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58-640: The Pranami Sampradaya , also known as Pranami ( lit.   ' Those who bow down ' ) or Pranami Panth is a Hindu sect that worships Krishna as the Supreme God. It is based on the teachings of Mahamati Prannath and Devchandra and their holy book, the Tartam Sagar . The Praṇāmī sect belong to the Sant heritage like that of the Kabīrpanthi , Dādūpanthis , and Sikhs . The Praṇāmī sampradaya emerged in

116-557: 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. Ganapatism is a Hindu denomination in which 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 . Hinduism dominated

174-667: A geographical, cultural, and later religious identifier for people living in the Indian subcontinent . In the 18th century, European merchants and colonists began to refer to the followers of Indian religions collectively as Hindus until about mid 20th century. 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 as it

232-697: A number of important works in the bhakti tradition of Gaudiya Vaishnavism, states, "Sri Goloka is considered the ultimate destination of spiritual endeavour." The Brahma Vaivarta Purana explicitly describes Goloka Vrindavan to be about 500 million yojanas (4 billion miles) above Vaikuntha loka and expands till 30 million yojanas (240 million miles). The depiction is similar to a verse found in Brahma Samhita verse 5.43. Acharyas of Gaudiya Vaishnavaism explain it to be limitless. Both Vaikuntha and Goloka are considered to be Nitya Dhama (the eternal realm of existence) which are not prone to annihilation even after

290-404: A rather complex subject: In Hinduism , a sampradaya ( IAST sampradāya ) is a denomination. These are teaching traditions with autonomous practices and monastic centers, with a guru lineage, with ideas developed and transmitted, redefined and reviewed by each successive generation of followers. A particular guru lineage is called parampara . By receiving diksha (initiation) into

348-409: A shared context and of inclusion in a common framework and horizon". It is common to find Hindus revering Shiva, Vishnu and Shakti, and celebrating festivals related to them at different times of the year. Temples often feature more than one of them, and Hinduism is better understood as polycentric theosophy that leaves the choice of deity and ideas to the individual. The key concepts and practises of

406-401: 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. McDaniel (2007) distinguishes six generic types of Hinduism, in an attempt to accommodate a variety of views on

464-567: Is a sect of Hindus, especially found in South India and Sri Lanka where Kartikeya is worshipped as the Supreme God. The worshippers of Kartikeya are called Kaumaras. Dattatreya Sampradaya is a Hindu denomination associated with the worship of Dattatreya as the supreme god. This denomination found in Indian states like Maharashtra , Andhra Pradesh , Karnataka , Goa , Telangana , Gujarat , Madhya Pradesh , Rajasthan and Uttarakhand . Dattatreya

522-467: Is a system of puja (worship) within the Smarta sampradaya . Halbfass states that, although traditions such as Shaivism and Vaishnavism may be regarded as "self-contained religious constellations", there is a degree of interaction and reference between the "theoreticians and literary representatives" of each tradition which indicates the presence of "a wider sense of identity, a sense of coherence in

580-593: Is abandoned by the fully enlightened once they realize the identity of their own soul with that of the nirguna Brahman . A Smarta may choose any saguna deity ( istadevata ) such as Vishnu, Shiva, Shakti, Surya, Ganesha or any other, and this is viewed in Smarta Tradition as an interim step towards meditating on Om and true nature of supreme reality, thereby realizing the nirguna Brahman and its equivalence to one's own Atman, as in Advaita Vedanta . The movement

638-531: Is also mentioned in Sanskrit scriptures such as the Pancharatra texts, Garga Samhita , Brahma Samhita , Brahma Vaivarta Purana , and Devi-Bhagavata Purana . Goloka literally means "World of cows". The Sanskrit word go refers to "cow" and loka is translated as "realm." Krishna is also known as Gaulokvihari ( vihari means "a resident of") since he is a resident of Goloka and his consort Radha

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696-598: Is both the last avatār of Viṣṇu and the Mahdī and Chatrasāl is compared to ʾAlī . During his lifetime Prāṇanāth was considered to be both a Hindu sant and a Musim faqīr . The Praṇāmī corpus, like in other Bhakti movement saint traditions, an eclectic mix of vernacular languages found in central, west and north India: Hindi, Gujarati, Sindhi and Sanskrit. Until the early 20th century, Praṇāmīs were accused of being crypto-Muslims . They were and are treated suspiciously by others and were considered to be outcastes. In recent decades

