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Trust and method

What each collection stands on

See each collection’s coverage and available readings →

These notes name the editions behind the library, describe each collection’s scope, and state the limits of each comparison. For a particular reading, follow its own passage and source note.

Epic

Valmiki Ramayana

Source edition recorded
Primary basis
Shrimad Valmiki Ramayana, Sanskrit-Hindi edition, Gita Press, Gorakhpur.
Secondary basis
A PDF edition of the Adhyatma Ramayana is used only to identify clear tradition differences, not as the primary basis.
Editorial policy
A plain-language retelling that stays close to the source sequence and major episodes.
Scope
The seven kandas are presented as 34 continuous reading chapters.
Known limits
Popular episodes from later traditions are identified separately where needed.
Citation convention
Kanda, sarga, and verse where an explicit citation is present.

Epic

Ramcharitmanas

Source edition recorded
Primary basis
Goswami Tulsidas’s Shri Ramcharitmanas, the illustrated large-type edition with commentary, Gita Press, Gorakhpur; the Awadhi verse is taken from this edition word for word.
Secondary basis
Hanuman Prasad Poddar’s Hindi commentary, printed in the same edition, which settles the meaning of difficult Awadhi.
Editorial policy
Each prasang is retold in Hindi from its own verses and Poddar’s commentary. Every quoted line is matched against the printed text before it reaches the page and is never retyped.
Scope
All seven books in 142 prasangs: Bal Kand 42, Ayodhya Kand 36, Aranya Kand 11, Kishkindha Kand 5, Sundar Kand 9, Lanka Kand 17, Uttar Kand 22.
Known limits
The text was converted to Unicode from the legacy font layer of a digital copy of the Gita Press edition and repaired in several passes. The few units where the commentary had taken the place of the verse are not quoted; their content is told from the commentary. There is no English edition.
Citation convention
Kand, doha number and the chaupai’s place within it, as numbered in the Gita Press edition.

Epic

Mahabharata

Source edition recorded
Primary basis
Mahabharata, Hindi, volumes 1 through 6, Gita Press.
Secondary basis
Kisari Mohan Ganguli’s unabridged English translation, for comparison and English editing.
Editorial policy
A plain retelling that preserves parva sequence, major dialogues, and moral complexity.
Scope
The main line of the epic, told in 41 chapters.
Known limits
Substories are selected for a condensed reading; this is not represented as a complete translation.
Citation convention
Parva, chapter, and verse where explicitly supplied.

Purana

Srimad Bhagavata Mahapurana

Source edition recorded
Primary basis
Srimad Bhagavata Mahapurana, Sanskrit-Hindi, volumes 1 and 2, Gita Press.
Secondary basis
No separate secondary edition is used.
Editorial policy
Accessible Hindi while preserving narrative order and source-specific details.
Scope
Sixty-five chosen stories, retold one by one from the Gita Press text.
Known limits
Known sequence and attribution corrections were applied in the 2026 editorial audit.
Citation convention
Skandha, chapter, and verse: for example 10.10.22.

Yoga and Vedanta

Yoga Vasistha

Source edition recorded
Primary basis
Vihari Lal Mitra’s English translation, Calcutta, 1891.
Secondary basis
Vasistha’s Yoga by Swami Venkatesananda.
Hindi editions compared
The story of Punya and Pavana (Upashama Prakarana, sargas 19 and 20 and the opening of 21) was checked against two Hindi editions: the old Hindi prose translation of the Yoga Vasistha printed at the Tej Kumar Press, Lucknow, which that page calls the Lucknow prose edition; and the Gita Press, Gorakhpur, abridged Yoga Vasistha (Sankshipta Yogavasishtha), which takes these sargas together in brief. Names, the order of events and the list of former births were checked against them.
Editorial policy
Condensing story teachings and philosophical arguments into readable prose.
Scope
Thirty-nine story and dialogue based entrances.
Known limits
Edition structures may differ; this records the benchmark and does not claim a critical edition.
Citation convention
Section or story name; verse number only where explicit in the source.

Shakta nondualism

Tripura Rahasya

Source edition recorded
Primary basis
Sanskrit Jnana Khanda with Srinivasabhatta’s Tatparyadipika; independent comparison: Ramanananda Saraswathi, Sri Ramanasramam, 2006.
Secondary basis
Swami Sri Ramanananda Saraswathi’s English translation, Sri Ramanasramam, Tiruvannamalai, 2006; each reading identifies its selected passages.
Editorial policy
Modern source-faithful narrative prose, with names, numbers, measures, and chapter boundaries controlled against the Sanskrit text.
Scope
Three selected narratives: Hemachuda-Hemalekha 3 to 10; selected Mahasena passages in 12 to 14; Janaka-Ashtavakra 15 and the opening of 16. Not a complete translation.
Known limits
Sanskrit verse numbers and English grouped passages can differ. The Mahasena time-number variant and the distinction between this Janaka-Ashtavakra narrative and the separate Ashtavakra Gita are explained on their pages.
Citation convention
Chapter, printed page, and verse markers where available.
Official references
Sanskrit Jnana Khanda with Tatparyadipika

Goddess

Devi Mahatmya (Durga Saptashati)

Source edition recorded
Primary basis
The Sanskrit of Markandeya Purana chapters 81 to 93, with its own verse numbers; the printed text agrees with the Markandeya Purana in the GRETIL collection of the University of Göttingen. The Gita Press Sri Durga Saptashati counts the same text as 700 mantras, and the chapter pages explain the difference.
Secondary basis
Meaning checked against F. E. Pargiter’s English translation, The Markandeya Purana, Asiatic Society, Calcutta, 1904; verse numbers and readings compared with the Gita Press count of 700 mantras.
Editorial policy
Presenting the thirteen chapters, hymns, and closing teaching in clear prose.
Scope
All 13 chapters of the Devi Mahatmya sequence.
Known limits
Liturgical text and narrative explanation are kept distinct.
Citation convention
Chapter and verse where available.

