Hinduism: Meaning and Definition of

Hin•du•ism

Pronunciation: (hin'd-iz"um), [key]
— n.
  1. the common religion of India, based upon the religion of the original Aryan settlers as expounded and evolved in the Vedas, the Upanishads, the Bhagavad-Gita, etc., having an extremely diversified character with many schools of philosophy and theology, many popular cults, and a large pantheon symbolizing the many attributes of a single god. Buddhism and Jainism are outside the Hindu tradition but are regarded as related religions.
Random House Unabridged Dictionary, Copyright © 1997, by Random House, Inc., on Infoplease.
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