Ancient India was influenced by three major religions that developed in the Indian subcontinent. Hinduism is the oldest of the three and is considered the oldest living major religion in the world. The other two major religions were Jainism and Buddhism, established around the same time. Each of these three religions had something to offer the people of India. These religions also have concepts that are similar while having major differences. Each of these religions developed a way of life that has survived through the centuries until today. Hinduism was officially known as the ancient Brahmanical religion or Brahmanism. Brahmanism has no single founder, but its origins date back to the late Neolithic, early Harappan period (5,500-2,600 BCE) (Nikhilananda, pp 3-8). Modern Hinduism grew out of the Vedas which are the fundamental scriptures of the religion and describe the dharma (McKay, pp 41-42). Other central tenets of the religion also described in the Vedas are karma, samsara, and ultimately moksha, which is the goal of Hinduism. Dharma, natural or moral law, is what structures the daily duties and obligations of a person in his or her respective varna or class. Dharma is affected by a person's age, caste, class, occupation and gender. This allows dharma to be the regulating moral principle of the universe. The next principle of Hinduism is karma. Karma is the causation of the choices and actions a person has made in their life, whether physical or mental. Karma was essentially an account of all the good and bad deeds performed by an individual that would determine their status in the next life (McKay, p. 36). This status would result from a person's rebirth, which was part of the next principle known as samsara. Samsara was seen...... middle of paper ...... of Brahmanism in order to maintain a status quo in the power structure by supporting the caste system. Buddhism had no such caste system and was not based on supporting this idea, but rather on allowing everyone to achieve nirvana because everyone was equal to begin with. Overall, religions cause people to strive to be more than they were. Indian religions do an incredible job of laying the foundation for this, of living and contributing to the good of those around you. This is, in my opinion, an excellent idea. Seeing that the central ideas are about being better people and not just a person with a list of strict rules is almost seemingly liberating. This obviously doesn't suit everyone since we have many other religions, but it has worked favorably for India for centuries and it looks like it will continue for centuries to come.