Scripture chapters
Every chapter of the scriptures: read and listen
All chapters of every scripture in the library, in order. Pick a chapter to read its full explanation or press Listen to hear it.
Shrimad Bhagavad Gita: All 18 Chapters with Meaning in Simple Words
- 1Bhagavad Gita Chapter 1: Arjuna Vishada Yoga, Meaning in Simple WordsChapter 1 of the Gita, all 47 shlokas in order: Dhritarashtra's question, the two armies at Kurukshetra, the conches, and Arjuna's grief th…🔊
- 2Bhagavad Gita Chapter 2: Sankhya Yoga, Karmanye Vadhikaraste ExplainedChapter 2 of the Gita, all 72 shlokas in order: Arjuna surrenders, the self is eternal, a warrior's duty, karma yoga and "karmanye vadhikar…🔊
- 3Bhagavad Gita Chapter 3: Karma Yoga, Meaning in Simple WordsChapter 3 of the Gita, all 43 shlokas in order: why no one can give up action, work as yajna, setting an example for the world, svadharma,…🔊
- 4Bhagavad Gita Chapter 4: Jnana Karma Sannyasa Yoga, Yada Yada Hi DharmasyaChapter 4 of the Gita, all 42 shlokas in order: the ancient line of this teaching, why and when God takes avatar, action and inaction, the…🔊
- 5Bhagavad Gita Chapter 5: Karma Sannyasa Yoga, Meaning in Simple WordsChapter 5 of the Gita, all 29 shlokas in order: renunciation or action, which is better; living untouched like a lotus leaf; equal vision;…🔊
- 6Bhagavad Gita Chapter 6: Dhyana Yoga, How to Meditate and Control the MindChapter 6 of the Gita, all 47 shlokas in order: the self as friend or enemy, how to sit and meditate, moderation, the restless mind tamed b…🔊
- 7Bhagavad Gita Chapter 7: Jnana Vijnana Yoga, Meaning in Simple WordsChapter 7 of the Gita, all 30 shlokas in order: God's lower and higher nature, God present in everything like the thread in a garland, the…🔊
- 8Bhagavad Gita Chapter 8: Akshara Brahma Yoga, Meaning in Simple WordsChapter 8 of the Gita, all 28 shlokas in order: Arjuna's seven questions, what one remembers at death, Om and meditation, the day and night…🔊
- 9Bhagavad Gita Chapter 9: Raja Vidya Raja Guhya Yoga, Patram Pushpam ExplainedChapter 9 of the Gita, all 34 shlokas in order: the royal secret, how all beings rest in God, God as father and mother of the world, "yoga…🔊
- 10Bhagavad Gita Chapter 10: Vibhuti Yoga, God's Glories in Simple WordsChapter 10 of the Gita, all 42 shlokas in order: God as the source of all, the lamp of knowledge in the devotee's heart, Arjuna's praise, a…🔊
- 11Bhagavad Gita Chapter 11: Vishvarupa Darshana Yoga, the Cosmic FormChapter 11 of the Gita, all 55 shlokas in order: Arjuna asks to see God's cosmic form, receives divine sight, sees all worlds and the warri…🔊
- 12Bhagavad Gita Chapter 12: Bhakti Yoga, Qualities of a True DevoteeChapter 12 of the Gita, all 20 shlokas in order: worship of God with form or without, the ladder of practice for every kind of person, and…🔊
- 13Bhagavad Gita Chapter 13: Kshetra Kshetrajna Vibhaga Yoga, Body and SoulChapter 13 of the Gita, all 34 shlokas in order: the body as the field and the self as its knower, the twenty qualities that make up true k…🔊
- 14Bhagavad Gita Chapter 14: Gunatraya Vibhaga Yoga, Sattva Rajas TamasChapter 14 of the Gita, all 27 shlokas in order: God as the father of all beings, how sattva, rajas and tamas bind, their signs and results…🔊
- 15Bhagavad Gita Chapter 15: Purushottama Yoga, Full Meaning in Simple WordsChapter 15 of the Gita, all 20 shlokas in order: the upside-down ashvattha tree of the world, cutting it with detachment, the soul as God's…🔊
- 16Bhagavad Gita Chapter 16: Daivasura Sampad Vibhaga Yoga, Divine and Demonic QualitiesChapter 16 of the Gita, all 24 shlokas in order: the 26 divine qualities, the marks of the demonic nature, its endless desires and its fate…🔊
- 17Bhagavad Gita Chapter 17: Shraddhatraya Vibhaga Yoga, Three Kinds of FaithChapter 17 of the Gita, all 28 shlokas in order: faith shaped by the three gunas, sattvic, rajasic and tamasic food, sacrifice, austerity o…🔊
