📖 Library · पुस्तकालय
Sacred Texts
Read sloka-by-sloka. Sanskrit Devanagari, transliteration, and English meaning, all hosted on Sant Seva Parishad servers — no external dependency.
Bhagavad Gita & related(1)
Itihasa — the Epics(5)
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Ramayana
श्रीमद्वाल्मीकिरामायणम्
— Maharshi Valmiki
The Adi Kavya — the first epic poem. Valmiki tells the life of Sri Rama, ideal son, husband and king, embodiment of dharma. Seven kandas, ~24,000 slokas.
7 chapters · 21,347 verses
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Ramcharitmanas
श्रीरामचरितमानस
— Goswami Tulsidas
Tulsidas's beloved Awadhi retelling of the Ramayana — the Ram-katha of North India. Composed at Kashi (Varanasi) ~1574 CE, organised into seven kandas of chaupais punctuated by dohas, sorthas and chhands. The most widely-recited Hindu scripture after the Bhagavad Gita.
7 chapters · 11,384 verses
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Vidura Niti
विदुरनीतिः
— Sri Veda Vyasa (Mahabharata, Udyoga Parva)
Vidura's night-long discourse to the sleepless King Dhritarashtra on the eve of the Kurukshetra war — a self-contained classic of niti-shastra embedded in the Mahabharata's Udyoga Parva (chapters 33-40 of the BORI Critical Edition, the prajāgara sub-parva). 532 shlokas across 8 chapters: the duties of a king, the marks of the wise and the fool, friendship, control of the senses, and the consequences of adharma.
8 chapters · 530 verses
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Yaksha Prashna
यक्षप्रश्नः
— Sri Veda Vyasa (Mahabharata, Aranyaka Parva)
The Yaksha's questions to Yudhishthira — chapters 295-298 of the BORI Critical Edition's Vana Parva (āraṇeyaparva sub-parva; Calcutta edition labels these as chapters 311-314). The narrative opens with a brahmin's firewood-churning sticks being carried off by a deer; the Pandavas wander the forest in search of water and reach a lake. Four brothers fall dead one by one when they drink without answering the yaksha guardian. Yudhishthira alone answers the riddles on dharma, the nature of the self, the heaviest burden, true happiness, and the greatest wonder of the world. The yaksha then reveals himself as Dharma — Yudhishthira's own father — and grants the boon of incognito vāsa for the final year of exile.
4 chapters · 162 verses
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Mokshadharma Parva
मोक्षधर्म
— Sri Veda Vyasa (Mahabharata, Shanti Parva)
The Mokshadharma sub-parva of Bhishma's deathbed teachings to Yudhishthira — the largest and most philosophically dense block of the Mahabharata. 186 chapters (BORI Critical Edition 168-353; Bombay/Gita Press vulgate 174-365), ~6,800 unique verses covering renunciation (sannyāsa), the path to liberation (mokṣa), Sāṅkhya, Yoga, and the famous embedded gītās and saṃvādas: Pingala Gita, Father-Son Dialogue, Shamyaka Gita, Manki Gita, Prahlada-Ajagara Samvada, Yājñavalkya-Janaka Samvada, Sulabha-Janaka Samvada, the long Vyāsa-Śuka instruction, and the Nārāyaṇīya — the Pañcarātra theological core where Nārāyaṇa is identified as the supreme deity. Often studied as a companion to the Bhagavad Gita and the Anugītā.
186 chapters · 6,792 verses
Shruti — the Vedas & Upanishads(10)
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Isha Upanishad
ईशोपनिषद्
— Shukla Yajurveda
The shortest of the principal Upanishads — 18 mantras of the Shukla Yajurveda. Opens with the famous "Iśāvāsyam idaṁ sarvam" and closes with "Pūrṇam adaḥ pūrṇam idam".
