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-old branch reformed by Adi Sanakara
-he wanted to unify  all Hindu faiths
-he unified worship by popularizing smarta five deity alter and allowed people to choose the deity they wanted to worship
-smartism is sometimes know as the "liberal" sect
https://www.himalayanacademy.com/readlearn/basics/four-sects

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https://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/shaivism
https://www.britannica.com/topic/Shaivism
https://www.lakshmanjooacademy.org/kashmir-shaivism/practice/
https://www.encyclopedia.com/religion/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-maps/hinduism-shaivism#:~:text=HOLIDAYS%20AND%20FESTIVALS,that%20overlaps%20February%20and%20March.
https://www.nityanandashaktipatyoga.org/shaivism/

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https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Shaktism#:~:text=Shaktism%20as%20we%20know%20it,to%20expand%20and%20develop%20thereafter.
https://www.history.com/topics/religion/hinduism
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hindu_denominations
https://worldreliefdurham.org/sites/default/files/Hinduism.pdf
https://www.himalayanacademy.com/readlearn/basics/four-sects
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ambubachi_Mela
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chithirai_festival
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shaktism#:~:text=Lakshmi's%20biggest%20festival%2C%20however%2C%20is,and%20in%20Nepal%20as%20Tihar.
https://libguides.webster.edu/holidays/hinduism
http://www.vishwayoga.com/post/2015/07/23/left-hand-vs-right-hand-path-of-tantra
https://www.himalayanacademy.com/media/books/hindu-basics/web/hin_ch07.html#para-29
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moksha#:~:text=In%20Hindu%20traditions%2C%20moksha%20is,%2C%20sensuality%2C%20emotional%20fulfillment).
https://www.shakti-rituals.com/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ue5Ku1O2tME
https://www.eastern-spirituality.com/glossary/spirituality-terms/s-definitions/shaktism
https://www.britannica.com/topic/Shaktism
https://www.britannica.com/topic/sampradaya
https://www.gotquestions.org/Shaktism.html

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Many of the sacred texts included excerpts that described Devi as "the Mother, the Father, and the Son" (Rigveda, I.89.10, cited in Bhattacharyya(a), p. 36). Devi was also often described as all encompassing and omnipotent. As a result, the ideas of Shaktism began to spread of the goddess Devi being all powerful.

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All 4 sects have some sort of divine being/supreme god

most of these sects say that these gods have reincarnations, avatars, and other forms

In all 4 sects, the supreme divine being is portrayed as compassionate and loving as long as they are worshiped

All 4 require some form of self-purifying (typically yoga and meditation in most of these sects) and devotion (known as bakhti) as a path to moksha

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Shaktism celebrates the major Hindu tradition of Lakshmi Puja during the autumn harvest

The biggest of the Lakshmi Puja celebrations is Diwali

They also celebrate the Jagaddhatri Puja to celebrate the female side of the divine

This is also the celebration of Shakti, so it is a major event in Shaktism

2 celebrations that are specific to Shaktism and are emphasized in this sect more than in the others are the Chithirai Festival, which celebrates the marriage of Shakti's avatar and Shiva's avatar, and the Ambubachi Mela.

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In Shaktism, the path to moksha is by purifying oneself and connecting with divine energy through yoga, meditation, and through worshiping Devi

There is a "left-handed" way and a "right-handed" way

The "right-handed" way is more conventional, and focuses more on worshiping, purity, and meditation

Aims for peace and devotion

Has a teacher and a student, and is progressive (starts slow)

The "left-handed" way, which is less conventional, and focuses on using any means to attain moksha

no distinction between pure and unpure

includes ritual of panchamakara (meat, fish, wine, etc.)

sometimes people participate in rituals to try to attain divine power

also focuses on attaining happiness and pleasure

tries to speed up process of moksha

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Shaktism has many practices and rituals that focus on purifying one's body and mind

They use methods such as chants, magic, and yoga

Follows many tantric practices such as tantric yoga and meditation

Tantra means to weave, so tantric practices are practices in which the goal is to connect your energy with spiritual and divine energy

Also includes concept of bhakti, or worshiping the supreme deity, in this case, Devi

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One main feature of Shaktism is their worship of female goddesses, and they are known for their belief that the supreme god is female

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Tradition specific celebrations or holidays

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Tradition specific celebrations or holidays

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The main holy day of the Shaivite calendar is the "Great Night of Shiva", also know as Maha Shivaratri. It takes places on the 14th night of the new moon during the dark of Phalgun. Phalgun is a month that overlaps the months February and March in the Hindu Calendar. This day marks the day where Shiva manifested himself as a linga.

