Hinduism is the predominant and indigenous religious tradition of South Asia. Hinduism is often referred to as Sanatana Dharma (a Sanskrit phrase meaning "the eternal law") by its adherents. Generic "types" of Hinduism that attempt to accommodate a variety of complex views span folk and Vedic Hinduism to bhakti tradition, as in Vaishnavism. Hinduism also includes yogic traditions and a wide spectrum of "daily morality" based on the notion of karma and societal norms such as Hindu marriage customs.
Hinduism is formed of diverse traditions and has no single founder. Among its roots is the historical Vedic religion of Iron Age India, and as such Hinduism is often called the "oldest living religion" or the "oldest living major tradition".
Demographically, Hinduism is the world's third largest religion, after Christianity and Islam, with more than a billion adherents, of whom approximately 1 billion, live in the Republic of India. Other significant populations are found in Nepal (23 million), Bangladesh (14 million) and the Indonesian island of Bali (3.3 million).
A large body of texts is classified as Hindu, divided into Sruti ("revealed") and Smriti ("remembered") texts. These texts discuss theology, philosophy and mythology, and provide information on the practice of dharma (religious living). Among these texts, the Vedas are the foremost in authority, importance and antiquity. Other major scriptures include the Upanishads, Puranas and the epics Mahabharata and Ramayana. The Bhagavad Gita, a treatise from the Mahabharata, spoken by Krishna, is of special importance. (Wikipedia)
NOTE: My reading of certain Hindu literature, when looked at from the SVP perspective, reads more like science and not like religion. Dale Pond
"The Hindu theosophy is not a religion; it is a system of philosophy derived from the wonderful Kabbala; the teachings of which, concerning nature's Sympathetic Streams (flowing from the central sun of the universe), led Keely into the path of research which has enabled him not only to "hook his machinery on to the machinery of nature," but to disclose the moving power, the vital principle." Bloomfield-Moore; What Electricity Is - Bloomfield Moore
See Also
Brahma
Buddhism
Hindu
Kabbala
Prakriti
prana
Pranava
Prayer
Purusha - Prakriti
tantra
tao
Vedas
Vedic
Yoga