1 chapters · 19 verses
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Kena Upanishad
केनोपनिषद्
— Sama Veda
Belonging to the Sama Veda. Asks: "By whom (kena) directed does the mind set forth?" Four khandas exploring the Brahman beyond mind and senses.
4 chapters · 39 verses
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Katha Upanishad
कठोपनिषद्
— Krishna Yajurveda
Nachiketa's dialogue with Yama, the king of death, on the secret of immortality. Two adhyayas, three vallis each. Source of the famous 'uttiṣṭhata jāgrata' call.
6 chapters · 130 verses
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Prashna Upanishad
प्रश्नोपनिषद्
— Atharva Veda
Six disciples approach the sage Pippalada with six questions. Belongs to the Atharva Veda. The Upanishad of the Six Questions.
6 chapters · 75 verses
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Mundaka Upanishad
मुण्डकोपनिषद्
— Atharva Veda
Three 'mundakas' (shavings), each with two khandas. The Atharva Veda's treatise on Brahmavidya — distinguishes lower from higher knowledge.
3 chapters · 85 verses
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Mandukya Upanishad
माण्डूक्योपनिषद्
— Atharva Veda
The shortest principal Upanishad — just 12 mantras — yet the cornerstone of Advaita. Analyses OM (A-U-M + silence) and the four states of consciousness.
1 chapters · 12 verses
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Taittiriya Upanishad
तैत्तिरीयोपनिषद्
— Krishna Yajurveda
Three vallis: Shiksha (instruction in phonetics + ethics), Brahmananda (the bliss-sheaths analysis), and Bhrigu Valli (Bhrigu meditates step-by-step into Brahman).
3 chapters · 34 verses
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Aitareya Upanishad
ऐतरेयोपनिषद्
— Rig Veda
Belonging to the Rig Veda. On the creation of the cosmic Person, the entry of the Atman, and the famous declaration 'prajñānaṁ brahma' — one of the four mahavakyas.
3 chapters · 52 verses
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Chandogya Upanishad
छान्दोग्योपनिषद्
— Sama Veda
One of the two oldest and longest Upanishads. Belongs to the Sama Veda. Source of "Tat tvam asi" — Uddalaka teaches Svetaketu the secret of the Self.
8 chapters · 686 verses
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Brihadaranyaka Upanishad
बृहदारण्यकोपनिषद्
— Shukla Yajurveda
The "Great Forest" Upanishad — longest of the principal Upanishads. Yajnavalkya's teachings: "neti, neti", "asato mā sad gamaya", "ahaṁ brahmāsmi".
6 chapters · 488 verses
Puranas(3)
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Srimad Bhagavata Purana
श्रीमद्भागवतमहापुराणम्
— Sri Veda Vyasa
The heart of bhakti — the life and lila of Krishna, told by Suka to King Parikshit. Twelve skandhas culminate in the Rasa Lila and Krishna's final teachings to Uddhava.
12 chapters · 12,229 verses
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Devi Mahatmya (Durga Saptashati)
दुर्गासप्तशती
— Maharshi Markandeya
The 700 verses to the Devi from the Markandeya Purana. The most-recited Goddess scripture, sung during Navaratri. Three charitas tell of the Devi's victories over Madhu-Kaitabha, Mahishasura, and Shumbha-Nishumbha.
13 chapters · 634 verses
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Vishnu Purana
विष्णुपुराणम्
— Sri Veda Vyasa (transmitted by Parashara to Maitreya)
One of the eighteen Mahapuranas and traditionally regarded as the model 'pañcalakṣaṇa' purana — sarga (creation), pratisarga (re-creation), vaṃśa (genealogy), manvantara (cosmic ages), and vaṃśānucarita (royal lineages). The text is Parāśara's reply to Maitreya's questions on the nature of the universe, the avatāras of Viṣṇu (including Varāha, Narasiṃha, Vāmana, Rāma, and a full early account of Kṛṣṇa's life in aṃśa 5), and the duties of devotees. Six aṃśas, 126 adhyāyas, ~5,500 verses in the Pathak Critical Edition.
