The Hindu religious traditions have attracted many popular analogies. These include ocean, banyan tree, encyclopaedia, kaleidoscopic vision, poly-paradigmatic structure, family of religious traditions, conglomeration of myths, stories and ideas and multifarious structures. But they do not exhaust pointers to fully grasp the depth and width of the nature, origin and development of India’s major Hindu religious traditions. The nature of the Hindu religious traditions and their literary presentations is collectively unique, often perplexing and sometimes stunning. With a recognition of a plethora of materials, this book claims to provide a comprehensive introduction to the Hindu traditions with their decisive moment, unique stories, sects, symbols and thought forms.