A Library of Hindu Scriptures, Ṛshis and Purāṇas

Philosopher and Saint who consolidated doctrine of Advaita Vedānta The sacred land of Bhārata has been blessed with the divine descent of great souls who have, from time to time,…

Śrī Kūreśa, also known as Koorathālvār, (alternatively written Kūrathāḻvār), is a luminous figure in the history of the Śrī Vaishṇava tradition. As a paramount disciple of Śrī Rāmānuja, his sacred…

Śrī Mudaliyāṇḍān, originally named Dāśarathi, stands as a beacon of unwavering devotion and selfless service within the illustrious lineage of Śrī Rāmānuja’s disciples. Revered as an embodiment of guru-bhakti and a pillar of…

Bhāskara’s take on Advaita Bhāskara is the trail-blazer for the post-Śaṅkara schools of Vedānta which did not agree with Śaṅkara’s brand of advaita based on māyāvāda, the theory of the unreality of…

According to him there are three equally real and co-eternal tattvas or principles: Brahman, cit and acit. While Brahman is the controller or niyantr̥, cit (the sentient being, the jīva…

Vallabha’s philosophy is known as Śuddhādvaita. He is said to have written two commentaries on the Brahmasūtras, the Br̥hadbhāshya and the Aṇubhāshya, of which the former is not available now. The latter is up…

The most important exponent of Viśishṭādvaita Vedānta (qualified non-dualism) In the grand dhārmika tapestry of Bhāratavarsha, the life and work of Śrī Rāmānuja stand as a blazing beacon of bhakti,…

The Bhavishya Purāṇa presents Caitanya Mahāprabhu as a supreme manifestation of Kali Yuga, born to spread Vaishṇava dharma across Bhārata.

The Bhavishya Purāṇa says Bhagavān Sūrya was born in Vaṅgadeśa as the poet Jayadeva to guide people in Kali Yuga along the path of bhakti.

The Liṅga Purāṇa names Lakulīśa as the twenty-eighth and last Yogācārya, an avatāra of Bhagavān Śiva who came to restore Pāśupata yoga in Kali Yuga.

The First Guru of Śrī Rāmānuja Śrī Yādavaprakāśa was a figure of considerable intellectual stature, widely recognized as a celebrated scholar and exponent of the Advaita philosophy in the venerable…

The Bhavishya Purāṇa counts Madhvācārya, founder of Dvaita Vedānta, among the great ācāryas of Kali Yuga born through the grace of Bhagavān Sūrya.

Two figures bear the name Daṇḍapāṇi: the Yaksha Harikeśa, guardian of Kāśī, and the son of Pauṇḍraka Vāsudeva who sent a Kṛtyā against Kṛshṇa.

Suśīlā was one of five gandharva kanyakās who were cursed to become piśācas at the Acchoda sarovara and were freed in the Narmadā.

Dāruka is Kṛshṇa's charioteer in the Mahābhārata. Dārukā is the rākshasī of the Dārukāvana whom Bhagavān Śiva destroyed at Nāgeśvara.

Susvārā, daughter of the gandharva Svaravedi, was one of five gandharva kanyakās cursed to become piśācas and freed in the Narmadā.

The Daśāvatāra are the ten main avatāras of Bhagavān Vishṇu, from Matsya the fish to Kalki, who is still to come.

Sutārā, daughter of the gandharva Candrakānta, was one of five gandharva kanyakās cursed to become piśācas and freed in the Narmadā.

Dattātreya, son of the ṛshi Atri and Anasūyā, is an avatāra of Bhagavān Vishṇu and the avadhūta who learned from twenty-four gurus.

Suvarcā, wife of the ṛshi Dādhīci, gave up her life on his funeral pyre and was the mother of the ṛshi Pippalāda.

Devakī, wife of Vasudeva and a daughter of the Yādavas, is the mother of Bhagavān Kṛshṇa, who was born to her in Kaṃsa's prison.

Suyaśā is one of the two śaktis of Kumārasvāmi (Skanda), seen with Gajavalī at Kumāraśikhara on Mount Meru in the Kailāsa Saṃhitā.

Devāntaka, the younger son of the asura king Raudraketu, fought Mahōtkaṭa, the Kṛta-yuga avatāra of Gaṇeśa, and broke his tusk before he was killed.

