Hinduism /

Hinduism is the predominant and indigenous religious tradition of the Indian Subcontinent. Hinduism is often referred to as Sanātana 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 religion". However much of what we call 'Hinduism' such as the primacy of the gods Shiva or Vishnu, the ideals of Advaita Vedanta, the Bhagavad Gita, various tantra denominations, samsara, moksha and so on developed after (in many cases significantly after) approximately 500 BCE. A large body of texts is classified as Hindu, divided into Śruti ("revealed") and Smriti ("remembered") texts.