Hinduism

Hinduism is the world’s oldest surviving and third-largest religion. Hinduism as an agglomeration of various religious texts and castes (a system of division of labor) began 5,000 years ago with [Page 866]the migration of Aryans into the South Asian subcontinent. The classic texts include the Vedas, including the Rig, Sama, Yajur, and Atharva; the Upanishads; the Smrutis; the epics Ramayana and Mahabharata (of which the Bhagavad Gita is a part); the Puranas and Tantras; and the six schools of Darsanas (philosophy). All these texts are written in the Sanskrit language. The castes, or Varnas, in order of superiority, are the Brahmins, or the priestly caste; the Kshatriyas, or the warriors and kings; the Vaishyas, or the business caste; and the Sudras, or the servant caste. ...