ॐ
Four Vedas · Knowledge Tree
Veda Vriksha
The oldest sacred literature in human existence. Rigveda, Samaveda, Yajurveda, Atharvaveda — explore their devas, rishis, themes and astronomical dating through an interactive branching tree.
Sanatan Dharma Research
Research Sanatan Dharma
Source-grounded study paths with a carefully labeled AI companion for thoughtful exploration of primary texts and traditions.
Source-groundedMultiple traditionsAI clearly labeled Beta
The sacred texts
Begin with the sources
Three interactive experiences — each built to let you explore primary texts directly.
गी
Bhagavad Gita · 18 Adhyāyas · 700 Ślokas
Jñāna Chakra
Kṛṣṇa's teaching to Arjuna on the field of Kurukshetra. All 18 adhyāyas with full Sanskrit ślokas, scene setting, the three yoga paths, and Śaṅkara and Rāmānuja commentary.
उ
Principal Upaniṣads · Vedānta · End of the Vedas
Upaniṣad Nakṣatra
108 philosophical dialogues on consciousness, Brahman, Ātman, and liberation. The four Mahāvākyas. Interactive constellation view with Śaṅkara, Rāmānuja, and Madhva commentary.
Itihāsa & Purāṇa
The Living Memory
The Smriti layer — narratives that carry dharmic teaching through story, lineage, and cosmology.
The River— It contains everything
महाभारत
Mahābhārata
18 Parvas · 100,000 Verses
The longest epic in world literature. The Kurukshetra war between the Pāṇḍavas and Kauravas is the frame for the most comprehensive account of dharma, statecraft, and cosmic order in any tradition. The Bhagavad Gita is embedded in its 6th parva.
Contains the Bhagavad Gita — Bhīṣma Parva, chapters 25–42
The Journey— From exile to return
रामायण
Rāmāyaṇa
7 Kāṇḍas · 24,000 Ślokas
The first poem — Ādikāvya — composed by the sage Vālmīki. The journey of Rāma from Ayodhyā through exile in the forest, the abduction of Sītā by Rāvaṇa, and the great battle of Laṅkā. The ideal of dharmic kingship and devoted love.
Vālmīki — "the first poet" — composed this in anuṣṭubh metre after witnessing a heron shot by a hunter
The Wheel— Of time and creation
पुराण
Purāṇas
18 Mahāpurāṇas · 400,000+ Verses
The encyclopaedia of the tradition — cosmology, genealogy, devotion, ritual, philosophy, and the great cycles of creation and dissolution. The Bhāgavata Purāṇa, Viṣṇu Purāṇa, and Śiva Purāṇa each tell the same cosmos from a different center.
"Purāṇam" — that which renews what is ancient. The Purāṇas make the Vedic world accessible.
Darśana
The Six Philosophical Schools
The āstika darśanas — six systematic inquiries into reality, knowledge, and liberation. Grouped as three traditional mithuna pairs.
न्यायSīśvara
Nyāya
Logic & Valid Reasoning
Nyāya Sūtras · Akṣapāda Gautama
“How do we arrive at valid knowledge?”
Liberation through tattvajñāna — correct knowledge of the 12 prameyas. Valid reasoning is the primary instrument.
Pramāṇas: 4 — pratyakṣa, anumāna, upamāna, śabda
Explore →
वैशेषिकSīśvara
Vaiśeṣika
Atomism & Categories of Being
Vaiśeṣika Sūtras · Kaṇāda (Ulūka)
“What are the irreducible constituents of existence?”
Reality consists of 6 padārthas — dravya, guṇa, karma, sāmānya, viśeṣa, samavāya — built from eternal paramāṇus.
Pramāṇas: 2 — pratyakṣa, anumāna
Explore →
सांख्यNirīśvara
Sāṃkhya
Enumeration — Dualism of Puruṣa & Prakṛti
Sāṃkhya Kārikā · Kapila, systematised by Īśvarakṛṣṇa
“What is the relation between consciousness and matter?”
25 tattvas unfold from Prakṛti. Liberation is viveka — the Puruṣa recognising its absolute separation from Prakṛti.