- 18Bhagavad Gita Chapter 18: Moksha Sannyasa Yoga, the Conclusion of the GitaChapter 18 of the Gita, all 78 shlokas in order: true renunciation, the five causes of action, threefold knowledge, action, doer, intellect…🔊
Shiv Puran: Complete Story Samhita by Samhita in Simple Words
- 1Shiv Puran Vidyeshvara Samhita: Glory of Shiva, Shivalinga and RudrakshaThe first part of the Shiv Puran: why the Puran is heard, the stories of Devaraj and Chanchula, the pillar of fire between Brahma and Vishn…🔊
- 2Shiv Puran Rudra Samhita, Srishti Khanda: Narada's Pride, Creation and KuberaThe Srishti Khanda of the Rudra Samhita: how Narada's pride was broken by Vishnu's maya, creation from Sadashiva, the appearance of Rudra,…🔊
- 3Shiv Puran Rudra Samhita, Sati Khanda: Sati, Shiva and Daksha's YajnaThe Sati Khanda: Sati's birth to Daksha, her penance and marriage to Shiva, her test of Shri Ram in the forest, Daksha's hostility, the yaj…🔊
- 4Shiv Puran Rudra Samhita, Parvati Khanda: Parvati's Penance and the Divine WeddingThe Parvati Khanda: Parvati's birth to Himavan and Mena, Narada's prophecy, Tarakasura's boon, the burning of Kamadeva, Parvati's penance a…🔊
- 5Shiv Puran Rudra Samhita, Kumara Khanda: Kartikeya, Tarakasura and the Birth of GaneshaThe Kumara Khanda: the birth of Kartikeya and his upbringing by the Krittikas, the slaying of Tarakasura, the birth of Ganesha from Parvati…🔊
- 6Shiv Puran Rudra Samhita, Yuddha Khanda: Tripura, Jalandhara and AndhakaThe Yuddha Khanda: Shiva destroys the three flying cities of Tripura with one arrow, the story of Jalandhara and Vrinda and how Tulsi and t…🔊
- 7Shiv Puran Shatarudra Samhita: The Avatars of ShivaThe Shatarudra Samhita describes the avatars of Shiva: the five faces, Ardhanarishvara, Nandi, Kala Bhairava of Kashi, Virabhadra, Sharabha…🔊
- 8Shiv Puran Kotirudra Samhita: Stories of the 12 Jyotirlingas and ShivaratriThe Kotirudra Samhita tells the origin of each of the twelve Jyotirlingas, from Somnath to Grishneshwar, the story of the hunter that expla…🔊
- 9Shiv Puran Uma Samhita: Charity, Karma, the Path of Yama and the Glory of the GoddessThe Uma Samhita: Krishna's worship of Shiva for a son, the kinds of charity and their fruit, sins and their results, the road to Yama's rea…🔊
- 10Shiv Puran Kailasa Samhita: The Meaning of Om and the Path of SannyasaThe Kailasa Samhita: Parvati asks Shiva about the meaning of Om, the sage Vamadeva's questions to Kartikeya, the method of sannyasa, the in…🔊
- 11Shiv Puran Vayaviya Samhita: Shiva Philosophy, Pashupata Yoga and UpamanyuThe last part of the Shiv Puran, told by Vayu: Shiva as Pati, souls as pashu bound by pasha, the Pashupata vow and Shiva yoga, the story of…🔊
Vishnu Puran: All Six Ansh Explained in Simple Words
- 1Vishnu Puran First Ansh: Creation, Samudra Manthan, Dhruva and PrahladaThe first part of the Vishnu Puran (22 chapters): Maitreya's question, how Parashara received the Puran, creation from Vishnu, the boar ava…🔊
- 2Vishnu Puran Second Ansh: The Earth, Bharatavarsha, the Planets and Jada BharataThe second part of the Vishnu Puran (16 chapters): the seven continents and seven seas, the glory of Bharatavarsha, the nether worlds and h…🔊
- 3Vishnu Puran Third Ansh: The Manvantaras, Division of the Vedas, Dharma and ShraddhaThe third part of the Vishnu Puran (18 chapters): the fourteen Manus, the line of Vyasas and how the Vedas were divided, Yama's instruction…🔊
- 4Vishnu Puran Fourth Ansh: The Solar and Lunar Dynasties, from Ikshvaku to Shri RamThe fourth part of the Vishnu Puran (24 chapters): the Solar dynasty of Ayodhya from Ikshvaku through Mandhata, Harishchandra, Sagara, Bhag…🔊
- 5Vishnu Puran Fifth Ansh: The Complete Life of Shri KrishnaThe fifth part of the Vishnu Puran (38 chapters), the life of Shri Krishna: his birth in Kamsa's prison, the childhood leelas of Gokul and…🔊
- 6Vishnu Puran Sixth Ansh: The Kali Age, the Four Pralayas and the Path to LiberationThe last part of the Vishnu Puran (8 chapters): the marks of the Kali age and why it is also the easiest age, the four kinds of dissolution…🔊