754-504: Is called Radhika . A description of Goloka can be found in the Brahma Samhita , verse 5.29: I worship Govinda, the primeval Lord, the first progenitor, who is tending the cows, yielding all desires, in abodes built with spiritual gems and surrounded by millions of purpose trees. He is always served with great reverence and affection by hundreds and thousands of devotees resembling goddesses of fortune. Sanatana Goswami , an author of

812-438: Is commonly known can be subdivided into a number of major currents. 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

870-824: Is credited to Shankara , who is regarded as the greatest teacher and reformer of the Smarta. According to Hiltebeitel, Shankara established the nondualist interpretation of the Upanishads as the touchstone of a revived smarta tradition. The Sringeri Sharada Peetham in Karnataka, believed by its members to have been founded by Shankara, is still the centre of the Smarta sect for its followers. Smartas follow 4 other major Mathas namely, Kanchi Kamakoti Peetham , Puri Govardan Math , Dwaraka Sharada Peetham , and Jyotir Muth . All Mathas are headed by Sankaracharyas. The traditions are: Panchayatana puja , also known as Pancha Devi Deva Puja

928-401: Is identical with Brahman . It is also referred to as Atma Jnana which is frequently translated as self-realization . The Bhakti movement was a theistic devotional trend that originated in the seventh-century Tamil south India (now parts of Tamil Nadu and Kerala), and spread northwards. It swept over east and north India from the fifteenth-century onwards, reaching its zenith between

986-561: Is often considered as an avatara of three Hindu gods Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva, collectively known as the Trimurti . Main traditions linked with Dattatreya Sampradaya are: The Sant Mat was a group of reformer poet-sants and their adherents within Hinduism during the 14th–17th centuries who had desire for religious pluralism and non-ritualistic spirituality. Due to Kabir 's affiliation with Vaishnavite Ramanandi Sampradaya and certain aspects of

1044-459: Is shamanism, animistic religion or blend of shamanism , animism (e.g., ancestor worshiping of Yuma Sammang / Tagera Ningwaphumang and Paruhang/Sumnima), and Shaivism. The Indo-Aryan Kalash people in Pakistan traditionally practice an indigenous religion which some authors characterise as an archaic form of ancient Indo-Aryan religion. The Nuristanis of Afghanistan and Pakistan until

1102-575: Is spoken by Krishna to Arjuna: Evam bahu-vidhai rupais caramiha vasundharam brahmalokam ca kaunteya golokam ca sanatanam. "I move about in many forms on earth, in Brahmaloka , and in eternal Goloka, O Kaunteya." In the Markandeya Purana , Krishna declares, Golokam ca parityajya lokanam trana-karanat kalau gauranga-rupena lila-lavanya-vigrahah. "In the Kali-Yuga, I will leave Goloka and, to save

1160-635: Is the largest tradition of Hinduism. Vaishnavism is a devotional stream of Hinduism, which worships the god Vishnu as the Supreme Lord ( Svayam Bhagavan ). As well as Vishnu himself, followers of the denomination also worship Vishnu's ten incarnations (the Dashavatara ). The two most-worshipped incarnations of Vishnu are Krishna (especially within Krishnaism as the Supreme) and Rama, whose stories are told in

1218-441: Is used for branches with a particular founder- guru with a particular philosophy. Hinduism has no central doctrinal authority and many practising Hindus do not claim to belong to any particular denomination or tradition. Four major traditions are, however, used in scholarly studies: Vaishnavism , Shaivism , Shaktism and Smartism . These are sometimes referred to as the denominations of Hinduism, and they differ in

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1276-631: The Mahabharata and the Ramayana , respectively. The adherents of this sect are generally non-ascetic, monastic and devoted to meditative practice and ecstatic chanting. Vaishnavism is characterised by diverse adherence to a number of saints, temples, and scriptures. Among Historical Vishnuism are known the Bhagavatism , Pancharatra , and Vaikhanasa traditions. The major living Vaishnava sampradayas include: Minor and regional Vaishnavite schools and

1334-526: The Munda , Bhumij , Kharia , Baiga , Ho , Kurukh and Santal . According to local belief, a Gram deoti or village deity resides in the sarna, where sacrifice is offered twice a year. Their belief system is called "Sarnaism", "Sarna Dharma" or "Religion of the Holy Woods". The practice is also known as Kirat Veda , Kirat-Ko Veda or Kirat Ko Ved . According to some scholars, such as Tom Woodhatch, it

