Challenges and Survival of Hinduism

Hinduism argued that these customs were later accretions and should be cast out for not belonging to true or revealed Hinduism. They used hermeneutical tactics to suggest that these customs were not to be practiced in the Kali Yuga, the present age. They also suggested that norms of behavior (dharma) should be established by the good people (sadhus).

Western criticism was a severe challenge for Hinduism, as it came at a moment of extreme social rigidity, political and economic decay, and colonial demoralization.

Hinduism has been able to survive throughout its long history by borrowing, integrating, and refining alternative views. Exegetical and dialectical agility have also been used to foster change.