Hindu Scriptures

Vedic Hindu sacred literature is a treasury of hymns, legends, mythology, philosophy, science and ethics. From among this vast body of writings, each lineage recognizes a select portion as its secondary scripture, called smṛiti. Especially central are the ancient Sanskrit texts, such as the Itihāsas, Purāṇas and Dharma Śāstras, which are widely termed the classical smṛiti. Yes, this is the Great Index of all Smṛiti or Secondary Vedic writings – such as these – Gītās, Purāṇas, Itihāsas, Śāstras and similar...

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Vedic & Hindu Scriptures

Gītā

Bhagavad Gītā

Śrīmad Bhagavad Gītā – the one of the most popular Hindu Holy Scriptures is now available also on this website.

Bhagavad Gītā has been read, told, commented, believed and discussed throughout ages and centuries, by Holy Sages and in Homes of ordinary lay believers of vast array of Hindu traditions and sects.

Now here is an opportunity for everyone to read, find, quote and share the Ancient text and the priceless wisdom and knowledge it carries.

Śrīmad Bhāgavatam

Śrīmad Bhāgavatam

The Bhāgavata Purāṇa reveals the means for becoming free from all material existence, together with the processes of pure transcendental knowledge, renunciation and devotion to Lord Vishnu and anyone who seriously tries to understand, hears and chants the verses of the Bhāgavata Purāṇa with devotion to Lord Vishnu, becomes completely liberated from material bondage and attains Mokṣa or Liberation from the cycle of births and deaths in the material world.

Viṣṇu Purāṇa

Viṣṇu Purāṇa

The Vishnu Purāṇa is one of the earliest of the 18 major Purāṇas (“ancient stories”) revered by the Hindus. It is often referred to by the name Purāṇa-ratna, which means “Gem of Purāṇas.”

the Vishnu Purāṇa is presented in the form of a dialogue, with the sage Parāśara teaching his disciple Maitreya how Vishnu, as the Supreme Being, takes care of his devotees and how one should evolve spiritually for the attainment of liberation.

Devī Bhāgavatam

Devī Bhāgavatam

Śrīmad Devī Bhāgavatam Purāṇa is considered a Mahā Purāṇa for Devī worshippers. It consists of 12 cantos (sections) with 318 chapters.

It is one of the most important works in Śaktism, a tradition within Hinduism that reveres Devī or Śakti (the Divine Mother of all) as the primordial creator of the universe and the Ultimate Truth and Reality.

Devī Bhāgavatam celebrates the Divine Mother as the origin of all existence, the creator, the preserver and the destroyer of everything, as well as the one who empowers spiritual liberation.

Devī Māhātmyam

Devī Māhātmyam

Devī Māhātmyam (or "Glory of the Goddess") is a very popular devotional text in Hinduism and a root text of Śaktism, from Mārkaṇḍeya Purāṇa describing the victory of the goddess Durgā over the demon Mahiṣasura. It’s authorship is attributed to the sage (Rishi) Mārkaṇḍeya.

Devī Māhātmyam is also known as the Durgā Saptaśatī or simply Saptaśatī as it contains 700 verses ("7 hundred"), arranged into 13 chapters.

Caṇḍī or Caṇḍikā is the name by which the Supreme Goddess is referred to in Devī Māhātmya.

Upaniṣads

Upanishads

Upanishads are the concluding teachings of Vedas and from Vedas, and they are the very fundament of Vedanta – the Vedic Wisdom squeezed out by generations of enlightened Vedic seers, saints, teachers and their best students; and their traditional commentaries on Upaniṣadic texts, which has come down to us in Lineages of successive holy Teachers, Paramparās.

10 Upanishads are considered the most authoritative and Principal Upanishads – they are considered the oldest and most commented by classic Vedanta preceptors – as by Śankara-Ācārya, Rāmānuja-Ācārya, Mādhva-Ācārya and so on.

Rāmāyaṇa

Rāmāyaṇa

Śrīmad Vālmīki Rāmāyaṇa is the oldest Epic of the Hindu literature and philosophy, far more ancient as the famous Mahābhārata Epic, which is much later work.

Rāmāyaṇa is not just an ancient legend; it is one of the root Hindu religious texts portraying ideal and divine characters and society for which to strive and resemble.

The central hero of Vālmīki Rāmāyaṇa is Śrī Rāma, the ideal men, ruler, husband and spiritual ideal.

His wife Sītā exemplifies the ideal of womanhood and wife.

Manu Smriti

Manu Smriti

The Manu Smṛiti or “Laws of Manu” is a very ancient text which has formed the source for Hindu Law and Social customs for thousands of years.

The Laws of Manu is not only the most important of all the legal codes, but it is regarded as almost equal in holiness to the Vedas:

Every Brahman is enjoined to read it, at least once in his lifetime. A Brahman family in which Manu has not been read for 7 generations ceases to be Brahmans.