What is Hinduism?

If you search Hinduism, there are millions of different definitions and descriptions that are available. From the mysterious Rig Vedas that include the gods of Fire, Earth, Air etc. to Shri Krishna that gave the world the Bhagavad Gita (Song of God). Is it a collection of philosophies that delve with theological and psychological questions on the nature of 'I'? Or is it a collection of hymns in Vedas and Upanishads that talk about the rituals that need to be performed in a sacrosanct way to ensure prosperity and success of human actions. 

Is it Vishnu, Krishna, Shiva, Hanuman, Rama or is it Tulsidas, Buddha, Mahavira, Surdas, Kabir, Mira? What is the meaning of being a Hindu or a believer in this ocean of philosophies or theories that seem to contradict each other? Is the relevance of Brahmin, Shudra, Vaishya or Kshatriya still a valid distinction of human beings? Is Dvaita and Advaita philosophies contradicting each other? Am I an Aryan coming from Turkmenistan as a BBC documentary claims to be the origin of Veda or a descendant of Manu as described in the Vishnu Purana?

And then you've Mahabharat and Ramayana, two epic works in Sanskrit literature. Not only these tell you a story about war but they also provide a guiding principle that helps to achieve salvation. And if you look at the definition of salvation it can be interpreted differently. To some it moksha which ends up with a freedom from the cycle of continuous life and death leading to ultimate bliss in a 'Nirguna Brahman' state (an abstract state). To others, it means attaining divine love with the 'Saguna Brahman' (the supreme divinity with a form of Krishna or Rama).

Before an aim for the existence can be decided the first question that comes to mind is the definition of self. Am I a divine power so one with God or am I a divine faction of Supreme Lord entrapped in a human body and bounded by the actions of my birth. The concept of the soul also metamorphosizes into different things within Vedic philosophy. And somewhere in all of this mix, the caste system creates these distinctions between the possessor of a human body which got corrupted in modern times. 

Is it the apauruṣeya Vedas that constitute as the supreme authority in Hinduism? Or is it the Upanishads, Puranas, Gita that was interpreted by thousands of spiritually enlightened souls but came up with their rituals and philosophies. How can I reconcile all this information floating around and define "Hinduism"? It's a question that needs perhaps opens several lines of inquiry at the least. Yet everything seems to beg us to begin with the discovery of "self". 

Who am I? Who is mine? Only when the core understanding of self can be fixed a true journey of exploring Hinduism can begin. Otherwise, we will end up as a ball bouncing inside a room, banging against everything yet clinging to nothing. So, do we need a Guru who can reconcile these contradictions? Yes, we need a teacher, not just any teacher but someone whose philosophy isn't about restrictions but encourages openness. 

And all the questions are looking at the same topic from different angles and only when you're open to all these possibilities can you truly begin the journey. And it's a self-journey; that stays inside you, away from any bias, prejudice, hatred, indifference you would have picked along while you kept chipping away from "your point of view".