Shrimad Bhagwat Puran: All 12 Skandh in Simple Words
- 1Bhagwat Puran First Skandh: How the Bhagwat Began, Kunti's Prayer and ParikshitThe first skandh (19 chapters): the sages ask Suta ji, Vyasa's unrest and Narada's advice, Narada's own story, the list of avatars, Ashvatt…🔊
- 2Bhagwat Puran Second Skandh: Shukadeva's Teaching and the Four-Verse BhagwatThe second skandh (10 chapters): what a dying person should do, meditation on the cosmic form, the story of King Khatvanga, Brahma's vision…🔊
- 3Bhagwat Puran Third Skandh: Vidura and Uddhava, Varaha Avatar and Kapila's TeachingThe third skandh (33 chapters): Vidura meets Uddhava and Maitreya, creation by Brahma, the Varaha avatar and Hiranyaksha, Jaya and Vijaya,…🔊
- 4Bhagwat Puran Fourth Skandh: Daksha's Yajna, Dhruva, Prithu and PuranjanaThe fourth skandh (31 chapters): Daksha's sacrifice and Sati, the child Dhruva's penance and the pole star, King Prithu who milked the eart…🔊
- 5Bhagwat Puran Fifth Skandh: Rishabhadeva, Jada Bharata and the Structure of the WorldsThe fifth skandh (26 chapters): King Priyavrata, Rishabhadeva's teaching to his sons, the story of Bharata and Jada Bharata, the continents…🔊
- 6Bhagwat Puran Sixth Skandh: Ajamila, Vritrasura and the Narayana KavachaThe sixth skandh (19 chapters): Ajamila saved by calling the name Narayana, Yama's teaching on the power of the Name, Daksha's sons and Nar…🔊
- 7Bhagwat Puran Seventh Skandh: Prahlada and the Narasimha AvatarThe seventh skandh (15 chapters): why God appears to take sides, Hiranyakashipu's penance and tyranny, Prahlada's nine kinds of devotion, t…🔊
- 8Bhagwat Puran Eighth Skandh: Gajendra Moksha, Samudra Manthan and VamanaThe eighth skandh (24 chapters): the Manvantaras, the elephant Gajendra saved from the crocodile, the churning of the ocean and Shiva drink…🔊
- 9Bhagwat Puran Ninth Skandh: The Solar Dynasty, Shri Ram Katha and the Lunar DynastyThe ninth skandh (24 chapters): the descendants of Manu, King Ambarisha and Durvasa, the Solar dynasty of Ayodhya with Bhagiratha and the c…🔊
- 10Bhagwat Puran Tenth Skandh: The Complete Krishna LeelaThe tenth skandh (90 chapters), the heart of the Bhagwat: Krishna's birth, the leelas of Gokul and Vrindavan, Govardhan, the rasa and the G…🔊
- 11Bhagwat Puran Eleventh Skandh: The Uddhava Gita and the 24 Teachers of the AvadhutaThe eleventh skandh (31 chapters): the sages' curse on the Yadavas, the nine Yogeshvaras' teaching to King Nimi, the avadhuta's twenty-four…🔊
- 12Bhagwat Puran Twelfth Skandh: The Kali Age, Parikshit's Liberation and MarkandeyaThe twelfth skandh (13 chapters): the kings and marks of the Kali age, the Kalki avatar, Shukadeva's last teaching, Parikshit's liberation,…🔊
Shri Durga Saptashati: All 13 Chapters with Meaning in Simple Words
- 1Durga Saptashati Chapter 1: King Suratha, the Merchant and the Slaying of Madhu-KaitabhaChapter 1 of the Durga Saptashati: King Suratha and the merchant Samadhi meet the sage Medha and ask why attachment remains; Medha tells of…🔊
- 2Durga Saptashati Chapter 2: The Birth of the Goddess and the Army of MahishasuraChapter 2: Mahishasura drives the gods from heaven; from the anger and radiance of Brahma, Vishnu, Shiva and all the gods the Goddess takes…🔊
- 3Durga Saptashati Chapter 3: The Slaying of MahishasuraChapter 3: the Goddess slays Chikshura, Chamara and Mahishasura's other generals; Mahishasura attacks as a buffalo, changes form again and…🔊
- 4Durga Saptashati Chapter 4: Shakradi Stuti, the Gods Praise the GoddessChapter 4: after Mahishasura's death Indra and the gods praise the Goddess in a famous hymn, and she grants that she will come whenever the…🔊
- 5Durga Saptashati Chapter 5: Ya Devi Sarvabhuteshu, the Hymn of the Gods and Shumbha's MessageChapter 5 opens the final charitra: Shumbha and Nishumbha seize heaven; the gods praise the Goddess with "Ya Devi Sarvabhuteshu"; Kaushiki…🔊
- 6Durga Saptashati Chapter 6: The Slaying of DhumralochanaChapter 6: angered by the Goddess's reply, Shumbha sends his general Dhumralochana with sixty thousand asuras to drag her to him; the Godde…🔊