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Tradition specific celebrations or holidays

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Tradition specific celebrations or holidays

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Aside from following the common holidays of Hinduism such as Diwali, they celebrate Krishna Ashtami on a different day from other sects, as they typically celebrate on an earlier date due to them following the Smarta Sampradaya.
https://www.mpanchang.com/festivals/janmashtami-smarta/

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In Sahivism, one must meditate to participate. Along with this meditation comes the spiritual attainment of allowing one to indulge in the sacred spaces, beyond their mind and senses.

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A really huge part of Shaivism is meditation which is one of the largest practices. A brief explanation of something so important is you get in the posture of being completely still, begin to breathe, this can be called asana. This follows along with the steps of madhyama-pranan, pranayama, Ajapa-gayatri, cakrodaya, then the entrance into a peaceful state which is pratyahara, then the initiation into the state of bliss which is vedha-diksha.

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-Moksha is achieved through jnana yoga alone
-jnana yoga stages(in order) are shravana(scripture study), manana(reflection), dhyana(sustained meditation)
-three paths people can choose from: bhakti yoga, karma yoga, and raja yoga

https://www.himalayanacademy.com/media/books/hindu-basics/web/hin_ch07.html

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One of the main goals of the belief is for the soul to get rid of its bonds and gain the nature of Shiva, which is shivatva. To reach this goal one must partake in charya (external worship), kriya (intimate service to God), meditation, and jnana (knowledge).

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-study of consciousness: determining state of consciousness
-there are 4 states of consciousness and faculties
-these include the three bodies of Jiva: waking, dreaming and sleeping states in which you still perceive the world
-the fourth state is eternal and absolute

-doing yoga

http://www.hindupedia.com/en/Spiritual_Traditions

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The main deity is Shiva, who is one of the principal gods in Hindu religion. He is the third, and most powerful god of the Hindu triumvirate. His role is to destroy the world in order to recreate it. His powers are believed to destroy the illusions and imperfections of the world, leading to change for the better.

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-tend to hold onto the traditional values of Hinduism
https://www.britannica.com/topic/Smarta-sect

-main writings are Vedanta Sutra, Upanishads and shariraka bhasya
-all deities are considered equal
https://iskconeducationalservices.org/HoH/tradition/movements-and-leaders/the-smarta-tradition/

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Tradition specific celebrations or holidays

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Tradition specific celebrations or holidays

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Like most other Hindus, they practiced the Festival of Lights, on the new moon or the day before that comes between 15 October -15 November.

Some participate in Pongal, which is the celebratation of harvest and thanksgiving.

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Vaishnavism says that God should be kept in mind completely and all the time to achieve dharma and moksha, so Much so that they feel without god they could not live. This sets them on the path of liberation

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One spiritual practice is marking their foreheads with Tilaka , either as a daily ritual, or on special occasions. It’s general pattern is usually a U type of shape or 2(+) connected vertical lines on and another optional line on the nose that resembles the letter Y. Sometimes it changes Shape or structure depending on gender or lineage.

There is also the initiation, or Diksha, given to by a guru who trained, understanding Vaishnava particles. The practice is to have the initiate accept Vishnu as the supreme one. The guru then reads off a mantra, which the initiate will repeats out lounge or in their head an act of worship to Vishnu or one of his avatars. The practice of the next repetitive prayers are known as Japa.

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The focus of belief in Vaishnavism is the identification of Vishnu or Narayana as the one supreme God. This belief contrasts with the Krishna-centred traditions, where Krishna is the supreme God.

The belief in Vishnu being the supreme god was based upon the avatar as, incarnations, of Vishnu listed in the Puranic texts. This different from other Hindu deities. The other Hindu deities are instead classified as demi-gods, or devas.

Vaishnava teachings are also distinguished by the Gods is that he “is a real person and his variegated creation is also real”.

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-Shiva is highly respected but they mainly  worship Vishnu, Shakti, Surya and Ganesha
-other gods and deities can be worshipped
https://www.britannica.com/topic/Smarta-sect

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Vishnu is seen/considered as the supreme lord in Vaishnavism. Other deities that are worshiped are Krishna, Radha Krishna, and Dashavatara.

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The main deity is Devi, who is the "supreme god" in Shaktism, and is often referred to as the "Mother Goddess"

Devi means goddess

Devi is also known as Shakti, who represents divine energy and power

Although Shakti is sometimes referred to as a divine energy and not a deity, most people portray her as the feminine goddess

Shaktism focuses on female deities due to Devi's feminine qualities as the "mother goddess," and the deities that are most commonly worshiped in this sect are one of Shakti's various forms.

The texts of this sect draw parallels to the traditional Hindu beliefs in the fact that the 3 main deities are similar to Brahman, Vishnu, and Siva with Saraswati (goddess of learning) being complimentary to Brahman, Lakshmi (goddess of wealth) being complimentary to Vishnu, and Parvati/Kali (goddess of love/destruction) being complimentary to Shiva.