Hinduism is a religion that was born in the sub-continent of India, along with numerous other complex varieties of religious paths. The term is originated from a name applied by foreigners to the people living in the region of the Indus River. There are many variations of philosophies or beliefs that are incorporated to the religion of Hinduism, some of which have been lost over the years. Although there are many variations of the Hindu religion the people that practice Hinduism are extremely devoted to their beliefs and rituals. This is evident when exploring the beliefs and factors that make up the Hindu religion, the cultural and societal influences that have made Hinduism vital to the region in which it originated, and the desire for liberation from earthly existence.
Although Hinduism lacks a united belief system, there are many aspects of each philosophical system that are similar in purpose. There are an estimated 900,000,000 people that are believed to practice Hinduism and there are believed to be thousands of deities that are worshipped in India alone, however most that practice Hinduism will praise and worship one main deity, but will also acknowledge other deities as significant. Of all the deities worshipped there are three major groupings: Saktas who worship a Mother Goddess, Saivites who worship the God Siva, Vaishnavites who worship the God Vishnu. Hindus also practice spiritual disciplines designed to clear the mind and support a state of serene, detached awareness. The practices for increasing sattvic qualities are known as yoga. There are even four distinguished types of people and a particular yoga practice that are suitable for each type of person: raja yoga is for meditative people, jnana yoga is for rational people, karma yoga is for natu ...