The Samaveda (सामवेद from Saman means “song” and Veda means “knowledge”), is the Veda of melodies and chants. It is an ancient Vedic Sanskrit text,…
The Yajurveda (यजुर्वेद Yajur meaning “worship”, and Veda meaning “knowledge”) is the Veda primarily of prose mantras for worship rituals. An ancient Vedic Sanskrit text,…
The Rigveda or Rig Veda (ऋग्वेद) is an ancient Indian collection of Vedic Sanskrit hymns (sūktas). It is one of the four sacred canonical Hindu texts (śhruti) known as the Vedas. The Rigveda is the oldest…
The Vedas (वेद) is a large body of religious texts originating in ancient India. Composed in Vedic Sanskrit, the texts constitute the oldest layer…
Tantra (तन्त्र) is the esoteric traditions of Hinduism and Buddhism that developed in India from the middle of the 1st millennium CE onwards. The term tantra, in the Indian traditions,…
Mimansa (मीमांसा) is a Sanskrit word that means “reflection” or “critical investigation” and thus refers to a tradition of contemplation that reflected…
The Manusmriti (मनुस्मृति), also known as the Manava-Dharmasastra or Laws of Manu, is one of the many legal texts and constitutions among the many Dharmasastras of Hinduism.…
Vaishnavism (वैष्णवसम्प्रदाय) is one of the major Hindu denominations along with Shaivism, Shaktism, and Smartism. According to a 2010 estimate by Johnson and Grim, Vaishnavism is the…
Shaktism (शाक्त) is one of several major Hindu denominations, wherein the metaphysical reality is considered metaphorically a woman and Shakti (Mahadevi)…