Purana

Harivamsha

References recorded
Primary basis
The named verification reference is the Bhandarkar Oriental Research Institute Critical Edition of Harivamsa, Volumes I and II, edited by Dr P. L. Vaidya.
Secondary basis
Manmatha Nath Dutt’s English prose translation, Calcutta, 1897, for checking the narrative.
Editorial policy
Narrative editing follows internal source markers; source-level changes require comparison with the named edition.
Scope
Twenty selected episodes.
Known limits
The collection is not presented as reconciled line by line with the whole text.
Citation convention
Episode and chapter where stated in the content.
Official references
BORI official book catalogue

Gita

Bhagavad Gita

References recorded
Primary basis
The named verification reference is BORI’s The Bhagavadgita Reprinted From The Bhismaparvan by Prof. S. K. Belvalkar.
Secondary basis
For meaning and Hindi editorial comparison: Gita Press, Shrimad Bhagavad Gita Tattvavivechani by Jayadayal Goyandka.
Editorial policy
Keeping source text, meaning, and explanation distinct within the chapter sequence.
Scope
Commentary across 18 chapters, with selected original verses.
Known limits
The reference set is named; the pages are not presented as a verse-by-verse collation against it.
Citation convention
Chapter and verse: for example 2.47.
Official references
BORI official book catalogueGita Press Tattvavivechani
Selected review
Chapter 2 passage map and review

Purana

Shiva Purana

Source edition recorded
Primary basis
The abridged Hindi Shiva Purana of the Gita Press, Gorakhpur (Sankshipta Shivapurananka); all thirty-two stories are retold from its pages, with samhita and chapter markers.
Secondary basis
J. L. Shastri’s complete English translation, The Siva Purana, Motilal Banarsidass, Delhi, for comparison on the English pages; some English pages also carry passages from this fuller text that the abridged edition does not contain.
Editorial policy
Plain narrative form with internal references; source corrections follow comparison with the named text.
Scope
Thirty-two selected episodes.
Known limits
The reference is named; the collection as a whole is not presented as reconciled with it at edition level.
Citation convention
Samhita, section, or chapter where stated.

Purana

Vishnu Purana

References recorded
Primary basis
The named verification reference is Gita Press Complete Vishnu Purana, Sanskrit with Hindi translation.
Secondary basis
Lineage, amsha, and chapter markers receive priority in editorial comparison.
Editorial policy
Condensing narrative, lineage, and cosmology into clear prose.
Scope
26 selected readings from six books. From Book Five: the birth of Krishna (5.3), Govardhana (5.10 to 12) and the end of the Yadavas.
Known limits
The reference is named; the stories are not presented as collated with it amsha by amsha.
Citation convention
Amsha and chapter where explicit in the content.
Official references
Gita Press Complete Vishnu Purana

Goddess

Devi Bhagavata

References recorded
Primary basis
The named verification set is Gita Press Shrimad Devi Bhagavata Purana with Hindi translation, Volumes 1 and 2.
Secondary basis
The Gita Press Sanskrit-text listing is used when checking source-text markers.
Editorial policy
Accessible retelling of selected stories while preserving skandha and chapter markers.
Scope
Twenty-seven selected stories.
Known limits
The reference set is named; the stories carry no skandha-by-skandha collation against it.
Citation convention
Skandha and chapter where stated.
Official references
Gita Press Devi Bhagavata, Volume 1

Upanishad

Upanishads

References recorded
Primary basis
The named verification reference is Advaita Ashrama’s Eight Upanishads, two volumes, translated by Swami Gambhirananda.
Secondary basis
Separate Advaita Ashrama editions of the Chandogya and Brihadaranyaka with Shankaracharya’s commentary are included for comparison. The Shvetashvatara and the Kaivalya fall outside those eight: for the Shvetashvatara the named reference is Advaita Ashrama’s separate edition with Shankaracharya’s commentary, translated by Swami Gambhirananda; Shankaracharya wrote no commentary on the Kaivalya, whose page was written from the Sanskrit, and no printed edition is yet named for it.
Editorial policy
Keeping mantra, meaning, and explanation clearly distinct.
Scope
Twelve Upanishads: eleven read whole, the Isha in selected mantras.
Known limits
The reference set is named; the included Upanishads carry no mantra-by-mantra collation against it.
Citation convention
Upanishad, chapter, valli, and mantra where available.
Official references
Advaita Ashrama Eight UpanishadsAdvaita Ashrama Upanishads catalogueAdvaita Ashrama Shvetashvatara Upanishad
Selected review
Isha commentary: page-specific basis

Yoga and Vedanta

Yoga and Vedanta texts

References recorded
Primary basis
The named verification reference for the Yoga Sutras is BORI’s The Yoga of Patañjali by M. R. Yardi. The Brahma Sutra text comes from the Devanagari edition at sanskritdocuments.org; its numbering and division follow Shankaracharya, 555 sutras in 191 adhikaranas, as given in that site’s adhikarana list, which was prepared from Swami Gambhirananda’s translation and Belvalkar’s Brahmasutrapatha. Shankaracharya’s commentary is checked against George Thibaut’s English translation, Sacred Books of the East, volumes 34 (1890) and 38 (1896).
Secondary basis
For the Vivekachudamani, Ashtavakra Samhita, and Avadhuta Gita: the official Advaita Ashrama catalogue.
Editorial policy
Keeping source text, meaning, and editorial explanation distinct.
Scope
Yoga Sutras, Brahma Sutra, Vivekachudamani, and nondual texts.
Known limits
The references are named; no text here is presented as collated with them sutra by sutra or verse by verse.
Citation convention
Sutra or verse number where explicit.
Official references
BORI official book catalogueBrahma Sutra adhikarana listAdvaita Ashrama other scriptures

Sikh canon

Sikh canon

References recorded
Primary basis
The named verification reference is the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee’s Guru Granth Sahib overview and standard 1430-ang structure.
Secondary basis
The current official SGPC Digital Library is recorded for comparison with supporting publications and textual references.
Editorial policy
Preserving ang, raag, and bani markers; source corrections follow comparison with the SGPC reference.
Scope
Japji, Anand Sahib, Asa di Vaar, Sukhmani and Salok Mahalla 9 in full, and all 1430 angs of the Adi Granth.
Known limits
This is the largest corpus, and it is not presented as reconciled ang by ang in full.
Citation convention
Ang number and raag where explicit on the page.
Official references
SGPC Guru Granth Sahib referenceSGPC Digital Library

Devotion

Stotras and devotional texts

References recorded
Primary basis
Named verification references are Gita Press Stotra Ratnavali and its official stotra catalogue.
Secondary basis
For the Shiva Mahimna Stotra and Sri Lalita Sahasranama, the official Advaita Ashrama catalogue is also used for comparison.
Editorial policy
Keeping source text, transliteration, meaning, and commentary distinct.
Scope
Ten texts: the Vishnu and Lalita Sahasranamas, the Narada Bhakti Sutra, the Saundarya Lahari, the Purusha Sukta, the Hanuman Chalisa, the Shiva Mahimna Stotra, the Sri Rudram, the Ganesha Atharvashirsha and Bhaja Govindam.
Known limits
The reference set is named; no single stotra carries a text-level collation against it.
Citation convention
Verse or mantra number where available.
Official references
Gita Press Stotra RatnavaliGita Press stotra catalogueAdvaita Ashrama other scriptures

The passages on the homepage

These 73 passages are quoted word for word from the library’s own English and Hindi pages. The English homepage shows each passage in the words of its English page, and the Hindi homepage in the words of its Hindi page. Each passage was checked against its page on . The notes below say where in its page each passage sits.

