Hinduism
World's oldest living religion, ~1500 BCE in the Indus Valley. No single founder — a vast family of traditions united by concepts of dharma, karma, samsara, and moksha. ~1.2 billion adherents.
Sub-topics
Worship of Vishnu and his avatars (Rama, Krishna). Largest Hindu denomination. Bhakti (devotion) as the primary path to God. Includes ISKCON (Hare Krishna).
Worship of Shiva as the supreme deity. Rich philosophical tradition including Kashmir Shaivism (non-dual). Emphasizes yoga, meditation, and asceticism.
Worship of Shakti — the divine feminine, manifested as Durga, Kali, Parvati, Lakshmi. Tantric practices. Particularly strong in Bengal and Assam.
Founded by Adi Shankara (~8th century CE). Advaita Vedanta — non-dualism, all deities are manifestations of one Brahman. Worships five deities equally (Panchayatana).
The culmination of Vedic philosophy (Upanishads). Three major schools: Advaita (non-dual), Vishishtadvaita (qualified non-dual), Dvaita (dual). Most influential Hindu philosophical tradition.
One of six orthodox Hindu schools. Patanjali's Yoga Sutras (~2nd century BCE) — eight-limbed path to liberation through ethical conduct, posture, breath control, and meditation.