Svāhā Devī is the wife of Agni and the devī of the word svāhā, which is spoken at every offering into the sacred fire.

Dhanvantarī is the divine physician who rose from the Kshīrasāgara with the pot of amṛta and brought Āyurveda, the science of life, into the world.

Svayamprabhā Śāṇḍilī Devī is a radiant devī who lives on Śṛṅgavān Parvata, the northernmost of the six varsha-parvatas of Jambū Dvīpa.

Dhanyā was one of three divine sisters cursed by Sanatkumāra to be born as humans, and she became the mother of Sītā.

Tārā Devī is the wife of the deva-guru Bṛhaspati, taken by force by Candra, and the mother of Budha, the deva of the planet Mercury.

In the Kalki Purāṇa, Dharma comes to Bhagavān Kalki as a brāhmaṇa and fights Kali beside Kṛtayuga.

Tārakāsura was an asura who won a vara that only a child of Bhagavān Śiva could kill him, conquered the three worlds, and was slain by Kārttikeya.

Citrasena was a king of grave pāpa who kept the Janmāshṭamī vow by chance on the Yamunā bank and rose with his ancestors to the abode of Bhagavān Vishṇu.

Ketumanta was a Kaliṅga commander who came to the Kurukshetra war with the Kaliṅga elephant corps as an ally of the Kauravas.

Śailālaya was the father's father of Bhagadatta, king of Prāgjyotisha. By the power of his tapas he reached the abode of Mahendra.

Uddhava was the friend, disciple and minister of Bhagavān Kṛshṇa, who received the Uddhava Gītā and carried Kṛshṇa's message to Vṛndāvana.

Citrāyudha was a warrior allied with the Pāṇḍavas, named among their *rathas* in Bhīshma's count of warriors before the war at Kurukshetra.

Khāṇḍikya was a Janaka king who lost his kingdom to his cousin Keśidhvaja, refused to take it back, asked for liberation instead and attained it.

Śakuni of the Ikshvāku line was a prince who came to Hāṭakeśvara for the great gathering told in the Vāmana Mahā Purāṇa.

Ugrā was the queen of King Cakrapāṇi of Gandakī-nagara and the mother of the daitya Sindhu, who was born from the ocean.

Citraketu was a Pāñcāla prince who fought for the Pāṇḍavas at Kurukshetra and was killed by Droṇācārya in the Droṇa Parva.

Khāṭvāṅga Mahārāja fought for the devas, learned he had one muhūrta to live, gave up all attachment and reached moksha in that time.

Śalya, king of Madra and uncle of Nakula and Sahadeva, was bound by his word to fight for the Kauravas. He drove Karṇa's chariot and fell to Yudhishṭhira.

Ugrabāhu was the king of Avantī in the days of Rāma-rājya, named at two svayaṃvaras in the Ānanda Rāmāyaṇa.

Citraketu was a king of Śūrasena with ten million wives and no son, who met Bhagavān Saṃkarshaṇa, was cursed by Pārvatī and was reborn as Vṛtrāsura.

Khaṭvāṅga was a Solar dynasty king and ancestor of Bhagavān Rāma who reached sāyujya moksha in one muhūrta after serving the devas.

Samādhi was a merchant whose greedy family drove him out; he met Medhasa Ṛshi with King Sūratha and asked Devī Durgā for jñāna.

The Padma Purāṇa tells of Ugrasena, king of Mathurā, his queen Padmāvatī, and the daitya Gobhila, from whom Kaṃsa was born.

Citrāṅgada of Daśārṇa was a mighty warrior who fought Arjuna when the Aśvamedha horse reached his kingdom, then submitted and was invited to the yajña.

Kīcaka was the commander of King Virāṭa's army and brother of Queen Sudeshṇā, killed by Bhīmasena after he harassed Draupadī.

Hemāṅgī was the virtuous queen of King Vīravarman who remembered her past life as Mohinī and led her husband to Prayāga and Vaikuṇṭha.

Kalā, wife of the brāhmaṇa Śoṇa, kept her pātivratya even against the rākshasa Mārīca and was received by Devī Pārvatī in Kailāsa.