Bhushunda: Memory Across Ages on the Wish-Bearing TreeYoga Vasistha · Bhushunda

Where it appears: Under 'A Mind That Does Not Leave the Present' in Bhushunda: Memory Across Ages on the Wish-Bearing Tree, Bhushunda counts out for Vasistha the habits behind his long life, and each sentence closes on what the habit has done for him: 'this has prolonged my life'.

Context: Bhushunda, a crow who has watched many ages pass from a wish-bearing tree on Meru, tells the sage Vasistha what has kept him well through them all.

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Chapter 2: The Yoga of KnowledgeBhagavad Gita · 2.47

Where it appears: Verse 2.47 as it stands in the 'Verse by verse' section of Chapter 2: The Yoga of Knowledge, which carries all 72 verses of the chapter in English; its source note names the Gita Press Mahabharata as the main edition.

Context: Krishna speaks this to Arjuna on the field of Kurukshetra, at the start of his teaching on work. It is the most quoted verse of the Gita.

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Twelve selected passages from Japji SahibGuru Nanak · Japji Sahib, closing salok · Guru Granth Sahib, Ang 8 · English rendering

Where it appears: The twelfth and last reading in Twelve selected passages from Japji Sahib, 'Closing salok', gives the opening two lines from Ang 8, transliterated first; the text is checked against Professor Sahib Singh's Sri Guru Granth Darpan.

Context: After thirty-eight pauris on the vastness of creation, Japji Sahib closes by bringing the reader back to air, water, earth, day and night.

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Ramayana · The Surrender of VibhishanaValmiki Ramayana · Yuddhakanda, sargas 1 to 19 · Gita Press

Where it appears: Rama's answer to Sugriva under 'The law of the suppliant, Rama's decision' in Ramayana · The Surrender of Vibhishana: he first pledges to follow the word of the sage Kandu, then states the vow. Gita Press is the controlling witness for Yuddhakanda, cantos 1 to 19.

Context: Vibhishana, brother of the king of Lanka, has crossed over to ask Rama for shelter, and the allies doubt him. Rama answers with the law he lives by.

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Mundaka Upanishad: Para Vidya, Two Birds and Satyameva JayateMundaka Upanishad · Mundaka 3

Where it appears: In Mundaka Upanishad: Para Vidya, Two Birds and Satyameva Jayate, the third mundaka opens on this image under 'Two birds on one branch, and the road of truth they call devayana', with the Sanskrit 'Dva suparna sayuja sakhaya' set inside the sentence; the reading notes Shankara where readings differ.

Context: The sage Angiras opens his last teaching to the householder Shaunaka with a picture. One bird lives through the world, and the other quietly witnesses it.

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The Ashtavakra Gita · Chapter 1: The WitnessAshtavakra Gita · Chapter 1.11

Where it appears: Shloka 11 in The Ashtavakra Gita · Chapter 1: The Witness, printed under 'Shloka 10 · 11' beside the rope-and-snake verse; the prose before it calls the eleventh verse a proverb, 'the kind the market repeats', which the verse invites Janaka to test by looking.

Context: In the court of Mithila, the boy-sage Ashtavakra answers King Janaka's questions about freedom. He reaches for a proverb the whole market knows and turns it toward the one who is listening.

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Chapter 4 · The Shakradi StutiDevi Mahatmya · Chapter 4, Shakradi Stuti · verse 17 · Markandeya Purana

Where it appears: Verse 17 of the gods' hymn, under '17 · 18 · 19' in Chapter 4 · The Shakradi Stuti; the next verse turns at once to the slain asuras. Numbering follows the Markandeya Purana text, adhyayas 81 to 93, and the Gita Press Saptashati counts differently.

Context: The gods' hymn after the Devi's first great victory reaches the verse still spoken in every hour of danger.

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Bhagavatam · Rantideva's CompassionShrimad Bhagavatam · Skandha 9, chapter 21

Where it appears: The middle of Rantideva's prayer in Bhagavatam · Rantideva's Compassion: he has just declined the highest state, crowned with the eight yogic powers, and even moksha. The retelling follows Skandha 9, Chapter 21, told by Shukadeva to a king counting his last days.

Context: King Rantideva has fasted forty-eight days, and he holds the last of his water when a parched stranger comes to his door. Before he gives it away, this prayer rises in him.

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Uddalaka: Mind, Om, and Undivided BeingYoga Vasistha · Uddalaka

Where it appears: Uddalaka's address to his own mind under 'Five Senses and an Unfindable Ego' in Uddalaka: Mind, Om, and Undivided Being opens 'My senseless mind'; the line comes just after his image of a man who walks out of a grove of mandara flowers into a forest of poison plants.

Context: The young sage Uddalaka sits in a mountain cave on Gandhamadana, unable to still his thoughts. He turns and reasons with his own restless mind.

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The Vibhishana Gita · Part 2: The Wheels of the Dharma-Chariot: Valor and FortitudeRamcharitmanas · Lankakanda, Vibhishana Gita

Where it appears: The Vibhishana Gita · Part 2: The Wheels of the Dharma-Chariot: Valor and Fortitude begins Rama's description of the chariot with this line from the Lankakanda, marking it as the opening of Tulsidas's most famous metaphor; the commentary then explains why courage and steadfastness must turn together as its wheels.

Context: Rama stands on foot before the battle at Lanka, and Vibhishana worries that he has no chariot. Rama answers by describing the chariot that brings true victory, built from a person's own virtues.

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The Saundarya Lahari · The Description of Her BeautySaundarya Lahari · shloka 100, the close

Where it appears: Leading into '100 · The close' in The Saundarya Lahari · The Description of Her Beauty, the poet likens his hymn to offering the moon its own fallen drops and the ocean a handful of its own water; each shloka's meaning is checked against the standard edition at sanskritdocuments.org.

Context: At the end of a hundred verses the poet compares his hymn to waving a lamp before the sun.

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Mahabharata · Chapter 11a · Part 2 of 2 · Dvaitavana: the debate of Draupadi, Yudhishthira and BhimaMahabharata · Vana Parva, the Dvaitavana dialogue · Ganguli sections 1 to 35

Where it appears: In the section of Mahabharata · Chapter 11a · Part 2 of 2 · Dvaitavana: the debate of Draupadi, Yudhishthira and Bhima that opens with Prahlada and Bali, Yudhishthira tells Draupadi, whom he addresses as Krishna, what forgiveness holds and wins; the English retelling follows K. M. Ganguli, sections 1 to 35.