6 chapters · 5,993 verses
Darshana — schools of philosophy(2)
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Vivekachudamani
विवेकचूडामणि
— Adi Shankaracharya
Shankaracharya's prakarana-grantha (independent treatise) of 580 verses — the 'Crest-Jewel of Discrimination'. Foundational text of Advaita Vedanta sadhana: viveka, vairagya, the six treasures (shama, dama, uparati, titiksha, shraddha, samadhana), mumukshutva, and the final realisation of the non-dual Self.
1 chapters · 577 verses
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Yoga Vasishtha
योगवासिष्ठः (मोक्षोपायः)
— Vālmīki (attrib.); critical edition: Slaje / Hanneder / Krause-Stinner et al.
Yoga Vasishtha — Vālmīki's dialogue between sage Vasiṣṭha and prince Rāma. All six prakaraṇas: Vairāgya, Mumukṣu-vyavahāra, Utpatti, Sthiti, Upaśama, Nirvāṇa. Critical-edition recension (Mokṣopāya, Slaje et al.).
6 chapters · 24,235 verses
Sutras(3)
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Yoga Sutras of Patanjali
पातञ्जलयोगसूत्राणि
— Maharshi Patanjali
Patanjali's 196 sutras systematising the eightfold path of raja yoga — from yamas and niyamas through samadhi.
4 chapters · 195 verses
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Brahma Sutras
ब्रह्मसूत्राणि
— Maharshi Badarayana (Veda Vyasa)
Badarayana's 555 aphorisms systematising the teachings of the Upanishads — the foundational text of Vedanta and one of the three Prasthanatrayi alongside the Upanishads and the Bhagavad Gita.
4 chapters · 569 verses
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Narada Bhakti Sutras
नारदभक्तिसूत्राणि
— Devarshi Narada
Sage Narada's 84 aphorisms on the nature of supreme devotion (parā-bhakti). Defines bhakti, its expressions, the qualities of a devotee, and its inevitable result.
1 chapters · 84 verses
Stotras & Hymns(27)
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Hanuman Chalisa
श्रीहनुमान्चालीसा
— Goswami Tulsidas
Tulsidas's beloved forty verses in praise of Hanuman — the most-chanted hymn in modern Hindu devotion. Composed in Awadhi.
3 chapters · 43 verses
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Vedic Mantras (Consolidated Pack)
वैदिक मन्त्राः
— Traditional (Rigveda, Yajurveda, Upanishads, Puranas)
A daily-prayer booklet of ~40 short, household-famous mantras: the Gayatri and Mahamrityunjaya, the Shanti mantras, the four Mahavakyas, the nine Navagraha invocations, twelve Surya Namaskar pose-mantras, and the everyday Bhojan, Snan and family prayers. Sanskrit with IAST transliteration, English and Hindi meanings.
6 chapters · 40 verses
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Vishnu Sahasranama
विष्णुसहस्रनाम
— Maharshi Veda Vyasa (Mahabharata, Anushasana Parva)
The thousand names of Lord Vishnu — Bhishma's instruction to Yudhishthira from the Mahabharata. 108 anushtubh shlokas enumerating ~1000 names of the Supreme. One of the most chanted Vaishnava stotras.
3 chapters · 170 verses
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Lalita Sahasranama
ललितासहस्रनाम
— Vaag-Devis (revealed in the Brahmanda Purana)
The thousand names of the Divine Mother as Lalita Tripurasundari, revealed by the eight Vaag-Devis in the Brahmanda Purana. The central Shri-Vidya text.
6 chapters · 333 verses
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Aditya Hridayam
आदित्यहृदयम्
— Sage Agastya (Valmiki Ramayana, Yuddha Kanda 107)
The "Heart of the Sun" — Sage Agastya's 31-shloka hymn to Surya, taught to Rama on the battlefield against Ravana. From the Yuddha Kanda of the Valmiki Ramayana.