Pramāṇas: 3 — pratyakṣa, anumāna, āgama
Nirīśvara — does not posit God. One of two classical darśanas that are explicitly atheistic (Sāṃkhya Kārikā 61).
Explore →
योगSīśvara
Yoga
Discipline — Stilling of Mental Fluctuations
Yoga Sūtras · Patañjali
“How does the mind achieve complete stillness?”
Yogaś citta-vṛtti-nirodhaḥ. Liberation through the aṣṭāṅga path. Accepts Sāṃkhya's metaphysics but adds Īśvara.
Pramāṇas: 3 — pratyakṣa, anumāna, āgama
Sīśvara — unlike twin school Sāṃkhya, Yoga accepts Īśvara as a special eternal Puruṣa (YS 1.24).
Explore →
मीमांसाNirīśvara
Mīmāṃsā
Inquiry into Vedic Injunctions
Mīmāṃsā Sūtras · Jaimini
“What constitutes dharmic duty and how is it known?”
Dharma is what the Veda enjoins — codanālakṣaṇo'rtho dharmaḥ. The Veda is apauruṣeya: eternal, unauthored.
Pramāṇas: 6 — pratyakṣa, anumāna, upamāna, arthāpatti, anupalabdhi, śabda
Nirīśvara — Kumārila Bhaṭṭa argues explicitly against theism. Vedic authority requires no God.
Explore →
वेदान्तSīśvara
Vedānta
End of the Vedas — Inquiry into Brahman
Brahma Sūtras (Vedānta Sūtras) · Bādarāyaṇa
“What is the relation between the individual self and ultimate reality?”
Inquiry into Brahman, Ātman, and their relation via the Prasthānatraya: Upanishads, Brahma Sūtras, Bhagavad Gita.
Pramāṇas: 3 — pratyakṣa, anumāna, śruti (Prasthānatraya)
Vedānta is an umbrella. Each sub-school gives a different answer to every question in the matrix.
Advaita · ŚaṅkaraViśiṣṭādvaita · RāmānujaDvaita · Madhva
Explore →
Comparative Philosophy
Compare across all six schools
Pramāṇa · Tattva · Ātman · Mokṣa — how each school answers differently
| School | Pramāṇa | Tattva | Ātman | Mokṣa |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nyāya | 4 — pratyakṣa, anumāna, upamāna, śabda | 16 topics of inquiry (ṣoḍaśa padārtha) | Individual, eternal, bound by karma | Tattvajñāna — knowledge liberates from duḥkha |
| Sāṃkhya | 3 — pratyakṣa, anumāna, āgama | 25 tattvas — 1 Puruṣa + 24 Prakṛti evolutes | Plural, eternal, passive witness. Nirīśvara | Viveka — discriminating Puruṣa from Prakṛti |
| Vedānta | 3 — pratyakṣa, anumāna, śruti (Prasthānatraya) | Varies: Advaita (Brahman only) · Viśiṣṭādvaita (qualified non-dual) · Dvaita (5 eternal distinctions) | Varies — not a single answer across sub-schools | Varies: jñāna (Advaita) · bhakti (Rāmānuja) · prapatti (Madhva) |
| Vaiśeṣika · Yoga · Mīmāṃsā shown in full matrix — open to compare all six | ||||
Note: Vedānta row reflects the range across Advaita, Viśiṣṭādvaita, and Dvaita — not a single school.
ॐ
Ask VedikaBeta
Source-grounded exploration
What does the Bhagavad Gita say about action without attachment?
ॐ
The Gita's central teaching appears in 2.47 — one is entitled to perform action, but not to claim its fruits. This is the foundation of karma yoga. Shankaracharya's Advaita reading treats this as preparation for jnana: desireless action purifies the mind until knowledge of the Self arises. Ramanujacharya's Vishishtadvaita view holds that action offered to God is itself a direct path to liberation.
Sources
📜Bhagavad Gita 2.47📜Bhagavad Gita 3.19✍️Shankaracharya Gita Bhashya✍️Ramanujacharya Gita Bhashya
AI guidance only. Always verify with the cited sources.
Try Ask Vedika →Stay close to the sources
Primary texts. Interpretation threads. New research paths. No noise.