Context: In the forest of Dvaitavana, Draupadi urges Yudhishthira to answer injury with anger. He replies with verses the sage Kashyapa composed in honor of the forgiving.

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Chapter 1: The Ashvamedha, the Contest of the Breaths, and Aham BrahmasmiBrihadaranyaka Upanishad · Chapter 1

Where it appears: Under 'The many names of the breath, and a prayer still sung today' in Chapter 1: The Ashvamedha, the Contest of the Breaths, and Aham Brahmasmi, the lines follow the Sanskrit 'asato ma sad gamaya', and the Upanishad then glosses them itself: the unreal means death, the real the deathless.

Context: The Upanishad gives these three lines to be repeated quietly while the morning chant is sung. They are still sung across the world today.

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Bhagavatam · The Avadhuta's Twenty-Four GurusBhagavatam · Skandha 11, Chapters 7 to 9

Where it appears: The avadhuta's closing words in Bhagavatam · The Avadhuta's Twenty-Four Gurus, spoken after he names his own body as one more teacher, 'born only to die'; the retelling follows Skandha 11, Chapters 7 to 9.

Context: King Yadu has heard the wandering avadhuta name his twenty-four teachers, from the earth to the wasp. When the king marvels at the count, the avadhuta laughs and says the teachers cannot be counted.

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Twelve selected passages from Japji SahibGuru Nanak · Japji Sahib, Pauri 21 · Guru Granth Sahib, Ang 4 · English rendering

Where it appears: Reading eight of Twelve selected passages from Japji Sahib, 'Pauri 21 · Pilgrimage critiqued', gives the pauri's opening four lines from Ang 4, transliterated before the English; the commentary ties 'suni-aa', heard, back to pauris 8 to 11.

Context: Guru Nanak weighs outward acts of piety against the inward work of listening and love.

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Ramayana · The Meeting of Hanuman and Rama, and the Pact with SugrivaValmiki Ramayana · Kishkindhakanda, sargas 1 to 15 · Gita Press

Where it appears: Sugriva's words to Rama under 'Sugriva's account of himself and the beginning of the feud' in Ramayana · The Meeting of Hanuman and Rama, and the Pact with Sugriva; Rama answers only 'It is so.' The Gita Press Hindi edition controls this telling of Kishkindhakanda, cantos 1 to 15.

Context: Rama and the exiled monkey king Sugriva have just sworn friendship with a fire as witness. Sugriva says what a friend owes a friend.

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Chudala: Queen, Yogini, and GuruYoga Vasistha · Chudala

Where it appears: Under 'The Queen Reveals the Teacher' in Chudala: Queen, Yogini, and Guru, Vasistha has just recounted Shikhidhvaja's reign of more than a thousand years and urged Rama to imitate him in everything; this counsel follows.

Context: Queen Chudala and King Shikhidhvaja have come home from the forest to rule in freedom. Vasistha closes their story with this counsel to Rama.

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Chapter 6: The Yoga of MeditationBhagavad Gita · 6.5

Where it appears: Listed as 6.5 in the 'Verse by verse' section of Chapter 6: The Yoga of Meditation, which gives all 47 verses of the chapter in plain English, each verse with its own link.

Context: In the chapter on meditation Krishna turns the seeker toward his own inner resources. The verse makes each person the first helper of his own rise.

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The Shiva Mahimna StotraPushpadanta · Shiva Mahimna Stotra · shlokas 7 to 9

Where it appears: Introduced in The Shiva Mahimna Stotra as 'the most generous shloka of the stotra', in the prose before 'Shlokas 7 to 9 · all rivers, one sea, and singing while shy'; the text follows the common 43-shloka form given by vignanam.org and sanskritdocuments.org.

Context: Pushpadanta names the many schools of the Veda, Samkhya, Yoga and devotion, each sure of its own road, and then gives them all one ending.

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Mahabharata · The Questions of the YakshaMahabharata · Vana Parva, the questions of the Yaksha · Gita Press

Where it appears: Under 'Questions of friendship, nectar, dharma, and renunciation' in Mahabharata · The Questions of the Yaksha, these answer 'the last four of this round'; the English follows Ganguli for the Yaksha episode, Sections 309 to 313 of the Araneya sub-parva.

Context: At a forest lake a mysterious Yaksha questions Yudhishthira on dharma before letting him drink. Asked what a person should give up, and what each surrender brings, he answers in four short lines.

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The Yoga Sutras · Pada 2: SadhanaYoga Sutras of Patanjali · Sadhana Pada 2.16

Where it appears: Set just after the sutra line '2.16 · The suffering that has not yet come is to be avoided' in The Yoga Sutras · Pada 2: Sadhana, which calls it the most useful sutra in all of yoga; the Sanskrit is checked against the Agashe edition (Anandashrama, 1904).

Context: Patanjali sets down the aim of the whole practice in five Sanskrit words, heyam duhkham anagatam. The page opens them as a plain promise about the days ahead.

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Vivekachudamani · The Rare Human BirthVivekachudamani · verse 3

Where it appears: Verse 3 in Vivekachudamani · The Rare Human Birth, the verse that 'gathers the long staircase into three'; numbering follows Swami Madhavananda's translation (Advaita Ashrama, 1921), whose 'protecting care of a perfected sage' glosses mahapurusha.

Context: Near the opening of the Vivekachudamani, Shankaracharya counts the gifts a seeker already holds. The reader who has a human life and a wish to look inward has been given two of them.

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Anand SahibGuru Amardas · Anand Sahib, Pauri 40 · Guru Granth Sahib, Raga Ramkali · English rendering

Where it appears: From 'The sense' under 'Pauri 40 · The close' in Anand Sahib, right after the opening line 'Anadu sunahu vadabhagiho'; the bani comes from angs 917 to 922 in Raga Ramkali, and each meaning follows Professor Sahib Singh ji.

Context: The closing pauri of Guru Amardas's song of bliss names what that bliss finally is.

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Bhagavatam · Prahlada’s PrayerShrimad Bhagavatam · Skandha 7, chapter 9

Where it appears: Prahlada's words in Bhagavatam · Prahlada’s Prayer come straight after his picture of sages who go alone into the empty forests, bound by the vow of silence, laboring for their own release; the retelling follows Skandha 7, Chapter 9.

Context: The child Prahlada has calmed Narasimha with his hymn, and freedom from birth and death is his for the asking. His thoughts turn instead to everyone still caught in the world.

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Vasudeva: From the Samanga to Shukra's ReturnYoga Vasistha · Vasudeva

Where it appears: Vasistha's reply under 'The Skeleton on Mandarachala' in Vasudeva: From the Samanga to Shukra's Return, after Rama interrupts the telling in his father's court; it follows the image of the sun's reflection shaking in water while the sun itself stays fixed.