Kayādhu, daughter of the daitya Jambha and wife of Hiraṇyakaśipu, was the mother of Prahlāda and was taught by Nārada Maharshi while carrying him.

Līlāvatī and her husband Hārita did tapas at Maulisthāna for twenty-one yugas, and Bhagavān Nṛsiṃha appeared and chose to live there as their son.

Maṅgalā, second wife of the brāhmaṇa Śivaśarma, gave all her puṇya to the boar who had been Sudevā, and Sudevā rose to svarga.

Oghavatī, wife of Sudarśana son of Agni, kept her husband's vow of serving guests, and Dharma foretold that she would become a river.

Padmāvatī, queen of Ugrasena of Mathurā, was deceived by the daitya Gobhila in Ugrasena's form, and Kaṃsa was born of that union.

Reṇukā, wife of the ṛshi Jamadagni and mother of Paraśurāma, was a pativratā whose twenty-one cries of grief set the measure of Paraśurāma's vow.

Satyavatī, daughter of King Gādhi, was the wife of Ṛcīka, mother of Jamadagni, and in her later life became the sacred river Kauśikī.

Śāṇḍilī is a pativratā of the Mahābhārata who reached the world of the devas through devoted conduct as a wife, and told Sumanā how.

Sudevā, queen of Ikshvāku of Ayodhyā, showed kindness to a wounded female boar in the Padma Purāṇa and opened the way for her story.

Sudevā, first wife of the brāhmaṇa Śivaśarma, was born as a female boar and freed by Maṅgalā's gift of puṇya, in the Padma Purāṇa.

Sūkala, wife of the vaiśya Kṛkala, stayed faithful to her husband while Indra and Manmatha tried every means to move her, in the Padma Purāṇa.

Sulocanā, wife of Indrajit (Meghānāda), is praised for her devotion: she asked Bhagavān Rāma for her husband's head and joined him in the fire.

Sumanā, wife of the brāhmaṇa Somaśarma, taught the ten aṅgas of dharma and the bond of debt between parents and sons, in the Padma Purāṇa.

Suprabhā, daughter of the ṛshi Vadānya, was the unmatched maiden whom Ashṭāvakra married after his journey to the north, in the Mahābhārata.

Suvarcā, devoted wife of Dadhīci Bhārgava, cursed the devas to be childless and gave birth to Pippalāda, an avatāra of Rudra.

Vṛndā, the pativratā wife of the asura king Jalandhara, whose purity guarded him, cursed Bhagavān Vishṇu; the Tulasī plant and Vṛndāvana are linked to her.

The Nava Yogīśvaras are the nine royal sons of Ṛshabhadeva who became wandering avadhūtas and answered King Nimi's questions in the Bhāgavata Purāṇa.

Birth and Early Life Kanva Maharshi was born in the lineage of Kaśyapa Prajāpati. From childhood, he practiced austerities and embraced strict celibacy. He became a ṛshi of many mantras…

Nidāgha, son of Pulastya and disciple of Ṛbhu, learned advaita through the elephant and king question and reached moksha, in the Vishṇu Purāṇa.

Nimi, son of Dattātreya and grandson of Atri, performed the first śrāddha for his dead son Śrīmanta, and Atri then taught him the full rite.

Paippalāda Maharshi is the father of Kauśika in the Mahābhārata and the founder of the Paippalāda śākhā of the Atharvaveda.

Pañcaśikha, also called Kāpileya or Kāpila, is a great Sāṃkhya maharshi and the foremost disciple of Āsuri Maharshi, who taught Janaka the path to moksha.

Pañcaśikha is a great Sāṃkhya ṛshi who teaches King Janaka in the Mahābhārata that old age and death cannot be avoided, and that the Self is beyond both.

Pāṇini, grandson of Pitṛśarman, received the Māheśvara Sūtras from Mahādeva at Kedāra, the seed of the Ashṭādhyāyī, the Sanskrit grammar.

The Birth and Early Life Once, Brahmā created Kardama Prajāpati and ordered him to populate the world with living beings. Kardama went to the banks of the Sarasvatī river and…

Parāvasu, son of Raibhya, killed his father by mistake in the forest and then falsely blamed his brother Arvāvasu, as the Mahābhārata tells.

