with
Nath Shaivism. Other popular Saivite sampradayas are
Veerashaiva Samprdaya,
Lingayat Sampradaya and
Srouta Sampradaya Advaita Vedanta sampradaya Advaita Mathas ,
Shringeri Adi Sankara founded four (Sanskrit: ) (monasteries) to preserve and develop his philosophies. One each in the north, south, east and west of the Indian subcontinent, each headed by one of his direct disciples. According to Nakamura, these mathas contributed to the influence of Shankara, which was "due to institutional factors". The mathas which he built exist until today, and preserve the teachings and influence of Shankara, "while the writings of other scholars before him came to be forgotten with the passage of time". The table below gives an overview of the four
Amnaya Mathas founded by Adi Shankara, and their details. The current heads of the mathas trace their authority back to these figures, and each of the heads of these four mathas takes the title of
Shankaracharya ("the learned Shankara") after Adi Sankara. According to the tradition in Kerala, after Sankara's
samadhi at Vadakkunnathan Temple, his disciples founded four mathas in Thrissur, namely
Naduvil Madhom, Thekke Madhom, Idayil Madhom and Vadakke Madhom.
Dashanami sampradaya Dashanami Sampradaya, "Tradition of Ten Names", is a
Hindu monastic tradition of
ēkadaṇḍi sannyasins (wandering renunciates carrying a single staff) generally associated with the
Advaita Vedanta tradition. They are distinct in their practices from the
Saiva Tridaṇḍi sannyāsins or "
trident renunciates", who continue to wear the
sacred thread after renunciation, while
ēkadaṇḍi sannyāsins do not. The Ekadandi Vedāntins aim for
moksha as the existence of the self in its natural condition indicated by the destruction of all its specific qualities. Any Hindu, irrespective of class, caste, age or gender can seek sannyāsa as an Ekadandi monk under the Dasanāmi tradition. The Ekadandis or Dasanāmis had established monasteries in India and Nepal in ancient times. After the decline of Buddhism, a section of the Ekadandis were organised by
Adi Shankara in the 8th century in India to be associated with four
maṭhas to provide a base for the growth of Hinduism. However, the association of the Dasanāmis with the Sankara
maṭhas remained nominal. Professor Kiyokazu Okita and Indologist
B. N. K. Sharma says, Sannyasis in the lineage of
Advaita of
Adi Shankara and the Sannyasis in the lineage of
Dvaita of
Madhvacharya are all Ēkadaṇḍis.
Kaumaram sampradaya Kaumaram is a sect of Hindus, especially found in South India and Sri Lanka where Lord
Muruga Karttikeya is the Supreme Godhead. Lord Muruga is considered superior to the Trimurti. The worshippers of Lord Muruga are called Kaumaras.
Indonesian Hinduism Hinduism dominated the island of
Java and
Sumatra until the late 16th century, when a vast majority of the population converted to
Islam. Only the
Balinese people who formed a majority on the island of
Bali, retained this form of Hinduism over the centuries. Theologically, Balinese or Indonesian Hinduism is closer to Shaivism than to other major sects of Hinduism. The adherents consider
Acintya the supreme god, and all other gods as his manifestations. The term "
Agama Hindu Dharma", the endonymous
Indonesian name for "Indonesian Hinduism" can also refer to the traditional practices in
Kalimantan,
Sumatra,
Sulawesi and other places in Indonesia, where people have started to identify and accept their
agamas as Hinduism or Hindu worship has been revived. The revival of Hinduism in Indonesia has given rise to a national organisation, the
Parisada Hindu Dharma.