Context: Vasistha explains to Rama why even a liberated sage like Shukra could grieve over his body. He then names where freedom and bondage really lie.

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Bhaja GovindamBhaja Govindam · verse 9

Where it appears: Called 'the most famous shloka of the work' in Bhaja Govindam, in the prose leading into shlokas 9 and 10, the ladder to liberation; the text is the 33-shloka form given by Vaidika Vignanam.

Context: Adi Shankaracharya gathers the whole of spiritual practice into a single ladder, each rung rising from the one below it, and it begins with the company one keeps.

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Chapter 11 · The Narayani StutiDevi Mahatmya · Chapter 11, Narayani Stuti · verse 9 · Markandeya Purana

Where it appears: Second of four salutations under '8 · 9 · 10 · 11' in Chapter 11 · The Narayani Stuti, after the one to Narayani as the finer measures of time; numbering follows the Markandeya Purana text, adhyayas 81 to 93, and the Gita Press Saptashati counts differently.

Context: The Narayani Stuti salutes the goddess in form after form; this is the verse sung as the opening of countless pujas.

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Ramayana · Entering Lanka, and the Sight of the CityValmiki Ramayana · Sundarakanda, sargas 4 to 13 · Gita Press

Where it appears: Hanuman speaks to himself under 'Despair, and Then Resolve' in Ramayana · Entering Lanka, and the Sight of the City, having just called the refusal to lose heart 'the root of prosperity'; Gita Press is the controlling witness for Sundarakanda, cantos 4 to 13.

Context: Hanuman has searched Lanka all night without finding Sita and comes close to despair. He steadies himself with anirveda, the refusal to give up, and begins again.

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Chapter 7: Narada, Sanatkumara and the VastChandogya Upanishad · Chapter 7

Where it appears: Sanatkumara's one-line answer under 'Bhuma: where nothing else is left over (khandas 23 to 26)' in Chapter 7: Narada, Sanatkumara and the Vast, given with the Sanskrit 'yo vai bhuma tat sukham nalpe sukham asti'; Narada then asks to know the vast.

Context: Narada has mastered every branch of learning and still carries his sorrow to the sage Sanatkumara. At the top of a long ladder of teaching, the sage gives him this answer.

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Chapter 9: The Yoga of Royal Knowledge and Royal SecretBhagavad Gita · 9.26

Where it appears: Verse 9.26 in the 'Verse by verse' section of Chapter 9: The Yoga of Royal Knowledge and Royal Secret; earlier, the chapter's narrative gives this offering its own heading, 'A leaf, a flower, a fruit, water', and all 34 verses follow in plain English.

Context: In the chapter Krishna calls the royal secret, he names the smallest offerings a person can bring. Love is the measure he asks for.

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Twelve selected passages from Japji SahibGuru Nanak · Japji Sahib, Pauri 38 · Guru Granth Sahib, Ang 8 · English rendering

Where it appears: Under 'Pauri 38 · The forge', the eleventh of twelve readings in Twelve selected passages from Japji Sahib, the first five lines of the pauri appear from Ang 8, transliterated from 'jat paahaaraa' to 'sachee taksaal' before the English.

Context: The last pauri of Japji Sahib lays out a goldsmith's workshop, each tool an inner quality.

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Mahabharata · Savitri and Satyavan, and Karna's Gift of his ArmorMahabharata · Vana Parva, the story of Savitri · Ganguli sections 291 to 308

Where it appears: Savitri says this in Mahabharata · Savitri and Satyavan, and Karna's Gift of his Armor after Yama grants her first boon and tells her to turn back; she then asks for her father-in-law's lost kingdom. The English follows K. M. Ganguli, sections 291 to 308.

Context: Savitri walks behind Yama as he carries away her husband's life. She keeps walking and keeps speaking, and her words on good company please him so much that he offers her a boon.

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Gadhi's Chandala Dream: Two Muhurtas and Many YearsYoga Vasistha · Gadhi

Where it appears: Vasistha's answer under 'Ten Years at Rishyamukha' in Gadhi's Chandala Dream: Two Muhurtas and Many Years to Rama's question, 'How can we stop the wheel of delusion?'; it comes right after his image of the bound mind: 'You are a gnat in a pot.'

Context: Gadhi, a Brahmin, lived a whole second life inside a vision that lasted moments. Vasistha ends the tale by giving Rama this remedy.

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The Avadhuta Gita · Chapter 1 · The Nature of the SelfAvadhuta Gita · Chapter 1.56

Where it appears: Verse 56, under '55 · 56 · 57 · 58' in The Avadhuta Gita · Chapter 1 · The Nature of the Self, follows the run of wonder in verse 55, 'ah, awakening, ah, knowledge'; the next verse turns the call to 'why do you wander'. The chapter has 76 shlokas.

Context: Dattatreya, the wandering sage of the Avadhuta Gita, speaks here in a friend's voice. He addresses whoever is grieving and reminds them what in them was never touched.

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The Lalita Sahasranama · Part 10: The Final Hundred NamesLalita Sahasranama · Part 10, names 986 to 995

Where it appears: Prose leading into names 986 to 995 in The Lalita Sahasranama · Part 10: The Final Hundred Names, the block that ends at name 995, Sarvanullanghyashasana; the meanings follow Bhaskararaya's Saubhagya-Bhaskara commentary, on text from the Lalitopakhyana of the Brahmanda Purana.

Context: Near the close of the thousand names of the Divine Mother, the names turn to her grace.

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The Testing of ParvatiShiva Purana · Rudra Samhita, Parvati Khanda · Gita Press

Where it appears: Parvati's last word to the seven sages under 'The test of the seven sages' in The Testing of Parvati; they raise a cry of victory and go back to Shiva. The source is the Gita Press Sankshipta Shivapurananka, Rudra Samhita, Parvati Khanda.

Context: The seven sages come to Parvati in her years of tapas and try to talk her out of her resolve to win Shiva. This is her answer.

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Suraghu and Parigha: From Kingship to Natural SamadhiYoga Vasistha · Suraghu and Parigha

Where it appears: Mandavya's counsel under 'Mandavya's Method' in Suraghu and Parigha: From Kingship to Natural Samadhi; he had refused at the start to carry the doubt away for Suraghu, and the next image is a rolling wave returning to the still water it rose from.

Context: King Suraghu of the Kiratas, troubled by the pain his judgments cause, asks the sage Mandavya for peace. Mandavya sends him inward to ask what he truly is.