1392-465: The nirguna (divine without form) Absolute, the Brahman . The choice of the nature of God is up to the individual worshiper since different manifestations of God are held to be equivalent. It is nonsectarian as it encourages the worship of any personal god along with others such as Ganesha, Shiva, Shakti, Vishnu, Surya. The Smarta Tradition accepts two concepts of Brahman, which are the saguna brahman –

1450-466: The parampara of a living guru, one belongs to its proper sampradaya . There are no census data available on demographic history or trends for the traditions within Hinduism. Thus, the Shaivism and Shaktism traditions are difficult to separate, as many Shaiva Hindus revere the goddess Shakti regularly. The denominations of Hinduism, states Julius J. Lipner , are unlike those found in major religions of

1508-439: The 15th and 17th century CE. The Bhakti movement regionally developed as Hindu denominations around different gods and goddesses, such as Vaishnavism (Vishnu), Shaivism (Shiva), Shaktism (Shakti goddesses), and Smartism . The movement was inspired by many poet-saints, who championed a wide range of philosophical positions ranging from theistic dualism of Dvaita to absolute monism of Advaita Vedanta. Scriptures of

1566-666: The 17th century in Western India, based on the teachings of Bhakti saints, Devcandra Mehtā and his foremost disciple Mehrāj Ṭhākur aka Prāṇanāth. Devcandra (1581–1655) was born into a wealthy Kāyastha family in Umarkot , Sindh and was initiated into the Rādhāvallabhā sect. According to sectarian tradition, Kr̥ṣṇa visited Devcandra and gave him the tārtam mantra , which gives access to the Iīlā s of Kr̥ṣṇa. His disciple Mehrāj Ṭhākur aka Prāṇanāth

1624-581: The Bhakti movement include the Bhagavad Gita , Bhagavata Purana and Padma Purana . Goloka Goloka is often represented as the celestial realm containing flowing streams and lovely gardens, and is inhabited by cows and enchanting maidens - Gopis . Goloka is revered in various Vaishnavism traditions including Gaudiya Vaishnavism , Swaminarayan Sampradaya , Pranami Sampraday , Pushtimarg and Nimbarka Sampradaya . Besides Bhagvata Purana , Goloka

1682-460: The Brahman with attributes, and nirguna brahman – the Brahman without attributes. The nirguna Brahman is the unchanging Reality, however, the saguna Brahman is posited as a means to realizing this nirguna Brahman . In this tradition, the concept of the saguna Brahman is considered to be a useful symbolism and means for those who are still on their spiritual journey. However, the saguna concept

1740-566: The Kuljam Swaroop, is the holy book of the Pranami tradition. It is a compilation of 14 books; Raas, Prakash, Shatritu, Kalash, Sanandh, Kirantan, Khulasa, Khilwat, Parikrama, Sagar, Singaar, Sindhi Bani, Marfat Sagar, and Kayamatnama (chhota and bada), consisting of 18,758 verses. The text was published in 1965 for the first time. It is regarded to contain the revelation of the Vedic scriptures, as well as

1798-663: The Supreme Truth Shri Krishna worship tradition. At conversion initiation, Prannathji would invite the new members to dine together regardless of whether they came from any Sanatan background. He would also explain the Pranami ideas by citing Hindu and Islamic texts to make his teachings connect with the background of the converts. The Pranami Sampradaya is also known as the Nijananda Sampradaya, literally, 'nij' meaning, oneself or own and 'ananda' meaning bliss or joy. The Pranami sampradaya 's teachings tries to bridge

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1856-469: The countries like Nepal , United States , Australia , Japan , United Kingdom , United Arab Emirates and Canada among others. Hindu sect Traditional Hindu denominations , sampradayas , traditions , movements , and sects are traditions and sub-traditions within Hinduism centered on one or more gods or goddesses, such as Vishnu , Shiva , Shakti and so on. The term sampradaya

1914-517: The creed, the Sant Mat is sometimes seen as part of Vaishnavism. Among its living traditions are: The Hindu new religious movements that arose in the 19th to 20th century include: Sarna are sacred groves in the Indian religious traditions of the Chota Nagpur Plateau region in the states of Jharkhand , Bihar , Assam and Chhattisgarh . Followers of these rituals primarily belong to

