Hinduism is a complex mixture of sublime Vedic philosophies, dogmatic Brahmanical rituals, Yogic mysticism, Tantrik occultism, fertility cults, monastic orders, pagan customs and the belief in one God who manifests as innumerable divine beings.
The oldest text known to Hinduism is the Rig Veda that reached its final form around 1500 BC. For at least 2000 years before that, a great urban civilization existed in North-West India on the banks of the Indus and its tributaries. The sacred motifs of this mysterious civilization – like the bull, the serpent and the swastika – are still part of Hindu worship.
There are many contradictions within Hinduism because Hinduism has tried to assimilate every belief it has come in contact with. Hinduism acknowledges that the Ultimate Truth manifests itself in infinite ways, and the human mind cannot fathom it all.
