All Hindus believe in final emancipation (moksha) but disagree about the path (marga) to moksha. The Bhagavad Gita presents three paths to salvation. The primary principle of each path is the same: is not actions by themselves that produce karma and thus attachment but the desire for results. The three ways to salvation are (1) the karma-marga (the path of duty) or the dispassionate discharge of ritual and social obligations; (2) the jnana-marga (the path of knowledge) which is the use of meditation with concentration preceded by a long and systematic ethical and contemplative training through yoga to gain insight into one’s identity with brahman and (3) the bhakti-marga (the path of devotion), adherence to a personal god. Different kinds of people find one of these three suitable to their karma.
Only a few Hindus such as monks or those dedicated to the service of god seek moksha. But it is the goal that is relevant to all Hindus. Hierarchical values and social institutions are determined by moksha, as are religious doctrines and practices. The root purpose of Indian philosophy is to understand what one must do and attain through direct experience in order to escape from samsara (bondage) and become spiritually emancipated.
Every day a Hindu conforms to social and ritual duties according to the traditional rules of conduct as per caste, family and profession. These constitute an individual’s dharma (law and duties), of one’s fundamental balance in the cosmos, nature, and society. Sanatana (traditional) dharma — the Hindu term to denote their religion — is how the Indian does his religious practices.
This traditional dharma applies theoretically to all Hindus. The mores of the old days, when ideal caste existed according to one’s profession, each caste had particular dharmas assigned to it. Brahmans were priests, Kshatriyas were warriors and kings, Vaisyas were traders and commoners and the Sudras were those in service. These four categories are further subdivided into hundreds of castes (jatis) that are appropriate to each dharma. So Hinduism is traditionally understood as a way of life and thought steeped in heritage. This has been perverted due to foreign rule over the centuries, but in practice, it advises the right way to apply the methods that will ensure both physical and spiritual welfare, both in this life and the afterlife.