Smarta tradition (mainstream)
Mainstream Hindu tradition synthesising worship of five deities (Vishnu, Shiva, Devi, Surya, Ganesha) under Advaita Vedanta theology. Adi Shankara lineage.
CLCI radar
BITE breakdown
+1 minor; net very low.
Profile facts
In context
Smarta tradition follows Adi Shankara's 8th-century pancayatana puja synthesis. Substantial monastic Sankara mathas (Sringeri, Dwarka, Puri, Jyotirmath). Mainstream low-control voluntary tradition.
Recovery resources
- ICSA (International Cultic Studies Association) — General referral and cult-aware therapist directory.
- INFORM (Information Network on Religious Movements) — LSE-founded UK research-based information service covering new religious movements.
- Freedom of Mind Resource Center — Steven Hassan's organisation; BITE-model resources and family-side exit guidance.
See the full curated list at /resources.
This profile is in progress — history, deeper BITE evidence and survivor voices are still being added. Contributions welcome via GitHub.
Timeline
- 8th c.Adi Shankara systematises pancayatana puja
Evidence matrix
Structured sources cross-linked to the claims they document. Tiered per the source hierarchy. For free-text citations see the Sources section below.
| Title | Type | Reliability | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Heirarchies in the Nature of God? Questioning The "Saguna-Nirguna" Distinction in Advaita Vedanta — Journal of Hindu-Christian Studies (2001) | Academic | Secondary | — |
| From 'Brahmanism' to 'Hinduism': Negotiating the Myth of the Great Tradition — Social Scientist (2001) | Academic | Secondary | — |
| Smarta sect | Hinduism · archive | Organisation | Tertiary | — |
Sources
- Karl Werner academic work search ↗
- Heirarchies in the Nature of God? Questioning The "Saguna-Nirguna" Distinction in Advaita Vedanta — Journal of Hindu-Christian Studies (2001) — https://doi.org/10.7825%2F2164-6279.1250 open ↗
- From 'Brahmanism' to 'Hinduism': Negotiating the Myth of the Great Tradition — Social Scientist (2001) — https://doi.org/10.2307%2F3518337 open ↗
- Smarta sect | Hinduism — https://www.britannica.com/topic/Smarta-sect open ↗
We cite sources by name and outlet rather than fabricating links. Where a source includes its own URL, the open ↗ link opens it directly; otherwise search ↗ runs a Google Scholar query for the cited title — useful for verifying academic sources. For news outlets, search the outlet's own archive.
Change history
Substantive edits logged per the score-updates policy.
- 2026-05-29Phase 1 Batch J: per-group recovery resources applied via programmatic palette (closest-fit by category + subCategory + score). Palette: Mainstream-comparator lighter.
- 2026-05-20Source-density flags derived from existing free-text sources[]: academic sources. Heuristic auto-flag; subsequent editorial pass will populate structuredSources[] with reliability tiers.
- 2026-05-20Score band scheme migrated from 4 bands to 5 (Minimal 0–5 / Low 6–12 / Moderate 13–20 / High 21–30 / Extreme 31–40). No CLCI value changed; the new Minimal band was carved out of the bottom of the previous Low band.
Relevant hubs
Curated entry points on CLCI Hub for situations connected to this group.
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