Markandeya is the Son of the Sage Mrikanda

Markandeya (मार्कण्‍डेय) is a rishi (sage) featured in Hindu literature. He is the son of the sage Mrikanda and his wife, Manasvini. The Markandeya Purana (one of the eighteen…

Pitru Paksha is a 16-lunar Day Period in the Hindu Calendar

Pitru Paksha (पितृ पक्ष), also spelled Pitri Paksha, is a 16-lunar day period in the Hindu calendar when Hindus pay homage to their…

Yama is Depicted as Guiding Souls to the Afterlife

Yama (यम), also known as Kala (काल) and Dharmaraja, (धर्मराज) is the Hindu God of death and justice, responsible for the…

Ramayana Narrates the Life of Rama

The Ramayana (रामायण) also known as Valmiki Ramayana, as traditionally attributed to Valmiki, is a smriti text (also described as an Sanskrit epic) from ancient India, one of…

Mahabharata Translates to the Great Story of the Bharatas

The Mahabharata (महाभारत) is one of the two major Smriti texts and Sanskrit epics of ancient India revered in Hinduism, the other being the Ramayaṇa. It narrates the events and…

Gheranda Samhita is Attributed to the Sage Gheranda

Gheranda Samhita (घेरंड संहिता) is a Sanskrit text of Yoga in Hinduism. It is one of the three classic texts of hatha yoga (the…

Goraksha Shataka is Traditionally Attributed to the Sage Gorakshanath

The Goraksha Shataka (गोरक्ष शतक) is an early text on Haṭha yoga text from the 11th-12th century, attributed to the sage Gorakṣa.…

Hatha Yoga Pradipika is One of the Foundational Texts

The Hatha Yoga Pradipika (हठ योग प्रदीपिका) is a classic fifteenth-century Sanskrit manual on haṭha yoga, written by Swami Swatmarama, who connects the teaching’s lineage to…

Anapanasati Sutta is an Initial Focus for Meditation

The Anapanasati Sutta (अनापानसति सुत्त) or Anapanasati Sutra (अनापानस्मृति सूत्र), “Breath-Mindfulness Discourse,” Majjhima Nikaya 118, is a discourse that details the Buddha’s instruction…

Bhagavad Gita is Part of the Epic Mahabharata

The Bhagavad Gita (भगवद्गीता), often referred to as the Gita, is a 700-verse Hindu scripture, which is part of the epic Mahabharata. It forms the chapters…