On this page
Before you step into the tradition, a few maps: of words, of structures, and of time
You can begin with any text and return here when questions arise. The four sittings below offer a first route through the library: find a work, distinguish its words from the explanation, follow a character, and compare one reading with its source. The groundwork pages and two reflections are here whenever you need them.
A first course in four sittings
Take one step at a time and stop wherever a question catches your attention. The aim is to learn how to read this library, with a small piece of the text open beside you. No prior knowledge or fixed schedule is needed.
Find the kind of book you are opening
Read A map of the canon, then find the Gita and the Ramayana on it. Write one sentence about what kind of text each is. Keep the timeline nearby if you want historical orientation; a date range is context, not a substitute for reading a passage.
Separate the words from their explanation
Open Gita 2.47 in the chapter commentary. Identify the Sanskrit quotation, the English paraphrase, and the narrator’s explanation. Compare the quotation’s coordinate with the linked source. What does the final phrase about inaction add? Write your answer as “The verse says…” and “I understand this to mean…”. Keeping those sentences distinct leaves room to revise your interpretation.
Follow a person through a decision
Read Arjuna’s three-part journey. Stop at his request to become a student, Gita 2.7, and then follow the link to his answer near the conversation’s end. What has changed? Give one passage as evidence before adding your own response. For a different entry, राम का परिचय हिन्दी में begins with Valmiki’s opening question; this particular Rama profile is currently available in Hindi.
Bring one question back to a source
Choose a paragraph in the Isha commentary. Its verse map will show the passage being discussed and what this selected reading leaves for the full source. Open the source note and compare one explanation. If the translations differ, record the difference and hold off on any verdict, especially the quick one that the first unfamiliar word must be a mistake. Finish by writing the question you want your next reading to answer.
Your next reading: explore the names Sanatana Dharma and Hinduism, or let a story lead you into the introduction to the eighteen Puranas. Return to Sources whenever you need the edition behind a collection.
Sources used in this course
The reading exercises are original editorial suggestions. The Gita examples use the Gita Press text, 2.7 and 2.47, compared with the independent BBT translations of 2.7 and 2.47. The Isha map compares Swami Krishnananda’s exposition with Sri Aurobindo’s published text and translation. These are selected reading exercises, not a certification of every page linked from Foundations.
More groundwork
Two reflections that grow out of these
Frequently asked questions
In what order should I read these pages?
For a first visit, follow the four sittings above in order. For a question about names, the shape of the library, or chronology, choose one of the groundwork pages below. Read the two reflections at any point.
Will the other texts make sense without reading these?
Yes. You can begin with an individual reading and return to these maps as questions arise. Check each reading’s scope: some pages are selected retellings or commentary, and completeness varies by collection.
How do translation, retelling, and commentary differ?
A translation renders a source into another language. A retelling narrates selected events in a new voice, sometimes with explanatory context. Commentary discusses meanings and questions. A page may combine these; its scope and source note tell you what is being offered.
Take one question into your next reading. Return to these maps when you need orientation, or follow the voice of a character into another text.
Begin a Sikh reading in English
Start with the opening of the Guru Granth Sahib and Japji’s question about living truthfully. The original Gurmukhi, compact English senses, and named sources are together on this page.
A first reading from the Guru Granth Sahib
This is a selected English entrance. The larger Ang collection uses Devanagari transliteration and Hindi meanings.