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The Ashtavakra Gita · Chapter 15: Knowledge of TruthAshtavakra Gita · Chapter 15.8

Where it appears: In The Ashtavakra Gita · Chapter 15: Knowledge of Truth this is the eighth verse, set under 'Shlokas 7 · 8' just after the image of the universe rising in Janaka as waves rise in the ocean. The commentary points out that the speaker is a boy of twelve.

Context: Where argument runs short, Ashtavakra offers Janaka trust. He calls the king child, as a father would, and asks him to believe what he already is.

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Salok Mahalla 9Guru Tegh Bahadur · Salok Mahalla 9, Salok 22 · Guru Granth Sahib · English rendering

Where it appears: Salok 22 of Guru Tegh Bahadur, under 'Salok 22 · 23' in Salok Mahalla 9. These saloks sit on angs 1426 to 1429 of the Guru Granth Sahib, and the commentary follows the tika of Professor Sahib Singh.

Context: Among the closing saloks of the Guru Granth Sahib, Guru Tegh Bahadur names the four knots that hold a person back.

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Ramayana · Chapter 10 · Part 2 of 2 · Bharata meets Rama at ChitrakutaValmiki Ramayana · Ayodhyakanda, sargas 93 to 119 · Gita Press

Where it appears: Rama says this to Bharata under 'Bharata's renewed plea, and Rama's teaching on the impermanence of the world' in Ramayana · Chapter 10 · Part 2 of 2 · Bharata meets Rama at Chitrakuta, soon after the image of two pieces of driftwood meeting on the ocean. Gita Press is the controlling witness.

Context: Bharata has come to Chitrakuta grieving for their father. Rama consoles him with a teaching on time and on what a life should be spent on.

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Taittiriya Upanishad: satyam vada, the five sheaths, and Bhrigu's tapasTaittiriya Upanishad

Where it appears: Taittiriya Upanishad: satyam vada, the five sheaths, and Bhrigu's tapas opens on this parting address, and 'matri-devo bhava' follows a few lines on. It belongs to the Shikshavalli, first of three vallis in an Upanishad of the Krishna Yajur Veda, which travels from pitch and pronunciation as far as this farewell.

Context: On the last morning of a student's long years in his teacher's house, the teacher sends him home with these words.

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Chapter 18: The Yoga of Liberation and RenunciationBhagavad Gita · 18.66

Where it appears: Verse 18.66 in the 'Verse by verse' section of Chapter 18: The Yoga of Liberation and Renunciation, set between 18.65, where Krishna tells Arjuna he is dear to him, and 18.67, which keeps the teaching from anyone without austerity or devotion.

Context: Near the close of the Gita, after every path has been laid out, Krishna gathers the teaching into a single word of refuge.

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The Hanuman ChalisaTulsidas · Hanuman Chalisa · chaupai 40

Where it appears: The last chaupai, glossed in the block '37 · 38 · 39 · 40' of The Hanuman Chalisa. The Chalisa there is attributed by tradition to Goswami Tulsidas, in Awadhi, with its text as printed by Gita Press, Gorakhpur.

Context: After forty chaupais of praise, Tulsidas calls himself forever the servant of Sri Hari and asks for one thing only.

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Mahabharata · The Great Journey, the Fall of Draupadi and the Brothers, and Yudhishthira and the DogMahabharata · Mahaprasthanika Parva, sections 1 to 3 · Gita Press

Where it appears: Yudhishthira answers Indra, whom he calls god of a thousand eyes, under 'Indra's chariot and the test of the dog' in Mahabharata · The Great Journey, the Fall of Draupadi and the Brothers, and Yudhishthira and the Dog. Where recensions differ, the English retelling follows Ganguli's translation of the Mahaprasthanika Parva, sections 1 to 3.

Context: At the end of the great journey Indra comes to carry Yudhishthira to heaven in his own body, on one condition: he must leave behind the dog that has walked with him all the way. This is his answer.

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Bhasa and Vilasa: Friendship, Inquiry, and LiberationYoga Vasistha · Bhasa and Vilasa

Where it appears: Vilasa's greeting opens 'Questions at the Reunion' in Bhasa and Vilasa: Friendship, Inquiry, and Liberation, and his questions about Bhasa's austerities and his peace of mind follow at once.

Context: Bhasa and Vilasa grew up in the sage Atri's hermitage as one mind in two bodies. Meeting again in old age after long years apart, Vilasa greets his friend.

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Bhagavatam · The Uddhava GitaBhagavatam · Skandha 11, Uddhava Gita

Where it appears: Krishna speaks these lines to Uddhava in Bhagavatam · The Uddhava Gita, during his last teaching in Dwarka. The closing note places the saying at 11.14.20 and names Shridhara Swami's Bhavartha-dipika as the basis of the traditional commentary.

Context: Having laid out Samkhya, yoga and knowledge for Uddhava, Krishna pauses and places his finger on a single road.

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Anand SahibGuru Amardas · Anand Sahib, Pauri 17 · Guru Granth Sahib, Raga Ramkali · English rendering

Where it appears: From the sense given for Pauri 17 in Anand Sahib, the bani of Guru Amardas on angs 917 to 922, in Raga Ramkali. The meaning given for each pauri follows the commentary of Professor Sahib Singh ji.

Context: In this pauri of Anand Sahib, Guru Amardas turns again and again to one word, pure.

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Ramayana · The Ashoka Grove, the Sight of Sita, and the RingValmiki Ramayana · Sundarakanda, sargas 14 to 40 · Gita Press

Where it appears: Sita says this to Ravana under 'Sita answers from behind a blade of grass' in Ramayana · The Ashoka Grove, the Sight of Sita, and the Ring, on his own ground and ringed by his guards, just after warning that Lanka will fall for one man's crime. Gita Press is the controlling witness.

Context: Held captive in the Ashoka grove, Sita is offered all the wealth of Lanka. She answers with the name of Rama, Raghava, her husband.

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Dama, Vyala, and Kata: How Habit Creates the EgoYoga Vasistha · Dama, Vyala, and Kata

Where it appears: In Dama, Vyala, and Kata: How Habit Creates the Ego Vasistha closes a run of examples with Savitri, who won Satyavan back from Yama by the sweetness of her speech, and then says this under 'What Vasistha Asks Rama to Practice'.

Context: Vasistha urges Rama never to slacken his energy, recalling Nandi and Vishvamitra, who won by steady effort what seemed out of reach.

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Chapter 2: The Yoga of KnowledgeBhagavad Gita · 2.70

Where it appears: Verse 2.70 in the 'Verse by verse' section of Chapter 2: The Yoga of Knowledge, which names the Gita Press Mahabharata as its main edition. Just before it, 2.69 calls the night of all beings the time of waking for the self-controlled.

Context: Krishna closes his portrait of the person of steady wisdom with the image of the sea, full and level while every river pours in.

