Pillar 1: Epics & Scriptures

What This Pillar Covers

The foundational texts of the Indian tradition — and, where relevant, other traditions — as documented literature. This pillar treats epics and scriptures as historical and literary objects: what they say, when they were composed, how they were transmitted, and what they have meant to different communities.

This is the Waking world content: verifiable, sourced, and open to correction.

Key Entries

Mahabharata — Overview, structure, key figures, and major episodes
Ramayana — Overview, structure, and regional variations
Bhagavad Gita — Context within the Mahabharata, key teachings, and commentaries
Upanishads — Overview of the genre; individual entries for Māṇḍūkya, Chāndogya, Bṛhadāraṇyaka
Māṇḍūkya Upanishad — The four states of consciousness (jāgrat, svapna, suṣupti, turīya)
Chāndogya Upanishad — The three bodies (śarīra) framework
Ṛgveda — Oldest Veda; key hymns including the Puruṣasūkta
Puranas — Overview of the genre and major Puranas
Pancha Kanya — The five women of epic tradition, their stories and interpretations
Alexander and the Naked Ascetics — The encounter between Alexander and Indian ascetics, as recorded in Greek and Indian sources

Connection Articles on the Main Site

These are the trails that begin in this pillar:

Sword vs. Words — Alexander, the naked ascetics, and the tension between conquest and renunciation
The Five Virgins as Ecological Teachers — Pancha Kanya as models of sustainable living and inner cultivation
Apaurusheyatva and the Question of Authorship — What it means to say the Vedas have no author

Related Pillars

Synthesis — Where epic themes connect to science and dream
Historical Events — The contexts in which these texts were composed and transmitted
Siddhas & Lineages — The traditions that preserved and interpreted these texts

How to Contribute

Create or expand entries on texts, figures, and episodes. Cite primary sources where possible. Use the connection type tags when linking to other pillars.