1 chapters · 31 verses
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Shiva Tandava Stotram
शिवताण्डवस्तोत्रम्
— Ravana
Ravana's ecstatic hymn to Shiva's cosmic dance — 16 verses + phalashruti in the rolling panchachamara meter. Composed when Ravana was pinned under Mount Kailasa.
1 chapters · 17 verses
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Bhaja Govindam
भजगोविन्दम्
— Adi Shankaracharya
Adi Shankaracharya's "Moha Mudgara" — the breaker of delusion. 33 verses (the dvAdasha-manjarika + chaturdasha-manjarika + 5 concluding) urging the seeker to worship Govinda rather than grammar at the hour of death.
1 chapters · 34 verses
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Hanuman Bahuk
हनुमान्बाहुक
— Goswami Tulsidas
Tulsidas's plea to Hanuman for relief from the unbearable pain in his arm (bAhu = arm) — 44 verses across many Hindi/Awadhi meters (Chappaya, Jhulana, Ghanakshari, Savaiya, Doha). Composed in his last years.
1 chapters · 44 verses
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Soundarya Lahari
सौन्दर्यलहरी
— Adi Shankaracharya
The "Waves of Beauty" — Adi Shankaracharya's 100-verse Shaakta masterpiece. Verses 1-41 are Ananda Lahari (waves of bliss); 42-100 are Saundarya Lahari proper, praising the Devi from crown to toe.
1 chapters · 103 verses
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Devi Khadgamala Stotram
देवीखड्गमालास्तोत्रम्
— Vamakeshvara Tantra (traditional)
The "Garland-Sword" stotra of the Goddess — a Shri-Vidya recitation of the entire nine-avarana retinue of Sri Chakra (~108 deities). One of the highest secret stotras of Devi worship.
19 chapters · 198 verses
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Sri Suktam
श्रीसूक्तम्
— Vedic (Rigveda khila, 10th Mandala)
The Vedic hymn to Sri (Lakshmi) — 16 verses appended to the Rigveda (10th Mandala, 9th Sukta khila). One of the principal mantras of Lakshmi puja and the Sri Sukta Homa.
1 chapters · 16 verses
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Purusha Suktam
पुरुषसूक्तम्
— Vedic (Rigveda 10.90)
The Cosmic Person hymn — Rigveda 10.90 — describing the Purusha whose sacrifice gives rise to the manifest universe. 24 mantras chanted in nearly every Vedic ritual.
1 chapters · 24 verses
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Mahishasura Mardini Stotram
महिषासुरमर्दिनीस्तोत्रम्
— Ramakrishna Kavi
The "Slayer of the Buffalo-Demon" hymn — 30 verses celebrating Durga's victory over Mahishasura. Written in the rolling khaNDA-vR^itta meter ("ayi giri-nandini..."), it is one of the most musical Devi stotras.
1 chapters · 29 verses
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Lingashtakam
लिङ्गाष्टकम्
— Traditional (attributed to Adi Shankaracharya)
Eight verses on the Shiva-linga ("brahmamurari surarchitalingam...") — a short, chanted-daily Shaiva stotra praising the cosmic pillar of light.
1 chapters · 8 verses
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Bilvashtakam
बिल्वाष्टकम्
— Traditional
Eight verses praising the bilva (bel) leaf offered to Lord Shiva — describing the sin-destroying merit of bilva-puja.
1 chapters · 8 verses
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Madhurashtakam
मधुराष्टकम्
— Vallabhacharya
Eight verses on the sweetness ("adharaM madhuraM, vadanaM madhuraM...") of Krishna. Vallabhacharya's lyrical celebration of every aspect of the Lord as madhura.
1 chapters · 8 verses
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Mahalakshmi Ashtakam
महालक्ष्म्यष्टकम्
— Indra (Padma Purana)
Indra's 8-verse hymn to Mahalakshmi from the Padma Purana ("namaste'stu mahAmAye..."), followed by a 3-verse lakshmistavah appendix — together 11 verses chanted on Lakshmi Puja.