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Twelve selected passages from Japji SahibGuru Nanak · Japji Sahib, Mool Mantra · Guru Granth Sahib, Ang 1 · English rendering

Where it appears: The first of twelve stops in Twelve selected passages from Japji Sahib, a fifteen-minute reading guide, under '1 · Mool Mantra' on Ang 1. The text was checked against SriGranth and Professor Sahib Singh's Sri Guru Granth Darpan.

Context: The opening line of the Guru Granth Sahib, on which the whole of Japji Sahib rests.

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Mahabharata · Chapter 19 · Part 5 of 5 · Kunti's message: the tale of Vidula, and the last farewellMahabharata · Udyoga Parva, the story of Vidula · Ganguli sections 72 to 139

Where it appears: Vidula speaks these words to her son Sanjaya, beaten by the king of the Sindhus, in the opening section of Mahabharata · Chapter 19 · Part 5 of 5 · Kunti's message: the tale of Vidula, and the last farewell, the fifth part of chapter 19. The English retelling follows K. M. Ganguli, sections 72 to 139.

Context: Queen Vidula finds her son lying in despair after a defeat and rouses him to rise again. Years later Kunti sends this story to her own sons as her message.

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Katha Upanishad: Nachiketa and the Three BoonsKatha Upanishad · Valli 3

Where it appears: The meaning of 'uttishthata jagrata prapya varan nibodhata', under 'The chariot, the driver, and the razor's edge' in Katha Upanishad: Nachiketa and the Three Boons, inside the third valli. The razor's-edge warning follows at once, and Shankara's reading is noted where readings differ.

Context: Yama has described the inward climb from the senses to the self at peace. Then comes the call that India has repeated for centuries.

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The Ashtavakra Gita · Chapter 18: Liberation in LifeAshtavakra Gita · Chapter 18.50

Where it appears: Verse 50, under 'Shlokas 49 to 52' in The Ashtavakra Gita · Chapter 18: Liberation in Life. The commentary calls it the nearest thing to a declaration in the whole chapter, made to a king whose freedom until now has been the kind that commands armies.

Context: In the long eighteenth chapter Ashtavakra describes the person who lives free while still in the world. Here he sums it up in one ringing line.

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Chapter 5 · The Ya Devi HymnDevi Mahatmya · Chapter 5, Ya Devi Stuti · verse 30 · Markandeya Purana

Where it appears: Verse 30, first of the group headed '30 · 31 · 32 · 33' in Chapter 5 · The Ya Devi Hymn. The hymn is chapter eighty-five within the Markandeya Purana, and its numbering follows that Purana, which the Gita Press Saptashati counts differently.

Context: In the Ya Devi hymn the gods find the goddess inside every living being, one quality at a time.

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The Story of Bharata and Jada BharataVishnu Purana · Gita Press, Gorakhpur

Where it appears: Jada Bharata offers this image under 'The Secret of the Palanquin' in The Story of Bharata and Jada Bharata, just after naming paramartha as the one atman, to the Sauvira king on his way to Kapila on the bank of the Ikshumati. Source: Vishnu Purana, Gita Press, Gorakhpur.

Context: The sage Jadabharata, pressed into carrying a king's palanquin, ends up teaching that king what is truly real. He gives him this image of the one self in many bodies.

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Janaka: From the Siddhas' Song to Steady WisdomYoga Vasistha · Janaka

Where it appears: Janaka's soliloquy under 'The King Alone in the Palace' in Janaka: From the Siddhas' Song to Steady Wisdom, a few lines after he asks what sorcerer has bewitched him so completely that he believes he is not spellbound at all. Vasistha tells the story to Rama.

Context: King Janaka of Videha has heard the siddhas singing of the Self in a spring grove. Alone on the highest balcony of his palace, he turns the question on himself.

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Chapter 12: The Yoga of DevotionBhagavad Gita · 12.15

Where it appears: Verse 12.15 in the 'Verse by verse' section of Chapter 12: The Yoga of Devotion, set between 12.14, which ends 'that devotee of mine is dear to me', and 12.16, on the one who expects nothing, pure, capable and impartial.

Context: In the chapter on devotion Krishna lists the marks of the devotee he holds dear. This one is about the quiet a person brings to the world.

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Anand SahibGuru Amardas · Anand Sahib, Pauri 12 · Guru Granth Sahib, Raga Ramkali · English rendering

Where it appears: In the sense given for Pauri 12 of Anand Sahib, the voice becomes a plea again, made with humility. The rendering follows the commentary of Professor Sahib Singh ji, and the text of the bani comes from BaniDB of the Khalis Foundation.

Context: Guru Amardas addresses the Lord whose limit no one has found, and sees him in every speaker and every seer.

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Ramayana · The Exile of Rama, the City's Lament, Guha, and ChitrakutaValmiki Ramayana · Ayodhyakanda, sargas 14 to 39 · Gita Press

Where it appears: Kausalya's blessing under 'The Mother's Rite of Benediction' in Ramayana · The Exile of Rama, the City's Lament, Guha, and Chitrakuta, a section that closes at Canto 25. She speaks it after sipping clean water to wash away the impurity of tears. Gita Press is the controlling witness.

Context: Queen Kausalya cannot stop her son Rama from going into exile. She lets him go with a mother's blessing.

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Punya and Pavana: From Grief to Self-KnowledgeYoga Vasistha · Punya and Pavana

Where it appears: Vasistha says this to Rama under 'The Brothers' Remaining Life' in Punya and Pavana: From Grief to Self-Knowledge, a stretch the source map places at Upashama 5.21, opening. The telling follows Vihari-Lala Mitra's translation.

Context: Vasistha finishes the story of two brothers, one of whom wept for their parents until the elder brother led him to self-knowledge. He then draws the lesson for Rama.

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Bhagavatam · The Avadhuta's Twenty-Four GurusBhagavatam · Skandha 11, Chapters 7 to 9

Where it appears: The avadhuta's lesson from the ocean in Bhagavatam · The Avadhuta's Twenty-Four Gurus, told to King Yadu between the python and the moth. Shukadeva offers the episode to Parikshit, and the retelling follows Skandha 11, Chapters 7 to 9.

Context: The tenth of the avadhuta's twenty-four teachers is the ocean, which neither overflows when the rivers flood nor sinks when they run dry.

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The Vishnu SahasranamaVishnu Sahasranama · Phalashruti (Uttarapithika)

Where it appears: From 'The Fruits of Recitation and the Epilogue' in The Vishnu Sahasranama, where Bhishma himself tells the fruit of the thousand names. The hymn belongs to the Anushasana Parva of the Mahabharata, chapter one hundred forty-nine.

