15 Primary Sources: Ancient India
Primary Sources
Ancient India, General
The Laws of Manu, c. 1500 BCE, excerpts
Ashoka, King of Behar: The Rock Edicts, c. 257 BCE, excerpts
The Vedas
Rig Veda, selections
Rig Veda: Hymn, excerpts
‘Indra- who as soon as born surpassed the gods in power‘
Hinduism and Related Traditions
Katha Upanishad
Selections from The Chandogya Upanishad
Akaranga Sutra, Jain Doctrines and Practices of Nonviolence (5th-4th century BCE)
Kautilya, The Arthashastra (2nd century BCE to 3rd century CE)
The Ramayana, summary
Chapter I — The Despondency of Arjuna
Chapter III — Perform action, free from attainment to its fruits
The Mahabarata, excerpts on Kingship
Personal Worship: Puja Hinduism
Agni Purana, The Merits of Building a Temple(7th century CE)
Buddhism
Gautama (attr.)
First Sermon (c. 6th Century BCE)
The Buddha Foretells the Gradual Decline of Religion
Faxian: Account of the Buddhistic Kingdoms
The Bodhisattva’s Infinite Compassion
Milerepa Extols His ‘Five Comforts’
