Overview / Roadmap of Hinduism
| Harappan Civilization | Vedic Religion | Hinduism | ||||||
| approx. dates |
ca. 2500 - 1800 BCE |
ca. 1500 BCE onward | ca. - 900 BCE | ca. - 700 BCE | ca. - 300 BCE | ca.- 500 BCE onwards | ca.500 -100 BCE | ca 300 - 900 CE |
| Scripture | ? | Vedas (shruti) | Epics (smriti) | Sutras
|
Puranas
| |||
| ? | Samhitas | Brahmanas | Aranyakas | Upanishads | ||||
| Emphasis | ? | Gods / worlds / humans | Question of "Self" | God / theism | duty | mythology | ||
| Practice | ? | Sacrifice / yajna | asceticism / tapas | devotion / bhakti | duty, meditation,philosophy | |||
| The "Way" | ? | Karma marga | jnana marga | bhakti marga | (raja-) yoga, dharma | |||
| The "aim" | ? | artha / kama /
dharma;
poss: svarga / heaven |
moksha / liberation | |||||
| Time | ? | Linearity | Circularity
Samsara |