Context: After the thousand names, the closing verses of the Vishnu Sahasranama describe what settles in the one who recites them.

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Mahabharata · Chapter 18 · Part 4 of 7 · Dhritarashtra's night and Vidura's counselMahabharata · Udyoga Parva, Vidura's counsel · Ganguli sections 1 to 71

Where it appears: Under 'Only deeds will follow: Vidura's final appeal' in Mahabharata · Chapter 18 · Part 4 of 7 · Dhritarashtra's night and Vidura's counsel, part 4 of chapter 18, which retells Ganguli's sections XXXIII to XL. A second river follows, with the senses for water and desire and anger for its crocodiles.

Context: On a sleepless night before the war, Vidura counsels the blind king Dhritarashtra. Near the close of his long teaching he pictures the self as a river a person can bathe in.

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Isha Upanishad: A World Worn Over, and a Last PrayerIsha Upanishad · Mantra 7

Where it appears: Mantra 7, glossed under 'Seeing oneself in all beings (mantras 6 to 8)' in Isha Upanishad: A World Worn Over, and a Last Prayer. The commentary observes that delusion and grief grow from one root, and Shankara's reading is noted wherever readings differ.

Context: The Isha Upanishad has just spoken of seeing all beings in oneself and oneself in all beings. Here it names what that seeing removes.

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Bhaja GovindamBhaja Govindam · verse 19

Where it appears: Shloka 19, leading into the block on shlokas 19 and 20, the inner turn with a touch of the Gita, in Bhaja Govindam. The commentary notes that the verse says nandati three times, and every shloka is checked against the 33-shloka text of Vaidika Vignanam.

Context: Among the verses added by Shankara's disciples is this one, the most inclusive in the work, where outward circumstances stop mattering.

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Twelve selected passages from Japji SahibGuru Nanak · Japji Sahib, Pauri 1 · Guru Granth Sahib, Ang 1 · English rendering

Where it appears: The closing lines of Pauri 1, second stop in Twelve selected passages from Japji Sahib, headed '2 · Pauri 1 · The methods that don't work', on Ang 1. On the pauri's first word, the guide records that Sahib Singh reads it as outward cleansing.

Context: Guru Nanak has just listed the methods that do not make a person pure: endless thinking, forced silence, hoarding, cleverness.

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Ramayana · The Departure of Rama to His Own AbodeValmiki Ramayana · Uttarakanda, sargas 98 to 111 · Gita Press

Where it appears: Hanuman answers Rama under 'Vibhishana, Hanuman, and Jambavan are told to remain on earth' in Ramayana · The Departure of Rama to His Own Abode. Rama then gives the same charge to Jambavan, Mainda and Dvivida, and the Gita Press recension directs all five to live until Kali comes.

Context: As Rama prepares to leave the world, he asks Hanuman to stay on earth. Hanuman gladly accepts the charge.

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Manki: From the Desert to Supreme SamadhiYoga Vasistha · Manki

Where it appears: Vasistha says this under 'A Traveler in the Heat' in Manki: From the Desert to Supreme Samadhi, moments after naming himself to Manki as a sage of the ethereal region on an errand for the royal sage Aja.

Context: In a blazing desert Vasistha meets Manki, a pilgrim worn out by a long search for peace. He tells the weary seeker not to lose heart over his ignorance, and then says this.

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Chapter 6: The Yoga of MeditationBhagavad Gita · 6.40

Where it appears: The second half of verse 6.40 in the 'Verse by verse' section of Chapter 6: The Yoga of Meditation. The verse opens with 'The Blessed Lord said', and its first half tells Partha that for such a seeker there is no destruction in this world or the next.

Context: Arjuna has asked what becomes of a seeker who falls short before reaching the goal. Krishna answers with tenderness, calling him dear friend.

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The Lalita Sahasranama · Part 3: Majesty and the Three StatesLalita Sahasranama · Part 3, names 166 to 171

Where it appears: Names 166 to 171 in The Lalita Sahasranama · Part 3: Majesty and the Three States, from Nishpapa to Lobhanashini, under 'Majesty and the Three States'. The meanings follow Bhaskararaya's Saubhagya-Bhaskara commentary, and the source is the Lalitopakhyana of the Brahmanda Purana, Uttara Khanda.

Context: In these names of the Divine Mother, each quality she is free of becomes a gift she gives to the one who worships her.

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Mahabharata · Bhishma: the Law of Liberation and the Law of DistressMahabharata · Shanti Parva, sections 129 to 353 · Gita Press

Where it appears: Medhavi's verse under 'The talk of father and son: death's pursuit and immortality through truth' in Mahabharata · Bhishma: the Law of Liberation and the Law of Distress, chapter 35 of the Mahabharata sequence. Where recensions differ, the English follows Kisari Mohan Ganguli's complete translation.

Context: From his bed of arrows Bhishma tells Yudhishthira of a young man named Medhavi, who urges his scholar father to seek the highest good without delay. The son ends his counsel with this verse.

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The Ashtavakra Gita · Chapter 2: WonderAshtavakra Gita · Chapter 2.4

Where it appears: Shloka 4, the first of Janaka's three pictures under 'Shloka 4 · 5 · 6' in The Ashtavakra Gita · Chapter 2: Wonder. Cloth that proves to be only thread, and sugar pervaded by cane juice, come next.

Context: Having heard Ashtavakra's first teaching, King Janaka answers in wonder. He reaches for a picture anyone can see at the water's edge.

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Verse maps and selected readings

Bhagavad Gita, chapter 2Selected chapter commentary · Gita 2.1 to 72

Main edition: the Gita Press Mahabharata. The English chapter commentary now maps its sections to source ranges. It contains four Sanskrit blocks quoting five verses: 2.20,2.22,2.47 and 2.62 to 63. It does not reproduce all 72 verses.

Comparison: the independently translated BBT chapter. The earlier speech at 1.25, request for instruction at 2.7, silence at 2.9, and question at 2.54 establish the corrected sequence. Philosophical explanations remain identified as commentary; the two editions’ interpretations are not made identical.

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Selected passages reviewed: September 11, 2026.

Isha Upanishad: a thematic commentaryPage-specific basis and 18-mantra source map

Main basis for this page: Swami Krishnananda’s exposition. This differs from the broader collection’s named verification references above. The English reading and Hindi reading retain their commentary and now identify the six thematic sections’ source passages.

Comparison: Sri Aurobindo’s published Isha text and translation, Part One, pp.5 to 10. Sections concern 1;2;9 to 11;4 to 5;15 to 18; and 1,6 to 7. Verses 3,8 and 12 to 14 have no dedicated section on these pages; the full source remains linked. The map locates passages without claiming that both commentaries give the same interpretation.

Source map reviewed: September 11, 2026.