Around the first century CE numerous new and revitalised strands of Hindu religious and philosophical thought emerged from the post-Brahminical synthesis. This included the development of one of the major Hindu denominations: Smartism. Based on a fusion of Brahminical orthodoxy and the monism of early Vedanta, Smartism doesn’t elevate any single god as the supreme deity but sees them all as merely saguna Brahman – Brahman with attributes. The ultimate truth is instead nirguna Brahman – the unnatured Brahman that exists beyond the popular divine.
