Hinduism is not a single bodied entity; rather, it is comprised of many, heterogeneous individuals, each of whom possess their own outlook towards their faith. We can categorise Hinduism into four distinct major sects, namely Vaishnavism (followers of Lord Vishnu), Shaivism (followers of Lord Shiva), Shaktism (followers of the Goddess Shakti), and Smartism (followers of Brahman). This is not to say that each and every Hindu belief falls under these categories; rather, these four encompass the majority of traditional Hindu followers. Other sects such as Arya Samaj, for example, have similar doctrines but differ in their own ways.
This in turn leads us to question the basic philosophies upon which Hinduism is based. Nine major schools of thought have been identified, six of them labeled "Astika" and the other three "Nastika". It must be noted that there exists no such one to one correspondence between sects and schools of thought. More often than not, many different philosophies can be applied to individual sects and individuals. By definition, the Astikaschools hold stock in the Vedas as the ultimate scriptures while the Nastika three do not. The three Nastika schools include Buddhism, Jainism, and Charvaka. Classified as separate religions by many, this begs the question:
How does one draw the line between Hinduism and other faiths? Perhaps with belief in the Vedas as the ultimate scriptures?
If there are so many varieties of Hindu beliefs, what does it truly mean to be Hindu?
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