Shakta sampradaya There are 2 Shakta Sampradayas, which revere
Shakti – the feminine manifestation of
Ishvara. They are as follows: • Kalikula: Prevalent in
Bengal,
Assam,
Nepal, and
Odisha. Primary deity is
Kali • Srikula: Prevalent in
Kerala,
Tamil Nadu,
Andhra,
Telangana,
Karnataka, and
Sri Lanka. Primary deity is
Lalita Devi Smarta Sampradaya Smarta Sampradaya (स्मार्त), developed around the beginning of the
Common Era, reflects a Hindu synthesis of four philosophical strands:
Mimamsa,
Advaita,
Yoga, and
theism. and it is notable for the domestic worship of five shrines with five deities, all treated as equal –
Shiva,
Vishnu,
Surya,
Ganesha, and
Shakti. The Smarta tradition contrasted with the older
Shrauta tradition, which was based on elaborate rituals and rites. There has been considerable overlap in the ideas and practices of the Smarta tradition with other significant historic movements within Hinduism, namely
Shaivism,
Vaishnavism, and
Shaktism. Even though Smarta sampradaya regards
Adi Shankara as its founder or reformer, advaita sampradaya is not a Shaiva sect, despite the historical links with Shaivism: Advaitins are non-sectarian, and they advocate worship of Shiva and Vishnu equally with that of the other deities of Hinduism, like Sakti, Ganapati and others. Shankara championed that the ultimate reality is impersonal and
Nirguna (attributeless) and that any symbolic god serves the same equivalent purpose. Inspired by this belief, the Smarta tradition followers, along with the five Hindu gods include a sixth impersonal god in their practice.
Other classic vedic sampradayas Shrautism Shrauta communities are very rare in India, the most well known being the ultra-orthodox
Nambudiri Brahmins of
Kerala. They follow the "Purva-Mimamsa" (earlier portion of Vedas) in contrast to Vedanta followed by other Brahmins. They place importance on the performance of Vedic Sacrifice (
Yajna). The Nambudiri Brahmins are famous for their preservation of the ancient
Somayaagam, Agnicayana rituals which have vanished in other parts of India.
Suryaism / Saurism The Suryaites or Sauras are followers of a Hindu denomination that started in Vedic tradition, and worship
Surya as the main visible form of the
Saguna Brahman. The Saura tradition was influential in South Asia, particularly in the west, north and other regions, with numerous Surya idols and temples built between 800 and 1000 CE. The
Konark Sun Temple was built in mid 13th century. During the iconoclasm of Islamic invasions and Hindu–Muslim wars, the temples dedicated to Sun-god were among those desecrated, images smashed and the resident priests of Saura tradition were killed, states André Wink. The Surya tradition of Hinduism declined in the 12th and 13th century CE and today remains as a very small movement except in Bihar / Jharkhand and Eastern Uttar Pradesh. Sun worship has continued to be a dominant practice in Bihar / Jharkhand and Eastern Uttar Pradesh in the form of
Chhath Puja which is considered the primary festival of importance in these regions.
Later sampradayas Ganapatism Ganapatism is a Hindu denomination in which Lord
Ganesha is worshipped as the main form of the
Saguna Brahman. This sect was widespread and influential in the past and has remained important in
Maharashtra.
Newer sampradayas The new movements that arose in the 19th to 20th century include: • New groups •
Ananda Marga •
Arya Samaj •
Ayyavazhi •
Brahma Kumaris •
Chinmaya Mission •
Divine Life Society •
Ramakrishna Mission and
Ramakrishna Math •
Ravidas Panth •
Satnampanth •
Shri Ram Chandra Mission •
Sri Aurobindo Ashram •
Sat Panth •
Dadu Panth (Part of the Sant Mat) •
Kabir Panth (Part of the
Sant Mat) •
Pranami Sampraday •
Sathya Sai sampradaya • Yoga and meditation based •
Art of Living •
Isha Foundation •
Himalayan Yoga and Philosophy •
Prarthana Samaj •
Sahaj Panth (Buddhist and Hindu) •
Sahaja Yoga •
Self-Realization Fellowship /
Yogoda Satsanga •
Swadhyay Parivar •
Transcendental Meditation • Others •
Hanuman Foundation •
Hindutva •
Inchegeri Sampradaya •
Kapadi Sampradaya •
Mahima Dharma •
Matua Mahasangha •
Nath Panth •
Ramsnehi Sampradaya •
Varkari Panth (Hindu) ==Buddhist sampradaya==