Unity in Hindu Sampradayats/Denominations

Hinduism has a number of sampradayas, or what is known as 'traditions', 'spiritual lineages', 'denominations' or ‘religious systems’, whose philosophies, approaches to emancipation, methods of worship, spiritual practices may differ from one another, although they draw their authority from the Vedas, the bedrock of Hinduism. The denominations are linked by shared concepts, recognisable rituals, cosmology, shared textual resources, pilgrimage to sacred sites and the questioning of authority. They are centered on one or more gods or goddesses, such as Shiva, Shakti, Vishnu, and Brahma. A notable feature of these denominations is that they do not deny other concepts of the divine or deity, and often celebrate the other as henotheistic equivalent.

The following are the principal denominations by Hinduism is known:

1. Vaishnava Sampradaya, which in itself has four sub-traditions, whose teachings and philosophies further ramify;

2. Shaivite Sampradaya, which like the former, has four sub-classes, which in themselves have subtle differences among themselves.

3. Dashanami Sampradaya,

4. Advaita Vedanta Sampradaya,

5. Shakta Sampradaya, and

6. Smarta Sampradaya.

Kamal Haasan and Zakir Naik

Exploiting their seeming differences and the Hindus' ignorance of their religions, miscreants and demoniacal humans like Zakir Naik and certain other envious atheists like Kamal Haasan, and notorious louts and heretics in Tamil Nadu, often drive a wedge between Hindus, attempting to smear the religions in many ways.

In the following satsang, Sri Velukkudi Krishnan swami, a Vaishnavite, has given an exemplary explanation of the importance of the existence of the sampradayats, and showing how they neatly dovetail with one another expressing the gestalt of an organically whole conceived by the ancient rishies.