Hindu Philosophy gives a clear understanding to the questions of cycle of life and death, the nature of Soul, the Universe and its creator and reasons for joy and sufferings, happiness and sorrow, health and disease and the ultimate understanding of man's relationship with God. It also explains his duties during this birth as well as about his past and his future. It investigates and inquires the Truth and allows us to think and reason in our search for a solution. Even though the Agamas and Vedas appear to be professing different doctrines, they both are written on the same philosophy but for different population group.

The Agamas give us the Theological aspect of our practice with prayers to God in various manifestations. The Vedas give us all the rituals and also the philosophy of our religious practice. All of them are based on the principle that the Soul is a part of the Divine spirit and is covered by the sheaths of "Upathis" as an effect of ones Karma. It goes through endless rebirth according to ones Karma to purify itself. Every one should follow his Dharma and perform their duties or Karma without attachment, as an offering to God to receive eternal salvation and liberation as Moksha.

The basic principles of the philosophy are essentially presented in a very elaborate manner in the Upanishad portions of the Vedas. It is further explained through the six Dharsanas and subsequent Bhashyas written on them by many great Acharyas who have helped to preserve this treasure for all ages. The system of Vedantha by Vyasa Maharishi is widely followed as the Hindu Philosophy in modern times. A study of the other five Dharsanas is also essential to understand Vedantha philosophy fully. Various theories of Adhvaitha, Visishta-adhvaitha and Dhvaitha schools explain the philosophy very well. Religion, for Hindus, is experience and full realization of the Divine Spirit in one's heart and not the mere acceptance of certain time-honored dogmas or creeds, reading of scriptures or performing certain rituals or prayers. The rituals were only the means to reach and understand the faith. The one who has fully realized the Divine needs to perform no rituals.

The basic thought of Hinduism, both in the Vedic teachings and Agamic practice, is the belief that there is One formless God or Nirguna Brahmam. According to Vedantha, Adhvaitha and Smartha Sampradaya, He manifests through His Yoga Maya as the Saguna Brahmam in the material Universe created by Him and He takes the various forms for our understanding. We are created as a part of His Divine spirit which goes through endless cycles of rebirth until it is purified to be liberated, to be united with the Divine, by performing its various Karma according to each one's Dharma. Explanations of other schools of philosophy, such as Sankhya, Poorva Mimamsa, Dhvaitham, the Bhakthi schools, and followers of Agama forms of worship are slightly different. These will be explained later. Sankhya and Mimamsa are based on the practice of Karma and Rituals as the basic approach without an important role for a God. The Bhakthi schools support the theories of devotion and surrender to God and that all individual souls are different from the Divine Reality and do not attain equality with God but only serve Him to reach His abode as ultimate liberation from the cycle of Samsara, of birth, death and reincarnation.

Every Hindu believes in Dharma, which are a set of divine rules for every one to follow and live by these rules as established by the Vedas. These laws existed even before the creation of this universe, very much like the earth's gravity, and like all the movements of the planets and stars and the properties of all matters existed before the scientists 'invented' and discovered them. The duties a person needs to perform to the society due to his birth, his Guna, Ashrama and Varna is called "Swadharma". Every Hindu believes in Karma, or Deeds and Action as prescribed by the Divine, for each individual and their effects on the Soul of each one. The Karma of activity of a person in this birth as well as his previous births and also the effects of his ancestors have an effect on the Soul in this birth and in future births; their own life and their children and also on the ultimate liberation of the Soul. All persons by their birth, are created to perform certain Karma that they are expected to complete as their duty, before Liberation. Every Hindu believes that they should perform these Karma without looking for its effects and "fruits" of these actions. They should perform the actions and duty as an offering to God. This is called Karma Yoga.

Every Hindu believes in One God, and its many forms and manifestations. Every Hindu believes in Reincarnation of the Soul who is born in this world again and again, to purify it self. They believe in the indestructibility of the Soul of the individual (Jeevatma); in reincarnation and In rebirth. They believe that the Soul is clothed by the layers of 'Upadhis' and attachment. They believe in the Soul traveling in an endless cycle of birth and death going between our world, Ancestral World and the world of celestial beings or Heaven (Devaloka). Their aim and purpose are to perform certain Karma and live according to the Swadharma so that they can attain liberation and 'Moksha'. Every Hindu believes that the ultimate aim of the Jeevatma is to get liberated from this cycle of rebirth, towards a union with God, the Great Soul (Paramatma) of which each individual Soul (Jeevatma) is a part.