1972-686: The description of the supreme abode of Krishna, called paraṃadhāma or Goloka Vrindavan . The text is regarded to be divine, and is therefore accorded equivalent worship as Krishna. The tradition is strictly vegetarian ( ahimsa , non-violence to animals), non-caste tradition dedicated to Supreme Lord whom they also call as " Rajji ". Dedicated Pranami temples exist such as in Kathiawar and Gulf of Kutch region, but followers of Pranami traditions substitute it by praying and spiritual pursuits in any nearby convenient temples. There are an estimated 5-10 million Pranamis found primarily throughout North India, particularly

2030-511: The earliest branch of Slavic Native Faith ("Rodnovery")—contemporary indigenous development of Vedic forms of religion in Russia , especially of Saint Petersburg 's communities, other Slavic countries , and generally all the post-Soviet states . The word "Vedism" comes from the verb "to know" ( vedatʼ )—a semantic root which is shared in Slavic and Sanskrit languages alike. Slavic Vedism involves

2088-653: 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 . Shrauta communities are very rare in India,

2146-584: The fierce god Bhairava . Saivists are more attracted to asceticism than devotees of other Hindu sects and may be found wandering India with ashen faces, performing self-purification rituals. They worship in the temple and practice yoga, striving to be one with Shiva within. The major schools of Shaivism include: Other branches: Shaktas worship the Mother Goddess as Shakti , in different forms. These forms may include Kali , Parvati / Durga , Lakshmi and Saraswati . The branch of Hinduism that worships

2204-547: The four major denominations of Hinduism can be compared as below: Karma, Dharma Dharmic Karma, champions householder life|| 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

2262-592: The gap between the Eastern religions and Western religions together stating that both the Eastern and Western religions talk about the same one almighty god. The Praṇāmī sect is heavily influenced by Islam, having developed in an era of Islamic rule. Prāṇanāth claimed that Hinduism and Islam both contained the same esoteric truths, and that the Quʾrān and Vedas both revealed the same truth. According to sectarian tradition, Prāṇanāth

2320-435: The goddess, known as Devi, is called Shaktism . Followers of Shaktism recognize Shakti as the supreme power of the universe. Devi is often depicted as Parvati (the consort of Shiva) or as Lakshmi (the consort of Vishnu). She is also depicted in other manifestations, such as the protective Durga or the violent Kali . Shaktism is closely related with Tantric Hinduism, which teaches rituals and practices for purification of

2378-535: 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 ",

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2436-439: The late 19th century had followed a religion which was described as a form of ancient Hinduism. The contemporary Sant Mat is a 19th-century origin movement. Scholars are divided as to whether to call Radha Soami a 1) Sikh -derived or 2) Hindu–Sikh-synthesed or 3) independent version of the medieval Sant Mat as new universal religion. Slavic, Russian, Peterburgian Vedism or simply Vedism are terms used to describe one of

2494-527: The mind and body. Animal sacrifice of cockerels, goats and to a lesser extent water buffaloes is practiced by Shakta devotees, mainly at temples of goddesses such as Bhavani or Kali. The main traditions are: The Goddess-centric traditions within Kashmir Shaivism are Trika and Kubjika . Smartas treat all deities as the same, and their temples include five deities (Pancopasana) or Panchadevata as personal saguna (divine with form) manifestation of

2552-422: 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. Kaumaram

2610-416: The people of the world, I will become the handsome and playful Lord Gauranga." According to Jiva Goswami , Goloka, also called Vrindavan , is the highest spiritual planet and can be further manifested into three abodes, called Mathura , Dvārakā and Gokul , according to the difference in the pastimes and associates of Krishna. Based on Rupa Goswami's Laghubhagavatamrita , Jiva Goswami asserts that Goloka

2668-420: The primary deity at the centre of each tradition. A notable feature of Hindu denominations is that they do not deny other concepts of the divine or deity, and often celebrate the other as henotheistic equivalent. The denominations of Hinduism, states Lipner , are unlike those found in major religions of the world, because Hindu denominations are fuzzy with individuals practising more than one, and he suggests

2726-475: The principal acharyas connected with them are: Shaivas or Shaivites are those who primarily worship Shiva as the supreme god, both immanent and transcendent . Shaivism embraces at the same time monism (specifically nondualism ) and dualism . To Shaivites, Shiva is both with and without form; he is the Supreme Dancer, Nataraja ; and is linga , without beginning or end. Shiva is sometimes depicted as

