introduction
A Guide to Hinduism, BAPS, and Our Global Satsang Community
LEARN is our introductory guide to Hinduism, the Swaminarayan tradition, and BAPS Swaminarayan Sanstha — its beliefs, its mandirs, its people, and its work in the world. Wherever your curiosity begins, this is a good place to start.
What is Hinduism?
Hinduism is one of the world's oldest living spiritual traditions — a holistic way of life, followed by more than a billion people, in which belief and conduct are woven seamlessly together. Where would you begin to describe it? There is no single founder to point to. No single book that holds it all. No single ritual that every Hindu performs.
Hindus share a great deal in common, and yet they differ — in philosophy, in practice, in the forms of their devotion. That diversity is the tradition's nature, not its flaw. Hinduism is a living mosaic of philosophies, rituals, and ways of life, guiding its followers toward inner peace and righteous living.