Parvata is a great ṛshi who came with Nārada and Devala to visit Dhṛtarāshṭra at his forest āśrama near Kurukshetra, as the Mahābhārata tells.

At the beginning of the Kṛtayuga, the earth once again became devoid of progeny. There were very few beings, and the world was vast but empty. Though all natural resources…

Pippala, son of Kaśyapa, did three thousand years of tapas, became proud, and was sent by Brahmā in the form of a sārasa bird to learn from Sukarma.

The ten Pracetasas, sons of King Prācīnabarhish, did ten thousand years of tapas in the ocean, married Mārishā, fathered Daksha and attained moksha.

Kāśyapa (Read as Kaa-sya-pa, meaning born of Kasyapa) was born in the lineage of Kaśyapa Prajāpati. He was a dharma-nishṭha sage, deeply immersed in tapas and endowed with great compassion…

Puṇḍarīka was a young brāhmaṇa who gave up all he owned, settled at Sālagrāma, learned from Nārada, saw Bhagavān Vishṇu and was taken to Vaikuṇṭha.

Birth and Early Life In the Gautama vaṁśa, a brāhmaṇa had a son named Mataṅga. He was raised with good virtues, practiced dharma diligently, studied all the Veda-śāstras, and performed…

Pushkara, son of Varuṇa, is the teacher of the second part of the Vishṇu Dharmottara Purāṇa, where he teaches Rājadharma and many sciences to Paraśurāma.

The fifth Manu, known as Raivata, was born from the union of King Durgama and a celestial maiden named Revatī. His story is deeply connected to the fall and restoration…

The Svārocisha Manvantara is the second of the fourteen manvantaras described in the Mārkaṇḍeya Purāṇa. It is named after its presiding Manu, Svārocisha Dyutimat, whose extraordinary origins trace back through…

The Extraordinary Birth of Svaroci The story of Svaroci begins with a brahmana named Pravara who lived in the village of Arunaspada on the banks of the Varuṇa river. Pravara…

Pravara is a virtuous scholar from the village of Aruṇāspada who traveled to the Himālaya mountains using a magical herbs applied to his feet. Although the apsaras Varūthinī tried to…

Varūthinī was a beautiful and famous apsaras who lived and played among the peaks of the Himālaya mountains. She was known for her grace and charm, spending her days in…

Manoramā is a vidyādharī princess whose rescue from a terrible curse led to her becoming the wife of the Svaroci and give birth to Svārocisha. Origins and the Curse of…

Kalāvatī is a girl with a magical connection to the moon who survived great sadness to become a queen and the mother of a Manu. A Lonely Start on the…

Indīvarāksha was a powerful Gandharva who was turned into a scary monster after he tried to learn medicine in secret, but he was eventually saved by Svaroci. The Prince Who…

The Auttama Manvantara (also known as Uttara Manvantara or Uttama Manvantara) is the third manvantara in the cycle of fourteen manvantaras described in the Mārkaṇḍeya Purāṇa. It is named after Auttama,…

The biography of Uttama, also known as Auttara, is a significant historical account found within the Markandeya Purana, specifically concerning the third Manvantara. Born to King Uttanapada and Queen Suruci,…

Bahulā was the renowned and celebrated wife of King Uttama, the son of King Uttānapāda. Her marriage to King Uttama was compared to the union of Indra and Śacī Devī.…

The Daksha Sāvarṇi Manvantara is the ninth among the fourteen great cosmic ages described by the sage Mārkaṇḍeya. After completing his account of the Sūrya Sāvarṇika Manvantara — which included…

The Brahma Sāvarṇi Manvantara is the tenth among the fourteen great cosmic ages described by the sage Mārkaṇḍeya in Mārkaṇḍeya Purāṇa. Following his narration of the Daksha Sāvarṇi Manvantara, the…

The Rudra Sāvarṇi Manvantara is the twelfth among the fourteen great cosmic ages described by the sage Mārkaṇḍeya. After narrating the manvantara of Dharma (Brahma) Sāvarṇi, the eleventh Manu, the…

The Raucya Manvantara is the account of how the Prajāpati named Ruci, originally a wandering ascetic devoted to renunciation, was guided by his own Pitṛ-deva-s and by Brahmā to accept…