1 chapters · 19 verses
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Kanakadhara Stotram
कनकधारास्तोत्रम्
— Adi Shankaracharya
The "Stream of Gold" hymn — Shankaracharya's 25 verses to Lakshmi, composed when a poor woman gave him her last amalaka fruit and Lakshmi rained golden amalakas on her house.
1 chapters · 18 verses
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Pratah Smaranam
भगवत्प्रातःस्मरणम्
— Svami Brahmananda
A morning-remembrance stotra in three shlokas — "I remember at dawn... I praise at dawn... I bow at dawn..." — followed by a phalashruti. Recited as a dawn-prayer to begin the day in remembrance of the Lord.
1 chapters · 3 verses
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Gita Dhyanam
गीताध्यानम्
— Traditional (Sridhara Svami)
The nine "meditation verses" recited before any reading of the Bhagavad Gita — invoking the Goddess Gita as the milk of the Upanishadic cows. Includes the famous "shAntAkAraM bhujagashayanaM" and "yaM brahmA varuNendrarudramarutaH" closing shlokas.
1 chapters · 7 verses
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Annapurna Stotram
अन्नपूर्णास्तोत्रम्
— Adi Shankaracharya
Adi Shankaracharya's hymn to the Goddess Annapurna of Kashi — 'Mother who is ever-full of food and nourishment'. Each of the first 10 verses ends with the refrain 'bhikṣāṃ dehi kṛpāvalambanakarī mātānnapūrṇeśvarī'. Concludes with the famous 'mātā ca pārvatī devī...' verse declaring the whole world as one's family.
1 chapters · 12 verses
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Krishnashtakam
कृष्णाष्टकम्
— Adi Shankaracharya
Adi Shankaracharya's eight-verse hymn to Krishna as the lover and protector of Vraja — 'bhaje vrajaikamaṇḍanaṃ...'. Each verse paints a different aspect of the bālagopāla, ending with the phalashruti promising devotion-grace to those who recite it.
1 chapters · 17 verses
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Vishnu (Narayana) Ashtottara Shatanamavali
श्रीविष्ण्वष्टोत्तरशतनामावली
— Traditional (Sringeri Sharada Peetham recension)
The 108 names of Lord Vishnu as Narayana — 'oṃ śrī viṣṇave namaḥ, oṃ śrī jiṣṇave namaḥ...'. Used for daily archana / pushpanjali. (Source: sanskritdocuments Narayana-108 file, the most widely-recited 108 name list for Vishnu.)
1 chapters · 109 verses
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Subrahmanya Bhujangam
सुब्रह्मण्यभुजङ्गम्
— Adi Shankaracharya
Adi Shankaracharya's hymn to Subrahmanya (Kartikeya / Murugan), composed at the Thiruchendur temple in the rolling bhujaṅgaprayāta meter. 33 verses praising the six-faced lord of the Tamil south.
1 chapters · 33 verses
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Nirvana Shatakam (Atma Shatakam)
निर्वाणषट्कम्
— Adi Shankaracharya
Adi Shankaracharya's 6-verse declaration of the Self — 'manobuddhyahaṃkāra cittāni nāhaṃ... cidānandarūpaḥ śivo\'haṃ śivo\'ham'. Composed at age 8 as his answer to Govinda Bhagavadpada's question 'who are you?'. The most quoted Advaita stotra in modern usage.
1 chapters · 6 verses
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Achyutashtakam
अच्युताष्टकम्
— Adi Shankaracharya
Adi Shankaracharya's 8-verse hymn enumerating the names of Vishnu/Krishna across His avatars — 'acyutaṃ keśavaṃ rāma-nārāyaṇaṃ, kṛṣṇa-dāmodaraṃ vāsudevaṃ harim, śrīdharaṃ mādhavaṃ gopikāvallabhaṃ, jānakīnāyakaṃ rāmacandraṃ bhaje'. Closes with the phalashruti.
