Vedic Scriptures of India

Scriptures index

About Hindu Scriptures
By Swami Sivananda

Additional texts on Vedanta: the Upanishads.
The word upanishad is derived from upa, “near;” ni, “;” and shada, “to sit by the side [of the guru]“. It also means, “that which brings one to God’s side.”

Composed from 1450 B.C.E. onward, there are 108 authoritative Upanishads, out of which the main ones are:

1. Isha Upanishad
2. Katha Upanishad
3. Kena Upanishad
4. Mundaka Upanishad
5. Shvetashvatara Upanishad
6. Prashna Upanishad
7. Mandukya Upanishad
8. Aitareya Upanishad
9. Brihadaranyaka Upanishad
10. Taittiriya Upanishad
11. Chhandogya Upanishad
12. Kaushitaki Upanishad
13. Maitrayani Upanishad
14. Mahanarayana Upanishad

The Bhagavad Gita, although part of the Mahabharata (Book Bhishma Parva, sections 13-42), is considered as an Upanishad. In this respect, it is said that “Just as the Upanishads are the cream of the Vedas, the Bhagavad Gita is the cream of the Upanishads. The Upanishads are the cows, Lord Krishna is the cowherd, Arjuna is the calf, and the Bhagavad Gita is the milk. The wise drink the milk of the Gita.”

VII. Other Scriptures

A. The Various Gitas
1. Anu Gita (from the Mahabharata, Book Ashvamedha, Canto 16): the conversation between Arjuna and Krishna after the war and coronation of Yudhishthira.

2. Ashtavakra Gita a.k.a. Ashtavakra Samhita: a short treatise on nondualistic Vedanta in the form of a dialogue between the saintly king Janaka and his guru Sage Ashtavakra.

3. Avadhuta Gita by Sage Dattatreya. This sublime “Song of the Free” expounds the ultimate truths of nondualistic Vedanta.

4. Bhagavad Gita (from the Mahabharata, Book Bhishma Parva, chapters 25-42)

5. Bhikshu Gita (from the Shrimad Bhagavata Purana, Book 11, chapter 23)

6. Brahma Gita (from the Skanda Purana, chapter 4 of the book Suta Samhita, and chapters 1-12 of the book Yajñavaibhava Khanda). Another version with the same name is found in Yoga Vasishtha, in the section on Nirvana, stanzas 173-181.

7. Brahmana Gita: this forms a part of the Anu Gita described above.

8. Bodhya Gita (from the Mahabharata, Book Moksha Parva, as a part of the book Shanti Parva)

9. Devi Gita (from the Devi Bhagavata, Book 7, chapters 31-40)

10. Ganesha Gita (from the Ganesha Purana, Book Krida Khanda, chapters 138-148): it is quite close to the Bhagavad Gita in format and contents.

11. Hamsa Gita (from the Shrimad Bhagavata Purana, Book 11, chapter 13)

12. Hari Gita: this is the name given to the Bhagavad Gita by Sage Narada, in the Mahabharata, Book Shanti Parva, chapter 346, verse 10.

13. Harita Gita (from the Mahabharata, Book Moksha Parva, as a part of the book Shanti Parva)

14. Ishvara Gita, a.k.a. Uttara Gita (from the Kurma Purana, first eleven chapters of Uttara Vibhaga)

15. Kapila Gita (from the Shrimad Bhagavata Purana, Book 3, chapters 23-33)

16. Manki Gita (from the Mahabharata, Book Moksha Parva, as a part of the book Shanti Parva)

17. Pandava Gita (from the Mahabharata)

18. Parashara Gita (from the Mahabharata, Book Moksha Parva, as a part of the book Shanti Parva)

19. Pingala Gita (from the Mahabharata, Book Moksha Parva, as a part of the book Shanti Parva)

20. Rama Gita. Two versions exist:
1) the most common is from the Adhyatma Ramayana (a part of the Brahmanda Purana), Section 5 of the book Uttara Kanda, in which Lord Rama imparts the knowledge of the Self to his most devoted and dear brother Lakshmana;
2) the second one, common in Tamil Nadu, is from the Guru Jñana Vasishtha-Tattva Sarayana. This text comprises three parts, dealing with 1) knowledge (jñana), 2) spiritual practice (upasana), and 3) actions (karma).

21. Ramana Gita: this is a contemporary treatise written in Sanskrit by the South Indian sage Ramana Maharshi.

22. Shiva Gita (from the Padma Purana, Book Patala Khanda)

23. Shiva Shampaka Gita (from the Mahabharata, Book Moksha Parva, as a part of the book Shanti Parva)

24. Surya Gita (from the Guru Jñana Vasishtha-Tattva Sarayana, Book Karma khanda, Part 3, chapters 1-5). This text comprises three parts, dealing with 1) knowledge (jñana), 2) spiritual practice (upasana), and 3) actions (karma).

25. Suta Gita (from the Skanda Purana, Book Yaña Vaibhava Khanda, chapters 13-20)

26. Uddhava Gita ( from the Shrimad Bhagavata Purana, Book 11, chapters 6-29). The last teachings of Lord Krishna transmitted to his most ardent devotee and uncle, Uddhava.

27. Uttara Gita. A dialogue between Sri Krishna and Arjuna.

28. Vicikhyu Gita (from the Mahabharata, Book Moksha Parva, as a part of the book Shanti Parva)

29. Vritra Gita (from the Mahabharata, Book Moksha Parva, as a part of the book Shanti Parva)

30. Vyasa Gita (from the Kurma Purana, twelfth chapter onward of the Uttara Vibhaga)

31. Yama Gita. Three versions exist:
1) in the Vishnu Purana, Book 3, chapters 1-7;
2) in the Agni Purana, Book 3, chapter 381; and
3) in the Narasimha Purana, chapter 8.