The answer -
Brahmanism is the religion of the Vedic period. Also known as Vedism or
Vedic Brahmanism is the historical predecessor of Hinduism.
Its liturgy is reflected in the Mantra portion of the four Vedas, which
are compiled in Sanskrit. The religious practices centered on a clergy
administering rites that often involved sacrifices. This mode of worship
is largely unchanged today within Hinduism; however, only a small
fraction of conservative Shrautins continue the tradition of oral
recitation of hymns learned solely through the oral tradition.
Elements of Vedic religion reach back into Proto-Indo-European times.
The Vedic period is held to have ended around 500 BC, Vedic religion
gradually metamorphosizing into the various schools of Hinduism, which
further evolved into Puranic Hinduism. Vedic religion also influenced
Buddhism and Jainism.
Vedic religion was gradually formalized
and concluded into Vedanta, which is the primary institution of
Hinduism. Vedanta considers itself the 'essence' of the Vedas. The Vedic
pantheon was interpreted by a unitary view of the universe with Brahman
seen as immanent and transcendent, since the Middle Upanishads also in
personal forms of the deity as Ishvara, Bhagavan, or Paramatma. There
are also conservative schools which continue portions of the historical
Vedic religion largely unchanged until today.
During the
formative centuries of Vedanta, traditions that opposed Vedanta and
which supported the same, emerged. These were the nastika and astika
respectively.
Hinduism is an umbrella term for astika traditions in India.
- Puranas, Sanskrit epics
- the classical schools of Hindu philosophy, of which only Vedanta is extant.
- Shaivism
- Vaishnavism
- Bhakti
- Shrauta traditions, maintaining much of the original form of the Vedic religion.
Vedic
Brahmanism of Iron Age India co-existed and closely interacted with the
non-Vedic (nastika) Shramana traditions. These were not direct
outgrowths of Vedism, but separate movements influenced by Brahmanical
traditions.