1 chapters · 9 verses
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Govindashtakam
गोविन्दाष्टकम्
— Adi Shankaracharya
Adi Shankaracharya's 8-verse hymn beginning 'satyaṃ jñānam anantaṃ nityam-anākāśaṃ paramākāśam...' — each verse closes with the refrain 'praṇamata govindaṃ paramānandam'. Closes with a phalashruti.
1 chapters · 9 verses
Other(6)
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Manusmriti
मनुस्मृति (मानवधर्मशास्त्रम्)
— Maharshi Manu (Bhrigu recension)
The Manava-Dharmashastra — the most influential of the smriti dharma-shastras. Twelve adhyayas covering creation, the four ashramas, marriage, statecraft, civil and criminal law, inheritance, expiation, and the final liberation through knowledge of the three gunas.
12 chapters · 2,680 verses
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Kabir Dohas (Granthavali + Dohavali)
कबीर दोहावली
— Sant Kabir Das
The 15th-century Sant Kabir's collected couplets. Chapters 1–17 are the traditional कबीर ग्रंथावली अंग (limbs / sections) from गुरुदेव कौ अंग through चाँणक कौ अंग — fierce nirgun-bhakti in eastern Hindi (Sadhukkari), each doha stored with its सन्दर्भ (context), भावार्थ (paraphrase) and शब्दार्थ (word-meanings) where the hi.wikisource transcription includes them. Chapters 18–27 are the popular कबीर दोहावली collection (Khari-Boli Hindi) compiled on Kavita Kosh, organised as ten pages of ~100 dohas each.
27 chapters · 1,198 verses
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Mirabai Padas (Padavali + individual pads)
मीराबाई पदावली
— Mirabai (Meera Bai)
The collected devotional padas of Mirabai — 16th-century Rajput princess and bhakti-poetess of Krishna. Combines the 6-part Padavali (her organised song-cycle) with the corpus of individual padas indexed on Kavita Kosh. Sweet, ecstatic Krishna-bhakti in Brajbhasha-flavoured Hindi.
1 chapters · 156 verses
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Surdas Padas (Sur Sagar selections)
सूरदास के पद
— Surdas
The blind 16th-century Bhakti saint Surdas's beloved Krishna-bhakti padas, selections drawn from his Sur Sagar (the 'ocean of Sur'). Tradition: Bhakti / Vaishnava (Pushtimarga). Language: Braj Bhasha. Tender vatsalya-bhava lyrics of baby Krishna at Gokul, gopi-rasa from Vrindavan, and Uddhav-sandesh from Mathura.
1 chapters · 394 verses
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Dohavali
दोहावली
— Goswami Tulsidas
Goswami Tulsidas's *Dohavali* — a standalone garland of 573 dohas (rhymed couplets) on Ram-naam-mahima, bhakti, vairagya, satsang, and the Kali-yuga condition. Composed in Awadhi/Braj Bhasha in the late 16th century and circulated independently of the *Ramcharitmanas*, the work is canonised in the Gita Press / Hanuman-Prasad-Poddar tradition. Tradition: Bhakti / Vaishnava (Ramanandi). Language: Awadhi / Braj Bhasha.
1 chapters · 573 verses
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Tukaram Abhangs (Gatha)
तुकाराम गाथा
— Sant Tukaram Maharaj
The 17th-century Maharashtra-Varkari saint Tukaram's complete Gatha — ~4583 abhangs of devotion to Vitthal (Panduranga) of Pandharpur. Composed in Marathi. This is the full canonical set, fetched from mr.wikisource's 15 chunk pages and emitted as a single flat sequence numbered 1..4583 (the canonical Gatha numbering).
1 chapters · 4,255 verses
All Sanskrit text is from the public domain. Translations and commentaries are adapted from public-domain sources; full attribution under each verse.