2784-504: The relative number of adherents in the different traditions of Hinduism. According to a 2010 estimate by Johnson and Grim, the Vaishnavism tradition is the largest group with about 641 million or 67.6% of Hindus, followed by Shaivism with 252 million or 26.6%, Shaktism with 30 million or 3.2% and other traditions including Neo-Hinduism and Reform Hinduism with 25 million or 2.6%. In contrast, according to Jones and Ryan, Shaivism

2842-404: The sect has gone through Hinduization/Vaishnavization with older Islamic elements being discarded. Among other notables – Mahatma Gandhi 's mother, Putlibai , belonged to Pranami sect. Gandhi in his book My Experiments With Truth mentions about this sect - "Pranami is a sect deriving the best of Gita and Quran, in search of one goal – Shri Krishna." The Tartam Sagar, also referred to as

2900-595: The states of Gujarat, Rajasthan , Punjab , Madhya Pradesh , Haryana , Uttar Pradesh , West Bengal ( Darjeeling , Kalimpong and Sikkim ), and Assam , as well as the eastern half of Nepal . Nijanand Sampraday followers though a minority sect of an offshoot Hinduism can be found in States of Gujarat , Rajasthan , New Delhi , Uttar Pradesh , Madhya Pradesh , Punjab , Haryana , Assam , West Bengal , Sikkim in India chiefly. The followers of Shree Krishna Pranami Faith are spread worldwide in recent times including

2958-494: The term "Hindu polycentrism". Although Hinduism contains many denominations and philosophies, it is linked by shared concepts, recognisable rituals, cosmology , shared textual resources , pilgrimage to sacred sites and the questioning of authority . The word Hindu is an exonym . This word Hindu is derived from the Indo-Aryan and Sanskrit word Sindhu , which means "a large body of water", covering "river, ocean". It

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3016-462: The whole cosmic dissolution. Krishna in his two-armed form eternally resides in the realm of Goloka and in his four-armed form, as Vishnu he eternally resides in the realm of Vaikuntha loka. Mention of Goloka is also found in other Puranas , such as Skanda Purana and Markandeya Purana . In Brihad-bhagavatamrita , Sanatana Goswami explains that this verse is quoted from the Skanda Purana and

3074-476: The world, because Hindu denominations are fuzzy with individuals revering gods and goddesses polycentrically , with many Shaiva and Vaishnava adherents recognizing Sri (Lakshmi), Parvati, Saraswati and other aspects of the goddess Devi. Similarly, Shakta Hindus revere Shiva and goddesses such as Parvati (such as Durga, Radha, Sita and others) and Saraswati important in Shaiva and Vaishnava traditions. Estimates vary on

3132-541: The worship of Vedic gods, characterised by its use of indigenous Slavic rituals and Slavic names for the deities, distinguishing from other groups which have maintained a stronger bond with modern Hinduism, although Krishnaite groups often identify themselves as "Vedic" too. Also some syncretic groups within Slavic Native Faith (Slavic Neopaganism) use the term "Vedism". Jñāna is a Sanskrit word that means knowledge . In Vedas it means true knowledge, that ( atman )

3190-484: Was awarded the title of mahāmati . In Jamnagar he was arrested several times for allegedly embezzling public funds. The traditions grew after Mughal Empire declined, in the wake of Aurangzeb 's religious persecution of non-Muslims, when Hindu rebellion led to new kingdoms. King Chatrasāl of Bundelkhand patronized Prāṇanāth, and he lived in its capital Panna for the rest of his life until his death in 1694. The Pranami tradition welcomed all castes and religions to join

3248-719: Was born into a Ṭhākur family in Jamnagar , Saurashtra. Prāṇanāth worked as a government official in Saurashtra, and travelled through Arabia, Persia, and Iraq studying the Quʾrān , Bible , and other Islamic-Christian texts. In India he founded the Mahāmaṅgalapurī Temple in Surat. In the 1677 Kumbhamelā in Haridvār , he won a religious debate in which he defeated Vaiṣṇava and Śaiva followers, and

3306-461: Was built in the 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

3364-506: Was used as the name of the Indus River and also referred to its tributaries. The actual term 'Hindu' first occurs, states Gavin Flood, as "a Persian geographical term for the people who lived beyond the river Indus (Sanskrit: Sindhu )". Hindus are persons who regard themselves as culturally, ethnically, or religiously adhering to aspects of Hinduism . Historically, the term has also been used as

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