Overview Ruci was a Prajāpati and viprarshi who lived during the transitional period preceding the Raucya Manvantara. Originally a wandering ascetic committed to complete renunciation, he was redirected toward the…

The Bhautya Manvantara is the fourteenth and final manvantara described by Maharshi Mārkaṇḍeya. It is named after Bhautya Manu, the son of a muni named Bhūti. The account of this…

Vibhāvarī is a celestial princess of the sky who overcame a heavy burden to find a new path as a queen for Svaroci and a mother of Svarocisha Manu. A…

The Varāha Purāṇa is a sacred and luminous scripture among the eighteen Mahāpurāṇas, exclusively dedicated to the glory of Bhagavān Vishṇu in his majestic Varāha (Boar) incarnation. It is a…

Hari Om. The Vāyu Purāṇa is an ancient and powerful Mahāpurāṇa, standing as one of the fundamental pillars of Sanātana Dharma. It is often hailed as a primary text of…

The Vishṇu Purāṇa is perhaps the most universally revered and foundational of the eighteen Mahāpurāṇas. It is the very essence of Vaishṇava Siddhānta, holding a supreme place as a scripture…

The Padma Purāṇa is one of the grandest and most extensive of the eighteen Mahāpurāṇas, often considered second only to the Skanda Purāṇa in sheer volume. It is a profoundly…

The Skanda Purāṇa is the largest and arguably the most geographically and devotionally detailed of the eighteen Mahā Purāṇas. This immense scripture is dedicated to the glory of Skanda (also…

Among the 18 Mahāpurāṇas, Agni Purāṇa is a prominent one. It was narrated by Agni to Sage Vaśishṭha. Structure It is structured as a conversation between Agni and Vaśishṭha Maharshi,…

The Bhavishya Purāṇa is one of the eighteen Mahāpurāṇas of Sanātana Dharma, renowned for its sweeping coverage of dharma, rituals, cosmology, sacred geography, and prophetic narratives. True to its name—Bhavishya,…

The Liṅga Purāṇa (लिङ्गपुराण, IAST: Liṅga-purāṇa) is one of the eighteen Mahā Purāṇas of Sanātana Dharma and is devoted primarily to the worship, philosophy, and cosmology of Bhagavān Śiva, with…

The Brahma Purāṇa, is the Ādi Purāṇa (the first among the eighteen Mahāpurāṇas), is a magnificent repository of ancient wisdom that bridges the mundane and the divine. It is a…

The Brahmāṇḍa Purāṇa is the eighteenth and final Mahā Purāṇa in the traditional list of Vyāsa’s monumental works, yet in terms of profundity and cosmic scope, it stands as a…

The Brahma Vaivarta Purāṇa is a resplendent jewel among the eighteen Mahā Purāṇas, beaming with the effulgence of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Sri Kṛshṇa. Unlike other Purāṇas that may…

The Śrīmad Bhāgavata Mahā Purāṇa, often simply called the Bhāgavatam, is revered as the spiritual zenith of all Vedic literature. It is the literary incarnation (Śabda Avatāra) of Śrī Kṛshṇa,…

The Garuḍa Purāṇa is one of the eighteen Mahā Purāṇas, occupying a distinct and reverential place in the heart of Sanātana Dharma. While many associate this sacred text solely with…

The Kūrma Purāṇa is a unique and resplendent gem among the eighteen Mahā Purāṇas. It is a sacred text that embodies the spirit of Hari-Hara Abheda (the non-difference between Bhagavān…

The Mārkaṇḍeya Purāṇa is a jewel of singular brilliance among the eighteen Mahā Purāṇas. It is often regarded by scholars as one of the most ancient and unadulterated of the…

The Matsya Purāṇa holds a primordial position among the eighteen Mahā Purāṇas, often hailed as the Satvika scripture that bridges the ancient deluge with the new creation. It is a…

The Nārada Purāṇa, also reverently called the Bṛhan-Nāradīya Purāṇa, is a sanctified scripture that elevates Bhakti (devotion) as the highest form of Dharma. It is a profound testament to the…

The Vāmana Purāṇa is a compact, yet potent Mahāpurāṇa, revered for its deep exploration of the fifth incarnation of Bhagavān Vishṇu—the divine dwarf, Vāmana. It is a scripture that glorifies…