शास्त्र

The Vedas

The foundational revealed knowledge (shruti)

The four Vedas are traditionally regarded as apaurusheya — not of human authorship — and are the oldest layer of Sanatana knowledge.

Rigveda

The Veda of hymns (rich)

The oldest of the four Vedas — a vast collection of over a thousand suktas of praise to the devatas.

Yajurveda

The Veda of ritual formulae (yajus)

The Yajurveda supplies the prose formulae and procedures for the performance of yajna.

Samaveda

The Veda of melody (saman)

The Samaveda sets Rigvedic verses to melody — the root of the Bharatiya musical tradition.

Atharvaveda

The Veda of daily life and healing

The Atharvaveda gathers hymns for healing, protection, prosperity and philosophical inquiry.

The Upanishads

The knowledge-portion (jnana-kanda) of the Vedas

The Upanishads turn from ritual toward the inner enquiry into Atman and Brahman, forming the basis of Vedanta.

Isha Upanishad

The Lord who pervades all

One of the shortest yet most profound Upanishads, on the divine that indwells all things.

Kena Upanishad

By whom? — the power behind the senses

An inquiry into the Brahman that is the power behind mind, speech and the senses.

Katha Upanishad

Nachiketa and the teaching of Yama

The dialogue of the boy Nachiketa with Yama on death and the immortal Self.

Prashna Upanishad

The six questions

Six seekers bring six questions to the sage Pippalada.

Mundaka Upanishad

Higher and lower knowledge

The Upanishad that distinguishes para (higher) and apara (lower) knowledge.

Mandukya Upanishad

Om and the four states

The shortest Upanishad, on Om and the four states of consciousness.

Aitareya Upanishad

Creation and 'prajnanam brahma'

On the creation of the cosmos and consciousness as Brahman.

Taittiriya Upanishad

The five sheaths and bliss

On the pancha-kosha (five sheaths) and the nature of ananda (bliss).

Chandogya Upanishad

'Tat tvam asi' — That thou art

A great Samaveda Upanishad, source of 'Tat tvam asi'.

Brihadaranyaka Upanishad

The great forest teaching

The largest of the principal Upanishads, source of 'Aham Brahmasmi'.

The Vedangas

The six limbs (auxiliary sciences) of the Veda

Six auxiliary disciplines that preserve and enable the correct study and use of the Vedas.

Shiksha

Phonetics — the nose of the Veda

The Vedanga governing correct pronunciation, accent and articulation.

Kalpa

The procedure of ritual — the hands of the Veda

The Vedanga of ritual procedure, set out in the Kalpa Sutras.

Vyakarana

Grammar — the mouth of the Veda

The Vedanga of grammar, crowned by Panini's Ashtadhyayi.

Nirukta

Etymology — the ears of the Veda

The Vedanga of etymology and the meaning of Vedic words.

Chhandas

Metre — the feet of the Veda

The Vedanga of prosody and the metres of the mantras.

Jyotisha

Astronomy — the eyes of the Veda

The Vedanga of astronomy and the timing of sacred rites.

Itihasa — The Epics

The Ramayana and the Mahabharata

The two great itihasas narrate dharma through story, and include the Bhagavad Gita.

The Puranas

Ancient lore — the 18 Mahapuranas

The Puranas convey theology, cosmology and devotion through narrative, and are central to popular worship.

Bhagavata Purana

The Purana of devotion to Krishna

The Shrimad Bhagavatam — the great Purana of bhakti, centred on Vishnu and Krishna.

Vishnu Purana

A model Mahapurana of Vishnu

One of the earliest and most systematic of the eighteen Mahapuranas.

Shiva Purana

The Purana of Shiva

The principal Purana of the Shaiva tradition.

Markandeya Purana (Devi Mahatmya)

Home of the Devi Mahatmya

The Purana that contains the Devi Mahatmya (Durga Saptashati).

Smriti & Dharmashastra

Remembered texts on dharma and conduct

Smriti ('that which is remembered') includes the Dharmashastras that guide personal and social dharma.

Manusmriti

An early treatise of dharma

One of the best known of the Dharmashastra smriti texts.

Yajnavalkya Smriti

A concise, influential Dharmashastra

A smriti admired for its systematic and comparatively liberal treatment of dharma.

The Six Darshanas

The classical schools of philosophy

Six astika darshanas offer complementary paths of reasoning toward liberation.

Nyaya

The school of logic and reasoning

The darshana of logic, epistemology and valid means of knowledge.

Vaisheshika

The school of categories and atoms

The darshana that analyses reality into fundamental categories (padartha).

Samkhya

Purusha and Prakriti

The dualist darshana of consciousness (purusha) and nature (prakriti).

Yoga

The path of Patanjali

The darshana of disciplined practice, systematised in the Yoga Sutras.

Purva Mimamsa

The exegesis of Vedic action

The darshana devoted to dharma and the interpretation of Vedic ritual.

Vedanta (Uttara Mimamsa)

The culmination of the Vedas

The darshana of the Upanishads, elaborated in many schools.

Agamas & Tantras

Scriptures of temple worship and sadhana

The Agamas guide murti-puja, temple construction and initiatory sadhana across Shaiva, Vaishnava and Shakta streams.