- 7Durga Saptashati Chapter 7: Chanda and Munda Slain, the Goddess Becomes ChamundaChapter 7: Chanda and Munda attack; from the Goddess's frowning brow springs the terrible Kali, who devours their army and slays both; brin…🔊
- 8Durga Saptashati Chapter 8: The Seven Mothers and the Slaying of RaktabijaChapter 8: Shumbha sends his whole army; the shaktis of the gods appear as the Matrikas; the Goddess sends Shiva as her messenger and is ca…🔊
- 9Durga Saptashati Chapter 9: The Slaying of NishumbhaChapter 9: King Suratha asks to hear more; Nishumbha leads the asuras into battle, fights the Goddess fiercely, is struck down, rises again…🔊
- 10Durga Saptashati Chapter 10: The Slaying of ShumbhaChapter 10: Shumbha taunts the Goddess for fighting with others' help; she draws all the Mothers back into herself and declares she is the…🔊
- 11Durga Saptashati Chapter 11: Narayani Stuti, Sarva Mangala MangalyeChapter 11: the gods, led by Agni, praise the Goddess as Narayani in one of the best-loved hymns of Hinduism, and she promises to return as…🔊
- 12Durga Saptashati Chapter 12: The Fruit of Reading the Devi MahatmyaChapter 12, the phala shruti: the Goddess herself tells what reading or hearing this story brings, protection from fear, illness, enemies a…🔊
- 13Durga Saptashati Chapter 13: The Boons to King Suratha and the MerchantChapter 13, the conclusion: King Suratha and the merchant Samadhi worship the Goddess for three years on a river bank; she appears; the kin…🔊
Garuda Puran: What It Really Says, Part by Part
- 1Garuda Puran Purva Khanda: Dharma, Vows, Ayurveda and Garuda NitiThe first part of the Garuda Puran: how Garuda received the Puran from Vishnu, the avatars, worship and vows, pilgrimage, Ayurveda and gems…🔊
- 2Garuda Puran: Garuda's Questions and What to Do at the Time of DeathThe opening of the Preta Khanda: Garuda asks why beings die and what happens after; Vishnu describes the signs of approaching death and wha…🔊
- 3Garuda Puran: The Soul's Journey to Yamaloka and the Vaitarani RiverWhat the Garuda Puran says happens after death: the subtle body formed by the pinda offerings, the long road to Yama's city, how the virtuo…🔊
- 4Garuda Puran: Yama's Court, Chitragupta and the Results of Our ActionsYama's court in the Garuda Puran: Chitragupta's record, how Yama appears gentle to the good and fearsome to the cruel, the kinds of wrongdo…🔊
- 5Garuda Puran: The Thirteen Days, Pinda Daan, Shraddha and Narayan BaliWhat the Garuda Puran says about the rites after a death: the daily pinda for ten days, the eleventh and twelfth day rites, sapindikarana,…🔊
- 6Garuda Puran: Rebirth and the Way to LiberationThe closing teaching of the Garuda Puran: how karma shapes the next birth, why human birth is precious, and the way to freedom from the cyc…🔊
Shri Satyanarayan Vrat Katha: All Five Chapters with Puja Method
- 1Satyanarayan Katha Chapter 1: Narada Asks Vishnu and the Vow Is RevealedChapter 1 of the Satyanarayan Katha: the sages ask Suta ji how people may be freed from suffering; Narada asks Lord Vishnu the same in Vaik…🔊
- 2Satyanarayan Katha Chapter 2: The Poor Brahmin and the WoodcutterChapter 2: in Kashi a poor Brahmin is taught the vow by the Lord himself in the form of an old Brahmin and becomes prosperous; a thirsty wo…🔊
- 3Satyanarayan Katha Chapter 3: King Ulkamukh, the Merchant Sadhu and KalavatiChapter 3: the merchant Sadhu sees King Ulkamukh keeping the vow and promises to keep it if a child is born; a daughter, Kalavati, is born,…🔊
- 4Satyanarayan Katha Chapter 4: The Boat of Leaves and Kalavati's HasteChapter 4: on the way home the merchant lies to the Lord disguised as a sannyasi, and his wealth turns to leaves until he repents; at home…🔊
- 5Satyanarayan Katha Chapter 5: King Tungadhwaj and the Cowherds' PrasadChapter 5: King Tungadhwaj scorns the prasad offered by cowherds worshipping under a tree and loses his sons and wealth; he returns, worshi…🔊